Bye Bye Courgettes

The end is near for the courgette plants, they have grown so big that there isn't enough air flow around the leaves and they have mildew so they need to be taken out. The squash leaves are beginning to die off and we will harvest our butternut squash soon. The suash and courgettes have cross pollinated (i think) and we have some very odd looking veg growing!

The beans are still cropping well, enough for two more dinners this week although that will probably be all. My sister has had some more veg after the first lot went down very well. The carrots I cropped today are stumpy (what happens when thinning doesn't get done) but taste delicious. Last night I realised at about 8pm that we needed veg for kebabs, out I went with a torch and picked a fat courgette - a great feeling to have such fresh food available.

We've really enjoyed the past few weeks of crop gathering, and we know with better planning we could crop for much longer. Over the next few months while we have no crops in the ground we are going to try out the River Nene Vegetable Company which according to a friend of mine is very good. Check out their website, they do deliveries over a wide range of East Anglia, I'll post how we get on.

Ahhh

Have spent a few manic moments on the web I have come to teh decision that the peas are simply dying off - they were late in and i don't think that they got a fair chance at growing - note to self to get them in earlier next year. I've having lots of fun (in between finishing my MSc) drawing up a planting plan for next year, it does rest on us still being here next year of course!

If I can get the greenhouse built then I'm going to do some major tomato growing and try to grow an eggplant as well. I think I'd like some little cherry tomatoes and also some bigger plum toms, I have a rainwater harvesting system all figured out as well using 2 litre water bottles. all very cool - a little project for the winter me thinks.

Post Holiday Greens

Well we got back from a week in Cornwall to find that the veg garden has taken over the whole top of the garden - its really very impressive. I went out there yesterday and cut enough beans, courgettes (+ 2 marrows), tomatoes, carrots and beetroot for us for the week and a lovely fresh veg box as a moving present for my sister (so much more useful than a vase!). We have two very fat butternut squash but we aren't sure how to tell when they will be ready to eat.

The best thing about the garden now is that our giant eden project sunflowers are now in full flower - they wave gently in the breeze as they are so tall. It really brightens the garden. Sadly I am losing one of the mints, the thyme and the lovely vine - i'm not sure what to do but i'm sure its because of all the wet weather we've had this summer. The pea plants have turned brown and yukky, everything was ok before we went away, but i suspect a form of mildew so might have no option but to treat.

The Eden project has given us lots of ideas for gardening next year, we're going to do better at the companion planting, and try onions and potatoes. I might even try to grow a pumpkin for hallowean next year - i'm going to put down a little path down the centre of the patch and sow plants which don't want to be swamped - carrots, onions, leeks, beetroot & beans one side and then the courgettes (2 max!) the other side bounded by peas and potatoes. I've also decided to try and move the shed and build a greenhouse - news not recieved with much enthusiam by 'him'!

The veg patch surrenders

When I got home tonight from work I went out to the garden, picked two handfuls of runner beans, a fat courgette, three beetroot and some fat stubby carrots which should really have been thinned. Then I cooked them with some new potatoes and fat gloucester old spot sausages from Dewing farm shop on the coltishall road, it was SO good (and inexpensive), i'm probably not going to ever be able to keep and kill a pig to eat but i'm quite happy to grow the veg to go with someone elses pig.

Look! Veg patch delivers!!!

Candlelight

The garden at night - I have had these tealights for over a year knowing exactly where they would go, we sat outside under the stars and had a glass of wine. Very civilised!

One day there was no veg - and the next day

we were wondering where all the space went.

Here we have beans on eth trellsi, squash in front of the trellis, and courgettes nearer to the forground - there are beetroot to the right and the carrots to eth left, oh and the sunflower which i though wouldn't germinate are now about 8 feet high.

Lawn!

This is a retrospective post - i took this picture to show how the pergola looks now that we have (almost) finished the gravel, it takes oh so much gravel to fill this garden!

This garden seems to have taken so long to do but now that the plants are growing and its possible to see the softening of the harder edges then i realise that we have made real impact in only six or so months.

Cool & Refreshing

Have just been out to do some late night watering and lit a candle under the candle pot and it looks amazing.

