Its a desert!

   Well the weather has gone cooler but no sign of any serious rain. Least I do not have to cut the grass! The ground is dry and most crops are suffering. I am keeping the melons, cucumbers, chili, cucamelon, lettuce, aubergines, celery, celeriac, squashes and pumpkins going but most anything else, tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, beetroot, sweet peppers, french beans, gigante beans, Jerusalem artichokes and peas is having to take its chance. Fortunately the potatoes had pretty much finished  growing and are now being dug up which I might add in the dry soil is not always easy! My lettuce rotation continues to work although I think I might be about to hit a patch without any available to pick for a few days. I have put up netting around the outside tomatoes to keep those feather beggars off. 
   In the poly tunnel things are not much better despite regular watering with well water. The tomatoes are starting to crop well, mainly Milefleur, Galina and Gardeners Delight. The Roma tomatoes look a little sad to say the least. Blight is starting to take hold so who knows how many more tomatoes I will get. Sweet peppers and chili look good. The cucumbers after an initial flush have slowed up and is also beginning to start looking sad. I have planted out beetroot in the poly tunnel in an effort to get some beetroot this year. Least I can water it without the chickens eating the leaves! The hundredweight pumpkins continue to do well. 

100wt Pumpkin (one of 5)

   I found this woodpecker under one of my nets. It was interesting to be so close to it.