What have you done today in the Garden?

I like the looks of that harvest, Sean. My Bride had a look and was impressed as well. The arrangement for the piccy was fun and she thought that the gherks looked tasty, the beans are a staple at our house, so they elicited oos and ahhs of course.

Another work day in the lottie, tying back up things the strong wind has whipped loose. Some plants were blown over and had to be staked. Surprisingly two outside pepper plants had blown over. That has never happened to me before. They were full of blooms, I wonder what the consequences of that natural violence will be.

Today we took another discreet load of veg and fruit to the Food Bank. Still not much as our plants are still suffering from the bizarre weather this season— we are all 2-3 weeks behind.

Looking around after the rains, we see that the leeks that we had clipped and planted a few days ago are all standing erect and looking very confident. I can almost imagine that they have grown a bit as well.


The apples are swelling and blushing.


Then off to the bean racks—you know, the germination of the beans has been a bit of a nightmare this season. We had to plant the beans three times and that will mean that our harvest will be staggered...which is not a bad thing, actually. Some folks do this on purpose.
It also means that because they are staggered, that there will be beans high, low and in the middle. Normally, I begin harvesting on my knees and work up to standing.

Finally, the toms. We removed more suckers and leaves. The stems are bare with a leaf above each truss. Two Ferline tom plants are beginning to show distinct reddening. The first plant:


The first trusses are very close to the ground. This has to do with how I plant them (horizontally). Here a close up of the second Ferline:


Mates, I had better get some bacon in the house.

 

Did a lot of deadheading and picking fruit then a bit of watering. Had some rain yesterday but it looked as if it hadn't.

 

Cut the front grass but still got to do the edges which i never get round to do.
put the grass cuttings around the rhubarb.

 

Picked the first of the chillies
To the left is Carolina Reaper in the middle is Trinidad Scorpion and the right is Armageddon

 

I am not ready to pick any chillies yet, I don’t even know their names apart from cayenne, but the others look like habanero type, so they better be strong.

 

They should be very hot but it all depends on which ones.

 

It was a golf day today, but I when I came home I thought that it might rain tomorrow, so I went over to Eccles and bought the caps and batons for the fence. I decided to use screws for the lot so bought a box of 200 whilst I was there.
Came home and got straight on with it. Worked mostly from the garden of the empty house next door.
Finished for 6.30.
Replaced all the batons and caps though one or two batons weren't too bad. Only needed to replace two top boards.
I've a couple of batons and caps and three boards spare. I always get slightly more than I need, saves going back again if I've mis-calculated.
Pleased with the result. Fourteen panels now good as new.


I was standing on what was the top of the waterfall at the end of the rockery to the left of this lamp, pulling a broken cap off the fence and when I looked down there was a baby blackbird in the middle of the rockery three feet away looking up at me. He's been hiding under the azaleas next to the patio, behind my "cat deterrent" fence for a couple of days and his mother comes and feeds him. But he's getting adventurous now.



New board here, it'll go grey like the rest in a year.

 

Took the horticultural fleece off the blueberry plants and picked the rest of the berries off them.
Picked the rest of the gooseberries but now the wasps are out so won't be able to pick them all, but got a lot anyway.

 

picking greenbeans season is upon me. beans, zuccinni, cukes, tomatoes by the bushel... and weeds.

 

Picked some more redcurrants but running out of space in the freezers.

 

I harvested some plums and potatoes.


The toms are starting to ripen.


Including this rather large specimen.

 

Very good @Odif we didn't get any plums this year, the late frost was to blame.

 

Another night of heavy rain left puddles in the areas where the water drains off through holes in the patio's perimeter walls.

It was up to the top of the bottom brick earlier today, but has since gone down to this level at mid-day. Hopefully, if the rain stays off it will clear by this evening. Worth pointing out one of the two support posts of the pergola on the back of the house. I made these concrete "elephant's feet" so the base of the two wooden post are never in water.

The wire fence prevents cats if they hide under the azaleas, from "pouncing" on any birds on the patio who visit the little peanut butter feeder on the wall. The fence is new this year, it was a pain to install and I had to do a bit of pruning to fit it. I'll let the azaleas grow back through it. The place where 'arry's feed station goes in front of the steps which is higher than the edges is already clear of water.

I keep a brushpan and brush to the side of the steps to use to clear any poo off the patio near his station. He was trying to be helpful last night by having a poo in the pan! I move his station away from the steps each day and wash down his "bird tray" over a house drain, ready for the evening when I put out his food.







No problem with the small patio. No matter how much rain we get it just runs off into the lawn. Our soil is quite sandy as we're in what was the flood plain of the Mersey thousands of years ago. However the borders have had their fair share of additional compost and soil over the years so don't drain quite as quickly. But we never get any puddles anywhere other thsan the drain-off areas of the main patio.



I might do a bit of wisteria pruning this afternoon if it stays dry. Though there might be cricket to watch on TV.
We're promised sunny weather tomorrow and I've had an e-mail from my golf club to tell me that after being closed on Saturday, the course will be open tomorrow, which is good news, though it might rain when I come home afterwards.

Edit.
In the end I did a bit. I removed the plugs in the bottom of our many potmovers.

Each Spring, I put a dab of silicone over the drain holes I drilled in the middle of each.

This is to retain some water in very hot weather and it works well. as the pots can dry out in a day.

But presently, we've had so much rain the potmovers are always full of water, which isn't ideal in the circumstances.

 

Not a lot today, just watering the hanging baskets.

 

Super harvest Odif.
Is this for sale or personal consumption?
I can see other things that are on the way to being ready.
Yeah mate, really good.