It's now becoming difficult to decide where our priorities lie. Still we have had no rain and watering is taking a great deal of our time. This is creating a dilemma, do we spend most of our time watering so that the plants that will provide a later harvest don't wither or do we concentrate on picking the things that are ready now?
At the moment we can cope with both tasks but we are at the start of the berry picking season and usually we end up spending most of our time harvesting. We are trying to keep up with the picking but from now on it will hopefully become a major task. In one way maybe we should be grateful that the strawberries haven't produced a glut.
Raspberries, redcurrants, blueberries, jostaberries and tayberries are ripening fast and the fruit lacking nets has to be picked quickly before the blackbirds move in. At the moment we are being chastised noisily every time we pick some fruit.
It's the first harvest that we have had from the black raspberry that we planted last year.
We are still enjoying apricots from the garden greenhouse. The sun has really done a good job of sweetening the flesh. The flavour is the best that it has been. We are hoping that the sun works the same magic on the developing peaches and nectarines.
Cherries from the potted cherry - Stella - are being added to our fruit salads.
The cherry tree was hastily draped with fleece when we noticed that a wood pigeon was stripping its leaves. The fleece has also protected some of the fruits from the birds. Basically we wrapped as many bunches of cherries as we could in fleece pouches. The tree hadn't produced much fruit in the past and so we were caught napping and had to cobble some protection quickly. Next year we will be more organised but I guess this means that the tree won't crop.
The ad hoc protection has worked as can be shown from the fact that the side of the tree that wasn't protected has been denuded of fruit.
Before I move on to the allotment harvests I should mention that we are also harvesting salad ingredients and herbs from the garden, most of which we don't photograph but we had to take a photo of our first Mini Munch cucumber.
So what did the allotment yield last week?
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| 25 June |
The first lot of broad beans that we planted didn't grow very well but at least they are providing us with a few beans. Not enough to freeze but enough to add to a few meals.
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| 26 June |
We have been disappointed with the calabrese. It headed up well, but whereas we can usually pick the heads over a week or so, this year they have been quick to flower. We had to strip the plants and freeze the heads as even when we tried keeping one in the fridge we couldn't prevent the flowers from opening. We are now hoping for some sideshoots.
I hope that the cabbages hang on. There is only so much cabbage we can eat in a week. A complete rejig of menus was required and batches of coleslaw made.
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| 28 June |
We picked our first cauliflower this week which was a delight and a worry. Will the cauliflower heads suffer from the same problem as the calabrese?
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| 30 June |
This head was well hidden under leaves so we will have to inspect the brassica bed closely each time we visit the plot
Flowers also featured in last week's harvest. The sweet peas are beginning to bloom in earnest. Cutting the flowers is another time consuming job. The lavender is also is loaded with buds.
The lavender bed has thrived in the dry heat and is one bed that we haven't had to water at all. The bed is already attracting the attentions of butterflies and bees.
The first of our dahlias is providing us with cutting material. The flowers are all supposed to be the deeper purple. I wonder whether the sun is bleaching some. One problem that we haven't had for a while is that the flowers are being browsed by small, black, pollen beetles. I just hope that they don't find their way to the sweet peas as the flowers lose their appeal when the keel petals are full of beetles
As for the weather surely we will be due some rain soon, after all this is England where people imagine that it rains all the time. At this time of year the grass should be green and the lawn mower should be kept busy. Our grass should not look like this at the and of June!
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That is a good looking head of cauliflower! I can sympathize with your watering situation. Once berries start coming in they can take a lot of your time, and they don't hold in the garden like some crops do. I hope you get some rain to ease the pressures.
ReplyDeleteThe broccoli didn’t hang about either, Dave. I just hope that the cauliflowers hang on.
DeleteIt's terrible you still haven't gotten rain. I would probably choose to forgo watering and just focus on harvesting. But keep watering the brassica and leek beds. Hopefully you won't actually have to make these hard choices.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment we are just about managing both Phuong but we are having to visit the plot more regularly than usual.
DeleteIt seems like you've been lugging watering cans for weeks now, what a horrible situation. Still, all that fruit looks wonderful in spite of the weather and that cauliflower is amazing.
ReplyDeleteWe have been lugging water around for weeks, Michelle and the forecasts don’t indicate any rain to come soon.
DeleteSue, I love your sweet peas, can imagine fragrance you have in your home. And your early dahlias are wonderful, love this shape.
ReplyDeleteAbout your harvest - I envy, my red currant are only getting red this week, strawberry ripen fast but birds love them as well.
The sweet peas are staring to produce lots of flowers, Nadezda. Strawberries are disappointing this year.
DeleteIt seems unfair that you can't catch a break in the weather. We started with unseasonably hot and dry but then it switched to the perfect amount of rain in regular doses. Hopefully yours will change also.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you do with broad beans? They're not grown here.
I hope that we soon get the perfect amount of rain, tpals.
DeleteOur broad beans are what you would call favs beans. We just use the prodded beans as a vegetable.
I wish I could send you some of our rain. Your berries look fabulous! I could made some wonderful wine out of that. Here is hoping you get some rain soon.
ReplyDeleteAs long as you don’t send anything of your giant hailstones, Bonnie.
DeleteLovely post nice photos your doing a grand job both of you in doing your best too in these conditions we are all trying to cope and deal with this weather blessing to you both
ReplyDeleteIt’s certainly becoming wearing - all the watering, Linda.
DeleteI don't have the task of picking fruit - the pigeons have eaten all the currants, and the Raspberries are almost dead from drought! :( That cauliflower of yours looks like a perfect specimen - it gives me something to aspire to!
ReplyDeletePigeons are are real nuisance, Mark. Lots of plants are really suffering from lack of water this year.
DeleteWow to the cauliflower! Your fruit harvests are wonderful - I was hoping for our first taste of the nectarines but once again we only had a few fruit set...and then they were stolen, probably by squirrels.
ReplyDeleteI think it will take a while for our nectarines to ripen, Margaret. At least being inside the greenhouse the fruit is protected.
DeleteWhat an abundant harvest, I am especially envious of the berries as the birds have devoured ours, at least it gives them a little moisture! I am at my wits end trying to keep everything watered, to do all the gardens takes hours, it's driving me crackers. It doesn't seem to stop the plants wilting, how we all need a few days of rain.xxx
ReplyDeleteWe are the same with plot watering - it basically takes the two of us most of the afternoon. With pathetic water pressure it takes ages to just fill the cans.
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