Harvest

After a shaky start and only half the bean plants surviving, I am having a harvest twice a week, these are a firm favourite in our household, I have managed to freeze a few portions, hopefully they will keep coming and I can freeze more. The one question I have is should I plant a full row of beans next year, I have 10 plants here and they are giving us a good harvest, I have 20 poles for 40 plants.

My small tomato plants in the greenhouse have gone over, but this beef tomato plant outside is full of green tomatoes, some are changing colour, I hope the rest will follow, sadly so many have been nibbled on. Whilst we both are enjoying these tomatoes, I won't grow big ones next year.

I love berries in the garden, never a huge crop, but enough fresh berries to keep us happy, I am picking a few raspberries each day, I cut back the blackberry vine, we have had a good harvest on the smaller vine, loads of lovely new growth for berries to grow on next year. I was not expecting more strawberries, I have a few ripening on my tower. 

I got a six pack of pansies and cyclamen for my winter garden colour, plus a few bulbs for a big pot up by my greenhouse, won't be seen from the house, but nice to have a splash of spring colour. 

Under the runner beans are beetroot and parsnips, I need to harvest some of the beetroot, so I can pickle it, these have been a success, I will pull some for my sister, hers failed this season. Leeks are growing well, still a bit small, I can leave them in the ground much later than other veg, at some point I will harvest, clean, slice and freeze some. After such a poor start to the growing season, I am really pleased, I have harvested more then I hoped, slugs and snails have been the issue, my soil is fertile and plants once established, grow well.  

The heavy rain has given everywhere a good watering and nothing has been battered down, luckily we live in an area with no issues with flooding, our new garden design allows water to soak away without issues, hubby's new grasses in his front garden are looking good, it's still mild, infact it feels warmer outside than in. Friday it rained most of the day, we did get a couple of dry spots, I've nothing to do outside, so I spent part of the morning on my 2023 book, later I finished a great book. 

Saturday we popped to B&Q and home bargains, after 3 days at home, it was nice to get out, we were going to our favourite garden centre, but hubby got the plants at B&Q at a much better price, I am re-potting the bedding plants, he got pansies and sweet williams, and three alpine plants. Later the heavy rain came back, it's due to rain most of today, so another day at home. I went to get more red/black gloves, but sadly they have stopped selling that range and the other gloves were not so good, I will have to make my pairs last as long as I can.

Outside

I love our garden, it's perfect for us, gives us space to enjoy our lives and gives me so much pleasure in keeping it going, at this time of year, my working role consist of dead heading and watering, both task I enjoy doing. So much colour here, it does look lush.

Our lawn is fake grass, everything else is grown, I don't use sprays and try to be organic, the only thing that lets me down, I use slug pellets in my flower beds, I have some copper rings and tape, which I use, I have tried other organic things, but the slugs always get past them.

I have a few runner bean plants, not to many, the snails and slugs feasted on almost every plant I tried to grow, these are my third planting, I have so far just one runner bean, which is a disappointment, we both love them. The beetroot and parsnips are doing well. The leeks in the other bed are also doing well, I am looking for something for the other section of that bed.

I have three different tomato plants, none of them are thriving, but I am getting a crop, some of these will be frozen, the beef sized ones are the best looking plant. Blueberries are still doing well, the birds ate loads from the edge of the plant, but they can't reach the middle. Raspberries and blackberries are failing this season, I did cut back the blackberries, but I don't know what's the issue with the raspberries, maybe I need new plants.

We have had a busy few days, we drove to South Wales on Wednesday, hubby's older brother is in hospital after a fall, he had his operation to fix his femur, but the wound won't heal, it was good to get to see him, he is bored and fed up after being there four weeks. We had a meal out with hubby's sister and her hubby, and on Thursday drove home, the car was like an oven both days, it's a three hour journey. Sadly hubby's eldest brother is also in hospital, having a pacemaker fitted, he lives in Newcastle, so it's a bit far to travel for us to visit, hospital stays are more often as his siblings are aging.

