​Sunday 28th August
The usual Sunday morning visit started with shopping at the Trading Hut. I needed fleece to protect the few carrots growing in the row. While there I saw there were only six 6 foot posts left. These are just what I need to tidy up my blackberries which at the moment are spreading all around where they are planted, taking with fruit bushes and squashes. So I bought them for later next month.
Then after a nice mug of coffee and a slice of coconut and cherry cake and a bit of chat, I went to work on the plot, pausing to try, unsuccessfully, to fix a post demarcating one of the manure heaps.


At the plot I started by setting up the fleece over the carrots. Before fixing the cover down I made sure I cleared all the weed seedlings. Experience tells me that the weeds like the cover more than the carrots - and I don't notice until they are huge! Then I hoed between the rows of seedlings on the other side of the path. I was pleased to see how the fennel I had weeded last time looked, growing well and without competition from anything else.







​Neighbours still at the stage of clearing their plot were grateful for a couple of my beetroot. They have grown too well and got rather big but I hope they are still usable for them. If nothing else they can be juiced. Later I was able to offer runner beans and courgettes as I harvested. I also took home a good batch of raspberries and a few strawberries.

It is nice at the moment to be eating mostly home grown vegetables.

Sunday 21th August
I cannot believe that my last entry was on the 5th! I have been very busy with the show and with my American family. They left on Thursday and though I have managed to get down to the plot a few times I haven't had time to do the blog.
I have done a great deal of harvesting. My climbing French beans have produced in quantity though many of the beans were rather over mature and not the best quality. I need to gather them more often.
My late planted runner beans have begun producing. The first picking was very tender but they are now beginning to produce in quantity.
The peas have given me the best harvest ever and a Highly Commended in the show, (my French beans were too small) - and I still have a row growing well to harvest next month as well as a row of Mangetout growing nicely.
The summer raspberries have finished and need to have the fruited canes cut down. The Polka autumn raspberries have started fruiting though the main crop is still to come.
While most of my strawberries are finished the Mara de Bois perpetual strawberries are giving me a few each visit.
Last Tuesday I came down to the plot and amongst all the above I also picked a Vegetable Spaghetti squash and two sweet corn cobs. The latter were eaten within the hour and were delicious. However on arrival today (Sunday) I was devastated to find that almost all the plants had been flattened and every cob gnawed to the core. Rats, mice or pigeons are the most likely culprits though strangely there was evidence that something larger had joined in where there is a flattened patch.
There are no rabbit droppings but badgers or, more likely, foxes (after the pigeons) could be responsible. All the sweet corn plants are now on the compost heap. If you have sweet corn ripening be ready to pick then daily and defend them from rates and mice with traps or poison if necessary. At least now it will be easier to harvest the squashes as they are the only plants on the patch.
My beetroot are far too big but seem reasonably tender and the sowings of root crops are all coming through except the carrots which have been difficult all this year with very poor germination. I must try to sort out what I am doing wrong!

Thursday 4th August
Life has been a bit hectic with my family visiting from America but I have managed 3 early morning visits recently, arriving around 7 and getting back home after 9am to finish off having breakfast. Early morning is a lovely time to be on the plot, quiet and with lots of wild life around (including rabbits). I also get lots of work done.
On these visits I have planted four batches of cauliflower plants, giving a succession right through the winter, and two batches of winter cabbages, all bought from outside the Trading Hut. I find a strip of 5 plants is more than enough to ensure a good crop.
The row of fennel I had sown is showing through already. The warmth in the soil makes germination so much quicker - except, it seems,  for carrots.
I have also sown the last row of carrots. Not being sure whether to sow earlies for quick growth or lates for hardiness,  I sowed a mixture of Chantenay and Autumn King. I also sowed kohl rabbi, turnips, spinach and beetroot. I cleared lots of weeds from my asparagus bed and the patch where my broad beans had been.
I did get help from my family with harvesting the French beans, potatoes and raspberries and my grandson helped lift the onions and shallots. I had left these a bit too long and quite a few had rotted. He also helped me trim them at home, a long and laborious task, ready to be set out to dry completely.
I have managed a couple of short daytime visits, mainly to water my seeds and new plantings, but I did get time to lash up the compost bin so the contents will not spill out over the track.