The sun has got his hat on, Hip! Hip! Hip! Horray!

   It is the 6th July and the sun and heat has arrived! The last couple of days has been sunny and hot and the forecast is for it to continue. That means a lot of watering to be done. And it has continued. I am writing this on the 12th July and every day since the 6th has been hot and is forecast to continue. There has been a thunderstorm and a shower of rain but really nothing much at all. First time this year I have had to refill the water butts from the well.

New metal tomato poles

   In the poly tunnel my tomato's have leaf mould. Not good. I have had a lot of problems with mould in the poly tunnel. Not surprising really as it has been wet and warm and so very humid. I just hope that the tomato's can produce before the mould gets them. As it happens leaving the doors open all the time on the poly tunnel has slowed up the progress of the mould.  In the poly tunnel the toms are started to turn red with a vengeance particularly the Latah variety. Outside the bed of ninety have been staked with new metal tomato poles and tied up. That was a mammoth job.  I have sown beetroot in modules which was quite successful last year and more lettuce. I have also added more coriander and a row of White Lisbon spring onions. Great Lakes lettuce and some Little Gem has been transplanted In the outside garden I have all but given up on the brassicas and my Oregon sugar snap peas have not germinated well. Out of four sowing of peas, admittedly different varieties, only two types have germinated well. The courgettes are coming along well and I expect to start picking them in three or four days (written 09/07).  Well, that did not happen. Guess I should have watered them. My late sowing celery is now out in the outside garden and I am hopeful that given the longer growing season here they will manage to mature ok. It is time to start thinking of what to sow for the "hungry" gap. ( end of March to the start of June).
   The beast (motor mower) has let me down again. The handle has broken again. I just hope it can be fixed as the break is above the weld from a previous break. It is not as if I had used it excessively since the last fix! The beast was fixed and the grass mowed. I even bush wacked three of the sheep paddocks. The sheep did seem pleased to see the grass cut, lol.
   The grass in the big field has been cut and baled. The summer is moving on.