Sweet success

 

 

   I've harvested my first cob of sweetcorn today. The plants aren't very tall but all have a nice little cob sitting there waiting to be picked. I didn't have very much success with sweetcorn last year but this year has been a vast improvement. Ive heard other people say that nothing you buy can compare to the sweetness of homegrown sweetcorn and i have to agree. Perfect freshly boiled and then smothered in butter- delish! (My dog seemed impressed with my sweetcorn as well!) 

Elephant garlic

 

 

   I finally harvested my elephant garlic. i didnt know what to expect as i had read mixed reviews about its success. The thing with garlic is that you dont know how well its done untill you dig it up. I have to say that i was pleased with my elephant garlic. Theyve formed large bulbs seperated into cloves. They might not be the biggest but they are bigger than my hang so they seem pretty big to me! Now all thats left to do is to slowly roast one so i know how they taste. Cant wait!

The harvest begins

   After the poor weather this summer i thought this year was going to be a complete disaster. However some crops have managed to recover and have started giving out produce.

 

 

   My courgettes took a battering from the slugs but now they've come back fighting. I love courgettes, they are so productive and you can do so much with the crop.

 

 

 

 

   My second sowing of peas have now begun to make plump pods. This is a pea that ive tried for the first time called 'Desiree'. As pretty as it is the pea actually tastes quite earthy and not very sweet so i wont be growing these again.

 

 

 

 

   My autumn raspberries are now pumping out lovely ripe fruit, along with my blueberrys and a second flush of strawberrys.

 

 

 

 

   Im even getting a harvest of cut flowers every week. I only sowed a few sweetpea seeds but they are producing loads of flowers providing me with a vase full every week.







 

 

The war on slugs!

   With all the recent rain my crops having been sitting targets against the onslaught of the slugs. My squashes and courgettes have been stripped to just leave a stubby stem remaining. Well now its time for them to fight back! Its useless using pellets when its wet as they just dissolve. So the secret weapon in the war is nematodes. I've used them before against vine weevils with great results, so I'm hoping to have the same success against the slugs. the nematodes are microscopic organisms which prey on different pests in the garden. Its completely environmentally friendly and it couldn't be easier to use. It comes as a spongy substance which should be stored in the fridge. You just dissolve it into your watering can and apply to the soil. Luckily with the rain sill pouring it ensures that the nematodes will get down into the soil and do their magic. Nematodes are quite expensive so I'm hoping they'll be worth the cost. It states that the slugs will be dead within a week so  if my plants can hold out a bit longer then the war might be won! I'll keep you posted.

The garlic harvest

   I harvested my garlic yesterday. They were suffering from rust and all the foliage was yellowing and dying. I didnt know what to expect from the bulbs. Its always exciting digging something up and seeing if your hard work has paid off. Its my first harvest of garlic and I will defiantly be growing them again this Winter. I thought they might have suffered after all the bad weather and then from the rust, but they seem to have survived. They arent the biggest bulbs ever but for my first time i am very pleased!

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.

Squashes, Courgettes and Cucumbers

    Since the weathers been so rubbish I thought I best get on with some sowing from the comfort of home. The start of May means it is time to sow the cucurbita family for me. Last year my squashes and courgettes were a disaster. It was just too dry for them. This year I'm hoping it will be different ( well if it stays like this it certainly wont be too dry for them!) So that means I need to prepare their bed well with lots of manure. I've sown a variety of squashes, courgettes and I'm even trying 'Crystal Apple' for something a bit different. They've gone into pots which are now in my heated propagator. Hopefully a bumper harvest awaits later in the summer.