Garden: Summer Update

Atticus the Maine Coone: always a willing helper!

I am overjoyed at the amount of produce that my small vegetable bed has produced. I'm still learning lots:

1. Net your brassicas, or you will get swamped with caterpillars. I think I discovered this too late in the season. My savoys are fine but my pointed cabbage are like lace.
2. Two or three courgette/squash are plenty to feed a family without getting sick of them! I'm not at that point yet, but it's close.
3. When deciding on a location for your vegetable bed, make sure that you can access all four sides easily.
4. Chillies, tomatoes and cucumbers will actually do alright in a sheltered spot and don't need a greenhouse.
5. Slugs may well be hiding right in the centre of your delicious cabbage.

Potatoes

I grew Anya potatoes in bags and got a great crop from my first bag. I thought they looked a bit sad and dead a couple of weeks ago but tipped them out (after having a bit of a feel around) and I got a decent crop.

Carrots

Caracus is the variety I grew, mainly because my veg bed has a bottom and these are quite a stunted variety. These have done well, especially since I did no thinning. I have just sown another area - I am winging it a bit!

Peas

The Rondo variety did well for me - although towards the end of the season, they were becoming quite starchy. I am glad to have pulled them up to make way for my parsnips.

Courgette/Squash

I have Di Nizza courgette, which are round and Patty Pan squash, both of which I have really enjoyed. To be fair, the squash don't have a lot of flavour but work well in a lot of dishes with other full flavours.The leaves are very mildewy now though. 

Beans

I have some Canadian Wonder dwarf beans (which don't really need staking) and some Purple Cascade, which have produced a fairly decent crop. The Canadian Wonder haven't done all that well with germination but they were older seed. Both are decent tasting.

I am just starting to harvest tomatoes and cucumbers now.

Love Mrs Jones x