Wednesday 9 August 2017

A Late Burst of Activity and Other Garden News

Remember the other week.......................just 1 odd shaped aubergine from 4 plants.Well, one of the other plants has suddenly produced 4 aubergines growing nicely
I've got a lot more peppers thank goodness, 4 on this plant and at least 9 more on the other 3 plants.
We have been eating the cherry tomatoes but I'm waiting for enough of the big plum ones to make a few jars of Red Hot Relish. The chili peppers are ready for it - and huge and I bought red onions in readiness as well. Hopefully there will be about 2½lb of tomatoes ripe enough by the weekend.

 From the garden outside we are eating runner beans almost every day as they have suddenly got going again but the courgettes have now ground to a halt, and my second sowing of French climbing beans didn't do well at all. We have plenty of beetroot and hopefully there will be some to store in sand for the winter.

There are 7 big squash and 1 small one on the 3 squash plants which we planted in tyres on the edge of the driveway. They lurk under the leaves, I don't think I put enough soil and compost in the tyres this year, so will make sure I fill them better next year.

The strawberry plants have been transferred from pots into the new strawberry bed, runners pegged into the spaces. There's room for 5 more plants. As for the other new bed..........I think I shall send for some decent raspberry canes to fill it rather than try and move the cheap Poundland/Wilkinsons canes from where I planted them, they've not put on as  much new growth as they ought to have done........cheaper isn't always better.



I've had my instructions for grass cutting with the new ride-on mower. Its a lot smaller than the one that was here which was just too big for me to cope with. Now I can buzz round almost everywhere easily and it's very similar to drive to the one we had at the smallholding.

Hello and welcome to some new followers - great excitement as I'm nearly at 200! The odd thing is that people are still starting to follow the old blog - but I'm not there any more!

Back Tomorrow
Sue




12 comments:

  1. My beans and peas in tubs haven't thrived either - poor compost I expect, though I have fed them with blood, fish and bone. My courgettes also gave up the ghost and have been hoiked out, but the runner beans are in the main plot and doing well and like you, it's runner beans with everything. I'm the only one that eats them so I end up with half a plateful each sitting. Just as well I love them!

    My blighted tomatoes and the dieing cucumbers have also been yanked out. Apparently watering tomatoes at night encourages Blight, which is when I have always watered them. So I shall have to do them in the morning in the future.

    I'd love your recipe for Red Hot Chilli sauce please.

    I must get some more strawberry runners (which are still running) pegged into pots. I have about 25 in pots so far but they keep skipping on.

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    1. I call it red hot relish but its really a chutney using red plum toms,red onions, red peppers and red chill peppers as many as you like to make it hot or not and white vinegar so the colour doesn't change

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    2. Just looked on the separate recipe page and it's on there quite a long way down and I've called it red hot and sweet relish

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  2. It's very productive round your way Sue. Thanks for the reminder about transferring the strawberry plants. Lots of runners here too. I'm hoping we might get more fruit next year if I move them to a larger pot. X

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  3. I'm beginning to think about what I can plant in my tiny courtyard in pots for the forthcoming growing season. Tomatoes I think might be top of the list.

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  4. I'm glad all the produce is beginning to pay you back for all the hard work you have put in Sue.

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  5. Yay for lots of great produce! Enjoy the new mower!!

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  6. Your garden is very productive considering you haven't been there long, I am trying to think about what should be planted now for winter, any ideas?

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    1. I've just sent for some late planting brassica plants. plant september harvest spring. We weren't sure what we would have room for so didn't grow from seed but can fit in 16 plants - 4 of 4 different things. Some people sow broad beans in autumn for next year but that doesn't work if it's windy or heavy clay soil

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  7. I've been so busy that I've been out of touch with your blog Sue. So, have just caught up from July 20th - interesting reading, thanks!
    Tracy Chevalier is one of eight current authors asked by the Hogarth Press to retell some of Shakespeare!s plays. Here's the list:
    Margaret Atwood - The Tempest
    Tracy Chevalier - Othello
    Gillian Flynn - Hamlet
    Howard Jacobson - The Merchant of Venice
    Jo Nesbo - Macbeth
    Edward St Aubyn - King Lear
    Anne Tyler - The Taming of the Shrew
    Jeanette Winterson - The Winter's Tale

    I went to see Margaret Atwood talk about hers in Oxford last Autumn. - treated by my granddaughter - lucky me!

    Good to catch up with all your news!

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    1. Hi good to hear from you. I didn't know about all the other re-tellings. I shall make a note and see what the library have, it's really useful for me as I was put off Shakespeare for life after spending so long doing Twelfth Night for O level, so know very little about the other plays.
      BTW many thanks for the Summer Christmas pressie! - very handy

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