Progress In The Old And New Veg Gardens

The veggie gardens are going through their changes just like the flower garden...with things coming and going. It keeps me hopping, even in this heat. It has been storming heavily here the past cpuple of days and so I have a little "rest time" now.

I shall use it to post some update fotos of the veggie gardens and harvest highlights.

The first foto shows an overview of the "New Garden" across the way.
In front is the corn, then courgettes and behind those various pea sorts. Borrage is on the right, along the fence.


A closer look at the corn. Some plants are beginning to develop tassles.


Then over to the right, borrage. The bees love it and I will use it for plant food and winter ground cover.


I have begun cleaning strawberry beds, now that the fruiting phase has concluded.
I clean the bed of weeds and then select runners with little plantlets and I cut the runner off just past the plant that I want to keep (usually the proximal plantlet).


I make small `pins` like I did to hold down the nets...just much snaller. I place the `pin` over the runner right nect to the plantlet on the mother plant side.
Here you can see one of the small pins and the plantlets below my hand and to the left on the ground.


The French climbing beans (Rakker) are doing well.


There are two types of purple sprouting that are putting out at the moment. Tjis tyupe does not form a massive head like calabrese do, rather it sends up shoots and these you harvest and can eat, stems, leaves and floret. Tasty stuff, this!


Another type.


The courgettes are beginning to produce well now--here is one of the new types I am trying this year, `Zephyr`.


Back over in the `Old Garden` other things are growing. Some were struggling, but generally speaking everything is doing well.

I have been loylally watering the blueberries during the hot spell. The ground was craching open in spite of my efforts...so the heavy rains have been VERY welcome. Those plants really should not be allowed to dry out.


...and finally, the beetroots. These are doing quite well. This particular sort is known as `Chioggia`. it is a lovely white beet with pink rings inside.


I still have broad beans and peas producing, but these will soon be cleared-away and green mest planted as well as leeks.
I have lifted quite a few spuds already. They are small because of the draught, I think...but with this rain and heat--Phytophthora is a very real threat, so I am taking them out a little quicker than I normally would.
The runner beans are growing but due to the presence of moles their roots are being frequently disturbed. This means that the development and growth are retarded. We shall have to wait and see how they do. They get water enough, that´s for sure.

 

What a lovely veggie garden Sojerd. Looks like a great harvest is coming your way!! :-D The two types of purple that you have, what are they?? I have tried planting brocolli but I can never get a head because of the heat here. Today I learned about calabrese from your posting and is making me real curious weather I can plant them here including your type of "purple". PLease tell me more about these plants :?: :-D

 

Your veggies have done really good as dry as your soil has been.Those blueberries look so great.

 

Thanks, KK-- I am growing different crops in the two gardens this year and so the brassicas are only being grown in the "new garden".
The two sorts of purple sprouting that I planted this year are: "summer purple" and .....??? I can't find the name in my black book. I don't know what the second one that I planted was. Darn it!
Well, the "Summer Purple" would probably be the best for you because it doesn't need vernalisation (winter chill) to make the florets tasty...like the "normal" Purple Sprouting broccoli's.

There is also a "Early White Sprouting White Eye Broccoli" which might also work for you. It's worth reading about.

The problem that you are having with getting a good head to form may be due to the type you are trying to grow.
A somewhat early cropper is the "Calabrese Aquiles F1 Hybrid". This is especially for early sowings and thus early harvesting.
Our climate is so different from yours, so it is difficult for me to suggest something that I have had experience with.
There are many different sorts of calabrese though--ones that can be harvested fronm early summer to innter/spring. You may need to research this to find one that exactly fits your conditions there and seasons. Which ever one you decide upon, it is worthwhile to note that they will do best in rich soil that drains well....and that they must have sufficient water to keep them from "shooting through".

Thanks GLENDA--I am counting on another good blueberry harvest this year. The rain really did come just in the nik of time.

 

Sjoerd, What a nice garden you have grown! Looks like you'll be having some delicious veggies to eat! All your hardwork has paid off!

 

Thanks so much, Kay--Yes, it looks like it will be a good year again--I just hope that I will have enough room for it all in the freezer. hahaha.

 

Gosh it all looks great. It's a good year for you there after all, despite the scant rain. Glad you've had some the past few days.

 

Oh EILEEN--Stooooooooooop now! You're making me impatient. hahaha.
I smile at the blueberries every time I pass them. I shall be throwing a net over them tomorrow.

I am very happpy with how things are coming along, DAISY--I was lugging water almost every day there for awhile. The rains came at a good time, because the dryness was winning inspite of my water bearing.

 

Thanks Sojerd, I'll be making a visit to the veggie seed shop tomorrow to look for them, I hope I can get them.

 

My fingers are crossed for you, KK. Otherwise perhaps you could order them from T&M or some other online seed house.

 

Here is a chuckle... Your comment re: putting the nets over the blues reminded me.... I had one last strawberry on one of the plants this morning... and it was ALMOST perfectly ripe so I thought I'd wait and pick it when I got home.... Welllll. I had taken off the nets a couple of weeks ago to weed and I hadn't replaced them because there had not been a berry or blossom for weeks. Except for this very last one... When I got home, I approached the bed still laden down with all my "stuff" from work, the grocery bag and the new pair of shoes I bought... BUT! Someone had gotten to that strawberry before I did. The perfect berry was gone, along with some nibbles of the leaves... Ah well, I'm sure whoever that someone was, enjoyed it.

 

Well, they have never heard of these varities before just as I thought!! Thanks for the suggestion Sojerd but I think it would be a hassle to order online from another country especially with the so called "authorities"

 

DAISY--What a story, miss. It sounds like another page in Murphy's Book of Law. :-?

KK-You are welcome. It's a pity that ordering is such a hassle.
I do hope that you have some luck, though.

 

Sjoerd, I'm glad for you that the rain came. We're getting rain just now and much needed. Your garden looks great. Isn't it heartwarming to see your labor pay off?
What you call cougrettes, we call yellow squash and we have been harvesting our's for a couple of weeks. We grate and freeze them for using as pancake material or for a nice addition to veggie soup.
I am drawing a blank for the "Purple" too. Its related to broccoli.
Today we dug up one row of potatoes and were disappointed. I noted roots running from some of the potatoes. Would they have made more potatoes? Did we dig them too soon? We left the two rows for another day.
I planted more beans today. The rain will make a huge difference in their growth.