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 Veg Journal - 2010 June

Probably the busiest month in the veg plot! Most of the crops had been sown by now, but successional plantings were still in progress, and some crops needed supports adding as they grew. A lot of veg was ready for harvesting, particularly broad beans, peas and new potatoes, and the salad crops were ticking along nicely. The greenhouse crops were still struggling as the weather was very hot for most of the month, along with some thundery downpours, but there were flowers on the tomatoes, aubergines and peppers so it was hopeful they would produce at least something.


Week ending 8th June

1st - Rained heavily all afternoon. Put the rings around the remaining two tomato plants.

2nd - Earthed up the potatoes again. Tansplanted the young celery plants into the bed, and the spare summer cabbages into gaps. Sowed the next batch of spinach. Cut the rest of the broad bean tops for greens. Flower buds are visible on the early potatoes. Sprayed the greenhouse plants (tomatoes, aubergines and peppers) with epsom salts.

3rd - Shaded the transplanted cabbages as it's so hot. The swedes are coming through. Tied up the 2nd batch of broad beans. Bought the last set of tomato rings from Pennells Garden Centre.

4th - Sowed another batch of French beans where the first batch failed, and filled the gaps in the chard planting with another 11 seeds. Shaded the cabbages again. Moved the racking and herbs out of the greenhouse (up to the back door of the house) to make room for more tomatoes.

5th - Shaded the cabbages again. Cut the first lollo rosso leaves for sandwiches. A very hot day followed by thunderstorms at night.

6th - Rained on and off all day. The radishes are being nibbled by pigeons. Latest carrots are coming through. Flowers are opening on the aubergines.

7th - Earthed up the potato in the bucket. Put support wire up in the greenhouse for the tomatoes. Put chicken wire over the radishes and lettuces, and re-sowed the rocket and little gem lettuces. Pulled a couple of turnips (9oz) - I don't like the flavour and won't plant again. Put chicken wire over the French beans.

8th - Propped some of the calabrese up with canes. Noticed greenfly on the aubergines and sprayed them with soapy water.

Week ending 15th June

9th - Harvested the 1st batch of peas (12oz), froze them, & gave the spare broccoli plants away.

10th - The chard seedlings are coming through, filling the gaps. Latest batch of spinach came through a few days ago.

11th - Sowed the latest batch of carrots. Tied up the turnips a bit more & picked one (12oz). Put another bit of netting up for the peas. Earthed up the main potatoes. Replacement rocket is coming through.

12th - The French beans are starting to emerge. Flowers on the aubergines are dying & dropping off. Don't know why.

13th - Planted 3 more tomatoes in the greenhouse, sowed more rocket, lettuce & radishes, and 2nd batch of French beans. Heads are starting to form on the calabrese. Transplanted all the autumn cabbages and 1st batch of savoys. Flowers are beginning to open on the new potatoes. Picked 2lb 13oz (12oz shelled) of broad beans and some more spinach (which tasted a bit minty).

14th - Tied up the latest batch of broad beans again. Harvested the first little gem lettuce for a salad.

15th - Weeded some of the side border where the shed will be. Shaded the transplanted cabbages. Picked some more peas (10oz), and spinach.

Click on a photo to see a bigger version:

  • Peas in varying stages of maturity (9th Jun)

  • Broad beans coming along nicely (9th Jun)

  • The 1st harvest of peas (9th Jun)

  • Lettuce - Little Gem & Lollo Rosso - and rocket (13th Jun)

  • One of the "miscellaneous" beds (13th Jun)

  • One of the brassica beds - broccoli, calabrese & summer cabbages (13th Jun)

  • L to R: a feline, miscellaneous - beetroot & spinach, broad beans, potatoes (13th Jun)

  • The potato beds - new potatoes at back left (13th Jun)

  • The broad beans, ready to pick (13th Jun)

  • Peas and young runner beans (13th Jun)

  • Plants in the greenhouse (13th Jun)

  • Harvested broad beans (13th Jun)

Week ending 23rd June

16th - Weeded & cleaned down the side of the potting shed. Flowers are nearly opening on some tomatoes. The replacement lettuces are coming through.

17th - Sowed some more beetroot & spring onions. Put ammonium sulphate on the sweetcorn & brassica bed. Watered everything except the potatoes. The first flowers are opening on the tomatoes.

18th - Put string around the parsnips to stop them flopping. Started hardening off the 2nd batch of celery. The latest batch of radishes is coming through (sowed 2 rows this time). Harvested more broad beans (1lb 3oz), a turnip (1lb 5oz) & some spinach.

19th - Nothing done in the garden. Finished off the little gem lettuce in sandwiches.

21st - More weeding done where the new shed will be. Tied string round the tallest tomatoes in the greenhouse to support them. The latest batch of carrots is coming through, and also the lettuce & rocket. Harvested both spring onions from the 1st batch. Came to the conclusion that the greenhouse must be too hot, so bought some Cool Glass.

22nd - Haven't used the Cool Glass yet, but slung the greenhouse shading fabric over the bottom half of the roof. Sowed a batch of spinach, and some more swedes to fill the gaps. More weeding done down the side of the garden.

23rd - Pigeons have squashed some of the salad crops, even though chicken wire is over them! Finished weeding the side border. Harvested new potatoes from the 1st plant (1lb 1oz), more peas (12oz in pods) and some broad bean tops. Potted up the outdoor tomatoes.

Click on the photo to see a bigger version:

  • Flowers on the new potatoes (22 Jun)

Week ending 30th June

24th - The latest beetroot is coming through. Tied up the main crop potatoes. Harvested some broad beans (1lb 1oz), a turnip (13oz), 4 round carrots & some parsnip thinnings.

25th - The smallest tomato in the greenhouse has rotted through at its base, so dug it out. Flowers are opening on the maincrop potatoes. The 1st runner bean reached the top of the canes. Little white grubs are attacking the carrots like last year - carrot fly?

26th - Nothing done in the garden. The latest beetroot is coming through. Harvested the 1st head of calabrese, and the remaining broad bean tops.

27th - The latest spring onions and spinach are coming through. Bought some greenhouse shading from Reg Taylors & fastened it to the roof and front of the greenhouse (a very hot day). Dug up more new potatoes (1lb 5oz), the rest of the parsnip thinnings, 8 round carrots & cut another head of calabrese (think this has bolted perhaps).

28th - Put yellow sticky traps under the brassica netting to try and catch some of the aphids and whitefly. The replacement swedes are coming through. Transplanted two chards into gaps.

29th - Planted out the 2nd batch of celery & transplanted the kale - put shading over them as it was very hot. More potatoes (1lb 13oz) and peas (14oz) harvested.

30th - Pulled up the 1st large leaved rocket as there was more stem & flowers than leaves on it. Caterpillars (or grubs) are now on the aubergines & peppers so gave in and used systemic insecticide on those & the tomatoes, as all have greenfly. The leaves on one of the sweetcorns look a bit yellowish.

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