The stars of this week's harvest didn't come from the plot but from the garden greenhouse in the shape of delicious apricots.
These were well worth the long wait and our fears of maggot infestation were happily unfounded.
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| Harvest 5 July |
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| Harvest 9 July |
On 9 July we harvested the first root of one of our trial potatoes - Orla. The credential for this variety can be viewed here. Orla can be grown as either a first or second early. We were happy with both the yield and the flavour.
The strawberries are doing surprisingly well considering that we are having the most unstrawberry like weather. When we went to the allotment on Saturday, after a few torrential downpours, we expected to find strawberries that had been battered to a pulp. Instead we found that they were better than ever with a much bigger proportion of larger berries. There was also far less slug damage than expected.
Fenella and Cupid continue to be our best performers. Vibrant trails well behind all of the others producing only one strawberry for picking. There is very little left of the plants so maybe I should replace them with runners taken from some of the other varieties. Up until Sunday I would have described each variety as being delicious and then we tasted the first two ripe berries from Malwina and experienced the wow factor. I do hope the rest of them taste as spectacular
We spotted the first few blueberries ripening and so pickled them before the birds did. Time for the netting to come out!
On Sunday we harvested a few more berries. The redcurrants are dripping with fruit. I only harvest as much as I can cope with preparing at each picking so more will be picked another day.
We also had the first few blackcurrants, red gooseberries and tayberries.
On Sunday we harvested a few more berries. The redcurrants are dripping with fruit. I only harvest as much as I can cope with preparing at each picking so more will be picked another day.
We also had the first few blackcurrants, red gooseberries and tayberries.
In the photo above on the far right are a few purple, Glencoe raspberries and we also had a smattering of the yellow All Gold which should be an autumn fruiter. I may have left the odd old cane when I cut All Gold back which would explain this anomaly.
Sunday saw us picking the first of our broad beans.
Even though they are still growing we picked the first of our autumn onions. Whilst they continue to grow we will just lift them as we need them.
As I mentioned in an earlier post the sweet Williams have been poor. I picked what are the last of them and pulled up the plants. I have sown seeds for next year in compost trenches in the ground rather than in modules to plant out. I am hoping that these perform better. After just over a week the seeds are already germinating along with wallflowers and sweet rocket. I wonder whether slugs find them to be tasty? I hope not!
To boost my flower harvest, I picked a few sprigs of lavender. I'm sure that the bees can spare me a small posy as there is plenty of it left for them to enjoy.
Today I am linking to Harvest Monday over at Dave's blog Our Happy Acres
Posts
I'm glad to hear that your Strawberries have come good. You were expecting a "Washout", weren't you? With the amount of berries and currants you have, picking them must be nearly a full-time job! I think I may not grow strawberries any more, because the amount I have been able to get from my container-grown plants has been too small to be useful. We just eat them in ones and twos as a between-meals snack. I'm planning to try growing some onions next year, so I had better start reading up your advice on them...
ReplyDeleteIt is quite time consuming, Mark but worth it. I am surprised that the strawberries have done so well considering the weather conditions,
DeleteI'm no onion expert - are you going for sets or seeds.
You have so much lovely fruit! Those strawberries are really beautiful. I would have thought the rain would have made them mushy or watery tasting. Maybe the slugs got washed away by the rain!
ReplyDeleteJust imagine what the harvest would have been like if the weather had been good, Dave.
DeleteWow, those apricots look fantastic, let's hope your peaches and nectarines follow suit now. I'm really missing my strawberries this year and the ones we bought from the supermarket on holiday ended up in the bin, tasteless things they were. My blueberries are just starting to ripen too, it won't be long until I'm picking them. We came home from holiday to a riot of colour in the garden from the sweet williams, I'm so pleased I got round to sowing some seed last year, I usually forget with biennials as they're sown a bit later than annuals.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid the best we will have is one peach and two nectarines to share, Jo. Have you sown next year's sweet William's?
DeleteI'm afraid I haven't, my tomatoes aren't even in their final pots yet!
DeleteSue-I imagine your kitchen is filled with food --and work. But what delightful work that is. Your photos are sort of like food porn---my gosh, so beautiful and tempting. Happy freezing/canning/drying/eating!!!
ReplyDeleteAnyone doing a word search in Google, is going to be disappointed if they end up here, Sue. :-D
DeleteYou have so many wonderful fruits! The apricots, strawberries and raspberries look especially delicious and cherries too! I can't grow cherries here, but I love them. Enjoy all your harvests!
ReplyDeleteNo cherries I'm afraid, Julie - we may have one or two later. I think what you thought were cherries are redcurrants.
DeleteI am drooling over the pictures of your fruits! How very lovely!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Chhaya
DeleteFantastic strawberries. I'll be interested to know whether all of the Malwinas are extra delicious. The apricots are a triumph as well. I'm nearly at the end of my strawberries and broad beans now. The blackbirds are tucking into the blueberries, but the raspberries are hiding so we're having most of them.
ReplyDeleteWe had a bowl of Malwina each, CJ and every berry was just as delicious. It is a late fruiting variety. Apparently some critics my is that it is two dark a colour. We quite like the colour.
DeleteWonderful harvest.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brian
DeleteYou harvested so much beautiful fruit, it's truly amazing!
ReplyDeleteAs you can guess, Michelle we like our fruit.
DeleteYou've been hard at work in the garden, those berries look so good. And those are some lovely broccoli and potatoes. My broccoli is taking a lot longer this year, I think the flea beetles really set them back.
ReplyDeleteThere is always something trying to spoil all the hard work isn't there Phuong? It is either the weather or some pest our disease.
DeleteWow - look at all that gorgeous fruit! Other than strawberries, it looks like our fruit harvest will be a bust this year - all the cherries went to the birds and many of the few plums on the trees look to be infested with plum curculio.
ReplyDeleteAnd a special congrats on those apricots - I can practically smell them over here!
We have no cherries again this year, Margaret we rarely seem to manage to harvest any. As for the plums it looks like this year he is going to be a lean year for them.
DeleteWhat a superb harvest of fruit, I'm in awe of those apricots!xxx
ReplyDeleteThose apricots have all disappeared inside of us now, Dina. We enjoyed them though.
DeleteReally lovely harvest, Sue. Especially the berries and blackcurrant.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Endah
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