Ain't half hot mum!

  The weather continues to be dry. There are been no significant rainfall for quite some time. That means two things. One, the grass stopped growing (hooray!), two I have to water more of the garden than I would like.
   In the poly tunnel nothing much has changed. I am now picking a few tomatoes and the number is increasing every day. I am picking cucumbers and pulling beetroot. Even managed to cut some cabbage. It has been a poor year for cabbage.
   Outside the poly tunnel weeding continues albeit with difficulty as the ground is now becoming very dry. The last of the Bonnette Noumoutier potatoes have been dug up and I have moved on to the Belle de Fontenay bed. The onion crop is going to be very poor this year. Lack of rain has meant the bulbs have not swollen as much as they should have. The shallots have been harvested, sorted and topped and tailed ready for pickling. Nice crop. Still need to look at the tree onions to see what crop I have there. Winter leeks have been purchased (150 plants) and most have now been planted. The are more than enough round and straight courgettes! I have not yet pulled any carrots. Must do so and see what they are like. They look good. The first ripe tomato has been picked from the outside plants and guess what? The chickens have already noticed. In the melon bed blacktail water melon and troubadour melon are springing up all over the place. I guess as long as I keep watering they ought to do well. They have really liked the hot and sunny weather.
   On the animal front I accidentally killed one of the chicks. The other two are thriving and growing fast. The sheep are being sheep and are enjoying being able to wander over the large field. Looks like the chickens are getting back into laying eggs. It has been a poor month for eggs, only some one hundred and thirty eight eggs in total (includes broken ones).

Troubadour melon

Blacktail water melon