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 Veg Journal - 2011 June

There were some very hot days this month, and we were still battling the effects of the dry spring. Flowers on the new potatoes seemed to shrivel far too early, and even though we left the plants for a little longer before digging them up, the yield was quite poor. We started picking raspberries off the mystery plant, and continued fitting out the potting shed. We also discovered we had at least one wasps' nest in the veg plot and a whole load of asparagus beetles had taken residence too. On the plus side we had a good crop of lettuce, radishes, spinach and broad beans, and everything else was coming along nicely.


Week ending 8th June

1st - Spotted blackfly on last year's chard and got rid of it. Picked 2lb 7oz of broad beans from the autumn-sown batch, and only ended up with 7oz when out of their pods! Finished coating the edges of the cupboards with glue and assembled them. Sowed the 5th batch of spinach seeds. Adjusted the string on some of the greenhouse tomatoes. Noticed there is a likely looking wasps' nest at the back of the veg plot, in the hedge bottom.

2nd - The latest batches of radishes, lettuce and rocket are through. Earthed up the main crop potatoes again in the beds and the tubs. Killed quite a lot of asparagus beetles; no damage to the plants, but just in case. Bought another kitchen unit for the shed to use as filling in pieces. Put a wire fencing panel in the roots bed between the parsnips and the carrots to hold the parsnips back.

3rd - The latest batch of carrots are coming through, and also the thyme seedlings are showing in the greenhouse. Picked 4 radishes & 5½oz of peas. A very hot day - the aubergines wilted a bit; hopefully they'll be OK tomorrow morning.

4th - Wilted aubergines recovered, more or less. The swede seedlings are coming through.

5th - The flowers on the new potatoes seem to be shrivelling and so do some of the leaves on all the potatoes - have we had a frost I wonder, or are they needing more water, or too hot? Planted out the sweetcorn, marrows, and 1st batches of celery & French beans. Some more of the herbs seedlings are coming through. Picked 2 radishes and a pan full of spinach. Put the trim on the cupboards and the brackets for fixing to the shed walls.

6th - Flowers on the maincrop potatoes are beginning to open. Joining bits made and the cupboards fixed to the wall. Tied up the greenhouse tomatoes a bit more.

7th - Picked some of the first rocket and lettuce, and more spinach. The first aubergines are forming. Noticed that some of the outdoor tomatoes have purple blotches on their leaves.

8th - Watered in some sulphate of ammonia around the sweetcorn plants to green them up a bit. Some of the raspberries are turning red.

Click on a photo to see a bigger version:

  • Broad bean flowers (1st Jun)

  • The veg plot in almost full growth (2nd Jun)

  • The newly transplanted first batch of celery (5th Jun)

  • Newly transplanted French beans, looking a bit scorched (5th Jun)

  • Newly transplanted sweetcorn, courgette & marrow plants (5th Jun)

  • The veg plot almost fully planted, minus most of the brassicas (8th Jun)

  • A closer view of the left hand side of the veg plot (8th Jun)

  • A closer view of the right hand side of the veg plot (8th Jun)

Week ending 15th June

9th - The latest batch of spinach is coming through. One of the courgette plants has snapped through the stem - possibly due to the windy night - so pegged the rest down to avoid another one snapping too. Picked some more spinach leaves.

10th - Picked some rocket, and the first of the new potatoes - only 13.7oz from two plants. The soil is very dry though, despite watering, and Lincolnshire has been declared officially in drought today. Half of one of the raspberries is on the ground - has a bird picked it off, or has it just fallen to bits?

11th - Pinched the tops out of the outdoor tomatoes and one of the greenhouse tomatoes, as they have enough trusses on them. Picked some lettuce. The stem of one of the marrows looks as if it might be rotting at the base, but will have to wait and see.

12th - Rained all day. Picked the one ripe raspberry - yes that's definitely what it is!

13th - Picked some lettuce and rocket. The runner beans are beginning to twine round their poles.

14th - Pulled out last year's chard and spinach and forked over the bed. Picked some lettuce and rocket. Tied up some of the asparagus as it's bending over again. Sowed the latest batches of radishes, lettuce, rocket and French beans. Dismantled the veranda base from the potting shed.

15th - Sowed the latest batch of carrots & thinned the last batch. Picked some broad beans(1lb 9oz, 4.4oz shelled), beetroot (9oz) & new potatoes (only 10½oz off 2 plants). Decided it might be better to leave the new potatoes to grow for a bit longer as the yield per plant is very low and there are some very small potatoes not fully developed yet. The leeks could go where the first batch of broad beans are currently.