At home we are inside more, reading or watching the Olympics, I was very cross with the BBC again on Thursday, at the final few points of the first set in the Murry/Evans tennis match, they asked us to switch from iPlayer to BBC1, and yes you guessed, we missed those points and them losing the first set, it's infuriating.

As for it being August already, the time is flying by, days are slow, this year is whizzing by, I have started my autumn planning, hubby suggest we relook at my wildlife pond area, and make it bigger with a small pre-shaped pond, I want to cutback my agapanthus, which should give more light to the area, and I have some grasses I can separate and use there, I also have a dogwood plant I am going to dig out. Even when it's done, it's never finished.

Food production

My fruits are mixed, the strawberry tower is full of berries, just a bit later than previous years, so I'm happy to keep the tower in it's spot, our blueberries are again full of fruits, like the strawberries we are having the start of our harvest. The raspberries are very different, the middle section has hardly any growth, which is disappointing, the end section is doing well.

The veg is very mixed my leeks and cauliflower plants in one raised bed are doing well, I have popped in a few cabbage plants and some more broccoli, and netted to keep out white cabbage butterflies. The second bed not so, my runner beans look terrible, beetroot and parsnips are OK and one broccoli plant left, there is plenty of time for the root veg to grow.

Other things growing in buckets and bags are thriving, I have some peas growing, my carrots in 3 buckets are thriving as are my courgettes. Tomatoes are behind, I do have some forming on my big plant the other two are spindly, my cucumber died, I do have another growing, but it's behind.

One small harvest for Sunday lunch, I cut the cauliflower small as only hubby eats them, more carrots from thinning, we had it with a salmon wellington, from Lidl, very nice indeed.

My rhubarb is huge, I have not taken any in this it's first year, the gooseberry bush is more of a twig, which is OK, before I had issues with saw fly, so keeping it green was my aim this season. I have had loads of success with fruits here over the years. 

Things are growing, but my runner beans won't come to much after the snail and slug destruction, which is a shame as we both love them. It been years since I grew veg, so I was not expecting miracles, any harvest is a bonus and the start to this growing season has been very different. Finding what works in the garden is always the key to success, the raised beds means I am not growing in our heavy clay, which is always a struggle. It's all about balance in an organic garden, so this year was about bringing this new part up the the balance I have in the rest of the garden.

I have netted most of the gardens, the pigeons and collard doves are making loads of mess and nibbling at everything, my mad neighbour loves them, she feeds them, but not every day, so when there is no food next door, they flock into our plot.

I've been off colour over the weekend, so not much done other than watering and picking some fruits, I have netted my blueberries as the blackbirds are nicking all the ripe ones, so far they have left the strawberries alone. Plenty of reading time.

Harvest time.

 I am so chuffed, these potatoes are from my first bag, they had not flowered, but the tops were beginning to droop, so I thought, might as well. Once they are cleaned they will be ready for hubby to cook. I have another bag and some in the ground, so plenty more to come.

Another harvest from my broad beans, hubby and I sat outside chatting and removing these from their pods. A third was used with our Sunday roast, with some of my potatoes, the rest are in the freezer. I will get another harvest from my broad beans, I am counting them as a success. 

The potatoes bag was filled again with the soil plus some chicken poo pellets, and I have planted my courgette,  I've popped it back in the same spot, loads of room to grow, soon it will fill this corner.

Sunday lunch was salmon encroute, with new potatoes and broad beans, hubby added some frozen peas, such a lovely meal, made better with home grown produce. Hopefully it's the start of a good growing season.

The buzz from having any type of harvest is great, for years we have grown fruits, my veg beds are only small and with buckets and bags I can fill my back section of the garden with produce. We have been eating homegrown lettuce and mixed salad leaves for a couple of weeks, the hope as in previous years is to have cucumber and tomatoes as well. My herbs are all looking good, hubby uses loads in his cooking. Very exciting for me is my lime tree, which looks a bit bare of leaves, has a couple of flowers forming, for the very first time.

