Jobs for the Month: August

August in the Kitchen Garden was all about...

Potatoes - Early planter potatoes harvested as needed. Stephanie's favourite so far Charlotte, I like Belle De Fonteney. 

 Bumper crops of raspberries and strawberries (mulching and manure  worked wonders). I have removed old canes and thinned out/tied-in new growth.

 Red,Yellow and Stripey Tomatoes - These are all fed, pinched out,  tied in and sideshooted regularly.
 

 Watering - Soaker hoses have been fitted  to the beds which will especially benefit  Sweetcorn, Squash and Legume. I am using bottles, cones and spikes to help.

 Caterpillars - Patrols carried out regularly.

Sweetcorn - Harvesting now (raised bed plants looking really good).

Lots of sweet Basil. Cloche protection removed from beds and pinching out tops regularly and watering early as possible in the day.

Broad Beans - Harvested and plants removed replaced with module grown beetroot. Again, regular harvesting of beans is very important (we don't want stringy beans).

 Peas - Succession crop in guttering planted out as gone over  plants removed and well mulched.

 Alliums - Bumper garlic harvest, alliums lifted and dried well  for storage.

 Beans - Clambering up handsome obelisks, look forward to  some great crops.

Squash Patch - Courgette and squash supported and supplemented with fed as necessary. Courgettes cut regularly to encourage new fruits. Tying in supports (especially climbing varieties).

Stephanie particularly liked the Yellow varieties.The patch is coming on well with a selection of squash including Blue Kuri,Yellow Spaghetti and Butternut.

Brassicas - Planting out under protection of fine gauge netting.

Sowing - Late Beans in Plant Trainers. Gaps have been filled with leaf crops and late spinach, chard and lettuce.  Chillies have been set and are growing.

Tidying - Deadheading throughout the garden.  Regular cutting and feeding of sweetpeas helps them last longer. Removing gap filling green manures and composting them now. 

Seed Saving - from annuals such as calendula, corncockle, etc.  Don't forget to save some of those flowers for salads - borage, nasturtium and calendula are edible.

One last thing... Carrots from a sandy soil raised bed 'big', tasty, and a real hit with Stephanie.