June brought a lot of frosts and some wet weather, though quite low rainfall overall for this time of year. The lawnmower is still on the blink, but the gardens have kept on growing.
The closest bed has brussel sprouts planted in it, and I've also put in some onion seedlings between them - not sure now they'll do.
The second bed has had peas transplanted from another bed put in it, behind the still-flowering rosemary bush.
The third bed has been sown in carrots, though they have not yet sprouted, and the fourth still contains my raspberry and boysenberry plants.
The second bed has had peas transplanted from another bed put in it, behind the still-flowering rosemary bush.
The third bed has been sown in carrots, though they have not yet sprouted, and the fourth still contains my raspberry and boysenberry plants.
Two beds here filled with brassicas are growing well, though we haven't yet been eating any, except for some of the buk choy. The bees are still flocking to the buk choy flowers, so I've left quite a few in. The furthest brassica bed is just getting to where I will be picking broccoli heads soon. Yum!
I am finding that the first bed, planted at the end of March, are much better grown and advanced than those planted a month later. The earlier ones had to be covered completely to protect from white butterfly, and I didn't have enough covers for all three beds at the time, so the seedlings (which were all sown at the same time) were potted up and kept protected in bins until I could plant them out. But an extra month in the garden makes a big difference!
I am finding that the first bed, planted at the end of March, are much better grown and advanced than those planted a month later. The earlier ones had to be covered completely to protect from white butterfly, and I didn't have enough covers for all three beds at the time, so the seedlings (which were all sown at the same time) were potted up and kept protected in bins until I could plant them out. But an extra month in the garden makes a big difference!
First broccoli heads nearly ready to eat!
The left hand bed here is full of beetroot, and the right hand one has leaf lettuce and spring onions at the front, with leeks at the back. We've been eating plenty of salads from the lettuce, and I have used beet greens and grated beetroot in the salads too.
Leeks take a long time to grow - I never realised how long until this year. Some gardening books say up to 12 months!
Leeks take a long time to grow - I never realised how long until this year. Some gardening books say up to 12 months!
Third brassica bed. Purple cauli plants are growing well at the front there.
Behind it is a bed that now is partly planted in strawberry plants I dug up from elsewhere in the garden, and has been completely deep mulched with pine needles. Strawberries like the acidity provided by the pine needles. I plant to get more strawberry plants to fill the bed.
Next to that is a bed where I've planted the back half in garlic, and the front has a few carrots left, but will soon be also planted in garlic.
Behind it is a bed that now is partly planted in strawberry plants I dug up from elsewhere in the garden, and has been completely deep mulched with pine needles. Strawberries like the acidity provided by the pine needles. I plant to get more strawberry plants to fill the bed.
Next to that is a bed where I've planted the back half in garlic, and the front has a few carrots left, but will soon be also planted in garlic.
The tyre I planted in spare lettuce plants is doing well, and the parsley plants in the garden behind it are large and lush.
I pruned the grapevine - first time on my own. It's pretty scary cutting off all those vines! My husband is hoping I know what I'm doing and we have grapes this year - last year the vine was pruned for the first time in decades, with help from someone who knows what they are doing, but it needed so much work that we didn't have grapes last summer. This year I read what the gardening books have to say, and did it myself, creating a framework out of one-year old canes, which should produce fruit this year. Time will tell!
The tomato vines are starting to die back, but are still ripening tomatoes. This was a late-planted crop from free seedlings given me by a friend, so everything I get from them is a bonus!
The yacon's leaves have been killed by the frosts, but they're still flowering, so I'm leaving them to it. There are new crowns growing at the base of the stalks, from which I will plant next year's plants. Can't wait to see how much there is in the way of actual tubers - they say you don't get much the first year. The flowers look like teeny sunflowers.
The Calendula is still growing at the base of the plants, despite being dug up a few times by the dog. There's also a wild mallow plant growing there.
The Calendula is still growing at the base of the plants, despite being dug up a few times by the dog. There's also a wild mallow plant growing there.
Most of the rest of the garden is unchanged - the orangeberry continues to spread slowly, the rosemary, lavender and citrus plants I put in are establishing themselves, the chives in a pot have died down, but interestingly the ones in the garden haven't really done so. My corn stalks are still waiting for me to pull them up, and what was the potato patch is sitting vacant - at least of plants. My son has spread his vehicle restoration project onto the space. In my mind I'm thinking about spring and all the garden beds I want to establish, and the plants I want to grow. If only time and money were as abundant as my imagination!
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