Having our new garden layout is giving me loads of new growing space, I still have some flowers and my wildlife pond, the back section is still very pretty. Using the path in front of the greenhouse for buckets and bags, gives me extra growing space, once the season is finished, I can pop all the soil on my veg beds and pack things away.

Harvest

 We had our first harvest of broad beans with our Sunday roast, they were lovely, best tasting ones we have had, we should now get a steady harvest, I am hoping I can freeze some to save for our Christmas lunch. I planted these back in September, and was at every stage concerned if they were growing well, they managed our mild winter. I will sow more this autumn, in the other bed, it's good to see productive ground in the cooler months. 

We are also eating home grown lettuce and salad leaves, this raised bed is working well as a salad bed. I have copper tape around the back to keep pest away, it sits close to the garage wall. Behind is the blackberry vine, which grows higher up along the garage wall. 

Potatoes are looking heathy, just need them to flower, there are two bags here, one planted a few weeks later then the other, I have high hopes for a good harvest. I had two seed potatoes over, so they are in a raised bed. These bags work well here behind my high raised flower bed, I have no need to get to this spot. 

The other raised veg bed is looking good, the parsnip and beetroot seedlings are growing, these are either side of the middle section, the broccoli is huge, runner beans have started to climb the poles. I am on snail duty most days, I try and keep this bed free, something has nibbled at some of the runner beans, but it has not stopped them growing.

Also in the bed is my cucumber plant, I have a few small cucumbers starting to grow, these are F1 mini cucumbers, so soon we should start to eat home grown. The tomato in the huge pot is a beef tomato, I've not grown bigger tomatoes before, there are a couple of flowers forming. 

The tomato plants in the greenhouse are a bit behind, they are growing, so I'm happy. In the two tubs are cauliflower plants, once the broad beans are finished these will go in that bed. 

Both buckets of carrots are looking good, these are just inside the greenhouse, soon I will find a spot outside, I will also need to thin them out.

I purchased this pepper plant, it has been put into a bigger pot, it will need another slightly bigger pot soon, the first flowers are forming, this is a sweet pepper, I'm not a fan of chilli's.

My leek are doing well, they are strong, I have 19 here, they will go out in the broad bean bed once there is space. These are another veg I have not grown before, I have some onions in the centre of the broad beans, they are looking good.

I have grown fruits for years, again I am using this strawberry tower, this year it's in a different spot, sunny, but not full sun, there are loads of flowers. 

I have two slightly different blueberry bushes in this huge tub, they set fruit at different times, making my harvest last longer, and stops a huge glut. The early bush is full of fruit, looks as if it's going to be a bumper crop. 

Every morning before breakfast I walk around my tiny garden, I have so much squashed into the space, I grow where I can and in bags and pots where I have no soil, we are hopeful for a nice steady harvest, not too much of any thing, just a few nice meals. The veg section is giving me everything I have ever wanted, I will try and grow anything, and if we can eat it, then that's a double pleasure. 

I get so many comments 'your garden is tidy, we have loads of raised beds at different heights, I do like neat lines, so edges of the gardens stay tidy, I don't plant in straight lines, in fact I think I break so many rules, I like plants to mingle, I often plant just one plant, in a small garden there is not room for sways of planting, I also plant closer together. Like many others you get to see the best bits, I'm outside most days, so there is always a small job I can get done. I can't sit and relax if I see something which needs to be sorted, and I do love to sit outside as much as we can. 

Outside - Inside

I did say to hubby I was not going to make a plant display outside this year, mainly because the table is in our garage. When we were at the garden centre, he wandered off and came back with plants, which he paid for. The 'pot' I had in the garage, I put them together, a very different display from what I would choose, which I love. I've not added to my stash as I did not pay for them. There are hyacinth and tete-a-tete bulbs in here as well.

