On the allotment, mangetout, runner beans, strawberries, some potatoes which have grown from those I didn't manage to dig up last year, and a very sad courgette. At home, to be planted on the allotment when I have the strength, carrots, beetroot and parsnips all doing very nicely in some old lengths of guttering. Oh, and an impressive amount of bindweed!
What are you growing?
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One thing I’ve not got this year is courgette! I’m in shock!
I need to go hunt out a plant from somewhere.
I need to go hunt out a plant from somewhere.
garlic, ginger, blackcurrants and coriander. Put some apple and plum trees in last year if that counts. Growing food is the one gaping hole in my self reliance c.v and it is probably easier to fill than all the bush craft holes that are reasonably well filled (I think) 
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I'm growing hungrier by the second...
In the garden: tomatoes, squash (well, slugs have not decimated the leaves, no flowers yet), figs and there is even one ripe raspberry!
In the garden: tomatoes, squash (well, slugs have not decimated the leaves, no flowers yet), figs and there is even one ripe raspberry!
I went out to prune the tomato plants yesterday in the late afternoon; there is a grand total of about six tomatoes on two plants, the other six are bare, not even flowers.
The squash plants have loads of flowers on them, and I pruned one back that was stretching over from its own raised bed towards the neighbouring tomato plants.
The other day I found three tomato plants growing in big pot containing a hibiscus... I think that what happened there was that I'd planted some tomato seeds in little fibre pots filled with coconut fibre, they didn't germinate as quickly as I expected and so I dumped the contents of the fibre pots over the exposed roots of the hibiscus along with some compost from the bins at the bottom of the garden... and the seeds germinated.
The squash plants have loads of flowers on them, and I pruned one back that was stretching over from its own raised bed towards the neighbouring tomato plants.
The other day I found three tomato plants growing in big pot containing a hibiscus... I think that what happened there was that I'd planted some tomato seeds in little fibre pots filled with coconut fibre, they didn't germinate as quickly as I expected and so I dumped the contents of the fibre pots over the exposed roots of the hibiscus along with some compost from the bins at the bottom of the garden... and the seeds germinated.
I out my tomato (and other) seeds in way too late, but the plants are now out in the greenhouse growing rapidly, and the one French bean plant, one pepper and the cucumber lok OK... however the squashs are growing very well, have flowers already so maybe I will get something, I just cannot remember what squashes I actually planted!
GC
GC
I've eaten all my broad beans, and most of the peas, courgettes are coming along, about 2inches atm,looking forward to those. I've had a couple of globe artichokes, and two more to come in the next week, not bad for only one plant. This is my first time growing these.
Runner beans are still not growing, should be at the top of the poles and flowering by now, but they are barely a foot high. No idea whats happening there.
Radishes are doing well as are the lettuce, spring onions, beets and carrots.
The dwarf beans are coming along well, and I should be able to start picking them next week.
Runner beans are still not growing, should be at the top of the poles and flowering by now, but they are barely a foot high. No idea whats happening there.
Radishes are doing well as are the lettuce, spring onions, beets and carrots.
The dwarf beans are coming along well, and I should be able to start picking them next week.
Sounds good.
This is the first year for a while I have not had much planted, but then again I was moving house just at sowing time, so I didnt't start much off and that was late.... but better doing a bit than nothing......
.....I also spent time planting a lot of willow this spring, My 650 or so biofuel coppice willow slips have done well, close to 100% success rate and some are about 7' tall already! The 50 basketry willow slips are also doing OK albeit slower growing. The willow grew well in spring, then paused when it was dry for a bit, but put on another growth spurt when the weather becames wet again. Clearly, west Wales is a good climate for wilow.
I put a bed of Salix verminalis in about 2.5 years ago, they should yield some crop this year, and some of my Salix purpurea planted at the same time is also doing pretty well.
