Back from holiday

 

 

   I returned from holiday to find a bumper crop waiting for me at the plot. All my purple French beans had matured, so I picked them to encourage more to grow. My first peas were ready for picking. I had given up any hope of getting a harvest of peas as most of my plants had only got about 3 inches tall and then given up, but amazingly they have had a growth spurt and freshly picked peas are one of the best things from the plot. Needless to say most of them got scoffed there and then. My courgettes had gone mad and made two of the biggest marrows I've ever seen! Not quite sure what to do with the monsters.

 

 

   To my delight my cherry tomatoes at the plot have finally started to ripen. They look like little jewels. Im very pleased with them. The 'Sungold' and 'Sweet baby' plants have produced a bumper crop. Now all I'm waiting for are my main tomato plants to ripen at home. They are still green. I just need the first one to start to turn red and then the rest tend to follow.

The harvests keep coming

 

  This is the time of year where your hard work is really rewarded as the veg is producing bumper crops. Every time I visit the plot I always come away with a trug of lovely edibles. The main problem is trying to find ways of using up all the produce!

 



   This is definitely a bumper year for courgettes. They weren't very good last year because of the poor wet summer, but they are making up for it this time. If I've not been to the plot for a few days I find the courgettes have quickly turned into marrows- good thing I love courgettes!

 

   My broad beans have also made up for their poor performance last year. I sowed these a lot later than I normally would but it has paid off. I've still got plenty to harvest.

 

   Finally my tomatoes are looking glorious. The plants are looking good and healthy and have big fat tomatoes hanging by the trusses. All I need now is for them to start to ripen. I keep checking them every day for the slightest hint of red. It just takes the first one to start to ripen and the rest follow suit.

Soaking up the sun

    All the plants are thriving in the glorious sunshine. After having an almost non-existent summer the last two years, it has really made a change to have a decent spell of warm weather.

 

   My sweetcorn plants are looking strong and healthy. They are planted in a grid with a few squash plants at their bases and courgette plants around the edges. I cant wait till the super sweet cobs will be ready for harvesting.

 

   The tomato plants are looking good. The first trusses of fruits are appearing now. These are 'Ferline' and they are always a reliable variety for growing outdoors. 

 

   Ive planted out a row of Swiss Chard. I love the range of colours you can get from 'Bright Lights'. Ive never managed to get a real harvest from Chard plants before so Im hoping things will change this year.

 

   My broad bean plants are further behind than normal due to the cold spring. They are in flower at present with no sign of black fly.

 

   These are my 'Electric Daisy' plants from the home grown revolution by James Wong. The idea of a fizzy numbing sensation from the flowers fascinates me. They are ready to be planted out now and at the moment  small buds are just starting to form.

 

   I've got a mass of brassicas waiting for space to become available. I've just continued to pot them on to keep them healthy. Hopefully they will be able to follow on from my potatoes when they all get dug up.

  This is my edible hanging basket. Ive done this for the last two year but its looking at its best this year. It consists of three tomato plants - 'Fountain' and 'Rambling Gold Stripe', which were started off in a heated propagator towards the end of March. It then has nasturtium plants which provide edible flowers for salads.

 

   This is my first courgette harvest. I've grown 'Best of British', 'Safari' and 'Soleil'. I like to have a variety of colours as they look good in dishes. Courgettes are one of my favourite plants to grow so I say bring on the glut! I just hope the hot dry weather doesn't reduce their productivity. I've already had a few courgettes which have been withered at one end which I think may be due to a lack of water.

The risk of frost has passed

    Its mid June so all the tender veg is now planted out in their final positions.

   My Tomatoes have been planted out into pots, these include Ferline, Amish Gold and Black Krim. I always plant my tomatoes deep up to the first true leaves, this ensures good anchorage and encourages it to develop feeder roots. I just need to sun to start shining and the rain to stop.

    Up at the allotment Ive planted out my final bed. Its a take on the three sister bed, but mine just consists of two of the sisters. My sweetcorn is in a grid with my squashes planted among that grid. The plan is that as the sweetcorn grows up nice and tall the squashes will spread around the bottom covering the ground which suppresses weeds and keeps in the moisture. (The third sister is runner beans which normally grow up the sweetcorn, but my beans are in a seperate bed.) I dug in a couple of bags of manure because the squashes are greedy plants. I've also planted courgettes and gherkins

out. I think they all might sulk for a little bit as they they sat in their pots a little bit too long as they had started to yellow, but they should soon pick up and get growing.

Tomato Time!

  
    All my tomato seeds that I sowed last week have emerged. I always wait till April to sow mine because they'll be grown outside which means they need to be ready for June.  I think tomatoes are the vegetable that I most enjoy to grow. I love to grow lots of different varieties. This year I've chosen to grow 'Ferline' (my good old faithful), 'Black Krim', and 'Amish Gold'. Then 'Black Cherry', 'Green Grape' and 'Gardener's Delight' for gorgeous cherry toms and I'll be trying to grow 'Rambling Gold Stripe' and 'Fountain' in a hanging basket. Ive grown tomatoes once before in a basket with great success but that was with shop brought Tumbling Tom plants.  The seedlings seem so tiny at the moment, but I'm looking forward to a late summer harvest of tasty juicy toms! What tomatoes are you growing this year? have you got a favourite tom?