The wonderful warm and sunny weather from May and June continued right on into July. While we loved wearing shorts again (probably the first time in 3 years) and spending so much time outside we found it was quite a task to keep up with all the watering. Indeed we sometimes had to water twice a day. It had never seemed possible that we could empty our 6 water butts but yes, they ran dry.
The polytunnel was difficult to keep watered sufficiently as the daytime temperatures soared to 40⁰C. Whether it was the increased temperatures, our more managed watering schedule or a combination of the two, we have had quite a few successes with (of course) the occasional failure.
While the greens, spinach, chard and kale have grown superbly, our young lettuce, spring onions and rocket struggled to germinate in the heat and those which did grow bolted and went to seed before we could harvest them.
The majority of the tomatoes have absolutely loved the heat and sunshine. The plants in the growbags were growing strong with one main stem and all side shoots removed. Sadly the tomato plants in the green canvas pots (on the left) struggled. It appeared that they dried out really quickly in the heat and I was slow to realise that watering once a day was insufficient. For the first time ever we had some Blossom End Rot which we believed was due to the extremes of temperature and lack of water to allow the plant to take up calcium. I managed to increase the watering schedule and in the end only two plants were really badly affected.
As expected, the Sweet Peppers and Jalapenos also thrived in the heat and sunshine producing a mass of flowers and tiny fruits growing quickly. Again I was extremely careful that they had plenty of ventilation and didn't dry out. I was especially pleased that the Jalapeno we had nurtured indoors during the winter had beautiful green leaves and signs of flowers appearing.
I was feeling quite proud of our healthy looking little pepper plants and couldn't wait to see some fruits growing.
The first potato harvest was the Extra Earlies. It was a small crop but so tasty boiled, or as mash and occasionally chips.
We noticed a increase in deer activity during July, they were getting closer to the house, mooching around the yard eating flowers and quite happily lying at the back of the midden. Although it was lovely to see them, especially with their new foal, we hadn't quite been prepared for the damage they could wreak.
We didn't just have to contend with the weather conditions but also the extreme pruning by the local wildlife.
We set up the camera just to check why all the fruit trees seemed to be suffering and to identify the culprits. Unfortunately I couldn't get all the video to download but this video from June made it pretty clear who was to blame!!!
We were able to keep the baths watered throughout the hot days and enjoyed some early carrots. I was so impressed that the purple ones grew, they were all extremely tasty, much better than any shop bought carrots.
This dahlia was a cheap plant bought in the sale section of a garden centre a few years ago. It spent the winter in the greenhouse before going outside in June. I was thrilled to see some large blooms appear in the bright sunshine.
We were able to keep the baths watered throughout the hot days and enjoyed some early carrots. I was so impressed that the purple ones grew, they were all extremely tasty, much better than any shop bought carrots.
This dahlia was a cheap plant bought in the sale section of a garden centre a few years ago. It spent the winter in the greenhouse before going outside in June. I was thrilled to see some large blooms appear in the bright sunshine.
In previous years we had seen this clematis growing up a tree in the garden but this year it obviously enjoyed the warm dry summer and produced the most beautiful display of deep red/crimson flowers.
In fact the flowers around the garden survived the drought and all the pots and troughs were overflowing with colour.
The best thing about July is the start of harvesting, this was a little meagre offering to begin with but brimming full of flavour and colour!
In fact the flowers around the garden survived the drought and all the pots and troughs were overflowing with colour.
The best thing about July is the start of harvesting, this was a little meagre offering to begin with but brimming full of flavour and colour!
Sometimes it seemed like we were in the midst of a continual game of ready steady cook. We would go and collect the fruit and veg ready for picking and then try to design dinner around the ingredients. Not always a successful combination, we were certainly doing well in our quest for 5-a-day fruit and veg.
We were blessed with another few cycle rides and days out at the seaside, it was just a shame I developed a cycling shorts/t-shirt tan.
Halfway through July we decided to cut our losses and harvest the rest of the garlic. Sadly the early onset of summer must have coincided with the main growth period and with a serious lack of water the bulbs failed to swell as we had hoped. There were lots of garlic bulbs but they were extremely small. Thankfully they were flavoursome but I doubt they will see us through the winter. Still we'll have another go next year.
I took another photo from the gate so we could compare the changes in the orchard throughout the growing season. The trees from this angle looked quite healthy despite the hard dry ground.
We were blessed with another few cycle rides and days out at the seaside, it was just a shame I developed a cycling shorts/t-shirt tan.
Halfway through July we decided to cut our losses and harvest the rest of the garlic. Sadly the early onset of summer must have coincided with the main growth period and with a serious lack of water the bulbs failed to swell as we had hoped. There were lots of garlic bulbs but they were extremely small. Thankfully they were flavoursome but I doubt they will see us through the winter. Still we'll have another go next year.
I took another photo from the gate so we could compare the changes in the orchard throughout the growing season. The trees from this angle looked quite healthy despite the hard dry ground.
Our little fig tree entered it's second season and decided to fruit. Sadly it split due to the heat and irregular watering but we are hoping for even more next year.
By the end of July the main veg bed was starting to look quite full with the onions flourishing and only a few starting to produce seed heads.
We had planted 2 different varieties of broad beans, one red and the other a dwarf green. They were both gorgeous and so we'll probably do both again next year. The brassicas on the far side of the beans were pushing up their netting so we had to take that off and keep a close eye on any caterpillar activity.
After the harvesting of the early potatoes this part of the main veg bed was starting to look a bit empty but the peas (foreground) and the French beans continued to grow well. That was until the deer decided they liked the taste of peas. Unfortunately we lost a lot of our produce to them, time for a rethink for next year.
The garden looked great with the grass freshly cut and the flowerbed edges trimmed. It was wonderful that we managed to sit and relax and enjoy the flowers and nature around us. One big bonus of the dry weather was the lack of midges, one thing I was not going to complain about.
Finally a delightful flower to finish off. Our Hemerocallis finally flowered this year, in fact it produced at least 4 large stunning blooms, such a beautiful sight after it's poor performance last year. It may seem like a long time ago but we had a glorious summer with much to be thankful for.
By the end of July the main veg bed was starting to look quite full with the onions flourishing and only a few starting to produce seed heads.
We had planted 2 different varieties of broad beans, one red and the other a dwarf green. They were both gorgeous and so we'll probably do both again next year. The brassicas on the far side of the beans were pushing up their netting so we had to take that off and keep a close eye on any caterpillar activity.
After the harvesting of the early potatoes this part of the main veg bed was starting to look a bit empty but the peas (foreground) and the French beans continued to grow well. That was until the deer decided they liked the taste of peas. Unfortunately we lost a lot of our produce to them, time for a rethink for next year.
The garden looked great with the grass freshly cut and the flowerbed edges trimmed. It was wonderful that we managed to sit and relax and enjoy the flowers and nature around us. One big bonus of the dry weather was the lack of midges, one thing I was not going to complain about.
Finally a delightful flower to finish off. Our Hemerocallis finally flowered this year, in fact it produced at least 4 large stunning blooms, such a beautiful sight after it's poor performance last year. It may seem like a long time ago but we had a glorious summer with much to be thankful for.
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