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 Veg Journal - 2010 July

Harvesting began in earnest and there was the almost inevitable glut, so we froze, pickled and chutneyed quite a lot of the broad beans, marrows and beetroot. The weather was warm and wet at times, which seemed to be ideal conditions for pests, including some caterpillars which got in underneath the netting! We also did some more renovation on the potting shed, and started refurbishing its interior.


Week ending 8th July

1st - A plum tomato is forming on one of the greenhouse plants. Had two more tomato plants donated by Lindsey.

2nd - Bought 5 buckets from Screwfix & used two to repot the new tomatoes. Filled up the outdoor tomato pots with compost mixture. Harvested 2 beetroots (7½oz), some spinach & more calabrese for tea, also froze some broad beans (3lb). The first flowers are coming on the runner beans, & the 1st aubergine is developing. Sowed another batch of carrots.

4th - Fruits are setting on one of the outdoor tomatoes. Tied up the broad beans & staked out the marrows as it was a very windy day. Harvested 1 turnip & made 6 lots of pasty filling to freeze.

5th - Sowed more French beans over the previous batch as they didn't show, & sowed more lettuce & lollo rossa. Harvested more broad beans (2lb 3oz) & beetroot (6½oz).

6th - Tied string to the remaining tomatoes on the south side of the greenhouse. Harvested the 2nd little gem lettuce & the first greyhound cabbage. Took the old felt off the roof of the potting shed.

7th - Painted the shed roof with bituminuous primer then put on new roofing felt from Wickes. Took all day due to the adhesive needing to go tacky & the fairly strong winds. Harvested more peas, including 1st Hurst Green Shaft (1lb 7oz).

8th - Pulled out the one turnip which had bolted (disturbing lots of flea beetles & some green caterpillars - how did they get in?). Harvested another 2 turnips. Put the eaves and finials on the shed. Dug up the garlic (not huge!) & left the bulbs to dry.

Week ending 16th July

9th - Flowers are opening on the runner beans, & about to open on the marrows. Put wood hardener on the rotten bits of the shed, & used a whole tin of filler (need some more). Sowed the 2nd batch of savoy cabbages & the last batch of spinach. Dug up more new potatoes (3lb) & cut some more calabrese. Propped one of the broccoli plants up as it was at an angle.

10th - Pulled up the next 3 rocket plants. The marrows are flowering & the sweetcorn flowers are coming. Finished the 2nd little gem, harvested 2 beetroot (7oz) & a few spinach leaves for a salad. Got a bigger tin of filler & finished the filling round the back of the shed. Also harvested 4 spring onions & used one of the garlic bulbs.

11th - The latest lettuces are coming up. The previous little gem seems to have died. Harvested 4 globe carrots, 2 long carrots (2½oz) & some chard. The latest lettuces are coming through.

12th - Rained all day! The latest carrots are coming through. Re-fitted the uprights in the shed to pull the planks together, without gaps.

13th - The French beans are coming up. Harvested long carrots (2½oz) & broad beans (1lb 10oz).

14th - The latest savoys are coming up. Marrows are definitely forming. Sowed more rocket & radishes in the French bean bed as the marrows are taking up all the room in the original bed. Painted the inside of the shed with Cuprinol (5 days to dry).

15th - Harvested more broad beans, 4 long carrots, one head of calabrese, 3 leaves of chard & more new potatoes (2lb 7oz). There could be another aubergine forming.

16th - The latest spinach is coming up. Flowers on the French beans are coming. Several marrows are forming. Put canes in for some of the sweetcorn. Cut down the autumn sown broad beans (1lb 2oz picked) and harvested more of the later ones (2lb 1oz).

Click on a photo to see a bigger version:

  • Herbs in the mini greenhouse (14th Jul)

  • Flowers on the maincrop potatoes (14th Jul)

  • Four of the front raised beds (14th Jul)

  • Brassicas - L to R: turnips, autumn cabbages, kale, savoy cabbages (14th Jul)

  • F to B: spinach, beetroot, chard (14th Jul)

  • Looking towards the runner bean & pea bed (14th Jul)

  • The 2 brassica beds under nets and one of the miscellaneous beds (14th Jul)

  • Marrows, lettuce and sweetcorn from the side of the raised bed (14th Jul)

  • Marrows, lettuce and sweetcorn from the front (14th Jul)

  • The veg plot in midsummer (14th Jul)

  • Runner bean flowers (14th Jul)

  • F to B: chives, shallots, leeks (14th Jul)

  • Tomatoes forming on the outdoor plants (14th Jul)

  • Marrow flowers (14th Jul)

  • A rather thin aubergine (14th Jul)

Week ending 24th July

17th - Pulled out the rocket remaining as it's full of flea beetle holes - only the 1st 2 sowings were unaffected. Pulled out the oldest spinach, sowed more beetroot & spring onions. Tied up the beetroot to stop it flopping. Dug up the remaining early potatoes (8lb 3oz).

18th - The latest radishes & rocket are coming up. Picked lots of peas (2lb 12½oz) and transplanted the leeks to the early potato bed. Another aubergine is definitely forming. Picked half the blown calabrese heads & some chard.

19th - At least one more tomato is forming in the greenhouse. Found pupating caterpillars under the turnip/swede leaves. How did they get in?! Picked the rest of the blown calabrese heads. Pulled the rest of the radishes up & composted them - no good under the marrow leaves.

20th - Put masking tape round the windows in the potting shed.

21st - Primed the inside of the potting shed, except for the windows. Ate the 1st yellow tomato from Lindsey's plant & harvested another summer cabbage. Pulled up the remaining little gem as it had wilted (due to the marrow leaves?).

22nd - Finished the 1st coat of primer & started on the 2nd. Tassles have appeared on some of the sweetcorn. Propped up the rest of the greenhouse peppers. There are lots of flowers on the French beans.

23rd - Harvested the 1st aubergine (2½oz). At least 2 or 3 more are coming. Quite a lot of tomatoes are coming on the outside plants.

24th - The latest batch of beetroot is coming up.

Week ending 31st July

25th - Put most of the 2nd coat of primer on the potting shed. Harvested 3 carrots, some spinach & broad beans (15oz).

26th - Flowers are open on the peppers, more aubergines are coming. The runner beans are quite large and French beans are forming. Pulled up 3lb beetroot & pickled it; made beetroot wine with the boiling water. Harvested the 1st marrow (2lb 1oz).

27th - Completed the 2nd coat of primer. Sowed more long carrots & lollo rosso. Harvested the last of the broad beans (1lb 9½oz) & cut them down to ground level. Tied back some of the potatoes. Havested another yellow tomato.

28th - Pulled out some of the old spinach plants.

29th - Trimmed the leaves off some of the broccoli so that they're not sheltering each other. Picked another yellow tomato. Harvested 2 marrows (4½lb & 2½lb) and some peas (1lb 6½oz), also some more calabrese & a summer cabbage.

30th - Pinched the tops out of 2 greenhouse tomatoes & 1 outdoor tomato. Harvested another 2 marrows (1lb 6oz) and the 1st batch of runner beans (6oz). Sowed another lot of radishes and more rocket.

31st - Went to Abergavenny.

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Harvesting began in earnest and there was the almost inevitable glut, so we froze, pickled and chutneyed