Growbags and Greenhouses -The WB Garden Blog

The weather has been fine for a few days and has been sunny for the last couple – predicitons for the weeked are for sunny weather throughout. Amazing, considering it is week 1 of Wimbledon (it did rain on the first day though). So it is officially strawberry time – though only from our corner shop as I don’t have any growing in the garden (just a few alpine ones under one of the hedges).

Harvesting lettuce is still in full swing – I’ll have to start selling them at the front gate soon we have so many that are ready. Looks like we’ll have a good meal of broad beans this weekend as well. Enough radishes to put into our salad tonight as well. The carrots are growing well but still very small, I’m still thinning them out as well.

I’m still fighting the black fly on the broad beans and runner beans, both using the hosepipe and simply rubbing them off – I can’t eliminate them but they are under control.

The pigeons seem to have been kept off the brassicas, but have discovered my salad leaves which have been severely pecked. So CD protection for them has been erected. If only the fox which keeps appearing at the bottom of the garden would eat a few of the pigeons – I’d be in favour of it being around, all it seems to do is to dig holes though.

I’ve just been watering and weeding the last few days but will need to be taking some action soon – planting more salad plants and some more peas, maybe this weekend if I get time.

Meanwhile, in the greenhouse and growbags the tomatoes are coming along – more and more visible and some serious support needed for some of the plants. In the greenhouse they are over 5 feet tall and I’ve had to take some leaves off to make it easy to get in the greenhouse. I’m feeding them with tomato fertiliser regularly now. Flowers are appearing on the peppers now so hopefully soon there will be actual peppers.

And there are still hedges to cut…..

It's back to showers and wind – as well as some sun now. I've had several good goes at the aphids on the broad beans now – both with the hosepipe and with the fingers/cloth – a really messy job as well. I seem to have removed the most obvious ones at least and especially those on the bean pods, but many pods have been damaged I fear. Still we did manage to have a portion of broad beans with our meal this weeked, even if fairly small ones. More for the weekend coming as well (see pic below).

Broad Bean Pods

As for other beans, the runners have flowers and all the french beans are in (a total of seven plants)

Harvesting lettuce & leaves, including rocket, is now in full swing – most seem to be surviving well, only one has had to be discarded through rot. Managed to harvest one radish this evening – so we are still using shop bough ones in our salads, though probably only for this week. Carrots are coming on and some parsnips are through now. I'll need to sow some more carrots and possibly mixed leaves as well soon. Possibly even some lettuce….

Tomatoes developing on several plants now and watering is essential every evening. No sign of flowers on peppers soon but I'm sure it won't be long (update 22/6 – saw some flower buds today!).

Developing tomatoes – these are 'olive' variety hence the shape

The brassicas look better now, the new leaf growth doesn't seem to have been attacked so maybe the super CD system has been working. i've planted a couple more cabbage plantlings that had been hanging on in the original trays in the greenhouse so I can check if they get damaged.

Below – the pathetic 'row' of peas that managed to struggle up (I suspect I need to add lime….)

A Few peas….

Well after a wet May we're now faced with sunshine every day it seems, so watering has become an evening ritual. I did start to update the blog the other day but suffered from a PC crash just before I was going to publish so I lost the lot. Now I have to try and remember what I was saying then….

The french beans are now all in (as of tonight) – so that's five in place. I did plant some more beans in a pot a week or so ago but they haven't appeared yet.

The broad beans are all in full flower now, so hopefully bean pods soon. It's interesting to note that the beans started in the greenhouse still look better than those planted direct into the ground.

The runners are growing fairly quickly, almost 2m high now the most advanced and I've spotted flower buds on one plant at least.

The brassicas are growing but have been attacked, I suspect by pigeons as some of the leaves have been stripped back and it doesn't look like slug damage (also the lettuces have been untouched – which points something other than slugs). To try and tackle the pigeon problem I've installed my own 'CD protection system' – it's a load of old free CDs strung on string across the bed – they reflect light effectively and put birds off.

In the greenhouse the tomatoes are now flowering, and the peppers coming on quite well, though no sign of flowers on them yet.

Tomatoes and peppers in the greenhouse (a few days ago) 

Lettuces are ready for harvesting – particularly the ones planted out close to the greenhouse. One or two around the brassicas haven't made it and I replaced those this evening with some of the 'leftovers' still struggling on in the original tray in the greenhouse.

One row of peas have just started to appear today – but the second row not yet.

The short rows of 'mixed leaves' etc are all coming along and I've started to thin out the 'mixed leaves' and rocket. Follow up rows are now starting to appear, though no sign of the parsnips yet.

As I mentioned at the top, watering has now become a daily requirement, with the hosepipe having to come into action (fortunately we aren't suffering from water shortages here yet, unlike the SE of England). Temperatures have been well into the twenties with fairly constant sunshine each day – even through the test match – still I did manage to get to Trent Bridge on Monday – and as soon as I left the wickets fell like rain but don't me started on the English performance….

So we will be starting to enjoy the fruits of my labour in the garden pretty soon – at last.