All calm and peaceful - and cool - finally cool.

And yet more Plants!

The weekend started well, hot - thats the only word for it! I went out to study on Saturday and 'he' started on the pamments - they look stunning and very natural although until we get the gravel down for real then it won't look finished.

The trouble with getting some plants was that it became obvious over the course of the week that we needed more! So on Sunday we went out to the Woodgate nursery again, stunning place, loads of interesting plants and great ideas. They have lots of interesting ideas about companion planting and I finally got my hands on some marigolds for the veg patch (they distract insects from my veg!) but I did get a bit carried away and it was touch and go wether we would get everything in the boot of the car.

When we got home I carried two of the boxes through the house to the car along with two bees and a couple of hoverflies who were so excited by the prospect of nectar that they buzzed along beside me - a bit hairy but they were only interested in the flowers. But after planting up this is how it looked;



The terracotta star thing is a candle light, heres a view from the side, we've a real mix of plants here but I like it.



And the grass? Its finally growing - patchy but its is grass nonetheless.

Plants....

The veg patch is coming on a treat although I do with my runner beans would get a move on and start going upwards, the courgettes and squash seem to be getting the general idea about producing veg sometime before Christmas! After planting a passion flower, some tall grasses, a standard fuschia, a little blue plant whose name i've forgotten, a sage & a creeping thyme, a southernwood which I hope will keep away insects and some stunning sedums which will be put into the gravel to spread.

Garden weekend

Decided after last weekends crazy study marathon that I;d have some time off to attend to the garden. Got up early and went out side to weed the front garden (it gets so hot thats the only time i could do it) and discovered teh reason the plants were dying in the pots.



Round the back the patio has er been laid out even if its not actually been put down properly, we went to a garden nursury near Aylsham this afternoon and bought some amazing plants but had to leave them in the car when we got back because it wouldn't stop raining! We went from the nursery to a tea shop in Aylsham and the sponge cake was to die for and we had a 'right proper' sized pot of tea. As you can see Buddha is watching over the building works.

Nothing Happening

I spent the entire weekend (8 - 6) both days working on my project, believe me when I say I'd rather have been outside!

No sign of the grass coming up yet, maybe I'm being too impatient!

Was that the weekend?

I have been struck down with the lurgy this weekend & if it wasn't for several very important meetings this week I would not be considering work tomorrow but needs must and all that jazz.



Here is the garden so far, 'he' spent an age sieving the soil in the circles to put the lawn seed down onto and then moments before the operation was due to be finished with careful scattering then the heavens opened and we had to make a run for it. I spent the morning making tea, and dozing in the deckchair to supervise operations. We put buddha out as the weather is nicer, sort of an 'on the home straight' moment really, well it was until the rain started!

Next time....the lawn, the flowers, the patio and the gravel!

Summers Here!

Heres a picture of my new pergola - I am so happy wih it - I think its blooming marvellous & it makes the garden look bigger.

I spent 3 hours weeding my veg patch today & happy that the beans are coming up at last along with the squash and the courgettes. The beetroot are looking a smidge wibbly and the rue have simply dissapeared.'he' almost finished the logs, we spent 2 hours in B&Q today getting plant fertilizer, soil improver (non smelly manure), lawn seed and topsoil for the lawn. We also got a fab lunch at their wittards cafe which was rather good.I also got some happy hippy slug destroyer which won't hurt hodgehegs and liberelly sprinkled it about. Next weekend we are going up to Cawston nursery to get plants.

We'll definately be getting a vine for the pergola, some trailing plants to soften the logs, some honeysuckle to go over the trellis and loads of other funky plants which will be able to grow in the poor soil. We've a list of grasses which we like as well which should give the wildlife some seeds and provide autumn colour. Next year I am going to get so much more out of my vegetable patch. I'm going to be getting some herbs to put straight in the soil under the pergola, and some daffodil and crocus bulbs to put under the lawn for spring.

Oooooo it'll be luverly!

