Veg Journal - 2011 July
We started picking the tomatoes this month, much earlier than last year, so sowing the seed a month earlier has
worked. Everything was progressing well, and we began harvesting a lot of the veg, turning some of it into chutney.
The two wasps' nests in the veg plot made transplanting the leeks a bit awkward, but it was done without any mishaps.
Refurbishment of the potting shed continued, and we had a strange problem with the pepper plants which we think was
probably due to over-watering.
Week ending 8th July
1st - Picked some lettuce and rocket. Gave away the remaining celery plants. Watered the brassicas as
they were looking a bit wilted in the sun.
2nd - Picked some lettuce. The rocket is looking unappetising now, as it's been attacked by the little black
beetles. Some of the calabrese are looking rather sickly. Cut the worktops for the shed, although one is too
short!
3rd - Picked some lettuce, a turnip (13oz) and the first carrots (3oz). Thinned the latest batch of beetroot.
Continued fitting the worktops in the shed.
4th - Sprayed the tomatoes and aubergines with a foliar feed of epsom salts. Sowed the last batch of carrots
(only 2 rows as that's all there was room for), the last batch of French beans, and some more lollo rosso. The
French beans in pots that were left outside haven't germinated, so this latest batch are in the house. Pulled all
the rocket up as it's been eaten by the thunderbugs, and planted the lettuce there instead. Thinned the previous
batch of carrots. Did some more work on the worktops for the shed.
5th - Sealed the edges of the worktops. The older leaves on the peppers are wilting more than usual - just the
heat perhaps?
6th - Some of the younger leaves on the peppers are now wilting and some have dropped - why? By the end of the
day, the peppers are looking worse, as if they are short of water, but they aren't - very mysterious. The first
flowers have opened on the runner beans, and there are flower buds nearly opening on the marrows. Picked the first
tomatoes (1 greenhouse (4oz) and 6 cherries (3.4oz)), some lettuce, a turnip (1lb 3oz), 3 carrots (3oz) and some
peas (1lb 9.6oz; 11.8oz podded).
7th - Picked some lettuce and tomatoes: 1 greenhouse (3.8oz) and 8 cherries (6½oz). Little change with the
peppers, although one of them does appear to be recovering, even if its leaves are also being eaten by something -
can't see what. Bought some sealant and beading for the worktops in the shed.
8th - Picked some lettuce. It looks like the two sickly looking calabrese plants have died. Still no real change
in the condition of the peppers.
Click on a photo to see a bigger version:
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The carrots, after the last batch of the year had been sown at the front of the bed (4th Jul)
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Radishes (front), lollo rosso and rocket (4th Jul)
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Damage to the rocket leaves, probably done by thunderbugs (4th Jul)
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Gardener's Delight cherry tomatoes, ripening in the greenhouse (4th Jul)
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Midsummer vegetable plot (6th Jul)
Week ending 16th July
9th - Two or maybe three of the peppers look like they may be going to survive - not sure about the 4th one
yet.
10th - Planted the last two batches of spinach both at the same time, as the previous sowing date was missed out. Cut
down most of the autumn sown broad beans, and picked all that were ready from both batches (6lb 14.8oz; 2lb 3.8oz
podded). Dug up another two new potato plants to get a boiling, although it was a good one this time (1lb 3.7oz).
11th - Picked probably the last of the spinach for now, until the latest batches get bigger. More
courgette/marrow flowers opening and one marrow forming. The sweetcorn plants are nearly as tall as the stakes
now.
12th - Pulled out several of the oldest spinach plants. Picked some lettuce and tomatoes: 1 greenhouse (4.1oz)
and 7 cherry tomatoes (3.7oz). The latest batch of French beans is starting to come through.
13th - The latest batch of carrots is coming through. Dug up the garlic bulbs as the leaves have pretty much died
back - not a huge crop, but bigger than what went in. They are now being dried. Picked some beetroot (2lb 10oz) for
making into chutney (5 jars) and some lettuce and 3 radishes.
14th - Picked some lettuce. There are French beans starting to form on the first batch. Picked 4 beetroot (3lb
4oz) and some tomatoes: 1 outdoor (2.7oz), 1 greenhouse (1½oz) and 6 cherry tomatoes (5.7oz). Made another 5 jars
of beetroot chutney.
15th - Picked some lettuce and pulled up the oldest two plants which are rapidly being hidden under the marrow
leaves (ate all the leaves off the lettuce before composting the roots though). Bought some liquid Growmore from
Wilkos as our last, ancient bottle is now empty. Also picked 4 very small radishes, 1 outdoor tomato (2.7oz) and
some carrots (1.2oz).
16th - Picked some lettuce and tomatoes; 2 greenhouse (6.2oz), 1 outdoor (3.6oz) and 4 cherrie tomatoes
(2.9oz).
Click on a photo to see a bigger version:
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Marrow, courgette and sweetcorn plants all growing rapidly (11th Jul)
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Some of the first courgette flowers (11th Jul)
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Almost all the raised beds absolutely covered in greenery (15th Jul)
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Week ending 24th July
17th - Picked some lettuce and tomatoes; 1 outdoor (3.2oz) and 3 greenhouse (10.4oz). Decided that the peppers
could perhaps have been overwatered, so now being a little more sparing.
