It all comes at once...

    I beat the rain and I have lifted the Desiree potatoes. A good crop.  Yet more rain but it came at the right time. My transplanted beetroot, variety Sanquina, are now well established after what could have been a very poor start. All the melons are well set and swelling. Picking lots of courgettes, cucumbers, and french beans. Started to pick tomatoes in earnest. The sweet peppers are now looking good and I am very hopeful for a useful crop. My earlier fears of a total disaster have not been realised. Just shows that rain, sun, rain, sun really does keep things moving along. The aubergines can now be picked and I have managed to grow some Rosi de Trento lettuce without the chickens destroying them! Yeah!

Rosi de Trento lettuce

Clutch of three aubergines

  The cucumbers are producing well, generally one or two a day! I have dug up the red onions and they are drying in the poly tunnel. I also pulled a number of small Spanish onions. They have not done so well this year. The haricot vert have also done well with several kilos picked. The runner beans are coming on and should be producing close to when the haricot vert finish. Result! The white onion variety Rynsburger are looking good and the leaves have yet to die back. They should swell a little more.  The dwarf pea, Hatif d'Annonay has now finished and the giant pea vine (up to 7 feet!) Champion of England is growing madly. Courgettes. Umm, courgettes. Currently picking two or three a day! We are getting fed up with courgettes!!
   Melons. Well what can one say about the melons. I have three varieties (Petit Gris and Troubadour) and water melons. They are just fantastic! There are over 30 melons on the Petit Gris vines and at least seven water melons. I have not counted the Troubadour but there are lots! I picked a Petit Gris melon but it was not quite ripe.

Clutch of 10 Troubadour melons

   The Hundredweight pumpkins are just as amazing! Currently there are four with one more coming along but the four are enormous already and still lots of growing time to go.
   Most be just about time to start to harvest the sweet corn. It is looking good and the cobs are quite well formed. Need to try one!
   In the poly tunnel I have planted potatoes for Christmas. This time I will be looking after them real well. I am determined to have Christmas spuds this year! Lettuce and sweet peppers look good, the toms I am very disappointed with. Tomitillios look good but are not producing yet. Lettuce is ok and the cucumber exceptional once more.
   Preparation for winter and the hungry gap has begun. Swede, turnip, carrot, fennel, spinach all sown and germinated or established plants.Celeriac, celery, parsnips, leeks, beetroot and Orbis (root parsley) already growing well. Plenty of jobs still to do.