No Pergola

After the weekends log construction then we were eagerly awaiting the pergola but it had to be delayed until Monday. Which is sad but these things happen. I've been strugging to bring the beans up - the dwarf (short) beans are goinging but never developing their first set of leaves so are then dying - I think I need to improve the ground and get everything started earlier. The second round of courgettes are starting to come up but the promised rain hasn't happened so they are a bit dry. The Rue seeds, carrots and beetroots are coming up well.

I've been advised on the gravel - wickes - and I have to peer over a wall tomorrow to see some highly rated gravel in a neighbours garden. The lengths this garden is sending me to! It'll all be worth is in the end - now if i could just get those beans to grow like the weeds.......

June Gales

Got up at the crack of dawn today to close the window owing to amount of noise the local bird population was making - this is a good thing - but not at 3.30am. At a (slighty) more reasonable hour of 8am I got up to earn my brownie points so that when 'he' woke up I could go out and play in teh garden. The challenge today is to get the log borders in for the lawn edging before the pergola is put in on Tuesday (so excited) the circles are about 220cm across and theres two of them so we got logs at Homesbase 10% day yesterday as they aren't cheap.

Just for anyone's interest the way to discover the circumference of a circle is Pie *Diameter.

Isn't it.

'he' got started on the making of the circles while I went to Homebase to get some more logs. Its cost quite a bit to do, I wish I'd found a cheaper solution now but I wanted those curves!

Heres the finished result!



The gales blew over a tomato plant and a few of the runner beans which were just starting to recover, some of the green beans have started to come up from the second sowing but none of the runner beans have germinated yet. The squash are picking up but I could have fitted so much more in I'm a bit miffed with myself. Theres always next year I suppose!

Damn Slugs

Went out this morning and found all three of my courgette plants had been eaten off at the base of their stems. Don't know wether it was slugs or snails but have had to plant again - have doubled up this time at each planting point and will take out the weeker seedling when they get established. Next year I'll harden teh plants off sooner as i thing thats one reason why they haven't got big and strong. Its strange because I normally have more success with courgettes than any other veg.

Beetroot are coming up nicely - very pretty seedlings, and the carrots are just beginning to appear. No sign of the Rue yet but I'm hoping to make a hedge out of them. The reseeding of the dwarf beans hasn't shown any signs of germinating yet but I'll give it another couple of days - just one of the broad beans has come up, they are taking longer outside, i hope that nothings eaten them, I think I have a tendancy to plant seends too deep.

I recommend the gardening blog on the BBC Garden site - loads of handy tips and helpful peopal, I'm certainly going to be planning my veg garden better next year, maybe even a herb cicle in the middle.

Wildlife

Having been in the new office for 2 months and getting in early (8) means that I see the local wildlife on the way to work - we often see rabbits hopping around and there is a jay which has the left hand side of the cat park covered and who always distracts me in team meetings!! However this morning I saw a fox and it was beautiful, such an amazing sight - unlikely to ever get one at home but it was the most fabulous colours.

Oh and the bathroom is painted and I've been given three bigger tomato seedlings to plant out - the heavy rains last night were a good excuse not to put them out until the weekend.

And Beans for Dinner!

Stopped at at a well known chain store this evening (not giving them any more advertising as their plants were gasping for water this evening which was just mean!) and bought some meadow seed for the front and some carrot and beetroot seed for the veg patch.

Rushed outside to see how the beans were doing - they were better than yesterday but decided that even with the plant feed they aren't strong enough to support themselves so planted another set of beans inbetween the plants which are already there. Sowed teh carrots, bettroot and rue herb along the borders and then decided to be a bit mad bad and dangerous and randomly planted some dwarf beans in places around the veg patch - the theory being that they will give some shade to the other plants.



I put seven sunflowers which were between 5 and 9 inches tall along the side fence although I'm not too confident of a couple of them which looked distinctly miserable. They all got a good water and I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope that they get on ok. Bathroom looks so much nicer painted don't know why I didn't do it before!

Beans for Breakfast

Woke up to the sun shining across our gardens - I really need to take a picture as its a very different light to the evening sun which is when I take most photos of the garden. Went outside to see how the beans had fared over night and the next door neighbour was outside too and offered me some short beans which looking at the holes in the leaves of my runner beans i gratefully accepted!