Last weeks rain was a great big help to keep things growing, as the dry period was beginning to make plants wilt and slow down. The warm nights have kept things growing as we want them to and push with the ripening ready for picking.

It is now past the longest day and picking asparagus has ended for another year, it is time to let the ferns grow and strengthen the roots for next year. The peas in tunnel 2 have just about finished cropping they go over very quickly in the tunnel, but the other crops are doing well.

The tomatoes in tunnel 1 are growing fast and the first trusses are beginning to form , while the grapes in both tunnels are swelling steadily. The lettuce seeds sown 10 days ago are ready to transplant into module, so it must be time to sow some more, and more radish outside are the same. It is important to keep sowing salad crops a little and often to keep a supply of fresh lettuce and radish. Spring onions can be sown less frequently as they will stand for a week or two while they are used.

It is time to finish digging over the last of the empty ground ready for planting up, or, if there is nothing to go in, then to sow a green manure to keep the ground covered. I have still a bed of sweetcorn to plant out and to plant out some chard and spinach, as well as sowing a late crop of peas.

There are still root crops to sow for regular supplies which does not leave much time for weeding.

JOBS FOR THE WEEK

1. Plant sweetcorn
2. Plant chard
3. Plant spinach
4. Sow peas
5. Sow lettuce
6. Transplant seedlings

WORK DONE THIS WEEK

Sunday

1. dig more of bed 7
2. water
3. protect peas
4. string climbing beans
5. transplant seedlings into large pots

Monday

1. Sow peas
2. weed strawberries and garlic bed
3. Thin carrots
4. transplant three trays of seedlings into large pots

Tuesday

1. Water
2. Plant out sweetcorn
3. Plant out chard and spinach
4. Water
5. Weed

Wednesday

1. Weed french beans
2. Thin carrots
3. transplant lettuce seeds into modules
4. Water

Thursday

1. Water Tunnels

Friday

1. Finish thinning carrots
2. Repair side to carrot bed
3. Water
4. Plant out squash in sweetcorn bed

Saturday

1. Dig more of bed 7
2. Start weeding brassica bed
3. Weed root bed
4. mulch sweetcorn bed
5. put up canes to support asparagus ferns
6. Water

CROPS PICKED THIS WEEK

1. Last of the asparagus
2. Peas
3. Broad beans
4. Lettuce
5. Spring onions
6. Carrots