I dug up my first potato plant as they have all died back, I was not expecting much, so I'm pleased I had enough small potatoes for our Sunday roast. I think I might get enough for Christmas lunch, there are 5 adults. Not the perfect start to my veg beds, still not a disaster. I do love tiny potatoes. 

I spent some time in the garden on Saturday, less than an hour, Purdy came out, but was not sure about the new look, she followed me around, she does not like change, we are keeping an eye on her, Grace stayed asleep.

I love this plant, Albuca sprialis frizzle sizzle, its a bulb from the onion family, its the third time it has regrown, this year with two separate growth areas. As you can see for the second year I'm going to get a bloom, which when opened, does smell of vanilla. 

I am feeling much better, I still can't eat too much, which is typical for me after what we are sure was an allergic reaction. It's nice to be going out again, life is boring when forced to stay inside, I do get so tired, so early nights.

Saturday we met Shelia, who host the sign group, I wanted to ensure she had their Christmas gifts, I also gave her a thank you gift, I can never repay her time and effort to passing on British sign language, I got her a beautiful sewing box, which as soon as I saw it, I knew it would be perfect for her. Strictly was brilliant, loved Ellie winning, she is a brave fearless dancer, both the guys deserved to be there, definitely a good year.

Sunday was a cleaning morning, the dust from the garden refit was everywhere, the floors filthy,  so I'm pleased it all clean again, I will clean again on Wednesday when the garden is finished, we can then do the windows and frames on the outside as well. It was a busy day, we popped to Lidl for the last shop other than fresh items, later hubby made mince pies as I finished the Christmas cakes.

Today we are popping to town, we can get our fruit and veg and hand over our Christmas order which will be delivered over the weekend, later I'm sneaking out to get the last bit of hubby's gift, I've finally found a local shop which sells it. I've also got my new glasses, I now need bifocal lenses as I find more things are blurred. 

Extended garden season

Back outside in the veg section, my broad beans and onions are all doing well, I will have to stake these soon, I have some home made leaf mulch to spread over this bed. My joy is having so much growing for food is keeping me happy, I walk down this end of the garden most days, I need to be growing things, time outside is very healing, my greenhouse is full as well, so I have a wet day play area. 

This view looking back towards the house is lovely, I have cut down my raspberry canes growing along the fence, some I have kept on the bed, they will rot and feed the soil, the rest is in the compost bin. The potatoes for Christmas are showing again, I have high hopes for a good crop. It's very messy close to the house, I am counting down the weeks until the work is started.

This flower bed is just as I imagined, my three shrubs and my chimney pots give height, the gladiola plants are dying back, I have filled this bed with bulbs, every type except tulips, which I love but prefer grown in tubs. I should only need a few bedding plants along the front next year, saving me money. The statue is a mere cat with a camera, I've had it years, I moved it from the back garden, there are three fence lights on the railings, they give just enough light each evening.

The last of the tomatoes are ripening, I find a paper bag always works well. Some of these will be a base for the first batch of soup. There is a mixture  of yellow, red and tiger skins. I had a good steady crop this summer, using 4 different plants, I did not use all the seeds, so I am thinking of having the same varieties next summer. 

Our back growing section of the garden is doing well, the veg beds are as big as we could make them, whilst allowing decent paths around the raised bed, I'm extending the raspberries, I would like a couple summer fruiting canes. I'm still looking for a rhubarb for my fruit bed, I have new strawberry plants growing from babies. I have planted my cranberry plant, it takes about 3 years to produce berries.

Hubby did another tip run, the last of all the stuff is gone, our neighbour has their raised beds, we put some of the spare decking planks behind our greenhouse. I sorted my plastic pots and loads of them have gone, the rest have been cleaned and packed away for the winter, our local tip has a plant pot recycling area. All the supports and bits from the beds have been cleaned and packed into the garage, my side is packed at this time of year, but I don't need to get at much, so it's not a problem. 

