too breezy and cool for much of the the past couple of months it’s also been too dry with very little rain. That has meant that the ground, which is clay, is beginning to show cracks like this .
It’s been a bad year for blackfly, and despite pinching the broad bean tops out then repeatedly spraying them it looks like I’ll be pulling them up to add to the compost heap.
I’ve been checking the runner beans daily and so far they’ve not been affected.
The chicory plants over by the log pile/wild flower area are now flowering.
Happy gardening, and have a good weekend!
[Click on any picture to see a larger image]
Flighty's plot 
thanks for sharing have a blessed day
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Linda you’re welcome, and you too. xx
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Goodness! Those cracks appearing in the ground. You do need rain.
What do you use to spray for blackfly? At least the runner beans are looking good, and the chicory.
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Liz we do indeed, but there’s none forecast for the coming week. I use a mild solution of soapy water, and really saturate the plants. They are so far, thankfully. xx
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Those are some big cracks. Blackfly here as well, a touch on the runner beans as well as the broads. And terrible aphid infestations on the apple trees. Not black fly, not green fly, but some sort of pale brown/grey thing. The leaves are all distortied and miserable. I see a drop or two of rain on the weather forecast, but last time it was so little as to be almost no use at all. The grass is going brown. CJ xx
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CJ they sure are. That’s a real shame that the apple trees are infested. There’s none forecast here for the coming week. At least grass soon turns green again when it does rain. xx
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Good grief, those cracks are huge, I do hope you get some rain soon! Glad the runner beans and chicory are coping and thriving! It’s the same here, we’ve had virtually no rain for months and the ground is as dry as a bone…we have plagues of blackfly, greenfly and whitefly…..sighs….xxx
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Snowbird they sure are, but there’s no rain forecast for yet awhile. Me too. It’s a worrying combination isn’t it. xx
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I haven’t grow broad beans this year but when I did grow them they didn’t seem to suffer too badly with blackfly, I wonder if it’s because I don’t grow them every year so there’s no build up. It makes you wonder. Those cracks are huge, I hope you get some rain soon before they open up even more. The chicory flower is really pretty and such a beautiful colour.
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Jo I’ve had good and bad years with them, but may give them a miss next year. It looks like the cracks will get worse as there’s no rain forecast next week. I agree, it’s a lovely flower. xx
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So interesting to see the difference in your clay soil versus our clay. Ours is packed solid and, without moisture either from rain or watering, becomes hard and impenetrable — no big gaping cracks to lose tools in! Sorry to hear about your broadbeans 😦
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Nikki clay soil is a real problem in very dry, or very wet, weather. Thanks. xx
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That’s the way our ground looked during the drought, and still does as the ground dries! I planted chicory this spring for the first time. It’s growing slowly and I’m not sure how it will hold out once the really hot weather hits. I hope to have some of those pretty blue flowers, though!
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Anna I’m not surprised. Good for you, they really are lovely flowers xx
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That a nice clean new-looking gardening tool.
London clay can be a bit startling; do you remember the cracking sights in 1976?
What a lovely flower the chicory throws up.
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Menhir it’s not new just clean. It can indeed, and yes I do remember that summer. it sure does. xx
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We really could do with some rain but this warm weather is so lovely. Enjoy the weekend.
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Chloris we could indeed. Thanks, and you too. xx
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Love the chicory flowers, such a wonderful visual treat to bring my day to a close…It has been an unusual year in the garden with problems I haven’t seen in a while, stress will do that I guess.
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Charlie me too, it’s another favourite. It’s been just the same here. Cheers.
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My soil is sandy, so I don’t get cracks in it like that, but I am still suffering from the drought. I agree with you that the Blackfly is bad this year. I have been washing them off my Broad Beans with a hose, though I think that also damages the flowers and embryonic beans. Unfortunately the Blackfly are also very fond of the “Flighty’s Favourites” Calendulas!
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Mark it really has been a dry year so far. Blackfly has been a major problem this year. Shame about the broad beans and the pot marigolds. Cheers.
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Hasn’t it been a strange year? I’m sure I say this every year but…. It’s been very dry here too and windy which has helped to dry things out even more. I’m plagued with aphids too – they’re everywhere. Wow! Those are some cracks in the soil. I’ve been watering a lot which I’d rather not do but needs must. It helps the ground absorb any rain too as rain tends to run off very dry ground rather than be absorbed. Looks like we might get some rain this weekend though. Fingers crossed, although the warm weather and sunshine we’ve had has been lovely. Love the chicory flowers, they’re such a pretty blue. Hope you have a lovely weekend. xx
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Welly’ it sure has. I think that we all do that…. Lucky you if you do get some rain as none is forecast here.
Thanks, and you too. xx
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I’d have the same problem if I wasn’t gardening mostly in raised beds. I also worked a lot of compost and well rotted horse manure into the clay soil when we started and then, for good measure, planted up loads of potatoes to help break up the soil. Now I have to worry about being careful of the worms when I dig!! Hope we get some good rain this weekend, the garden could do with a prolonged drenching.
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Caro that all helps when it’s like this. Sorry to say but there’s no rain forecast. xx
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crikey, what a big crack.
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Pianolearner it’s got longer and wider since I took that picture. Cheers.
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