Fruit and Veg.

Well, what a busy couple of weeks we have had; all our craft projects have taken a back seat as our attention has been completely focused on the garden/smallholding. Time to take a breath and have a look at what's been going on.
 

As an amateur gardener, a lot of what I know was gained through trial and error, combined with a healthy amount of searching through gardening books and the internet. However, what I do know is that water, warmth and sun provide the perfect growing conditions for many plants, both edible and non-edible. 

We have been so fortunate to have had warm sunny days with just enough rain at the right time and oh how our plants have started to flourish. So much so in fact that this post is all about edibles and I'll dedicate a separate entry to all the flower planting in and around the smallholding.

Where to start? Mmm, potatoes I think. One of the best examples we have of how the plants are sprouting is the potatoes. We have 3 varieties planted in this bed and also in the large tubs and wooden planters on the right hand side. This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago, just after we had earthed them up.

This photo was taken only 5 days after the previous one and shows how quickly the potatoes have grown. It seems even more obvious looking at the potatoes on the right, now peeking over the top of their planters. Now they need to be earthed up again, I'm sure we only did it once last year but I suppose we'll be glad we made the extra effort when it come to harvest time.

A very helpful contact on Facebook advised that we could earth up our potatoes with grass cuttings. I was always dubious about using grass as it has a tendency to end up as a green slime but this Guardian article made us think again and give it a go. If it works it'll save a lot on the amount of compost we use.

We have been both surprised and delighted with the developments in the polytunnel. M constructed some supports for the tomato plants and in they went; I'm hoping we get a good harvest again this year as the freezer is starting to look a little empty. The only slight downside of these wonderful growing conditions is that they are also perfect for weeds so there was quite a bit of weeding to get on with.
 

You can see the growth here in just 8 days. The brassicas, squash and pumpkins are certainly thriving in the extra heat and are coming along nicely in the right bed. In the left we have Kale closest to the camera with small Pak Choi only recently sown. Above the Kale is Swiss Chard and in the top bed are some cauliflower with beetroot sown on either side. In the orange pot to the left of the door we have a Gherkin, a first for us.

M was keen to get a Fig tree for the polytunel and we picked up this (very) little plant for about £3. It may be some time before it bears any fruit but it is now in situ in the polytunnel enjoying some TLC.

The peas and beans have got off to a slower start due to some prolonged dry periods but they are staring to recover and we have flowers appearing so hopefully they will survive through to harvest.

The latest addition has been the first batch of sweetcorn; hopefully the last of the frosts have passed and these will establish quickly. There's still room for the second batch when they are ready to leave the greenhouse.
 

This is an old apple tree we have called Jess' tree as she loves to gather the windfall. We performed quite drastic pruning on it last year to lift it off the ground and remove some crossing branches. So we have been delighted with the abundant blossom this year which proves we did the right thing. 

Some of the original trees in the orchard did nothing at all last year but we have been pleasantly surprised that some blossom has appeared and look forward to seeing if we get any fruit and if so, what type it is.

I thought I'd show you a little picture of our 'Orchard', taken when we first arrived here about 20 months ago.

Followed by how it looks today. The rough overgrown area in the middle of the first photo is where our veg beds are now. It amazes me how much it has changed in a relatively short time.

Our orchard trees are still very young and quite stick-like but we have had some blossom and the beginnings of fruit. Last year we had 5 apples from the orchard so anything more than that will be wonderful (although to be fair they did taste amazing).

There's so much to share at this time of year that I feel I may have gone on a little too long so I'll leave it here. I hope wherever you are your gardens are growing well and you are getting the opportunity to enjoy some summer sunshine.