Flighty's plot

It’s now the end of July and I would normally be enjoying the plot sunflowers but this year there aren’t any.  I sowed plenty of seeds back in the spring but none germinated and grew.  I think that it’s the first year there’s been none, and I really miss them as they’re one of my favourite flowers.

I’ve grown various varieties over the years but I prefer the dark-centred, yellow  flowers up to around 4 feet / 1.2 metres.   The variety I grow every year nowadays is the dwarf MusicBox, at 30 inches / 75 cm, which comes in a range of colours from cream to mahogany via yellow including some bi-colours.

Hopefully next year will be a good year and make up for a year of no sunflowers. The pictures are from the archives and show some of the sunflowers I’ve grown on the plot over the years.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

I’d not been to the plot for a few days so the first thing I did yesterday was check the water in the two ponds.  As I went to top up the plant saucer mini pond by the shed something small seemed to junp away from it.  Taking a closer look I found that it was a brown grasshopper which I’ve not seen before, although I do see the bright green ones occasionally.  I even managed to take a picture of it, and was pleased to identify it as a Common Field Grasshopper once I got home and looked in one of my reference books.

I picked the first of the runner beans Moonlight, which as you can see range in length and shape, but how they taste is more important.  The longest are around 10 in /20cm and I hope these aren’t stringy.

I collected some Pot Marigold Flighty’s Favourites seed heads to take home where I’ll check then sort them to keep for sowing next spring.  The picture below is from July 2016.

Have a good week, and take care!

On Monday and Tuesday mornings I was pleased to spend a few hours plotting again, which certainly made a welcome change.

I  roughly forked over the area where I’d grown the first early potatoes Foremost and wasn’t surprised to find enough for at least three of four meals.  I’ll now leave that area alone, apart from hoeing off any weeds which appear, to let the weather break down the large clumps into workable soil. I’ll probably be growing carrots there next year.

 

I picked the first smallish tomato Outdoor Girl, and there are some bigger ones starting to ripen.

 

 

 

The reason I haven’t mentioned sweetcorn is because for one reason and another I’m not growing any, although I was certainly going to.

I’ve collected the seed pods off most of the love-in-mist (nigella damascena), and have already started to check and sort the seeds at home.  Here’s some white flowers from June 2012.

There’s been no rain since last weekend and there’s none forecast through into next week, when the temperature looks like being around 27 C/80 C.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

no rain here and much of the plot now has a frazzled, end of the season look.

Most of the potato foliage, apart from the main crop Desiree, has completely died back and once I’ve lifted the remaining first earlies Foremost I’ll be lifting the second earlies Charlotte.

The onion Sturon leaves are turning yellow and beginning to topple which indicates that they’re ready to be lifted and stored.

Judging by the flowers on the three runner bean Moonlight  plants I may be picking quite a lot before too long.

The Outdoor Girl red tomatoes are starting to ripen.

It’s nice to see the rose Pretty Lady flowering again.

As with most weeks over the past month or two I’ve only been to the plot a couple of times this week.  I was there Monday morning for a couple of hours and after lunch yesterday for a shorter period.

 

Have a good weekend, and take care!

A few of the first potatoes Foremost I lifted were scabbed which didn’t surprise me given that it occurs in dry conditions.  Thankfully since then they’ve all been okay, and there have been plenty of good sized ones for this first early variety.  Here’s one on my years old Gardener’s World black plastic hand fork which I use to dig up potatoes as it doesn’t usually spear them.

On Tuesday morning I picked the first ripe blackberries, with plenty more to come.  Looking round I noticed that the first dwarf French beans Tendergreen  are showing so it won’t be long before I start picking them.

There are plenty of tomatoes now forming, like these ones.

I’m not sure if they’re the red or yellow variety so I’ll have to wait until they change colour when they ripen.

 

 

 

Most of the self-seeded flower annuals such as the cosmos, love-in-a-mist and pot marigolds have already finished flowering whereas the perennial crocosmia is just starting.

 

 

Today, and through to early next week, the temperature is going to be about 30 C, which is too warm again, so any plot visits will be early and brief.

Have a good weekend, take care and stay cool!

I went to the plot this morning for the first time since last Sunday, and as it was cooler than the past few days stayed a couple of hours to do some plotting.

Earlier in the year I had twelve runner bean seeds Moonlight and as I only wanted six plants sowed two per cane around the bamboo cane wigwam.  Ony three seeds germinated and grew but thankfully they’re doing well, and I’ve got runners up each of the six canes most of which are already near the tops so I’ll pinch them out next time I’m there.

 

I’ve got six tomato plants growing, three each the red variety Outdoor Girl and the yellow one Yellow Perfection.  They’re covered with flowers and there are a few small fruit already showing.  Both are indeterminate varieties, which means that they’ll keep growing if I don’t pinch the tops out.  I’ve not removed any side shoots so they’ll get rather bushy later on.

The onions Sturon are doing well with many well over golf ball size.  Thankfully I’ve not lost any down the cracks which are all over this area, and some of which I can get my hand down, from finger tips to wrist.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

I spent a couple of hours on the plot Friday morning as it wasn’t too warm and there was a cooling breeze.  I cut the comfry back to the ground then added it to the compost heap and the plastic composter.  There had been some overnight rain but in view of the weather forecast I watered the potatoes as well as the othe vegetables.

I made  a brief visit to the plot early today just to do some watering and have a look round.  I soon headed back home as it was already humid and warm.

I noticed several ripe looking blackberries but they need a few more days as the one I picked and ate wasn’t quite ready.

 

 

There are flowers showing on the dwarf French beans Tendergreen, and the nasturtiums Tom Thumb are flowering.

With the temperature over the next few days due to be over 30 C/86 F  I’ll be staying at home as that’s too warm for me.

Have a good week, and take care!