Harvest time

I love this time of year all those days sitting in the wind and the rain cursing the English summer weather. When you want to be out tending the vegetable patch are forgotten about.

Its time to start enjoying the produces of my labour and as a bonus I get a welcome break from the long suffering. That said theirs a lot of work still to be done, all that harvesting and dead heading takes time.

The one good thing about the weather this year is that there’s a bumper crop. I’ve picked five bags full of runner beans already, the freezers stuffed full of the things, the onions are coming on a treat and I’ve never seen so many tomatoes in my life- I haven’t a clue what to do with them all.

The plums haven't turned out as nice this year as they have in previous years, but hopefully it won't affect the long sufferings plum jam she loves to make the stuff. Can't say I'm particularly fond of it but She does redeem herself with a rhubarb crumble to die for.

I won’t let her get her hands on my apples, I have a much better use for them. Me and my friend Tom make an amazing cider that’s full of flavour and will last right up until Christmas, the recipe was pasted down from my father and has been perfected over a number of years. The locals love the stuff.

And you thought I was joking?

I've had a restful week so far.

In fact I've had a smashing week.

Not only have I been able to bask in the glory of my horticultural show successes - I had the photographer from the local paper round today - but the flippin' sun is out!

That's right I've been able to concentrate on some of the more pleasant gardening duties like a bit of mowing, a bit of pruning - and a bit of sitting watching my pride and joy with a glass of Spitfire in my hand!

And I've also been enjoying the fruit of my labours having dug up some more onions and some spuds which went well with a lovely bit of purple sprouting which I thought I'd lost to the rain!

And enjoying my tea whilst sat in the garden last night - for the first time this summer, the Long Suffering brought tea into the garden! - I was browsing through the papers when I came across this little story here.

This gardening business is serious stuff you know!

Quiet satisfaction!

There's nowt like a feeling of quiet satisfaction is there?

So, the Show is over. And whilst normally I'm not given to boasting - I have to say that I had a pretty good day. I managed to pick up four first prizes and a second (harsh, in my view) and pipped Pete the Plumber and Ron to collect the shield for top overall marks.

I was most pleased with my potatoes - they picked up a first and I really thought my old mucker Ron might have the beating of me there. But no - the judges obvioulsy know class when they see it! And my beetroots? "Classic" said the judges!
My tomatoes were also show winners - as were my onions. And, in fact the only blotch on the day was only picking up a second with my cucumbers - and I'll go to my grave believing that to be a travesty! - and I got nowt for my celery, but I'm not bothered about that.

So, it was a pleasing afternon and I won the raffle to boot - four 75g packets of flippin' Rootgrow which I'd donated!! The Long Suffering also did well with her Bakewell Tart picking up a first prize, together with some knitted thing and a photo of a balloon!

So, last night we sat in front of the fire (yes, I know - in July!!) and watched Casualty with a plate of Bakewell Tart and a bottle of Speckled Hen.

Bliss!

What's happening to summer?

It's only a week ago that I was forced to stop my pottering every 20 minutes or so, to take a break. With temperatures comfortably in the 70's I found myslef struggling to keep the momentum going. Not that I was complaining of course - whilst you'll find me in the garden most days, I have to confess that I love to work with the sun on my back!

On Friday though, I was in the Rootgrow garden to do some more planting, some potting up, some tidying up ... and to check up on the temperatures in the glasshouses we use for research. Unfortunately I drew the short straw and was tasked with moving plants from a neighbouring glasshouse which neccessitated a short 25 yard walk outside - and my, what a change in the weather.

Howling wind, cold, driving rain - is this the same country that was basking in Mediteranean temperatures just a few short days ago?

Yesterday though the flippin weather changed again and it was back to sizzling seventies again! I managed to catch up on some planted and I put down some onions and peas. Naturally, I added some of my employer's friendly fungi to each hole and dug it into the soil before I planted them. It's a delight too to see the benefits of what Rootgrow can do to your pride and joy though - but to make sure we can continue to make the claims we do, we always plant what the clever people call a 'Control'. This involves splitting our planting into two - one lot receive the Rootgrow treatment and the other is left to its own devices. The differences can be truly amazing!

Mind you, these scientists still need a little bit of help and I made sure after I planted that each plant had a brassica collar around it to try and stop the nasty creepy crawlies from laying eggs around the stem and then I covered the lot with a fine grade mesh to keep the butterflies out.

I'll let you know how we get on!