My Garden: 8th August 2015

I am currently on two week's holidays from work so I am trying to do a few jobs in the garden as well as just enjoying being out there doing nothing. Although we've had some nice days, this July has been quite wet and cold at times. It shows in the tomato plants which are all fruiting but not a speck of ripening. From a distance I thought one tomato was starting to blush red but on closer inspection it turned out to be a bit of scab. Sigh.  

My jalapeno plant is flowering its delicate white blooms and you can see a tiny pepper just beginning to form. Last year I got a few small peppers so hopefully I'll do better this year:

My courgette plant was fruiting nicely then seemed to be having some trouble. The flowers were falling off while still tiny, resulting in no fruits, and some leaves were dying off. I cut off the brown leaves and gave it some tomato feed and it seems to have come back to life. I wonder if the excessive wet weather is to blame. The plant needs a lot of water but I think the leaves might prefer to stay dry:

I am growing Indigo Rose tomatoes for the first time this year. The rich black colour deceives you into thinking that the tomato is ripe but it will have to change to a reddish/purple colour before it is ready to eat:

My lavender is flowering but I only get specks of purple with this little white feathery cap on top. I don't know if it is simply because of the variety or if something is lacking. It smells gorgeous but I'd love to get full purple blooms. Please leave a comment if you have any advice for me.

*Edit* I found the original pot that the lavender came in (now housing an Aloe Vera on my kitchen window) and can see that the variety is 'White Spirit' so it is supposed to look like that. I've added in two little plants that I was given by my aunt and they are the standard purple variety, so I should have a nice mix in time.

I planted beetroot in a container near the back door to use for salad leaves and they are doing nicely with a few bonus slug holes. I used soil from the garden, which isn't recommended for container planting, so I'm glad they are pulling along:

I should really get my purple sprouting broccoli in the ground. I have a few plants but this is the healthiest:

Brussels sprouts need to be moved on also:

I have some borlotti beans in a window box. They are planted later than most bean varieties so hopefully I'll get some lovely pink and white beans later in the year. I love the colour of the leaves:

And lastly, I have moved lupins that I grew from seed into individual pots. I won't get flowers until next year but the foliage is decorative enough for me at the moment:

That's it for today. Happy gardening.

My Garden: 11th August 2014

If I ever forget the beautiful weather of 2014, this blog will be a sure reminder. And I ask myself, why haven't we installed an outdoor tap yet? The only good thing about relying on a watering can is that I make sure to empty all my waste water into it. Still though, my plants are definitely under-watered. I don't currently mulch for fear of creating a haven for slugs but talented gardeners would insist it is essential. Next year will be my year for mulching - and it'll probably be a wash out!

My tomatoes came on in leaps and bounds from the scraggly beginnings:

That first blush of red is exciting:

I am growing borlotti beans this year. It's a venture into the unknown, however timid:

It's not the best photo of the borlotti flowers. I wish I had captured them at their best because the delicate pink and white blooms are beautiful:

My remaining beets are big!

New generation of carrots and beetroot that were planted in July. I hope it's not too late in the season.

One of my carrots is sitting too high up and has gone a funny colour. Happy to say I ate it and it tasted lovely.

I was too cocky and uncovered my brassicas weeks back to make it easier to weed and because it looked better. Well I under estimated the prowess of the white butterfly because I've been inundated with caterpillars. I re-covered them and rid myself of the green pests many times a day.

Sweet peas peak out among the mangetout:

My leeks are gaining girth but they still have a long growing season ahead of them. And I need to weed that patch!

I ate the first cut of my broccoli, which was divine, but was sorely disappointed by the speed of regrowth. A closer look and I found horrible black aphids on it, plus some hungry caterpillars. I've sprayed it with a mix of water, garlic and ginger and also spotted a ladybird (predator of the aphid) on the plant so hopefully I'll see progress.

I am growing jalapeño peppers outdoors as an experiment. They have received plenty of warm sunshine in a south facing position so hopefully we might get a few little peppers!

My Garden: 7th August 2013

Cobs have started on my sweetcorn!

I’ve started feeding them Comfrey tea which should help the cobs along.

And my late tomato plants that I didn’t have much faith in, have fruited!! Again, Im feeding them Comfrey tea and removing side shoots daily to concentrate all that food in the fruit.

And here is a little hamper of produce I harvested for our dinner, including the first potatoes!

My Garden in August