More Hot and Sunny Days - July

Sitting here on a dull, drizzly, wet and windy day the wonderful warm and sunny summer days seem a very long time ago. August disappeared in a flurry and now I find I've got all of July and August to catch up on. So, taking one month at a time, this was July:

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.

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!

  

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.

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.

Sizzling Sunny June

June

What an incredible summer we have been having and the wonderful weather from May continued straight into June with no let up in the gorgeous hot and sunny days.

M took advantage of the good weather to mow the orchard, around the edge of the woods and some of the paths though the woods.

The main veg bed was beginning to fill out with potatoes, peas and french beans on one side. 

Next to the peas was the large area dedicated to onions. We really didn't mean to plant this many but when you order the onion sets they do only come in large packs. Hopefully we will get them dried thoroughly so that they store well.

In the next veg bed were the broad beans, two different varieties this year. The brassicas at the top of the bed were protected from birds and butterflies with mesh cloches.

For the first time since moving we have had to deal with exceptionally dry ground. I took a hoe out to weed between the broad beans and had to give up as I couldn't break the surface of the soil.

We had an abundance of Astilbe plants taken for one plant we purchased last year so thought we would plant them along the side of a path in the woods. They seemed to like the light shade and were indeed thriving.

Sadly the next day the Astilbes looked like this. Yes, the deer apparently like them. We put some wire around what was left in the hope that they may recover, only time will tell.

Before we moved I collected some acorns from my favourite woods where I used to walk Jess and Finn. Now, 3 years on, we actually have some little oak tree saplings. They are still protected from the deer for now and are looking great.

Finn often pootles off into the woods on his own for a wonder around. A while ago he started to bring out these eggs. Unfortunately we had no idea where he was getting them from but he managed to collect about 4. They looked like duck eggs and M examined them to check for life but they didn't appear to have been fertilised.

The greenhouse shading was definitely worth the time and effort with the daytime temperatures regularly reaching over 40⁰C.

The tomato and pepper plants were thriving and enjoying the unexpected heat.

One sad moment was the discovery that the 250 bluebell bulbs planted in the spring appeared to be Spanish bluebells and not the English variety I had expected. I contacted the seller (and sent photos) and they agreed that they looked suspiciously like the Spanish bluebell. Kindly they offered to replace these bulbs with a new batch of English bulbs.

One day later and I had successfully removed the majority of the bulbs. I must admit I was feeling pretty deflated by this as most of the bulbs had grown and produced 2 or 3 baby bulbs. Not only did this mean that we will probably have Spanish bluebells poking up for a few years but also That we have lost a whole seasons growth. Looking on the bright side I hope the new bulbs will be more successful next year.

One veg calamity this year has been some of the garlic crop. As the tops had turned brown we planned to lift one batch out of the baths. Sadly the bulbs were small and mostly covered in a white fluffy fungus which M correctly diagnosed as Onion White Rot.

It appears that the dry weather can exacerbate the problem and this batch were destined for the bin. Hopefully it will only be one of the baths and if need be we can remove the soil, disinfect the bath and refill for use next year.

Thankfully the Fig was loving the heat and had doubled in size since we bought it last year, with one little fig growing bigger by the day.

After much discussion we decided this would be the last year for growbag tomatoes and peppers in the polytunnel. They were nowhere near as good or healthy as the plants in the greenhouse so we will only have some hanging baskets with tumbling toms next year.

Keeping everything watered was the biggest challenge during June as the high temperatures seem to evaporate the water almost before the plants even got a drink. The water butts were emptied and our rain dances increased. Some plants died and others flourished so lately we've been learning to make the most of what we have and not dwell on those that weren't meant to be.

With all the good weather we were spoiling ourselves by finishing work in the early afternoon and relaxing in the garden. We had an old gazebo which we used when camping and it proved to be ideal in the garden as Jess and Finn were able to join us in the shade. (Looks like the weeds in the lawn were the best draught survivors and sadly the only photo I have of the Gazebo was when the sun went in briefly). With the radio we were also able to keep up with the football scores while reading magazines, doing sudoku, knitting and chilling. Bliss!

It has been wonderful to see the garden filling with colour as the pots and beds have come alive.

