Food production

My fruits are mixed, the strawberry tower is full of berries, just a bit later than previous years, so I'm happy to keep the tower in it's spot, our blueberries are again full of fruits, like the strawberries we are having the start of our harvest. The raspberries are very different, the middle section has hardly any growth, which is disappointing, the end section is doing well.

The veg is very mixed my leeks and cauliflower plants in one raised bed are doing well, I have popped in a few cabbage plants and some more broccoli, and netted to keep out white cabbage butterflies. The second bed not so, my runner beans look terrible, beetroot and parsnips are OK and one broccoli plant left, there is plenty of time for the root veg to grow.

Other things growing in buckets and bags are thriving, I have some peas growing, my carrots in 3 buckets are thriving as are my courgettes. Tomatoes are behind, I do have some forming on my big plant the other two are spindly, my cucumber died, I do have another growing, but it's behind.

One small harvest for Sunday lunch, I cut the cauliflower small as only hubby eats them, more carrots from thinning, we had it with a salmon wellington, from Lidl, very nice indeed.

My rhubarb is huge, I have not taken any in this it's first year, the gooseberry bush is more of a twig, which is OK, before I had issues with saw fly, so keeping it green was my aim this season. I have had loads of success with fruits here over the years. 

Things are growing, but my runner beans won't come to much after the snail and slug destruction, which is a shame as we both love them. It been years since I grew veg, so I was not expecting miracles, any harvest is a bonus and the start to this growing season has been very different. Finding what works in the garden is always the key to success, the raised beds means I am not growing in our heavy clay, which is always a struggle. It's all about balance in an organic garden, so this year was about bringing this new part up the the balance I have in the rest of the garden.

I have netted most of the gardens, the pigeons and collard doves are making loads of mess and nibbling at everything, my mad neighbour loves them, she feeds them, but not every day, so when there is no food next door, they flock into our plot.

I've been off colour over the weekend, so not much done other than watering and picking some fruits, I have netted my blueberries as the blackbirds are nicking all the ripe ones, so far they have left the strawberries alone. Plenty of reading time.