2nd June, 2010

It's been very dry and I still have a long way to go before the soil condition improves. Without rain the soil rapidly becomes like concrete, so what should be a relatively simple task of planting out becomes a strenuous effort just to dig the holes. I do have large piles of grass clippings and tree shreddings to rot down but they won't be ready for a few months yet. Frustratingly the compost that has been rotting down over winter still is not ready either so I have been throwing in a handful of multi-purpose compost for each plant to try and improve the soil a little.

Sowing

More radish, beetroot, spring onions, celery. I've grown the radish in trays and this has worked out very well. The seeds are large enough to space out at regular intervals so that there is no need for thinning.

Planting

Sweetcorn, parsnip, runner beans, dwarf beans, Brussels sprouts, courgettes, tomato (tigerella) and outdoor cucumber. That's freed space up in the greenhouse and the tomatoes will be planted up into their final pots this weekend. They have started to make their first flower trusses.



I planted the runner beans against the fence as last year, so no crop rotation. But the location does catch the sun nicely.



More runners and Borlotti beans planted under wigwams with a good mulch of what compost I felt I could use.



Sweetcorn. I haven't done much crop rotation with these either.



The tomatoes and cucumbers were planted where the sprouting broccoli were. The soil wasn't too bad here.



I've given the courgettes plenty of room. I planted them too close to the leeks last year and they crowded them out completely.



The peas are nearly ready to eat.



Likewise the broad beans.



The potatoes were earthed up finally; there was little frost damage anyway. In the background is the veg cage protecting the Brussels sprouts. I shall plant the leeks around the sprouts.



Plenty of apples.



And some plums.



Not everything escaped the frost; the fig leaves and fruit got damaged.



In the greenhouse, the aubergines, sweet peppers and chillis are looking good.



These pumpkins are waiting to go out to their final position by the wigwams once I've prepared the soil. I haven't quite worked out where the squash plants will go, I'm hoping that the broad beans will be finished by the time they are ready for planting out.