A new hoe

I got a nice shiny toy for Father's Day.

I had my eye on this combined hoe and harrow tool for some time knowing that it could deal with my clay soil. Moreover, it's a Wolf tool which is expensive but built to last. Trying it out this weekend was a joy; it ripped through the weeds and I weeded the beds and the front garden in no time.

The tomatoes in the greenhouse are benefitting from the watering system and look healthy and strong.

I dug up one of the garlic plants to check that there is a good bulb, which there is.

I've read on the gardening forums that the garlic isn't so good this year and certainly mine have grown strangely with split stems.

Also, the onions have collapsed stems.

I'll have to wait and see but the garlic is OK. I'll be digging it up soon to make room for the purple sprouting broccoli.

At least the courgettes seem quite normal.

But the tomatoes I planted outside are struggling and have hardly grown but there are flowers at least. Perhaps it's a consequence of the no dig method and the roots are struggling to establish.

The plums are plentiful and I must check how to thin them which I need to do otherwise I'll end up with broken branches and mouldy fruit again.

I'm contemplating digging up my asparagus bed as it isn't giving good yields and is growing poorly. I am considering planting rhubarb there as my plants produce nothing much under the trees.