A few weeks ago

So far this week I’ve only been to the plot once but it was well worthwhile.  Unlike the other days Tuesday was dry and sunny so I lifted more onions and potatoes, picked plenty of beans and some blackberries and raspberries along with a couple of cucumbers, a sweet corn cob, the first few tomatoes and the last rhubarb stems.  I was going to cut some sunflowers but they were buzzing with bees so left them for another day.

 

Last Sunday I was given three pelargoniums, one each pink/white, red and white in small pots and looking rather sorry for themselves.

 

I removed several dead leaves and re-potted them. They’re now looking much better, and all three are flowering.

 

 

A few weeks ago the two tomatoes Tiny Tim on the windowsill had lots of flowers but I neglected to water them as often as I should have done so most died and dropped off rather than form fruit.  I’m annoyed with myself about this as I had high hopes for these this year.  As it is there are still a few flowers and one tiny fruit is now forming.

Have a good weekend!

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Yesterday it was windy…

all day, gusting to well over 40 mph, so today I was relieved to see that there had been minimal damage when I looked round.  The climbing bean canes are still standing although the plants look slightly worse for wear, and the sweetcorn plants are mostly okay as are the sunflowers.

 

I’ve rather neglected the tomatoes and they are now a sprawling jungle which I’ll have to spend time sorting out during the coming week.

There is plenty of fruit showing and some are now starting to ripen so it looks like I’ll be picking the first ones next week.

 

 

I had planned that cosmos corner would be white and yellow flowering varieties but most of the self-seeded plants are pink/red/white in various combinations.

Not that I mind as I prefer these variations to the plain ones so I’ll be collecting seed for next year.

Next week I’ll be continuing to lift the remaining onions and more potatoes, and as it looks like being fresher I may even start to do some digging.

Have a good week!

Tree following, August 2019

There has been little change with either tree so it’s a rather brief post this month.

Liz – Here in Lexington, Kentucky the aphid galls on the witch hazel in my garden that I mentioned last month have now all gone apart from the one in the picture below. The other picture shows where something has been nibbling a leaf.

Mike – I was confused last month as to the colour change of the fruit on the apple tree as they are turning from green to red.  Sadly many of the apples are still dropping and some on the tree are going rotten, as can be seen in the picture below.  Both the ones on the ground and these are attracting various wildlife which feed on them.

 

 

Our thanks to Pat, The Squirrelbasket, for hosting Tree following as usual. If you want to see what it’s all about, and perhaps follow one too, please click on the link shown over on the right-hand side.

 

Have a good weekend!

It’s five weeks until…

the horticultural society’s annual show, which is on Saturday 7th September, so I’m starting to think about what I can enter.  I’ve begun to lift the onions and have found three which look good enough to enter in the over 25o gram class, which will be a first for me.

The only gladioli I’ve grown this year are some in a bucket sized container, which are now starting to flower.  They’re the variety Lemon Frizzle which are very pale yellow.

   

Plot neighbour Fran gave me a couple of sweet pea plants earlier in the year which have been flowering well over the past few weeks so I’ve been cutting them to bring home to put in a vase.  They’re a flower that I’ve grown in the past, generally rather unsuccessfully so haven’t bothered for some years.

I tidied up the the perennial cornflower recently and it’s now beginning to flower again.

 

Lastly this back view of a sunflower Autumn Time shows how much lighter the petals are compared to the front.

Have a good week!

Another month gone

It rained for much of Tuesday and was rather windy at times so I was relieved to see that nothing was amiss when I looked round yesterday morning.  Generally the plot is looking well past its best now what with dead potato foliage and plenty of weeds. A notable lack of proper plotting over the past couple of weeks hasn’t helped either.

On Monday I noticed that a few of the sweet corn cob silks were quite brown so yesterday I carefully peeled the sheath back on one just enough to see that the grains at the end were yellow and milky. This is what it looked like after I’d removed the sheath.

Needless to say it was delicious cooked then eaten with butter and black pepper.

I’ve picked lots of beans now as well as blackberries,  and a couple of cucumbers Marketmore.  I ate the last of the first early potatoes Lady Christl yesterday, and have to say that they’re an excellent variety so will grow them again next year.

I haven’t seen many butterflies around this week but plenty of bees were buzzing round especially on the cosmos,

and sunflowers.

Have a good weekend!

I’ve missed having…

lots of cheerful pot marigolds Flighty’s favourites on the flower patch this year so I’ll certainly be making up for that next year.

I’ve already started collecting seeds to sort then save, to which I’ll add some bought ones to give me a full range of colours.

As I mentioned recently the sunflowers are doing well, especially the slightly taller varieties such as Ring of Fire which self-seeded from last year.

In complete contrast are the Candytuft Fairy Mixed Colours which only grow to around 8″/20 cm in white, pink and purple.  I really like these so I’ll be growing more next year.

Apparently they also make attractive pot plants, and in a heated greenhouse can be had in flower during the winter.

Have a good week!

It’s been a warm week

The first handful of dwarf French beans look almost good enough to show.

I’m rather surprised to be picking rhubarb again this week, which is doing better now than it did the first time round a few months ago.  Sadly I’ve also been picking the last of the raspberries which have been plentiful and delicious this year.  It’s looks like I’ll be picking a few blackberries at the weekend.

 

I’m doing the big butterfly count as usual and for a change there are some fluttering around the plot, although getting photos of them is proving none too easy.

I’m sure that I don’t have to mention that it’s been a warm week, which has meant my plot visits have been brief.  Today it looks like being the hottest day of the year so far, reaching  37 C/98 F, so I’m staying indoors.   Thankfully tomorrow onwards the temperature is dropping back to around the mid 20’s C/ 77 C.

Have a good weekend!