31st August, 2010

The rain has returned and we take our family holiday. Typical. We went to the Forest of Dean which is very nice and it would have been lovely if it was sunny! I don't know how people can do camping in that weather.

Sowing

Still not sown any winter lettuce.

Planting

My dad gave me some spring cabbage.

Harvesting

Potatoes: all dug up since the soil was softer due to the rain.
Dwarf and runner beans
Sweetcorn: deliciously sweet and large cobs too.
Turnips
Raspberries, blackberries and plums: the plums are fantastic.

The spring sown onions have dried out nicely.



Inside the greenhouse, everything looks lush but it's been a bit of a failure. There are no melons, the aubergines are only just showing fruit and most of the peppers have not fruited. The chillis seem to be late too, but I'm not so worried about them as I still have plenty that I dried from last year.



This is a green pepper forming on the smallest plant. I think the problem is due to low light levels under the greenhouse shelving.



Another disappointment, the butternut squash just doesn't seem to have taken off, there should be a lot more leafy growth.



The swiss chard and purple sprouting broccoli are growing quickly under their protective netting. They will soon outgrow it so it will have to come off but by then there shouldn't be any white butterflies anymore. In the spring I should be able to use the veg cage that is currently covering the sprouts since I should have eaten them by then.



The runner beans and Borlotti beans have produced lots of beans. I did water them a lot during the dry spell and they had a good mulching when they were planted.



A general view of the side bed.



I have been sieving the shreddings from the Leylandii hedge to remove the twiggy stuff. The result is a lovely soft, black compost which breaks up the heavy clay soil giving it a wonderful open structure with good moisture retention. Maybe I have found the solution to my soil problem. I did the same to my regular compost with equally pleasing results. The twiggy stuff got returned to the compost bins and will get mixed with the green stuff.

5 comments:

Malay-Kadazan girl said...

Wow. You harvestes lots of onions. This coming spring will be our first time growing onions. Sowed onion seeds has just germinaed for us.

~fer said...

So many onions!

what are those stalks at the greenhouse?
they are almost out the window

Unknown said...

Hi MK girl, thanks for your nice comments. I grow onions from sets as I find them more reliable and easier. Perhaps you might like to give them a go if the seeds don't work out?

Unknown said...

Hi ~fer, if you mean the stalks on the right hand side of the greenhouse then those are tomatoes. I pinch the tops out when they hit the roof and have about 6-7 trusses on them. Commercial growers let them grow as long as they can.

~fer said...

they are huge!
haha i though it was a different plant growing behind the tomatoes, i couldn't tell it was the same plant from the size, but now i feel a bit silly.
Thanks for the response.