Path of Shame Update

I weeded this end of the path of shame last night around 10pm.

Bean Update

The runners + french beans have grown a fair bit since I planted them out. I got some organic slug granules tody as they are showing some signs of damage.

Cherokee

A general view showing climbing french bean 'Cherokee' that I planted out today. (Far too late really but I expect they'll recover).

Les Courgettes sont Arrive!!!

It really feels like Summer when the first courgettes of the season begin to develop.....

Tomato Update

...and in the greenhouse the tomatoes are looking encouraging.

However I didn't get as much as I'd like done as it was pouring dow most of the time I was there..... 

How's that for a comely beetrot draped accross me car like some floozy? (Ironic not sexist reference he clarified hastily....I'm sure you all spotted the invisible inverted commas around "floozy") 

The overwintered onions are drying off nicely in the greenhouse. 

As you can see in the foreground I have at last made a start on taming the weeds. I cut the grass yesterday as well and am beginning to feel like I may be able to et back on top of things inthe not too distant future. 

This view has definately changed since January. 

These are the first new potatoes from the ground this year - dug on Club Day as is traditional in these parts. They weighed jst over 5lb 8oz.

This added up to 2lb 8oz of leaves for a chard roulade tomorrow. 

This is what we did with the last asparagus cut of the year. A fitting finale to a wonderful season. 

Michael's Summer Collection 1

What better use for the beans than as part of a super salad? I drizzled this with a little balsamic vinegar - perfect! (I know this sounds just a touch pretentious. Maybe I should do the recipes in the style of a celebrity chef to guard against apparent complacency. Who's this......

"Take 11 medium broad beans, 7 lettuce leaves, 3oz of Feta cheese cut into 2 cm cubes, 8 olives - 5 black and 3 green - one third of a yellow capsicum cut up into 16 2 centimetre squares {don't worry if some of them are slightly irregular, you can give them to the film crew afterwards}, 5 cherry tomatoes {halved} and 3 fl oz balsamic vinegar {I always use the bestI can afford as the BBC pays for it}.
Line the base of the bowl very neatly with the lettuce leaves making sure not to give the impression that you are at all slovenly....."

Broad Bean Heaven

At last all the work nurturing the broad beans for months has paid off!

Sue came down to check I didn't miss any Asparagus spears. We had them again with potato cakes, bacon and Parmesan at tea time. Superb! 

I had a go at making some more space for squashes today. I did get one bed planted out though. 

This is what it looked like before. 

The Broccoli is at the top f the cage already. Blast. (No caterpillars though) 

We enjoyed these. 

Beans & Sweetcorn

This is what I've been doing yesterday and today. I tied the first lot of string to the beans but that caused problems in the wind and I had to redo them today. I cut the string a little longer for the second lot today and buried it under the plants. It seems a lot more secure that way.

Artichokes & Berries etc

A pleasant view. (Sorry about the horrendous quality of this caption I just can't think of anything else to say.)

Path of Shame Update

Hmmmm - I need a bit of a sweep at least.

Onion Update

The overwintered onions are nearly ready for lifting. The Red Baron I put in this yeaqr are still tiny though.

Green Pastures

Things are lookng a bit greener than they were.

Bean Frame

This is the bean frame waiting for the beans....

Ditto

....and here they are in situ!

Lettuce Laid Low

A lot of the lettuces in the seedbed frame are going roton from the bottom. I will thin them out religiously in future. I am going to transplant some of the chard to see how it does. I'm a little worried about it as it is so well established where it is. Must make another sowing soon.

Coping Stone Bed Horsetail Horror

The herby type bed with the coping stones is beginning to look like a horsetail bed. I'llhave a go at the horsetail but the plan here is to build a newhigher raised bed over a duble thickness of groundcover.

Lemon Balm Lament

The Lemon Balm is flourishing but we hardly ever use it.

Broad Bean Closure

These are the broad beans. It doesn't look like we'll get many more. I'm sorry to say I got the timings a bit wrong and rather overcooked them. Still, that doesn't mean all the months of looking after them were wasted.....

Potato Harvest

The fruits of YNH & my pots of pots. Mine weighed 2lb 31/2 oz and hers 151/2oz. They were all very tasty.

Spring Onions

These are the first spring onions from the seedbed frame.

Chard Picking

I also made the first picking of chard from the seedbed frame today.

Whole Meal Exposed

This was the meal in its entirity. (Apart from loads of butter and in one person's case tomato ketchup.)

Broad Bean Update

At long last I have picked a decent crop of broad beans. For those of you who have followed their epic journey through the Winter into Spring and Summer, I will be posting a photo of them on a plate in order to provide closure.

Lettuce Thinnings

Lettuce. These are thinnings from the seedbed frame.

Potato Update

The potatoes take Phil's fancy. He's just planted some at home and is hoping they turn out as well as these. (So far - don't count your chickens.....)

Seedbed Frame Update

The seedbed frame is rampant! The 'carrots' weren't carrots though.

Brassica Update

Phil is really impressed with the Purple Sprouting and Red Drumhead in the cage. Actually it has started to grow again after a bit of a sabbatical when it was planted out straight from the GH.

They Were All Yellow....

I'm a little worried about the courgette and squashes after our week away.I'll sow a load more in case they don't recover. I've taken off the yellow leaves (actually the cotyledons) and watered and fed them with liquid manure. Time will tell.

Crispy Beans...

The beans are a bit sorry for themselves as well.