Still need to put my fruit trees back into the ground- they are currently in large pots against a south-facing wall in a sheltered spot, bunched together so they have their own microcimate. They are doing good in the pots, best thing I did was lift them out of the wet ground where they were unhappy, a year in decent coir cmpost should hopefully help develop a decent root structure which will continue to develop when planted out with my raised bed/open bottom planting method.
GC
This is the first year for a while I have not had much planted, but then again I was moving house just at sowing time, so I didnt't start much off and that was late.... but better doing a bit than nothing......
.....I also spent time planting a lot of willow this spring, My 650 or so biofuel coppice willow slips have done well, close to 100% success rate and some are about 7' tall already! The 50 basketry willow slips are also doing OK albeit slower growing. The willow grew well in spring, then paused when it was dry for a bit, but put on another growth spurt when the weather becames wet again. Clearly, west Wales is a good climate for wilow.
I put a bed of Salix verminalis in about 2.5 years ago, they should yield some crop this year, and some of my Salix purpurea planted at the same time is also doing pretty well.
Still need to put my fruit trees back into the ground- they are currently in large pots against a south-facing wall in a sheltered spot, bunched together so they have their own microcimate. They are doing good in the pots, best thing I did was lift them out of the wet ground where they were unhappy, a year in decent coir cmpost should hopefully help develop a decent root structure which will continue to develop when planted out with my raised bed/open bottom planting method.
GC
I've just pulled the last few broad beans plants out, and will be planting swiss chard seedlings that I started off a few weeks ago in their place to give me winter greens, as brassica of any sort get decimated by cabbage whites.
Such a shame as I love purple sprouting and cauliflowers. I've tried for about 3 yrs to grow them, but the blighters even manage to teleport through the netting, even if I double net them.!
Still time for beetroot and chard grey cat...if you are quick!
Such a shame as I love purple sprouting and cauliflowers. I've tried for about 3 yrs to grow them, but the blighters even manage to teleport through the netting, even if I double net them.!
Still time for beetroot and chard grey cat...if you are quick!
We’ve just had a lovely dinner including a good portion of Padron peppers each. We’ve grown peppers and chillies successfully in the greenhouse before but never tried the Padron type. The dozen we ate were from one plant, and about 40% of them were hot, but they were all tasty. I think they will become a firm favourite in our greenhouse, and there are some more to come yet.
Today we began harvesting the blackcurrants and got 1.5kg from a single bush trained against the inside of our fruit cage. We had an outing booked so I’ll do the other 3 bushes tomorrow. That should give us another 3 or 4 kg, and so the backup freezer is getting quite full!
We’re about 4kg into our raspberries, with plenty more to come. We’ve been eating our greenhouse cucumbers, and may do some pickling of them too, following Hugh’s videos.
Our outdoor strawberries grew well and flowered great, but I think the garden mice got the fruits before we could. Those that we grew in big tubs in the greenhouse also thrived and we’ve enjoyed most if not all of them.
Our tomatoes are a bit behind, but the vines look good and the first fruits are colouring up now. I think we’ll have enough to cover us well into September. This year even the outside tubs and vines are going well, very much unlike last year when the outdoor plants all died off.
We’ll start harvesting our peas in a few days time as they look ready. Our onions - white and red - are looking good and we’ll dig them up and dry them starting in a few weeks. Our spuds in tubs are still looking good but they’ll or need another few weeks before we start on them.
Today we began harvesting the blackcurrants and got 1.5kg from a single bush trained against the inside of our fruit cage. We had an outing booked so I’ll do the other 3 bushes tomorrow. That should give us another 3 or 4 kg, and so the backup freezer is getting quite full!
We’re about 4kg into our raspberries, with plenty more to come. We’ve been eating our greenhouse cucumbers, and may do some pickling of them too, following Hugh’s videos.
Our outdoor strawberries grew well and flowered great, but I think the garden mice got the fruits before we could. Those that we grew in big tubs in the greenhouse also thrived and we’ve enjoyed most if not all of them.
