Category: Flighty’s plot

The weather has changed this week being noticeably cooler, unsettled and very windy at times probably healding the end of summer, not that I mind as I really prefer autumn.

I’ve only been to the plot a couple of days so far this week, and mainly pottered harvesting plenty of beans and several good size cucumbers.  The tomatoes, both red and yellow ones, are finally beginning to change colour and ripen.

The first of the blue asters/Michaelmas daisies has started to flower,

which will provide some welcome colour into early autumn.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

I’m glad to say that I’ve finished lifting the onions Sturon and they’re now all at home laid out on cardboard on the floor in the spare room.  Once I’ve removed the dead leaves, roots and any loose skin I’ll then check and sort them before storing in plastic crates.  I’ll do a further post about these when I’ve done that, and also counted them.

I’ve also lifted all the potatoes that I can find using a sturdy plastic hand fork.  No doubt I’ll find plenty more when I properly fork the area over, which won’t be until there’s been some worthwhile rain to soften the now rock hard ground.

That leaves the sweet corn still to come, which is doing well with cobs now developing,  and the tomatoes which need to ripen and turn red (or yellow).

I’ve started collecting seeds from some of the annual flowers.  This morning I removed the candytuft (Iberis umbellata) seed heads, and put them in a paper bag to dry prior to sorting.

The two dwarf sunflowers I grew in the stone feature have grown to around 20 in/ 50 cm and flowered.

Have a good week, and take care!

I’ve only been to the plot one day this week so I’ve nothing much to blog about today, and my next post should be on Sunday as usual.

Meanwhile here’s one of the plot sunflowers.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

I was lifting onions Sturon last week and still have more to do.  I brush any soil of fthem, pull off any dead leaves and then bring them home where I’ve laid them out on cardboard in the spare room.  Once the leaves have died back I’ll cut them and the roots off, then check and sort before storing.  As usual I’ll check them periodically.

The big clump of crocosmia, or montbretia if you prefer, down at the south-eastern corner of the plot, is flowering really well this year.   It’s certainly eye-catching with  its bright green swordlike  leaves and fiery red flowers.

I watered all round yesterday morning as there’s been no significant rain and none forecast for next week.  It’s warm today with the temperature reaching 28 C/82 F and tomorrow over 30 C/86F.  Tuesday onwards will see it start to drop, reaching the low 20’s C/ 72 F by Friday.

Have a good week, and take care!

I’ve been picking the first dwarf French beans Sprite, which unlike the runner beans are mostly straight.  I planted quite a lot of seeds but didn’t end up with as anywhere near many plants as I would have liked.

I really haven’t been looking after the tomato plants this year as I haven’t been tying them to the canes nor pinching out the side shoots.  Consequently they are a now in a right state, and it’s too late to try and sort them out.  There are plenty of green tomatoes now showing and there is at least one that’s nearly ripe. Let’s hope that they stay blight free, at least until some have ripened, been picked and eaten.

So far most of the sunflowers have been ones with yellow flowers and dark centres but I like this one which has two-tone petals.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

but dull so I probably won’t go for a plot potter after lunch unless it brightens up.

I had a good week when I lifted the last first early potatoes Pentland Javelin and second earlies Charlotte. The main crop ones Picasso I won’t be lifting until later this month.

I’m picking plenty of dwarf runner beans Jackpot, most of which certainly wouldn’t win any show prizes as they’re nearly all curly or curvy, not that that detracts from the taste.

As you can see the plants are covered in flowers.

I’m pleased to see that Cosmos Corner is now living up to it’s name and there are plenty of cosmos flowers now showing.

They’re all lovely flowers but think the white ones are my favourites.

Have a good week, and take care!

This week has been sunny and very warm with the temperature reaching over 3o C/86F yesterday afternoon.  I’ve been going to the plot early, not doing very much when I’m there and not stopping anywhere near as long as I usually do.

Despite that it’s been a good week as I’ve started lifting the onions Sturon, and picking the first runner beans Jackpot along with plenty more blackberries and raspberries.

Looking under the cucumber leaves I found one which was about 6 in/15 cm long and little more than 1 in/2.5 cm diameter. I don’t know the variety but it felt and looked okay so I picked it, and I’m glad to say that it tastes fine.

At long last the first of the sunflowers has appeared.  It’s only around 4 ft/1.2 mt tall with a small dark centred yellow flower.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

for the first sunflower to flower, which looks like being next week.  Meanwhile there are plenty of other flowers to enjoy around the plot.

 Cosmos corner now has some cosmos such as these three red ones. I also noticed this rather unusual  slightly blushing white one.

Mind you a lot of blue and white love-in-mist/nigella have now also appeared in the same area.

There are lots of pot marigolds Flighty’s Favourites, orange and yellow along with some buff and creamy colours, all in various combinations.

There have been a few sunny days when it’s been pleasing to see bees buzzing and butterflies flittering around.  I’ve caught glimpses of one, or more, young robins but they tend to hide in the cornus or roses.

It’s drizzly and dull today so I’m armchair gardening rather than plot pottering.  It’s back to sunny days tomorrow with the temperature getting slightly warmer on Sunday and next week around 25 C/77 F.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

A few months ago I cleared both the leaves and stems from both clumps of rhubarb and covered the areas with compost.

Recently the newer, and smaller , clump has grown again and last week I pulled a handful of good size stems some of which I’ve eaten. This picture shows the plants a couple of days afterwards.

I’ve started picking the blackberries, along with a few raspberries. It looks like I’ll be doing that for a few weeks judging by the amount of fruit showing on the bushes.

The nasturtiums at one end of the strawberry patch are now in full flower, including these bright orangey ones.

Sadly I’ve seen few butterflies on the plot so far this year so I was really pleased to both see, and phototograph, this Gatekeeper fluttering around on the raspberry bushes this morning.

Have a good week, and take care!