I dead head cyclamen so they keep flowering and pick up leaves most days, I still like to keep the garden tidy. I have been asked to cut back all the plants in my side flower bed, the landscaper does not want to deal with stuff dropping whilst he is working, the hotlips are still blooming, I don't normally cut them back until spring, so that's a job to do in a couple of weeks, when I dig out the bed by the backdoor. Soon as the weather changes I won't be outside, so I love everything tidy, allowing me to watch the wildlife for our sitting room, the garden works for me every day of the year. 

Sunday was such a lovely sunny day, no wind, perfect to be outside, we managed a local walk, I planted all my tulip bulbs, inside with the Christmas cake baking, the rich smell of spices invaded the whole house. Monday I baked another cake and soaked the final dried fruits, keeping the chain going, I did get my Christmas hamper out of the attic, I store all the items I need in November in the box, cards ect, and found a couple of cake boards. Today is sign group and later I'm baking my last cake.

Lazy weekend

Molly is now 2 years old, how quickly time flies, she is a clever quick thinking little girl, typical when you have two older brothers, Sunday we spent the morning with them, she had a family party at home, loads of dairy free cake and fun.

I work on this design most days, one pattern at a time, and smile as the empty space gets smaller, it is harder to choose designs as the area is smaller. I feel very close to the finish line. I do have thoughts on what next.

Outside again, there are two plants in this huge pot, red vines and yellow ones at the bottom, I am so pleased with the number of vines on here, nothing beats the taste of home grown tomatoes, we have picked a few already. This pot will stay in the greenhouse.

We are having a steady harvest of small cucumbers, the tomatoes behind were planted later to extend the harvest season, again 2 plants in one tub. These are both outside. The long narrow pot as a good mixture of sand and old compost, both my cats love using it, I can easily keep it clean, and they are not digging in the main beds.  

I cut back the blueberries last year and there are loads of new growth, which will be great for next years harvest, there are loads of berries, most are just starting to ripen. The raspberries look very healthy, there are plenty of flowers forming, most of these are late summer fruits. The blueberry tub will be moved soon, hubby wants to get at the cut back tree roots, I have a new spot for the tub, but only after the summer flowers have finished. 

Saturday, 15 minutes after publishing the post below hubby came home, the heavy rain and thunder stopped everything, so he got on with painting the bathroom door and door frame, the downstairs bathroom is finished now and looks good, exactly the same colours as before, the paint is good quality and has kept well, I am happy to have the same colours, means I don't have to change anything. Hubby wants to do our small hall next, it's now just skirting boards wall and ceiling. the back of the house is open plan and no more doors. He loves to do it himself, so for now I am doing more laundry and ironing, which is always his chores, his choice as he does not like housework, which I do. 

We have been watching tennis most days, the standards are very high this year, it's so good to see so many younger players coming through. Whilst sad to see Andy Murry and Katie Boulter knocked out, so no more British players, it is good to see so much excellent tennis. 

I have another busy week, I am doing the school collection run Monday to Thursday, daddy can get them to school and nursey, daughter still can't comfortably drive, so I rather she did not try, there is only two weeks left of the school term.

Sit with me.

I'm not sorry for another of my garden photo's, this seating area is looking good, with herbs both side, you can touch the chives, lemon balm, rosemary, thyme and mint to release their scents. I have basil in a hanging pot as well. On the shelf I have for the first time put pots of flowers, it makes this area very relaxing and with the parasol loads of lovely shade. We are going to put up trellis between the fence and the Olive tree, you can see the painted green post, will keep it private. We are both enjoying sitting and eating outside most days again. 

Our second small cucumber, we both love these tiny ones, and strawberries, these taste so much better than shop purchased ones, we were very naughty and got some clotted cream for a treat. 

Our fruits are doing well, the blueberries are still green, I am keeping an eye on them, in hope of a meal soon. The strawberries need picking again, the grandchildren are due, so most of them will be ate. Our first raspberry, most of my plants are late summer, so we only get a few at this time of year, not quite ripe. 

