July diary updated.

To say that this week is July it has been a disappointment and visits to the plot have more or less been to harvest in between showers. We have had lots of heavy rain which has pounded the soil. On our clay soil once the sun, (the shiny thing that is sometimes seen in the sky), dries the surface it can crack and become hard and lumpy. With this in mind I have spent lots of time hoeing the surface and turning the soil in areas where we have walked when harvesting.

There is no doubt that crops are growing well and enjoying the conditions far more than we are. The weeds as usual are also thriving. Weeding is more a case of damage limitation than clearance. As soon as a patch is cleared, up pop all the weeds again, at the moment they very much have the upper hand.

We have had some gaps in what the weathermen refer to as showers when we have managed to get out and do some work on the plot. The rain stayed off long enough for the grass paths to be mown which always improves the look of the plot.


The most excitement this week was centred on the brassica beds. We have always had problems in getting any decent curds on our cauliflower plants. This week we noticed curds beginning to develop in quite a few of the caulis so the leaves have been bent over to stop the curds from yellowing.

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