This week has just flown by and I am sorry that it is now Saturday and I have not written anything this week. Last sunday I forgot to take any photos for the article, Monday I forgot my camera and for the rest of the week I couldn’t catch up.

The rain has made everything grow like mad! so much so that my cauliflowers have grown from egg cup size to ready for picking. Everything else that I have planted out recently has started growing very well. The aubergines,peppers and chillies in pots are getting well established. the tomatoes planted out are growing well and showing some flowers.

CROPS PICKED THIS WEEK
Asparagus
Peas
French beans
Broad beans
Spring onions
Turnips
Strawberries
Lettuce
Carrots
Cauliflowers

CROPS FROM STORE
Potatoes
Onions

The strawberries I showed two weeks ago have now started producing fruit as you can see, we have started eating them and they are as good as they look.
I have now started planting out the tender crops into the ground as the chance of frost has reduced to very low. This weekend I planted out three varieties of sweet corn, the climbing french beans, the dwarf french beans and the runner beans.

During the coming week I want to get the courgettes out and also my leeks together with some more calabrese.The potatoes are now begining to cover the spaces between the rows with their foliage and the earlies are begining to flower, not long now for the first new potatoes.

There are still the mundane tasks of weeding ,hoeing, watering to be fitted in around the more enjoyable tasks, but what the hell it makes life interesting!

JOBS FOR THE WEEK
1. Plant out all beans. Done.
2. Plant out courgettes. Done
3. Plant out leeks. Done
4. Harden off calabrese for planting out. Done
5. Weed brassica beds.
6. Weed potato bed before the foliage gets too thick. Done
7. Plant up tunnel 2 with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers,aubergines and chillies. Done

WORK DONE THIS WEEK
Sunday
Erect canes for climbing beans.
Plant out runner beans and climbing french beans.
Plant out three varieties of sweet corn, in blocks, to aid pollenation.
plant out next lot of lettuce.
Water, of course.
Tie leaders on the grape vines.
Weed potato bed.
Monday
Plant out courgettes,
Plant out squashes.
Plant cues into border in tunnel 2.
Transplant aubergines, peppers and chillies into 2 litre pots.
Plant out leeks.
Plant out calabrese into brassica frame 2.
Water tunnels and all crops planted out in the last two days.
Tuesday
Water.
Weed potato bed.
Tie in step over apples.
Wednesday
Sow row of peas.
Sow beetroot.
Sow carots.
Water.
Thursday
Transplant seeds from trays into modules.
Transplant seedlings from modules intosmall pots, and from small pots into large pots.
Water.
Friday
Plant out winter cabbage and cauliflower into brassica bed.
Dig over chicken run.
Plant out last of climbing peas.
Water.
Saturday
Water

CROPS PICKED THIS WEEK
Strawberries.
Asparagus.
Spring onions
Peas
Turnips
French beans

FROM STORE
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Onions
Ratatouille

This week has been spent with the routine jobs that carry on through the summer, watering ,weeding and keeping on top of things. Planting out the last of the tender crops and some of the winter crops like leeks.

The runner beans have been planted alongside the fence, celery is in the strip between the old tunnel and the path. Leeks are in two places on the plot at the side of the tunnels to give protection and the rain water run off.

The pond is looking good as the plants are coming into flower and new growth, the cucumbers are now ready to be picked.