Fruit, Veg, Flowers and Slugs

The weather was relatively kind last weekend and I was able to get a few hours in the garden and on the veg plot completing a few jobs that were on the to do list.  I mentioned in my last post that I was thinking of clearing the Greenhouse as the tomatoes were coming to an end. That job  has been ticked off the list. The last of the fruit has been picked and all the plants cleared out and composted. It is always a little sad, accepting that there will be no more Tomatoes to come but also strangely satisfying when the job is done and I am left with a clean and clear Greenhouse to prepare ready for next year. The only things left in there now are the Carrots and Spring Onions as part of my winter crop experiment.  The French Lavender has also been pulled-up and composted. I mentioned in a previous post it has sulked for most of this year, it really didn't enjoy the changing weather conditions, and I have replaced it with English Lavender which I know from past experience will be happ

I have sown a packet of Mr Fothergills Green Manure Autumn/Winter mix on the part of the main veg bed that is now empty the French Beans having finished and the leeks thrown onto the compost heap having bolted.  I mentioned in a previous post what handy things Green Manures are. They stop weeds spreading as they grow so quickly, the seeds I sowed had germinated in just three of four days, and prevent nutrients leaching from the soil over winter. Clovers fixes nitrogen in the soil whilst Rye Grass and Mustard improve soil structure - these are all in this particular mix. Green Manures are also beneficial to a number of insects when few if any plants and flowers are around in late autumn and early spring.  The plants will be cut down and lightly dug into the soil come spring prior to the sowing of seeds next March/April.  If you have never used a green Manure seed mix I would highly recommend them.  On the rest of the plot it is all about harvesting and storing at the moment. The Runner

I have been pretty useless updating the blog recently, my apologies for that. I have though been busy on the plot with plenty going on.  What a crazy year so far with the weather. We've had late frosts, baking sunshine and temperatures in the thirties, torrential downpours and near gale force winds at times all in the space of a few days! The mid-month heatwave meant the UK had its fifth warmest July on record but we'd also had the wettest May as I understand it and June was simply all over the show!  It has certainly kept me busy and meant some harvests are going incredibly well whilst others are struggling.  I have a Parsnip that has gone to seed, honestly the first time I have ever seen that in August and the Sonesta Dwarf French Beans (yellow) have been a disappointment thus far with lots of misshapen beans and the slugs have had a real go at some of the plants. There is hope though with some nice looking beans coming through now. The  Amethyst Dwarf French Beans  (purple

Sorry for the delay in this post, it has just been a bit manic down at mine one way or another and finding a few moments to sit down and compose some content has proved mission impossible. The good news is, the British weather being as it is, you haven't missed that much!  The best of the Tomato plant seedlings have been selected and planted out into the beds of the Greenhouse this week. So far so good as they say and they appear happy in their permanent home. I have a number of seedlings left over which will be grown on in their pots for now in case disaster strikes in the Greenhouse; I have a couple of friends and work colleagues who already have their name on a few and the spares will eventually be distributed appropriately. Sharing any spare plants remains a greats way to stay popular 😃 The Runner Bean seedlings were moved into the wood store to harden off around 10 days ago and shall be planted out into the bean bed this weekend with the forecast being warm and sunny for my

 The Runner Bean and Tomato seedlings are growing on strongly in the conservatory, pretty much every seed having germinated. I do have two beans that appear to have failed but I will give them a day or two yet to pop their heads up or the contents of those pots will be consigned to the compost heap.  I will be preparing the greenhouse at the weekend, washing down the glass and a bit of general weeding of the beds, it's surprising how weed seeds seem to get into anywhere, plus I will be adding some blood fish and bone to the soil. It's a job I actually quite enjoy and all being well with the forecast weather being fine it should be a lovely hour or so under the glass getting some warmth into my old bones as well as the soil. There is something about working in the greenhouse in spring with the sun shining that just makes you feel better. Apologies in advance to my neighbours for the singing along to the radio.  I will be keeping an eye on the weather forecast and providing the n