Into Mid-July already and everything is going bonkers! Including us!
The weather is flip-flopping from one extreme to another and keeping us on our toes, so to speak. Flaming June passed by without sending the temperatures up much, and now nearly at the Midpoint in July and we are having one good day followed by wet and murky weather which is most confusing to our plants.
But all said and done, things are busting with life, and the fruits of our labours are evident everywhere you look. The cucumbers are running amok and producing so many fruits the neighbours will be happy. The peas are to die for, and the carrots are if you excuse the expression ‘very carroty’ to say the least.
The trug is starting to earn its keep.
Our 1st early and 2nd early potatoes have been lifted, dried and stored and they taste divine. Just add a knob of butter and you have a meal in itself. We have plenty for numerous salads and with everything freshly picked just before we eat, they are the freshest you could ever wish for.
Our asparagus plants have settled in and are producing their ferns as they should be. Although we cannot harvest any this year as the crowns need to gather strength and vigour for next year. But they are quite lovely to see when the ferns are out.
Along with our successes are failures! We lost our new planting of 10 Autumn Raspberry canes to the leather jackets along with some brassicas and beetroot. The leather jackets are the grubs of the crane fly and look like dirty caterpillars but they feed on the roots of plants thereby killing the plant in the process. This year has been particularly bad because of the mild winter and the fact that we cleared the ground which was covered in grass which is a major breeding place for these particular pests of gardeners.
The Leather Jacket Grub. A voracious pest of gardeners.
Our Blackcurrants and Redcurrants have produced decent crops most of which Loraine has frozen ready for use later on. Our Blueberries are in production at this moment and from the three plants, we have there is a bumper harvest of nice sized berries. We have another 10 plants which will be housed in bespoke raised beds with ericaceous compost to keep them happy. In a few years’ time, we will have masses of these wonderful berries to gorge upon.
Our squashes have been placed on top of the well-rotted manure bed and they are now taking off with a vengeance. We are hopeful for some very good cropping from these during the Autumn months and they store well so will last through to next year. The tomatoes are going red now and once they start should produce many fruits down into November. We have Italian plum, Moneymaker and cherry toms growing, mainly in the polytunnel with four other plants on the patio area by the stable block.
The patio area is by the stable block.
Our first shipment of 720 concrete blocks will arrive around the end of July and these will form the walls up in the vegetable gardens. Paul has ordered the wiring for the new hut in the same area which will have electricity, telephone and internet connections. The hut will measure some 18 x 24 feet, complete with raised veranda for us to sit on and admire both the gardens and the surrounding views.
However, those tasks will not begin until the end of August as we shall enjoy the summer weeks before we delve into the harder chores that are to come. Once the walls and hut have been completed, then we can turn our efforts to the niceties of our tasks and make the gardens we have always envisaged. Next year will see the installation of the natural pond once the hole has been dug using a hired digger for the chore.
Hope you enjoyed reading about our efforts down here in Cornwall and further reports are not far behind.