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!
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!
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