Bean & Gone....

Free Cherry ...

That's Shallot...

Today's pics...

The most recent courgettes played their part in a delicious toastie with tomatoes, basil, mature cheddar and home-made bread.

It was as good as it looks!

The lottie cherries look nrearly ready to pick very soon after the garden ones - I thought the culinary ones were supposed to be ready later in the year...

We will be getting some blackberries as well later on...plus wehave found a really good place on the Moss for them next to the abandoned pig farm where i got the elderberries this year...

Cherries!!!

Juliet & Lisa did a grand job picking cherries in the garden on Sunday.

Don't they look fab?

Picked about 5lb altogether but there are loads more up there if we can reach them...

Luscious!!! (I also posted this on the garden diary blog which you can get to from the link on the right if you want to check it out - will be posting a bit more regularly there from now on, even if it's just pics:-)

General views + currant affairs...

All these posts are from yesterday 6th July. First a few general views for future reference...

Right hand side from the path...

Left hand side from the path...

We did after all get some luscious blackcurrants from the aphid-molested bush. Let's hope it recovers and does really well next year. I believe I should be prunung it around about now. The big red ones are tomatoes:-)

Wind precautions...

BBC forecasting wind tomorrow so I improvised a shelter for the new beans and covered the squashes in this bed with seed tray covers.

An old door, bit of hardboard...

...some old windbreak material... and Bob's your uncle! Doesn't seem all that windy today though...maybe later...sigh...

Not taking any chances with the artichokes, either - this is the third layer of support this year!

Apples etc...

Still looking good...

Tuscan Kale recovering from early pigeon battering...

Purple sprouting pushing the boundaries of the netting. I was going to do the new cage yesterday but went on the bike and the necessary tools were in the car... got a few other things done though, including picking the remainder of the tayberries (yes - more compote).

This photo illustrates the remarkable difference between courgettes wghich are lucky enough to get planted out and those which languish unloved and uncared for in their 3" pots...remarkable!

Cosmos & Garlic

Went down on my bike again today - think I will post a pic each time so I can keep a track of how often. Windier - 15 mins on way home through Park View 4 U and new estate.

The self seeded cosmos flowers are by far the largest we have ever had! Maybe the manure I added to the bed for the squashes?

This is a nice one too...

The garlic all went to seed while I wasn't looking and seem to have caught rust overnight as well. Hope we get a crop. You have to admire this little fellow for a nice piece of improvisation!

Pics from Today...

Still getting the courgettes nice and early; I feel another omelette coming on - especially as recent research has disproved (as I understand it) the link beween egg consumption and high cholesterol.

I will soon need to get my act together with a larger protective cage for the purple sprouting...

Squash plants all over the plot are beginning to take off big style now - including these in the 'seedbed frame'. I know the two on the left are Crown Prince but beyond that I'm not committing myself - we'll just have to wait and see!

Produce....

The little courgettes go perfectly with Phil's eggs to make a beautiful omelette...

...as you can see...

...and the Tayberries make delicious compote quite different to both raspberry or blackberry. In the background you can see a jar of the lemon and elderflower marmalade I make with the elderflower cordial lemons.

Pics from Yesterday...

Toms still doing ok and this is the fourth courgette of the season! I have firmly resolved to pick them very small this year...

These two leaves from the yellow courgette from Phil have gone funny but the others seem perfectly fine (at the moment...)

I manured the new Asparagus bed with manure from outside Mum's back gate - amazing how a bit of muck alters the ambience of a bed anf makes it feel cared for...

Bicycles & Tayberries...

I cycled to the lottie for the first time this evening - thanks Kevin:-) Eleven minutes there and a couple of minutes longer coming home along the front. No different to the car really and I don't think I had to stop once.

I picked the first batch of tTayberries today and made compote out of them (ie heated them up with some sugar). They have really benefited from a post and some protection from the birds. I haven't been very kind to them over the years - I have tried to dig them out at least once but I feel we are getting on a lot better these days...

Sorry Lisa the Chard seems to be doing quite well! Also congratulations on passing your driving test today - first time and only eleven minors!!! :-)

The remaining sunflower and the beans seem to like the rain and roasting temps we have been having lately.