My main task on the plot yesterday was to tidy up and feed the strawberries. We decided to use weed control fabric after we had planted the strawberries and so the bed is never going to look particularly tidy until the foliage grows to cover all the bits and pieces that hold down the fabric.
At least we have the rhubarb to harvest.
I was also excited to see that our honeyberry bushes have produced flowers.
The plot cherry - Summer Sun - is loaded with buds.
Our new raspberries and autumn raspberries are shooting.
The 'bush' pear is still looking healthy and full of bud.
I removed any weeds - mainly willowherb - removed any dried leaves and debris and sprinkled sulphate of potash around each plant to give them a boost. The plants are beginning to look a little tired and so maybe we need to consider a new bed next year.
Next time we will plant through the fabric but I'm not sure how I will them go about feeding. Maybe a liquid feed that can permeate the fabric.The plants of the early variety Mae have never really grown well nor produced much fruit. If we decide to grow earlier fruit again maybe we will try under cover. I haven't been impressed by the everbearing variety either so I think our next bed will be restricted to mid and late season plants.
It will be a while before we see any fruit in our strawberry patch but for now I have played my part.
At least we have the rhubarb to harvest.
I didn't detect a honeysuckle perfume but maybe this is more apparent in the evening. The plants are not loaded with flower but I'll settled for a taster. Honeyberries are supposed to be a good substitute for blueberries. The earliest of our blueberry bushes is in bud at the moment.
I don't expect any fruit on the new canes so the autumn plants will have to make up for the shortfall along with the tayberry.
Oullins Gage which I hope is still loaded with flowers after last night's downpour has the potential for producing a good crop two years in a row - which would be a first.
The jostaberries are already setting fruit.
Back in the garden I can''t tell whether the apricot has set fruit or not - I'm concerned that it flowered a bit too early.
The nectarine blossom is now open - just in time to be battered by last night's rain and the peach buds are just beginning to burst.
This time of year is full of potential but will it be fulfilled?
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It looks like it's going to be a good fruit year for you again. I don't know how our strawberries will do this year, it's hard to know if they're newish plants or old ones. They'll be straight out and a new bed put in to action if they don't do much, strawberries are my favourite and I don't want to be without.
ReplyDeleteI hope you manage a strawberry harvest, Jo. It's one glut I look forward to
DeleteYou will get an abundant fruits forward. All look great.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed, Endah
DeleteLooking good. Can you tell a newbie how you have rhubarb up already?
ReplyDeleteIt's down to variety, L As you can see from the photo we have rhubarb at various stages the one furthest on is Timperley Early as the name suggests an early variety
DeleteThanks. I am learning such a lot from your site, Sue.
DeleteHow exciting it is all looking so good. I have a few flowers on the greengage I planted last year so I'm rather excited about that. It's been yonks since I last ate one.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get some greengages, Joanne, they are delicious
DeleteIt's all looking wonderful isn't it. I'm not sure how to feed my strawberries that I've planted through weed control fabric either. Maybe just directed through the actual holes. I didn't get on at all with everbearing ones, so I've just put in Cambridge Favourites and Honeoye. Hopefully they will be successive (Honeoye first). All of your fruit buds look very promising indeed.
ReplyDeleteOur best two are Marshmello and Amelia, CJ.
DeleteYour rhubarb looks rather impressive. Mine is smaller as I have only planted it last year. I was wondering about something. I have the stalks with the leaves and I also have one large stalk which was producing a flower. I cut the flower off, but I don't know if I was supposed to. Do I need to take the whole large stalk out as well? My plant looks rather ridiculous now with the flowerless large stalk in the middle. Can you help?
ReplyDeleteTake the flower stalk out Miss Bougie, If you disturb the roots it can cause flowering or if the soil is dry. Can you mulch round the plant. Rather than cur stalks you need to pull the rhubarb leaf stalks
DeleteLooking good Sue... I'm in the middle of sorting out our strawberry bed at the moment. Our raspberries are looking good also and we even have some flowers forming on our summer ones :o)
ReplyDeleteWe'll just have to content ourselves with autumn raspberries this year ,Julie.
DeleteThere is loads of promise there, Sue. It's lovely to see the tulips coming into flower under the pear. Our honeyberries are flowering too - I read somewhere that it might be worth taking a brush to the flowers (although we have so many pollinators buzzing around at the moment, it hardly seems worth it), but since there are so few flowers, I thought I would get my pollinating paintbrush out just in case. Now you have reminded me, I will be checking the apricot for signs of fruit tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI wonder whether honeyberries attract moths as honeysuckle does, Saran?
DeleteThe plants are getting the shape nicely and the ammount of flower buds is impressing. I keep my fingers crossed for a nice harvest.
ReplyDeleteToes crossed too, Aga.
DeleteIt is all looking very promising, lets hope there will be no wind, that always seems to blow my fruit off. The rhubarb is wonderful!xxx
ReplyDeleteLooks fruitastic! I have bought myself a honeyberry to try too, and am really looking forward to trying the fruit, but it will be a while, it is so small yet. As for strawberries, I'm still not sure about trying them in my small garden, though I do have a bed lined with alpine strawberries grown from seed.
ReplyDelete