18th - Latest batch of spinach is coming through. Dug up the last two new potato plants (2lb) and picked the
first courgette (3.3oz).
19th - Picked some lettuce. There are a lot of asparagus beetle larvae appearing now, and have been for a while;
perhaps it's time to spray the plants. The brassicas are growing well, but are being attacked by grey aphids; again,
perhaps these need spraying. Picked some tomatoes; 2 outdoor (6½oz), 2 greenhouse (4.3oz) and 7 cherries
(4.3oz).
20th - Picked some lettuce and peas (2lb 2.8oz; 1lb 1.8oz podded). The one raspberry which was ripe has
disappeared(!), as did the previous three, so I should pick them a little earlier I think. Planted the last batches
of beetroot and peas. Tried sowing some more radishes in the pots used for the 100% unsuccessful 2nd batch of French
beans. Took down the string and canes from the first batch of broad beans. Did some more work fitting the worktops
in the shed.
21st - Picked some lettuce and tomatoes; 2 outdoor (5.8oz), 3 greenhouse (9.6oz) and 12 cherries (8.4oz). Tied up
one of the tomatoes in the greenhouse to stop it sagging.
22nd - Fixed the worktops together in the shed - letting the sealant dry for the rest of the day. Decided to
spray the brassicas and the asparagus as both have caterpillars and the brassicas have aphids. Also sprinkled slug
pellets around the beetroot seedlings as they're the likely suspects for snipping the stems off at the base.
23rd - Picked 1 carrot, some lettuce and parsley. Made the end bit for the worktop in the shed and fixed the set
of drawers down. There are runner beans forming and lots of blackberries coming.
24th - Picked some lettuce. Cut the trim for the back edge of the worktops. Cleaned the dry soil off the garlic
bulbs.
Click on a photo to see a bigger version:
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All the runner bean flowers are supposed to be red! (20th Jul)
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French beans and broad beans (20th Jul)
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One of the brassica beds and the two miscellaneous beds (20th Jul)
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Sowing the last batch of peas (20th Jul)
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Peas ready for picking (20th Jul)
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Some of the Gardener's Delight tomato trusses are about 3 feet long (20th Jul)
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The marrow & courgette plants are beginning to fill the bed (20th Jul)
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One of the courgette flowers with a small courgette behind it (20th Jul)
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The brassica beds and pea & bean beds (20th Jul)
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Onions and shallots, almost ready for lifting (20th Jul)
Week ending 31st July
25th - Picked some lettuce, the first French beans (7.7oz) and some tomatoes; 1 outdoor (3.3oz), 3 greenhouse
(9.4oz) and 14 cherries (8.6oz).
26th - Picked some lettuce, 2 courgettes (12.6oz) and 2 aubergines (2.2oz). The plum tomatoes are starting to
turn red and the radishes in pots are coming through.
27th - Latest batches of spinach, beetroot and peas are coming through. Picked 2 carrots (9.8oz), 1 turnip (2lb
13oz) and some broad beans (3lb 9oz; 1lb 3.6oz podded). Also picked 4 raspberries and noticed that another 3 had
already dropped off. Put the undercoat on the worktop trims.
28th - Picked some lettuce. Tied the aubergine plants up as they were sagging across the greenhouse paths.
Decided to transplant the leeks into the broad bean bed rather than where the new potatoes were, as the latter is
too close to one of the wasps' nests. Picked some tomatoes; 11 greenhouse (2lb 2.8oz), 5 cherries (2.4oz) and 4
outdoor (14.7oz).
29th - Picked some lettuce. In the end, had to transplant the leeks into the broad bean bed and the new potato
bed as there were so many. Picked one or two broad bean pods off the stems as the roots were being dug up. There are
aubergines forming on the plants in the middle greenhouse border, and lots of "flowers" on the sweetcorn. Watered
everything as it's quite dry.
30th - Picked some lettuce and 2 outdoor tomatoes (9½oz).
31st - Picked some lettuce, French beans (4½oz), 2 carrots (5oz) and 6 cherry tomatoes (3.3oz).
Click on a photo to see a bigger version:
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Alicante tomatoes ripening outdoors (28th Jul)
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Outdoor Roma plum tomatoes (28th Jul)
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Planting the leeks where the first batch of broad beans were (29th Jul)
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The leeks just get dropped into holes which fill in as the plants are watered (29th Jul)
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The finished leek bed (29th Jul)
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The overflow leek bed, very close to the wasps nest under the garden seat (29th Jul)
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White and red onions (29th Jul)
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The garlic, ready for storing (29th Jul)
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Kale, calabrese and broccoli (29th Jul)
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Maincrop potatoes, their stems beginning to die down (29th Jul)
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Looking east in the veg plot (29th Jul)
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Sweetcorn flowers! (29th Jul)
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A rather soggy courgette flower and baby courgette (29th Jul)
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Two very big Alicante tomatoes picked off the outdoor plants (30th Jul)
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