Garden Blogs

Bit of a disaster in the tomato department. I’m relieved to find that it is due to a pack of rogue seeds and not neglect on my part, but I’m rather upset that my favourite sungold cherry tomatoes have turned out to be imposters. I’ve watched the plants over the past two weeks as their leaves gradually turned yellow and curly and the plants growth became stunted, thinking I was missing something – had I fed them enough? Overwatered them? was it too cold outside? Or too windy? Was there something eating their roots? And this morning, with both relief and dismay, I saw the tell-tale sign of feathered leaf growth that rogue plants have (image below). Small comfort, but at least it wasn’t me. I’ve finally managed to get some French beans germinated but courgettes are still proving challenging (oh, how can a courgette be challenging??). Out of about 20 seeds I’ve got four plants so far, and one of those is looking decidedly puny so I don’t hold out much hope for it. The climbing courgettes are doing well and will soon need something to climb up – I’ve not quite worked out where and what though. Should I actually manage to germinate more than one, the “traditional” type will be planted at the edge of one of the beds and, as they can take up a fair bit of space, encouraged to grow out over the stones, away from other plants, leaving more bed space. It’s so pleasing to see flowers turning to fruit and vegetables – miniature green strawberries, tomatoes, courgettes and peppers are showing and whereas previously I was excitedly watching the seedlings progress, I’m now peering at the produce as it slowly turns into the desired harvest. Like something out of Jack & the Beanstalk, runner beans are shooting up their sticks, twisting round and round in helter-skelter fashion. What makes the plants snake round the sticks so determinedly? With a bit of garden envy I find myself asking my gardening friends how far their produce has got this year, and am secretly relieved when I find that they also have only harvested radishes or lettuce so far… speaking of which, my lettuce enthusiasm needs a little tempering – I now have about 30 lettuce seedlings, all of which will be ready at about the same time – even if I give them away I’ll never get through that many, but at least they were easy to germinate. I’m slowly filling the last few bed spaces I have left, but keep finding areas I’ve clearly planted up and forgotten what I put there and when. I have three beautiful straight rows of what I think might be the first sign of carrots, but could equally be beetroot or spinach. My classic error is to think I’ll remember, or recognise the seedlings, and I’m not. Last year whilst planting out lettuce I managed to dig up a row of shallots I’d only put there the week before – you’d have hoped I might have learned from that…. Like a heavily pregnant woman feeling for foot-shaped lumps in her belly, I can be found rubbing the outside of my potato bags as I try to feel if they are ready to dig up – a few are flowering , but I’m not convinced there’s much going on under all the lush foliage yet. You can’t rush these things so I’ll just have to wait a bit longer…..it’ll all be worth the wait though, I’m sure. (Random gratuitous shot of the flower in my garden that is most pleasing to my eye right now – having been totally unsuccessful with Irises to date, I can’t get over how beautiful this one is.)