Rain? Whats that? - bah! It rained!

  No rain to speak of. Even when the forecast said rain, it did not! The threat though was enough for me to pull my onions grown from seed and what a crop! Delightfully large onions! Spainish, Bedfordshire champion and Red Baron. This has made up for the disappointment with the red onions grown from sets.

Red Baron and Bedfordshire Champion onions grown from seed

  Autumn work has started. Leaves are being raked up to put onto the leaf compost heap. I continue to water the celery, celeriac and sweet peppers. The sweet peppers I think are a lost cause but I will continue! I should have watered the runner beans earlier than I did and the first flush of beans barely transpired. Hopefully the next lot will be better.  Blue Auvergne potatoes dug up and stored. Everything looks dry.
  In the poly tunnel the tomatoes are harvesting well. The autumn cauliflowers are going well but the winter cabbage looks a little moth eaten. I have continued to plant out lettuce and I am trying some beetroot.
  Ok, I spoke too soon. Since starting this blog it has rained. Probably something like two inches in half inch showers. Also thunder. This means one thing - everything will start to grow again! Least I do not have to water now! Clearing up continues. Outside cucumbers now gone and some weeding done.
  Bonnat agricultural fair on Saturday (01/09) which means I will be buying garlic to plant out. For me this is the first sign of the new season to come.

Phew!

  No sign of rain yet despite the forecast of thunder and rain. There is a plus side. No grass cutting! Very few weeds. RESULT! Crops in the poly tunnel and in the outside garden are really suffering. In the outside garden the sweet peppers are looking very sad and I do not expect to get much, if any, of a crop. The celery and celeriac have both been scorched by the sun and I am fighting a loosing battle trying to water them. On the plus side I have had a great harvest of melons. The cucumbers are now all but finished and they too have done well. The sweet corn has been good and the chickens are also enjoying it. Another week will see the end of that. The tomatoes this year have been very poor compared to last years excellent crop and I am again trying to save what I can. I am going to plant more yellow ones as the chickens have left those alone! Onions grown from see, Spanish, Bedfordshire champion and Red Karmen, are now drying off well and are a very good size. The Brussels sprouts and cabbages are looking very very sad, however, the carrots are looking good but the follow on rows have yet to germinate. The grape vine growing on one of the side walls of my barn has grown a lot this year and has produced a good crop of grapes. Hopefully I will get to them before the birds!
  In the poly tunnel the cucumbers have now been removed. The giant cabbage finally gave in and died. The tomato's here are looking healthy and are turning red. The toms in the hanging baskets have produced a very good crop of yellow tomatoes although one basket is very much at the end of its life I think. Salad bowl and Little Gem lettuce are being picked. There is still one or two Golden Primo cabbages waiting for harvest. The cauliflowers are growing well. Pak Choi (Chinese cabbage) is near to the end of its life and will soon be chicken feed. The goose, ducks and turkeys love a lettuce!
  It is hard to believe that it is the end of August and autumn is just round the corner. Soon be time to batten down the hatches for winter. Catch ya'all soon!

Giant Courgette

It ain't half hot Mum!

  It has been hot hot hot here in La Creuse. Hot means no rain, means me having to lug cans of water about, means some crops are suffering!
  Inside the poly tunnel temperatures are regularly reaching a maximum of over 50C. Good for some, bad for others. The cucumbers are on their way out. They have been overwhelmed by a fungus infection. A big problem this year has been dust. The outside of the poly tunnel is very dirty with dried on soil. As I am only 5' 10" and the poly tunnel is at least 7' high in the centre and curved it has proved very hard to clean. This means reduced light and plants tending to bolt. The dust is caused mainly by the local farmers harvesting and hay cutting. Tomatoes in the tunnel are doing well along with aubergines, salad bowl lettuce, little gems, broad leaf parsley and cauliflowers. The white fly issue has abated. I do not think they like the high temperatures! Another sowing of salad bowl done. Salad bowl in the poly tunnel has been a real success. It is too hot in the tunnel for any sowing of seed in modules so I am having to put those outside.
  In the outside garden sugar snap peas are being picked, carrots pulled, potatoes dug, cucumbers cut and the odd melon picked. More carrots have been sown. Courgettes are turning into footballs and marrows! We cannot eat them quick enough. The sweet corn is being harvested but the chickens have moved in! The grass is turning brown and is now growing very slowly. Runner beans are starting to appear and I look forward to a reasonable crop. Soon be time to sow swede and turnips. As I did last year, which was very successful, I will sow the swede in modules and plant them out rather than sow a row of seed.

Golden Sunrise from the poly tunnel

Rosebelle potatoes before lifting

  

   The summer moves on and here in Champeau the summer visitor are now here and its barbecue time with lots of cold beer, wine and food.

Spoke too soon?

   Umm, the weather has turned warm and dry. The runner beans are growing away. The haricot vert are all but over and my onions grown from seed still look good. Haricot buerre are up. I have so many cucumbers grown inside the poly tunnel and also outside that I am giving bags full away and still have too many! Some sugar snap peas and peas picked.
   Inside the poly tunnel watering has been the main task. Tomato's are now being picked along with cucumbers and primo cabbage. Cauliflowers have started to grow away and another sowing of red salad bowl is now ready to pick. The giant cabbage is still there and shows no signs of splitting or going to seed.
   Most of my time this last week has been trying to get the house garden in order. Lots of plant growth removed and general tidying done. The dry spell is starting to show its effects and those plants in sheltered areas are wilting. Least the grass has slowed down!
   In the outside vegetable garden I have finally managed to grow some leeks from seed that are worth transplanting. I have transplanting them and I am hopeful to get something from them. 

Transplanted leeks

  My friends (not) the chickens have finally managed to destroy my rosemary cuttings, bar one! They just like a dust bowl and the rosemary was where they wanted to dust their bums!
  The first melon of the season has been picked and eaten. Lots of melons on the vines so hopefully many more to come. The melon patch has been a this years success story. The outside tomato patch looks a little sorry for itself and I am not too hopeful for a good crop. They need some rain. Sweet corn is being picked and it is very nice too. The courgette patch continues to produce many courgettes and I am forced to feed them to the chickens! Least they are not going to waste. One of the old apple trees has is producing what looks like a reasonable crop and the one of the new apple trees has a couple of apples on it. 
  Autumn is just around the corner and there are already signs that is it coming. Hard to believe really.