We finally got the rain last week which was welcome but could have done without the accompanying strong winds! The rainfall meant we had a break from watering with the watering can put away for a few days and the sprinkler turned off.
The photo shoot in the kitchen garden was meant to be taking part mid-week but that was cancelled due to the weather, but work still continued on making sure everything was still looking its best. The broad beans were looking a little past their best, so the remaining pods were harvested and the plants dug up. As this left a space it has been filled with cobra French beans and a few dwarf French beans.
As we finally got rain this gave us the opportunity to give the potting shed a good tidy up. As we have been really busy, the shed has got neglected and stuff had begun to pile up. All the tools got a good clean, cobwebs were brushed away, boxes where reorganised and a sort through the desk full of paperwork! Finally, after a couple of hours the potting shed was clean and tidy again, unfortunately we had to make a few spiders homeless!
When the rain clouds moved away it was back out in the kitchen garden. We had been waiting to reapply Nemaslug - a biological slug killer - to the beds. This is never a quick job but satisfying when finished, just good to know that the slugs and snails will be kept under control and not munching on the lovely vegetables that have been lovingly tended over recent months.
We have started to notice cabbage white butterflies so we are growing nasturtiums outside the brassica cage, hopefully the butterflies, greenfly and blackfly will be attracted to them and leave the brassicas alone, fingers crossed.
Harvesting has continued on the courgettes, they seem to grow over night, summer raspberries and blueberries, cucumbers and there are even a few tomatoes each week now. The blackberries over our roman pergola have had a real growth spurt, looks like we are in for a bumper harvest this year - we are planning the crumbles already!
We hope you are continuing to make the most of your outside space during these uncertain times, it really does provide some tranquility especially in the good weather which looks set to make a welcome return over the next week.
Happy Gardening!
