Monday 19 June 2017

Harvest Monday, a tomato problem and Eves Hill Veg Co

Oh my goodness, it is HOT! We've had a run of very hot sunny days (apparently it got up to 28C today - I was on a couple of small gardening jobs with not much shade...now I'm floomped on the settee, phew)
 
At the weekend (when it was also very hot) I fancied something a bit different to drink, so had a nice refreshing cup of nettle tea - just add hot water. There's a small nettle patch in the back garden so I snipped the top off some young re-growth from when I cut the patch back a bit recently. A lot of nettles will be past their best now. Oh I also had a couple of cups of fresh blackcurrant leaf tea (from the allotment) but didn't get any pics.
The stings aren't stingy anymore
With the hot weather, we've been eating a few salads....here with some more early potatoes from the plot, home-sprouted mixed beans, yummy salad from Eves Hill Veg Co and home made rocket pesto (from a big patch of rocket past it's best, which we cleared at Eves Hill on weds)
I've also been picking salad leaves from the back garden
Earlier in the week, the strawberry beds (I have two), we're looking very tempting at the allotment
Tuesday I picked about 2kg
And on Saturday I picked about another 1.5kg. I love the colour.
These ones I gently heated through on the hob - the berries release their juices into a delicious syrup, and the berries go a nice soft consistency.
I've frozen some and saved a bit in the fridge for our breakfasts over the next few days
At home I grow tomatoes in our lean-to greenhouse....it gets really really hot in here and I try and keep it cool by leaving all the shutters / door open etc and splashing water around. Normally this does the job and most of my tomatoes have been fine (a bit droopy but then recover after watering). But one of them went droopy and stayed droopy. Then I realised the pot was heavily saturated with water, so it can't have been droopy from underwatering. I tipped out the excess water from the tray the pot was standing in a couple of days ago but it's even more droopy and the pot is still heavy with water. I think it's a goner, the roots have died in the saturated compost....sorry tigerella, you were doing so well. Luckily I have another 20 tomato plants so all is not lost! I've not had this problem before but I did put less crocks in the bottom of the pots so that may have contributed.
Out at Eves Hill Veg Co on Wednesday (not-for-profit community market garden I volunteer at), we had various bits to get on with (actually there's loads to get on with, but these were the priorities), mainly getting plants planted (salad and squashes), which includes preparing the beds first.
 
The salad area is looking really good (several beds dedicated just to salad - lots more than in the pic)
In the big polytunnel the tomatoes are really coming on
And the cucumbers are doing nicely too.

Out in the field the peas are fattening up (taste yummy) and the beans are growing up their poles, there's artichokes being harvested along with fresh garlic and onions, and not forgetting the delicious mixed salads (must take more pics). I can't go this Wednesday but hopefully I'll head out on Saturday instead, for the monthly open day. More planting and some weeding I think!

 

Most of my own plants are now in the ground or seed directly sown, although I do want to sow more beetroot. I've potted-on a few brassicas to plant out as soon as other crops are harvested (such as the broad beans, which are on the whole surviving the blackfly). I'm trying to keep on top of hoeing the dirt paths, cutting the grass paths, weeding/hoeing the beds, checking slug/snail hidey places, and now, picking the fruit (red currants are ripe and they taste good, and the summer raspberries are ripening, they're my favourite I think). I'll try and get to the plot early tomorrow and give it a water, it's so dry - first the strong winds, now the sun. Hey ho.

 

Thanks for reading. I'll try and take some more plot pics soon. I'm linking in with Harvest Monday kindly hosted by Dave at Our Happy Acres

 

8 comments:

  1. Lovely strawberries!
    Happy Gardening!

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  2. We are in very similar positions, stewing strawberries and picking redcurrants and being very hot,

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    1. Hi sue. Very windy here again today and warm.

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  3. The heat is making it difficult to work outside, and in the polytunnel you could melt! Your strawberries look scrummy, and cooking them slightly like that sounds excellent

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    1. Hi Kathy, yes, even the very short storm yesterday didn't clear the air. Mmm, the strawbs are really good that way, plus it evens out the flavour so you're less likely to get a duff one!

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  4. It's been hot here too, and I try and get my outside chores done before lunch if I can. Those strawberries are lovely!

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    1. Hi Dave. That's good planning! I had a short session in the back garden late this evening which was much more pleasant than during the day :)

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