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.

Taking cuttings

Summers here the grandchildren have destroyed my lawn and the next doors barbeque smoke is killing my sun flowers.

Oh how I love summer!

Anyway enough grumbling for now, I’ve got important work to do harvesting the cuttings for my next crop of plants and collecting the runner bean seeds for next year.

I always choose healthy, non-flowering new shoots from the shrub and take cuttings of about 3in long.

Then I prepare them by making a straight cut beneath a pair of leaves and then remove several sets of lower leaves, keeping only a couple of leaves at the tip of the cutting.

The next stage is to fill a pot with compost, level and firm. Insert several cuttings around the edge of a pot, keeping their leaves clear of the surface and water well. And then leave cover with a carrier bag and leave in the green house, simple and its saves a fortune.

I always collect the best runner beans to use the seeds for next year that way you get the best possible runner beans, the long suffering just thinks I am being tight.

Open garden

Its mid way through summer already, not that you would realise it was summer with the weather we've be having.

I actually managed to get out in the garden the other day in between the rain and noticed that the plants in the garden, like most things in life when they get mid way through have began to run out of steam and need a bit of a boost.

Once they have completed that early flush of growth they really benefit from a good feed. I find that powder works best applied directly to the soil and then watered well to wash it down to the roots.

I want to try and get the garden looking its best for the weekend as the long suffering has signed us up for a blinking open garden thing, the last thing I really want is 300 people traipsing through the garden destroying my lawn and knocking over the flowers but the long suffering has insisted. And if I have to do it then it's got to look good, I am not going to let her up the road beat me to first prize.

Doggy Disaster

The long suffering agreed to babysit her friend`s new puppy and guess who got lumbered with the flea ridden mutt as she went to the shops?

yep muggings here.

I was watching the mutt in the garden when the phone rang- when I returned the mutt was having a right old chew of my tomatos. Never seen anything like it in my life!! .

I tried to get him out of there quick but it was too late he had knocked four of them over splitting the stem right through.

I ve pinched out the end of the stems and, fingers crossed, there will be no lasting damage

A day at Chelsea.

Last week I was reluctantly dragged to the Chelsea Flower Show by the long suffering. It's her little treat and once again she enjoyed her day out.

Me? Well if you think barging your way though hordes of yapping pseudo gardeners, paying a small mortgage for a cup of tea and a bun, looking at things that resemble film sets rather than somebody's back yard is fun ... then Chelseaq is for you.

The crowds are horrendous and the so-called "show" gardens are a million miles away from reality. I was just glad to get back to my veg pack - after I'd dragged the contents of numerous carrier bags across the flippin show!

I can't stand the place.

Back to reality, I spent the weekend in the garden - the first time for some weeks - and I decided to water my newly planted fruit trees, roses and shrubs regularly to help their root systems establish. I also gave them all a dose of Rootgrow - guaranteed to get them towering over the neighbours efforts!!

I also did some work weeding my borders and I stuck some young plants into pots and filled the old greenhouse. That'll give me the excuse to potter round the garden each evening - chcuk some water on my babies and have a couple of sneaky half pints in the shed whilst I'm at it.

Anyway - summer's almost here now - and I for one can't wait to get a bit of sun on my back.

Poll crazy?

The Long suffering threw me the paper this morning.

She pointed out an article about that DIY and Gardening company 3M. Apparently they'd done some survey which found out that two thirds of women said that a man's attitude to home improvement and gardening reflected their approach to sex.

She then asked me why my rake and two hoes were so small.

Dunno what the woman was on about.

And I told her so an' all.

At last - some time in my garden!

The problem with loving your garden is that your enthusiasm isn't always shared by those who you love.

Hence me and the Long Suffering have a sometimes terse approach to what to do in our spare time. Let me tell you, the minute she finds herself with a few hours in hand she's off down the local shops as quick as you like.

Me?

I'd rather have toothache than traipse round the shops.

However, sometimes you just need to bank a few Brownie Points - which is how I came to be spotted whistling a tuneless song in some God-forsaken concrete bunker masquerading as a shopping centre over the last two weeks.

Now, though, having got myself firmly on the side of the righteous, it's time to turn my attention back to my garden - and I've already planned my weekend's tasks.

I'll be mulching my woody plants with around 3 inches of mulch -using the leaves provided by my own trees. So, I've plenty of raking to do this weekend.

Most of my tender plants will start being moved inside - making sure the leaves have been washed off to dislodge unwanted guests.

I then start to empty and store any pots, such as terra cotta or bird baths that might break when water freezes in them.

And then it's really just a quick tidy up. Raking up garden debris is essential to prevent the spread of insects and diseases. In addition to physically carrying away the insect eggs with the gathered debris, depriving insects of winter habits helps to control them. Fallen fruit and rotting vegetables will also get cleared away. Pots will be stacked, and anything that could shelter over-wintering snails will be put away.

Finally, on Sunday afternoon, it will be yet another final cut of the lawn. God knows how many times I've said that - "I must give the lawn a final cut" - only to find another half inch of growth a week later!

Grrrr!!

I've had flood.

I've had slugs.

All I need now is pestilence and a plague and I think I've had the lot!

The latest irritant for me is the blessed cat from next door. Now, I'm not a great lover I have to admit, I'd much rather have my dog to walk with me rather than some mincing feline. But whilst I might not like cats - they seem to have an attraction to me! More to the point it will persist in using my garden as its litter tray.

Now, the experts will tell you that there are not too many effective ways of deal with this problem. One old local boy who used to suffer terribly tells me that vinegar is a cheap and effective way of scaring the cats because they hate the smell.

So, I tried it this morning - and it worked a treat.

I spotted the cat, crept up behind it - and stotted the beggar with the empty vinegar bottle.

I suspect it could be some time before it returns!