The wall troughs were full to bursting and the bees have been joining us in enjoying all the flowers.

Fruit and Veg Season

It has been a long time since I posted anything about our fruit and veg in the smallholding. Recently I've been slightly distracted by all the beautiful spring flowers and the renovation of the lounge. It's time to put things right and get bang up to date on the growing season.

April


In the middle of April we finally got all the onions into the veg bed, clearing some space in the greenhouse in time for all the seedlings to be potted on.

In order to increase our productivity M had a rejiggle of the polytunnel beds and created larger, deeper planting areas. Thankfully we have an abundant supply of rotted horse manure nearby and were able to fill them up before top dressing with some top soil and compost.


After the rather unsuccessful cut flower bed experiment last year we decided we'd use the 'lazy bed' as a new strawberry bed. Again M added more side panels to increase the depth and then we filled it up with manure to save on the amount of compost we needed.


Following a very long, cold and wet winter the weather in April thankfully took a turn for the better and M was able to get the first cut of the grass around the orchard.


In fact we had some gorgeous early morning walks on the beach enjoying the spring sunshine.

      

Last year we received some tree seeds from the Woodland Trust as part of their plan to encourage nationwide tree planting. Not all of the seeds germinated but those that did spent the winter in little pots before they started to grow again this spring. We had a couple of Rowan and Alder seedlings but the majority were Dog Rose. At the end of April we chose an area along the fenceline of the woods and planted 9 rose and 2 Rowans. Given the recent deer activity we put protectors around each tree so hoping they would get established quickly.

May


Sadly at the beginning of May Wilma, one of original chickens, died. She was the first one to lay and although not as friendly as Morag she would feed from our hands and could be comical to watch. With only Maisie left we decided we needed to get her some companions quite quickly. So after a short trip to a local breeder we arrived back with 3 new pullets.


We got another ISA Brown, a Sussex Light and a Silver Sussex? Unfortunately when they got out we realised that the Sussex Light had a badly deformed foot and was not keen to move around at all. Long story short, we did a quick turnaround and exchanged her for a healthier specimen.

Rusty the ISA Brown

Lotus the Silver Sussex

Madge the Sussex Light

Maisie initially seemed to be less than impressed by her new friends but soon started to tolerate their presence and even allowed Rusty to eat next to her.


The early May Bank holiday afforded us the opportunity to pop down south for a very special family birthday. It was a wonderful weekend and given the distance travelled we made the most of our trip by going to look at compact tractors. A few days after we returned it was delivered, one very happy chappie on his new tractor (with flail mower).


May continued with the most amazing sunny, hot days. The orchard was looking great with blossom appearing on most of the trees.


As usual I sowed plenty of tomato seeds this year with the addition of some tumbling toms for hanging baskets. I really wanted to make the most of the space in the polytunnel so we also got some strawberry plants into baskets.

We attempted to grow mushrooms about 10 years ago and only succeeded in producing a lot of flies. Not to be deterred we got another little kit and were thrilled to have our first tiny harvest of beautiful mushrooms.


I have always loved the time of year when the greenhouse is bulging with seedlings, overwintered plants beginning to grow and the obligatory tomatoes planted up.


It always feels like we are really starting to get somewhere and all the hard work during spring is paying dividends.


Although we don't often suffer from strong sunlight we opted to put up some greenhouse shading to protect the tomato plants. This was well worth the time and effort as the hot and dry weather continued throughout May with the greenhouse temperatures regularly reaching 40⁰C.

At the end of May Rusty started to lay, they were really small eggs but we were thrilled to have our first ever double yolkers. They tasted wonderful too.


As the good weather continued we were pleased to see the onions putting on plenty of growth and the newly planted peas and French beans were just starting to show signs of becoming established.


Even the potatoes which had a slow start were producing plenty of foliage.


At the end of the month we enjoyed another relaxing Bank holiday and even spent the afternoon relaxing in the garden with a glass of Pimms. However, we were also beginning to wish and pray for rain. The ground was the driest we had ever seen it here and the deepening cracks were visible in the veg bed. After 6/7 weeks without any rain the water butts were emptying fast and we were concerned about the survival of much of the recently planted veg and flowers. Still it was lovely to bask in the sunshine and soak up plenty of Vitamin D.