Green Tsunami

Last night when I was having a drink in the local pub we were talking about how busy we all were in the garden and I said it was like a green tidal wave of plants ...it makes you feel you are always behind schedule. But yesterday and a couple of weeks ago I have had some help for a couple of hours on a Saturday from my friend Di.

Here's the cucumber frame we built for the plants to grow up!

We also built another pea and bean frame - I have mangetout that grow to more than 6ft tall and I am hoping despite germination problems to have a decent crop of borlotti beans that are also a climbing variety.

I harvested my first early potatoes today and cooked them with swiss chard (the recipe said spinach) onion, garlic, cayenne pepper and garam masala - oooh and nearly forgot some black mustard seeds - forgot to take a photo but the spuds were absolutely wonderful and almost sweet (variety SWIFT).

I also transplanted from modules some spinach, scorzonera, endive and leek seedlings.

We did a lot of weeding yesterday and the red cabbages are breathing a sigh of relief as they were becoming throttled by bindweed and thistles.

My pumpkin and zucchini plants are coming on and I am now acclimatising them to outdoor life by transferring them to my outdoor potting table where they are fairly sheltered from the wind. Hopefully they will transplant successfully sometime in the next week.

I am going on holiday in 3 weeks time so the countdown really has begun to get all the seeds and seedlings in!

The tomatoes (Oxheart Italian variety) have their first flower buds on which is very exciting and have flourished since they were planted in their big containers in the glasshouse/shed.

Seedlings galore!

This is one of about ten outdoor cucumber seeds (Marketmore) I have successfully germinated. I shall have to give some to allotment neighbours as I have too many. I now have to think up a way of making a frame for them to grow up.One possibility is an old wooden frame (that had glass in it but it smashed) which is about 4ft x 3ft. But it may not be big enough.

My greenhouse shelving is groaning with seedlings. I tend to sow in modules and then plant out once the little things have a chance against the bugs and slugs.

It seems to work well. Today I planted out some red cabbage seedlings next to the potatoes that are looking very good. Here is a picture of their cousins the Savoys that are ready to go out to. Just have to decide where now. I have to remember not to plant them where there were cabbages last year (I had loads so that doen't leave much option!)

I also have leeks, more mangetout (the second or third sowing to make sure of consistent crop and not too many gluts), Borlotti beans (not up yet) climbing french bean (yellow and called Meraviglia di Venezia or Marvel of Venice) ordinary french bean.

I also have tomatoes (Cuor di Bue or Oxheart) that look good and coriander. With other herbs like basil I don't sow I just buy a big pot from a supermarket and spilt the plants up into separate pots - you can make 12 out of 1 that way and it lasts all summer - then I freeze as pesto.

I will plant more radish this week. And continue the digging frenzy which has been made very hard (literally) by the lack of rain for almost 2 weeks. The ground is like concrete. I held off watering till today but finally succumbed because everything was looking SO dry.

I weeded my asparagus patch - the spears are now two feet tall. I haven't harvested any as there is only one spear per plant and I don't want to wreck my chances of a bumper crop next year.

I will go up again this afternoon later on and sow courgette seed. I have sent off for more uchiki pumpkin seeds as the seed I saved from last year may be a result of cross pollination and not come true and I may end up with some mutant day of the triffid type squash.