Saturday 18 July 2015

Quick greenhouse update

It's been a while since I've shown you what's happening in the greenhouse lean-to at home. It's basically a greenhouse attached to the back of the house and runs across most of the back wall and it's pretty much what made me want this house.

So just a few pics as the sun is shining and I should go and get some berries on the allotment - the raspberries, gooseberries and blackberries all need picking, yummy.

Anyway...

Looks like it will be a good tomato year
These tumbler toms are ripening and we've eaten some already, Mmm. I didn't realise these were going to be a yellow variety actually, so that was a nice surprise
And the first red toms, might be ready today (this pic was yesterday)
This is the gap I've left between the tom plants so that we can still get out the back. It looks wider than it really is! I have to keep trimming off leaves. (Cameo from Minxie)

A lot of the basil plants have started to go a bit weird, there's something eating them which is making the leaves distorted I think (I found a little caterpillar on one)

But I have some more growing on just inside the house
These are my sad brassica seedlings. I've had so much trouble this year, the several direct showings at the plot all got munched by slugs n snails and quite a few of these seedlings died off too.
Sweet pepper plant up high on a shelf. I just noticed all the holes in the top leaves which will need further investigation....
Out in the back garden the runner beans have come into flower and the sweet peas are looking lovely, here in the evening light yesterday.
And morning sun today (excuse the lamp post out the back!)

I haven't taken any of the rest of the garden, it's a right state! No lettuces (all sowings failed) but lots of messy rocket plants and a sulky courgette, more beans and a squash. I must make a bit of time to sort it all out.

But to end, here's a visitor to the leant-to that Jan found during the week, which we think is a brown hawker dragonfly. What a lovely creature!

 

 

14 comments:

  1. Those tomatoes are looking good. Sad about the brassicas though. I think I'd be lost without brassicas.

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    1. Thanks Daphne. Yep, next year I'm going to make a clear zone all round the brassica area to reduce hidey places for slugs n snails. I have a fair amount of chard though so still getting some greens.

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  2. Wonderful dragonfly. I'd totally buy a house because of the greenhouse as well, I'm very envious of yours. The tomatoes are doing brilliantly, let's hope it's a bumper year. CJ xx

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    1. Thanks CJ. Hmm it would be nice to have a sunken greenhouse one day, for keeping heat in the winter. Ah yes, one day....
      Your pickings are looking great, I get your posts via email and always read them even if I don't get chance to post a comment :)

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  3. I don't have a greenhouse, so getting ripe tomatoes early in the year is difficult. Your toms look good though, with well-filled trusses of fruit. I have a lot of "blinds" this year - flowers that have not set fruit. I think the weird weather is probably to blame (I'll blame it anyway!). I find that brassicas never do well unless you spend a lot of time looking after them. Fortunately for me I am not unduly troubled by snails, but without nets my brassicas would be demolished by caterpillars. The white butterflies are very common round my way.

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    1. Thanks Mark, I just have to make sure I water them frequently enough now. I had one plant 'blind'too, it's v weird!
      Yes, even in my lean-to greenhouse, I found some caterpillars eating my tiny brassica seedlings today!! They were small brown ones that looked like dead stems, very well camouflaged.

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  4. Your tomatoes are doing amazing - looks like you are only days away from a ripe tomato! You've reminded me that I must harvest my basil - the ones in the tomato beds are hiding behind all of the tomato foliage & I keep forgetting about them.

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    1. Thanks Margaret, we've eaten some tomatoes this week, yippee! Mmm, a pesto would be good with all your basil.

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  5. I bet the greenhouse benefits from the warmth from the brick wall. It must act like a storage heater. Our runners are belong battered to death. We have gales again today.

    Lovely dragonfly photo.

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    1. Yes you're right sue, the brick wall does stay warm.
      We had lots of wind yesterday too and more tonight, hope the flowers stay on the beans.
      It was lucky jan was here to see the dragonfly and make sure it got out the door safely :) and to get a piccie too, hehe.

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  6. Oh how gorgeous the brown hawker dragonfly and how lucky that Jan got to get a picture of it. Awesome. D is the one growing tomatoes in our home and they look pretty much better than they did last year, we lost most of them to blight, this year fingers crossed growing well - none red yet though. Sorry about your brassicas. I don't want to boast to early, mine look like they are doing okay - but I haven't netted them yet and could easily lose what I have to the white cabbage butterfly.

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    1. Hi Shaheen, I've just made your rasp mousse tart tonight, Mmm.
      Ooh, hope your toms carry on doing well. Yes i don't usually have too many problems with brassicas but it's one of those years I think....I even found these ones in the greenhouse being eaten today!

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  7. I'm new to having the greenhouse ... I understand tomatoes and peppers are self-pollinating but still need a bit of help. Do you do anything special? I usually just give mine a shake now and then so just wondering what other people do. You seem to know what you are doing as you have SO many tomatoes!

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    1. Hi Susie, it's all luck really, I don't do anything special! I guess they get knocked a bit when I walk through to the garden and when I water as well, plus when tying in and pinching out the extra shoots. There's lots of insects in and out of the greenhouse causing disturbances too. Loads of hover flies in particular. And it's also been very windy, which gets in and blows about, so may be all that combined gives these results?

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