Gardening at Champeau de Bas

   So who is going to win? Tomato's or blight! The tomato's in the poly tunnel are ripening and I have started to pick some, however, blight has also set in. It would seem once you have blight you are likely to always get it so the race is now on between the tomatoes getting ripe and the blight killing the plant. So far the tomatoes are winning.

Gardeners Delight (Irish) tomatoes

   In the outside garden I have dug up the shallots. The leaves were badly affected by a beetle and I have not got as big a crop as I would have expected. Mind you I do not think the soil in this particular plot was very good for shallots. The asparagus bed which is now being allowed to grow away has been weeded. More Belle de Fontenay potatoes have been dug and I am coming towards the end of the plot. So it will be onto the Franceline or Rosebelle next. Still a few Belle de Fontenay squirrelled away in a couple of small areas. First picking of haricot vert (french dwarf beans) has been made. The grass mowing continues unabated with this task currently being a weekly chore. Of course once the grass has been mown the edges usually need to be cut as well! 
   Plants in the poly tunnel are growing well. The tomatoes despite the onset of blight are producing ripe produce. Happens I planted mostly grape varieties in the poly tunnel this year. Wautoma cucumbers are now in abundance and over the next week or two I think we will be sick of cucumbers. There is a melon in the poly tunnel!  Lots of sweet peppers setting along with a couple of chilli peppers.

Melon in the poly tunnel