Violet's Garden Diary

Planted out a few more sweetcorn yesterday, and purple sprouting a few days before that. They were quite overdue, and there was space ready, but could not get round to it with the endless rain. Tomatoes are being martyred by blight already, especially the big ones, they seem increadibly susceptible.

Broad beans are all finished and out, as are the main crop peas – they did quite well and then suddenly fell prey to something horrible, probably mildew. The sugarsnaps are still going, but only just, and are also quite diseased. Started cropping the climbing beans, beetroot and the first lot of carrots from the raised bed, which are free of carrot-fly so far. Eaten lots of frilly lettuce.

The much awaited Russian swedes turned out to be purple turnips, not at all sweet, so I ripped the lot out to clear the space for something better.  Also just ripped out the Bushy cucumbers, which were doing so well that were spilling out everywhere, swamping everything else, but tasted bitter, especially near the stalk end, despite my best efforts of picking off the male flowers etc. Trying to salt all the ones I’ve got so far, in the hope that it will break down (or at least mask) the bitterness.

Finally sown the next batch of seed: Giant Winter spinach (2 short rows), mustard (both red Frills and the Unwins ruby’s and Gold, that we liked last year), lettuce (mix of Lakeland and Pinokkio, to keep going into the winter), duchy-ever-so-organic Wild Rocket (having ripped out the overly butch garden variety and donated the lot to people who like that sort of thing), and little infills of coriander, parsley and dill.

Raspberries do seem to be recovering on their regime of intensive feeding, so let’s hope that’s all they were lacking. Pruned the apple yesterday, which had some mildew-infected shoots, and a fair bit of aphid damage.

Am planning to do lots of kale in root trainers to be planted out later for winter and spring.

Sitting in the only bit of shade, outside the front door, with Tigger at my feet. Disgraceful length of time since the last post, so a total survey is required. In brief, it has been the Year of the Aphid so far, but I am raising a whole new population of ladybirds off of them.

Flowers

Foxgloves did really well, some more than 2m high. Oriental and welsh poppies now finished. Tall annual ones never materialised, probably got eaten. escallonia just going over. Aquilegias were good out the front. Planted out the odd dahlias, rudbeckias and zinnias along the path, will see how they cope. Sensitive fern has rather too much crisp and brown stuff, so will have to move it next year, maybe into the pond, if it ever happens…

In the backthe gorgeous roses have just dropped the last petal. Had to prune off most of the tips on the red honeysuckle, as aphid damage was so bad; some transformation-stage ladybirds had to be rescued from the off-cuts and relocated to other infested areas. Globe flower did well in its pot in the temporary pond, and the primulas are bulking up nicely. White lilies are just out, and so is the passion flowers, so lots of lovely evening scent. The Fairy climbing rose is only just starting, as the greenfly set it back so much earlier on. Petunias all sold at the fete, but they were so big and colourful, that I may well have some for myself next year, especially as Nemesia, although very colourful, is quite spindly and even floppy. Splendid dark penstemons, have been cutting them for the house quite a bit. Bought a tray of French marigolds at the fete, and stuck them in here, there and everywhere, for extra  splash of colour.

Rockery has quite a lot of goodies out, but many of them are being obscured by the oversized alliums that really must come out.

Fruit

• Nearly dead blueberry
• Just netted raspberries, as blackbird was very keen. magnesium deficiency?
• Three cherries, very good flavour though
• Good crop of red currants, a fair bit was lost to the birds, so must net it next time
• Fig very late into leaf, so not pruned properly
• Apples hit by aphids, dropped quite heavily through June, so only a thinnish crop expected
• Strawberries: have quite a few rooted runners. Fantastic crop from the growbag, picking full punnets every few days. Not nearly so good from the pot, guess it’s just too small to support so many large plants. New cunning plan: put wild ones in it next time.

Vegetables

Really amazing success overall so far.

• Broad beans: very heavy blackfly, had to spray them with soap, which did work surprisingly well. Nonetheless, a pretty good crop, picked mostly quite young, so even the children noticed how much sweeter and tenderer than the shop ones they were. Second batch is just coming onstream.
• Sugarsnaps did well, nearly finished now. Were the first highlight of the season.
• Kohlrabi: again, very good. A plague of very hairy caterpillars was detected and removed. still a couple left
• Maincrop peas just starting
• Tomatoes growing strong, as are the turnips – didn’t really allow enough space for these, but their packet wasn’t exactly informative (“Standard seed 0.5grams”)
• Monster excess of rocket, been ripping it up and giving it away, especially the butch garden variety. Stick to wild in the future…
• Lettuce had grown very well in the new raised beds, and even not been attacked much at all, but most of it is frilly and pretty but not very tasty. Lakeland is probably the best for taste.
• Basil in the raised bed did a lot better than the ones in the herb area, which is probably too dry. Planted out another half a dozen left over from the fete, there were just too many to sell
• Bean tunnel is coming on, the French are just starting to flower, so won’t be long now
• Carrots in the big pot are doing well, permanently fleeced

Of the last batch of seeds, brocolli and fennel sprouted straight away, but the sweetcorn only managed 2 out of 8, so I am soaking the rest of the packet now, as 2 sweetcorn plants is silly.