I meant to post regular updates about my garden (as a means of forcing me to weed it and keep on top of the sowing and planting), but as you can see the whole month got away from me. It has been a month full of work (university work, campsite, food truck, toilet block, new chicks) and lovely family visiting. However, I have still managed (just) to stay a little bit on top of my garden so here it is….

Growing the herbs and salad in the greenhouse early in the season has worked out well – I have now started to plant tomatoes, chillis and peppers. Various squash and courgettes are also living in this greenhouse waiting to get planted out.

The other greenhouse is mainly for cucumbers and starting plants off. My first batch of homegrown melen and iznik cucumbers all died after I put them in the greenhouse – gutted doesn’t really express how I felt. I love iznik and melen cucumbers – I love cucumbers – so I had to go to the garden centre to buy some more plants.

I have planted some borlotti beans outside, but most I will companion plant with squash and corn at the side of the house – maybe on Monday as it is a holiday here. Here are the beans before the massive hail storm on Wednesday

And after …. hope they recover

I have pulled up the last of the purple sprouting broccoli plants and fed them to the ducks and hens

I haven’t planted any more yet, but this year I am trying to grow calabrese and brussel sprouts (to eat raw in salad not cooked – yucky horrid things when cooked). Unfortunately something is eating my brassicas almost as soon as I put them in the ground despite the fact they are covered with enviromesh.

Mangetout are doing well and I hope we have some to eat soon … still got chard – yay ….

This year I am trying to grow celeriac again and celery (the celery was pretty good last year) – it is on the left next to onions and some cauliflowers (which aren’t getting eaten)

My cold frame is full of salad and herbs but as we eat this I am putting in aubergines. I love aubergines but have not had much luck growing them. I am hoping that growing them in the cold frame away from tomatoes and cucumbers might stop them rotting – more airflow, less water?? The cold frame so far has been a success – I love it – thank you to Jeff and Willy who helped me build it over Easter.

In front of the cold frame are red onions, kohlrabi, beetroot and fennel – the fennel isn’t really growing though so I might need to reseed it. Next to this patch are my potatoes, more salad and chard

We have some rhubarb, but not as much as I would like … and I am excitedly waiting for the strawberries to ripen …. must weed them this weekend

Lastly, the ducks love hanging out under the medlar tree which is the last of our fruit trees to flower