Click on a photo to see a bigger version:

  • The veg plot, with last year's swiss chard & spinach removed to make space for the brassicas (14th Jun)

  • A closer view of the right hand side of the veg plot (14th Jun)

  • A closer view of the left hand side of the veg plot (14th Jun)

  • Shadow guarding the Desiree potatoes (14th Jun)

  • Peppers (L), aubergines (R) and plum tomatoes in the greenhouse (14th Jun)

  • Aubergines (L), cherry and ordinary tomatoes in the greenhouse (14th Jun)

  • Alicante tomatoes in the greenhouse (14th Jun)

  • First batch of celery (14th Jun)

  • Sweetcorn, courgette, marrow, lettuce and radishes, with spinach & beetroot in the bed behind (14th Jun)

  • Spinach (L) and beetroot (14th Jun)

  • Desiree potatoes (14th Jun)

  • F to B: Onions, garlic, shallots (14th Jun)

  • Runner beans (14th Jun)

  • Raspberries on our lone self-seeded plant (14th Jun)

  • The raspberry plant, and empty paved area where the potting shed veranda used to be (14th Jun)

  • Turnip tops! (14th Jun)

  • Peas (14th Jun)

  • Broad beans with the French beans in front (14th Jun)

  • The veg plot, looking west (14th Jun)

  • A view through the back of the greenhouse - everything much more advanced than this time last year (14th Jun)

  • Sunlight shining through the sweetcorn leaves (14th Jun)

  • Desiree potatoes in tubs, with the chives next to them and the leeks in their seed bed behind (14th Jun)

  • A late afternoon view of the veg plot (14th Jun)

  • The 2nd, more successful attempt at growing brassicas (15th Jun)

  • Roma plum tomato plants (15th Jun)

  • Alicante tomato plants (15th Jun)

Week ending 23rd June

16th - Picked some lettuce. Sowed the latest batches of peas (Kelvedon Wonder), beetroot and spring onions. Put another fencing panel in the pea bed. Watered the 3 back beds.

17th - Picked some lettuce and peas (8oz, 3.4oz shelled), plus 5 raspberries.

18th - Picked some rocket. Pulled up one stem of the maincrop potatoes as it was rotten at the base and withering.

19th - Picked some lettuce & rocket, and 2 raspberries. The latest batch of radishes and rocket are coming through.

20th - There are now caterpillars on the asparagus as well as the beetles, and whitefly on the brassica seedlings. Picked a pan full of spinach.

21st - Picked some lettuce, rocket and 2 radishes. The latest batch of lollo rosso is coming through. There are whitefly on the radishes. Picked a pan full of broad bean tops from the second batch.

22nd - Picked some lettuce, rocket and 2 radishes. The latest batch of beetroot is coming through. Picked a pan full of spinach and 6 raspberries.

23rd - The latest batch of carrots are coming through. Picked one raspberry. Put the 2nd batch of celery outside during the day to harden off - in the mini greenhouse at night. Bought some treated wood to make into stakes for the brocolli and sweetcorn from Wickes, and also a couple of compact water butts for the potting shed.

Week ending 30th June

24th - Picked some lettuce, rocket and 2 radishes. Pruned the lower leaves from the tomato plants. Tried out the water butts for size - need some more guttering supports and connectors, etc.

26th - Put shading on roof of greenhouse and top half of the door as it's so hot, and put water on the floor. The hosepipe sprang a leak near to the spray end. Picked two radishes and some lettuce, also 5 raspberries. Pulled out one of the oldest spinach plants after picking the leaves from it, and also picked the remaining broad bean tops. The latest batch of peas are coming through. Dug up 2 early potato plants (only 11oz in total) and picked some peas (2lb 8½oz; 1lb 5oz podded).

27th - Put shading on the greenhouse again as still very hot. Picked some lettuce, rocket and broad beans (1lb 7½oz; 5.7oz podded). Pinched the tip out of one of the runner beans as it had reached the top of its cane.

28th - Picked some lettuce. Some more spring onions are coming through although I'm not sure from which batch! Made the stakes to support the brocolli. Flowers are forming on the French beans,

29th - Found a cabbage white butterfly inside the turnip/swede net - not sure how it got in there. Flower buds are forming on the peppers and the first tomatoes are just beginning to change colour. There are still no aubergines setting on any of the plants in the central greenhouse border, but 4 have formed on the plant in the back border. Picked some lettuce, rocket and spinach, and pulled up some of the oldest spinach plants. Put in the support stakes for the sweetcorn and brocolli, and erected the cage for the tall brassicas.

30th - Picked some lettuce and rocket. Planted all the brassicas into the veg plot and put some ammonium sulphate around them. Put the tall netting up for the brocolli and calabrese. Thinned out the swedes and latest batch of beetroot. Planted the 2nd batch of celery and also gave that a dressing of ammonium sulphate. The first flower has opened on the French beans and one is about to open on the runner beans.

Click on a photo to see a bigger version:

  • The courgette, marrow & sweetcorn have all put on a lot of growth (29th Jun)

  • Desiree potatoes, in full bloom (29th Jun)

  • Still one empty bed waiting for the brassicas! (29th Jun)

  • Desiree potato flowers (29th Jun)

  • Lollo rosso lettuce (29th Jun)

  • Brassicas and celery, ready to be transplanted, with a couple of herb plants as well (29th Jun)

  • F to B: Newly transplanted kale, calabrese & purple sprouting broccoli (30th Jun)

  • F to B: Swedes, autumn cabbages, savoy cabbages, turnips (30th Jun)

  • The sweetcorn plants with their new support stakes (30th Jun)

  • French bean flowers (30th Jun)

  • Alicante tomatoes beginning to ripen in the greenhouse (30th Jun)

  • The root bed with both batches of celery now transplanted (30th Jun)

  • The asparagus, growing enthusiastically (30th Jun)

  • Closeup of an asparagus spear (30th Jun)

  • The enemy - a colourful & distinctive asparagus beetle! (30th Jun)

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