Our cucumber plant is doing well, climbing up the frame, the two tomato plants I put in earlier are full of green tomatoes, the last two are both doing well in their new big pot. I always use a growbag for these plants, this year they do not have peat in and dry out very quickly, so two of the pots can hold a good amount of water, the third middle pot I am watering three times a day.

Saturday we had Molly and George for a few hours, mummy took Will to a party, we were outside most of the time, they helped with the strawberry harvest, but I didn't let them eat them all, it was cloudy and humid most of the day, no rain. 

It was our village gala at the castle, but we did not go this year, daughter took little ones home as they were both tired and we enjoyed the birdsong in our peaceful garden.

Sunday we popped to town, I had purchased some shorter exercise trousers, but they were too big, so I returned them, we then drove to a Waitrose shop, we don't normally shop there, we wanted a few different breads and dips, the breads are sliced and in the freezer, we can have a nice mixture for lunches, rather than one loaf we eat over a few days. We have sorted some bottles and are going to create our own herb flavoured olive oil. It was overcast most of the day, cooler with a lovely breeze, sadly we did not get the rain promised,  we did get a light shower. Yet another hot humid night, the fans were on for hours and this morning blue skies. I am still praying for rain, it's promised for Tuesday.

Plans

I think this might just divide you, my loyal readers, we popped to the huge Tesco superstore, it's about 15 minutes down the road, we don't go often as it's huge and I just can't stand so many people about, I spend all my time dodging trollies and kids. I checked the dates on the items bellow and now have most of what I need for our Christmas cakes. Heck, I've said the word, I normally get everything in September and bake in early October, but who knows what's coming. 

Still no rain, our days look like this, cloudy often muggy and windy, all the promise of rain, but no it's staying dry. Other areas in south east are now bringing up hosepipe bans, my garden is not doing to badly, but soon all my rainwater will be gone. I'm trying to be careful with water, even before any ban comes into force in our area.

I am having harvest, this will be the last big cucumbers, the leaves have turned yellow, I do have another plant which is almost ready for harvest, I get a few tomatoes each day, it's not been a good year, one plant died and the other is struggling. The blueberries are almost all gone, the blackberries and raspberries are now ripening, so we can have fruit for a few more weeks. 

Again another good book, good storyline, I did guess who done it, but it did not take away anything from the story, this author has loads of books, so I'm going to keep an eye out in our library. Book 66 read this year.

I did not dislike this book, it was a good story, but in truth I didn't enjoy it either, almost everyone in the book was a success in their lives, the setting was stunning, all a bit much for me, I like my stories to have a more used, real feel, I won't read another book by this author. Book 67 read this year. 

I got another dress pattern, this should last Molly for years, I have dressmaking tracing paper, so I won't cut out the pattern, I can trace it and make a new pattern. I have purchased some denim, to make the dungarees for George, I am planning loads of sewing next week.  

All my houseplants are now looking much better for the re-potting, none are drooping anymore, I like where they are now placed, hubby has not said anything regarding the 2 now in the kitchen window, the spider plant has perked up really well there. I am still dead heading in the garden, I have cut back my hotlips Salvia, and should get a second show of flowers, they had got very tall. There is very little soil not covered with flowers in the garden, which helps the water retention, I only water the beds once a week, the bulk of the pots just twice a week, and a few more often. 

I have lost myself in books again, I find it so easy to read anywhere, hubby is a book worm as well, the TV is never on, I have even stopped watching the news, I now check the site on my phone. I need just one push to get the hexagons all sown together, I have everything I require to get the sewing machine cover finished. I have plans for next week, plenty of sewing time, I am also about to cut out Launa Lupin's friends, again I have everything I need to make them.

We are planning a small family BBQ tomorrow, daughter, SIL, Will, George and Molly will be here, they have just come back from their holidays in Somerset. We have almost everything we need, just have to get burger buns today. Today is just a quiet day at home together, I will be outside in the garden, I have a few small things to do.