After raking over a recently dug potato bed (or part of one) yesterday and sowing some green manure seeds (clover, mustard and field beans) I had a taste of what it must be like gardening in Greece or the South of France, not because I was carrying in a basketful of Mediterranean vegetables, but because I was baked! The temperature got very close to 30 degrees C. I've been regularly spraying into the greenhouses, just to cool them a little.
Here are a few pictures of how things are looking at the moment.
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| French Marigolds and Tomatoes |
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| Foreground, roots bed under net, behind that potatoes, middle - two Courgettes (Black Forest F1) which I moved in their pots from the greenhouse where they'd given us early courgettes |
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| Onions (spring planted sets), peas, beans (runner and climbing French) |
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| Brassica beds under nets, nearer cabbages, etc, further Brussels sprouts, broccoli |
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| Potatoes (not been a good crop). On left, one of the climbing courgettes, also in bed catch crop of summer spinach the bare bit is fresh sown green manure seeds |
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| Freshly planted leeks, replacing broad beans. Under net summer sown carrot, swede and beetroot. The shadows are seed heads on the elephant garlic - I decided to let them flower for the display and for the bees. |
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| Four more climbing courgettes, they were planted out in pots after danger of frost had passed. Blackcurrants under net and gooseberries top the left. |
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| Wild flowers and elder (elderflower wine in "plopping" away happily) on the bank behind some of the compost bins |