Our tomatoes are a bit behind, but the vines look good and the first fruits are colouring up now. I think we’ll have enough to cover us well into September. This year even the outside tubs and vines are going well, very much unlike last year when the outdoor plants all died off.
We’ll start harvesting our peas in a few days time as they look ready. Our onions - white and red - are looking good and we’ll dig them up and dry them starting in a few weeks. Our spuds in tubs are still looking good but they’ll or need another few weeks before we start on them.
Hmmm, I'm not a great fan of beetroot or chard @Woody girl ....
.... but I do have seeds for oriental greens and pak choi which go in from September onwards. Under cover (polytunnel is good but even a cloche or fleece will help) they can crop right through the winter (just keep picking), then they tend to bolt once it's warmer again and the days lengthen. Got some winter radish seeds somewhere too.
I love oriental greens, such a wide range available, and so tasty. (The Real Seeds company is were I got the seeds from).
GC
Phew it's hot! Over 45° at the top of my suntrap garden. Everything is wilting, despite several gallons of water late last night, and again early this morning. Ive just given the french beans and butternut another gallon each, its breaking my back doing this!
my poor wilting butternut.
my poor wilting butternut.
That's hot! I loose-laid some shade netting over my greenhouse roof and moved a couple of things to be under it, which made a difference. Any way you can rig something with sticks etc to create some shade?
My runner beans are shading my brassica's, thats why I planted them at each end of the bed.
My runner beans are shading my brassica's, thats why I planted them at each end of the bed.
Yes it's baking here! 45 in the shade...heaven only knows what temp my butternut is enduring. Must be 50 plus.
The peas are about done, so I'll take them out and try to use the canes to rig some shade. It's a bit of a call, as the pea foliage shades some of the soil. I'm not sure what I could use to create shade. I'll have to see if the charity shop has any cheap sheets.
Apparently, it's gonna be even hotter tomorrow.
Even the house is 25° with curtains and windows closed.
Being in a valley, it's a big sun trap here. Not a breath of air, even the birds, bees and butterflies seem to dissappear by 11am. I had to come back in at 9am, as it was too hot to do anything, and I was "glowing "and dripping slightly. Needed a coolish shower to cool down.
Spent most of today indoors bored silly.
It says something about how hot it is when you find 25° indoors, refreshingly cool after being outside!!!!!!
I'm on heart meds now,so been warned I'm vunerable in this heat, I must say I'm feeling it more so than I usualy do.
Presently sat with my feet in a bowl of cold water, while my neighbour swans off to the seaside to cool down....mutter mutter!
That looks uncannily like my own raised bed with some kind of squash. Mine share with tomato and chilli plants, though.
Leave the peas in, even when dead they are shading the ground and reducing evaporation. I cover the unused bits of my beds with opened out compost bags. You would be surprised how long cardboard will last, and even longer if you stick it up between sticks canes/string support lines.
John Seymour used to make pig sty/shelters/arcs out of chicken wire and cardboard!.
John Seymour used to make pig sty/shelters/arcs out of chicken wire and cardboard!.
My garden thermometer has bust!
It went up to 50° yesterday and today which is the maximum recordable temp. Its in the shade too.
No wonder everything is wilting so fast.
Today feels even hotter. Supposed to be 31° but I'm convinced it's much hotter.
I am supposed to play in a croquet match this afternoon, but I just can't bear the heat outside. Even indoors it's 25°, it actually feels cool when I come in after even a couple of minutes outside.
I'm a sun lover, but this is too much!
Waiting for the weather to cool off tomorrow, and praying for a bit of rain.
It went up to 50° yesterday and today which is the maximum recordable temp. Its in the shade too.
No wonder everything is wilting so fast.
Today feels even hotter. Supposed to be 31° but I'm convinced it's much hotter.
I am supposed to play in a croquet match this afternoon, but I just can't bear the heat outside. Even indoors it's 25°, it actually feels cool when I come in after even a couple of minutes outside.
I'm a sun lover, but this is too much!
Waiting for the weather to cool off tomorrow, and praying for a bit of rain.
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