On the plot this week, we have been harvesting - hooray! :) Peas, potatoes, lettuce and soft fruit.
Half my beans are finally romping away and are in full flower, so we will have a harvest after all! The other half are floundering, but there is still time for them to perk up...My Father-in-Law is also on his second lot of bean plants, which are growing nicely. He pops round to check up on my plot and we encourage each other. We all need a bit of support, from time to time :)
My old currant bushes have been good this year, but last year they were abundant. To think that I nearly bulldozed over them, when we moved here! I 'found' them buried under a thicket of briars and almost dug them up.
An old friend gave me some advice: don't dig the plants out until you have had a year to see how they grow... Thank goodness I listened because the currant and gooseberry bushes have rewarded me ever since.
I made my first gooseberry fool of the year this week (with a slug of home-made Elderflower Cordial in it, for good measure) too. My Healthy or Luxury Gooseberry Fool Recipe is here. Adapt it to suit your needs!
The apples are growing well. A couple of years ago I planted three more trees: a cooker Bramley 20, an eater Honey Crisp and a crab apple Malus Gorgeous as a pollinator. With several old trees in the orchard ( greengage, damson and codling) I needed to select my new trees with care, picking varieties that were hardy and disease-resistant.
Half my beans are finally romping away and are in full flower, so we will have a harvest after all! The other half are floundering, but there is still time for them to perk up...My Father-in-Law is also on his second lot of bean plants, which are growing nicely. He pops round to check up on my plot and we encourage each other. We all need a bit of support, from time to time :)
My old currant bushes have been good this year, but last year they were abundant. To think that I nearly bulldozed over them, when we moved here! I 'found' them buried under a thicket of briars and almost dug them up.
An old friend gave me some advice: don't dig the plants out until you have had a year to see how they grow... Thank goodness I listened because the currant and gooseberry bushes have rewarded me ever since.
The apples are growing well. A couple of years ago I planted three more trees: a cooker Bramley 20, an eater Honey Crisp and a crab apple Malus Gorgeous as a pollinator. With several old trees in the orchard ( greengage, damson and codling) I needed to select my new trees with care, picking varieties that were hardy and disease-resistant.
Mr G has been faithfully weeding the plot so I have space to plant more lettuce and carrots. You may not spot him, but he is in my picture, digging away! The cut-and-come-again lettuce has been a great success so I am planting more...
With the changing fortunes of my veg plot this year, I am adapting my planting with autumnal sowing of hardier vegetables (kale, leeks, spinach, swede, chard and baby turnips). Fingers crossed for the weekend weather, so I can get some more work done.
Have a great weekend and thanks for visiting my blog!
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