Here today ...gone tomorrow

Weather: Cool and wet after a nice day yesterday and the promise that it will brighten up later...

Harvest since last post (four days) : 4 Cucumbers (small white now finished plant in the greenhouse overcome by mildew) Runner beans just 7oz (from about 10 plants - very disappointing) French Beans 12oz, Costuluto Fiorentino Tomatoes 12oz (with slug damage from the greenhouse) Black Russian Tomatoes 8oz (really good these - and this was a single fruit), Courgettes 1lb 10oz, Spinach 5oz (thriving now after slug ridden start) windfall William's pears 1lb ( still a bit hard but will cook up fine).


So this is why Hemerocallis are called 'day' lilies! I have waited for two years for a flower on the Millie Schlumpf (above) And what a beautiful flower. But the photograph was taken two days ago - and now this bloom and the second bloom that flowered yesterday have finished. Worth the wait? Possibly - I just hope that now it has found its footing that it will stand up to the slugs and snails better next year and I will have more than one successful stem to enjoy. The earlier stems were totally destroyed by them.

I was delighted with its delicate peachy colour that blends to a vibrant green at its heart. It had been described as pink - and I've never been a great fan of pink. Like the yellow red hot poker of a post or two back this plant was chosen to commemorate a cat ... whether that cat was called Millie or Schlumf, I'll leave you to decide!

What you can't see from the photo is that it is planted a couple of feet from an ancient stone wall where the molluscs lurk...That wall is a whole habitat in its own right. I regularly see mice in its nooks and crannies; it would be fascinating to see it in cross section as I suspect it would reveal a wildlife city from ants and woodlice to the spiders, bees and mice.

Outside? You must be joking it's August!

Weather - horrible. Cool and wet in a pattern that has been continuing for several days...

This week's harvest - cool weather is taking its toll on what should be one of the glut weeks of the year. Nevertheless:

Courgettes 2lb, Runner Beans 11oz, French Beans 1lb 8oz, Spinach 10oz, Rhubarb 10oz, Tomatoes (Black Russian - great flavour) 7oz,Costuluto Fiorentino Tomatoes (not impressed by the flavour and not very juicy - although the plants haven't been happy all season ) 2ob 5oz, Potatoes (Highland Burgundy - purple floury flesh - interesting but not overly appetizing visually once you're over the initial wow factor!) 9lb 8oz. Harlequin Potatoes (really nice salad/general potato) 5lb 13oz. Cucumber (small white) 2, Artichokes (last two) 2. Herbs used: Basil, parsley, Thyme, Lemon Balm.

When you photograph a garden it is natural to wait for perfect light conditions and highlight the good bits....but sometimes its worth 'telling it like it is'!

I did get out at the weekend - and was amazed at how much growth there had been in the borders. I usually allow the Lovage stems to overwinter but this year they had been blown almost horizontal and at 8ft they were bearing down on the Michaelmas Daisies in the same bed. When I looked at them I realised that the stems were hollow so I've experimented by cutting them into 10 inch lengths and tying them in two bundles with....wait for it (if it works this is a good bit!) ... bindweed stems!

I am hoping that these little bundles will provide homes for bees and ladybirds etc. They look fairly like the Bug Houses that you buy for just this purpose. They do smell pretty strong. Lovage (which is supposed to taste like celery but it is so strong I find it overpowering to use in cooking) has a distinctive smell. I hope the insects don't mind that! We shall see.

Redcurrant magic

Weather: horrible! A cool wet and windy weekend.

The week's harvest: 1 Black Russian tomato (1lb 2oz!) Courgettes (1lb) Runner Beans (9oz) French Beans (8oz) Tomato Costuluto Fiorentino (rather misshapen (2lbs) ) Small white cucumbers (5) Spinach (80z) Peas - a handful of pods, basil, tarragon, mint, parsley, mint, sorrel and chives as needed.....and Redcurrants 1lb 12oz

And the redcurrants are the story of this post. There are still a few on the bush - but so far this year I have picked more than two pounds. And the magic bit? I have thoroughly abused and neglected this bush. I was told it would grow on a north facing wall - but not only is it tucked away on one of those, it struggles for position with an overgrowing vine, virginia creeper, and a variety of shrubs that leave it with virtually no light at all and yet it rewards me with, what others have described as, jewel-like berries. They really zing out at you.


I have made a couple of jars of redcurrant jelly already
this year - one of which will come out at Christmas. This latest batch of reducurrant juice (seen in the process of straining the currants out) is going in the freezer to await the arrival of this year's chili crop when I will make some jars of chili and redcurrant jelly.

I have two varieties in the greenhouse - Prairie Fire which has made a nice compact bush and is flowering at the moment. And Twilight which is taller - some might say leggy - but also seems to be doing well.

A second Prairie Fire plant is in a pot and I had put it outside but it seems chili plants are yet another delicacy for the slug population....did I mention the slugs? Something must be done!

Percy's Pride

Weather: Sunshine and showers - quite warm. Lovely growing weather.


This week's harvest: artichokes (3) Courgettes yellow and green (3lb 10oz) Vine leaves (50) Small white cucumbers (6) Potatoes (unidentified type left in ground by mistake (1lb 8oz) Potatoes (Highland Blue ....and they are purple all through) (1lb) Poatatoes (Harlequin - cross between Charlotte and Pink Fir Apple, very nice) (1lb) Aubergine (2 small slug attacked ones) French Beans (Trail of Tears) (13oz) Spinach (10oz) Peas (2oz) Radishes (3 slug eaten ones) Tomato (enormous single fruit Black Russian) (1lb 4oz) - Mint, Thyme, Parsley, Basil, Marjoram Sorrel.


Not a bad crop... it's not possible to work out exactly what that lot would have cost me as some of the varieties aren't on sale but I reckon it would be at least £20. This argues against my last post a bit - in which I reckoned that the cost of producing home grown veg isn't necessarily cheaper than shop bought veg. It does seem a good haul at the start of the summer glut - and things like the courgettes have taken little other than my time and the cost of four seeds.

I have heard it suggested that people are growing more of their own veg to beat the 'credit crunch' - but I would still maintain they won't save much money by doing it , particularly if they are setting themselves up from scratch. Let's assume they have space in their back gardens but even so the set up costs can be considerable - you need spades, forks, secateurs, plant feed, compost etc and I bring on many of my seeds in a greenhouse. My greenhouse must be 15 years old now and I get a huge sense of achievement out of growing and eating vegetables I've grown from seed but if I did it purely as a cost saving exercise....I'm not convinced you'd save more than a few pounds a year, and it would take several years to wipe off those set up costs.

The other thing to take into account is that a beginner is bound to make mistakes and poor weather, pests and diseases can wipe out wholw crops. My vegetable garden last year was a disaster. I didn't get one courgette plant past the slugs, no lettuces, all I had was about half a dozen bean plants and a few potatoes. If that had been my first attempt I would have given up.

But enough of that...

Finally - the reason for calling this post Percy's Pride. The yellow Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia) in the photo is a variety of that name. Bought and grown in memory of our old cat Percy who died a couple of years back at the age of 21. The snails have played havoc with this plant since I've had it and this is the first time that two flowers have bloomed together. I knew he'd make it eventually though - he was that sort of cat!