Wednesday, August 30, 2017

OUTDOORS 28


Back home, this is the status of my fence-hedge area, leading from kitchen window to bird bath. A beautiful purple poppy from Liz who doesn't like them very much any more, a transferred red olde fashioned rose, and more nasturtiums star between privet and hawthorn.


In this second shot, you can also depict the purple plant Liz gave me, along with my yellow and pink rose transfers. Below is an update on the azalea - flowering well after a late start due to transfer. A right pretty sight under the kitchen window.



Bindweed readies to flower, offering happiness to bees and butterflies, cascading down with the prickly berry tree and hedgehog hotel, hidden by the privet lump. Geraniums and alpine strawberries pop into view if you look carefully.


Looking down towards the bird bath - which is almost hidden in our summertime - you can barely make out our path. Below a close up of the olde fashioned roses - white and red in view - along with Liz's purple poppy, nasturtiums, hawthorn...



Looking backwards towards the house - the same patch looks quite different - the lychnis plant and purple tall thing Liz gave me are easier to see and you can just spot the azalea below the kitchen window in floral abundance to the right. Talking of plants Liz gave me - this is the latest. I am uncertain of its title - but apparently it flowers in sunlight. I therefore popped 2 bits under the small apple tree - and one in my main bed.

It has since flowered with a bright reddish orange flower.

Monday, August 21, 2017

OUTDOORS 27


This shot from the plot shows my July status of the other strawberry bed, cauliflower area, some more onions, and rather a few too many weeds - which alas have had to remain for several weeks due to having so much soft fruit to pick!

 
Here is my 2017 leeks bed - doing well - with more onions and some runner beans beyond. This shot of my salad bed shows the odd left behind radish, 3 patio tomato plants and a squash of green/acorn variety, along with a few lettuces.



This picture portrays the beans and much of what I have already shown. It also depicts how close to the car park I am - and our horse muck area. I am thankfully situated not too far from this, as I only use a metal bucket which is wearing out and no longer has a handle....


My rhubarb and smaller compost bin star in this shot, with gooseberries, blackcurrants and raspberries behind. My rhubarb is a jolly good plant - and I am hoping to pop a few stalks into our local village flower and produce show this year - I was toying with doing so last year, but chickened zero. The next plant I took from this is doing fairly well - though its full of stalks, they are much smaller than this established plant, so I will leave it til next year to eat them, and pick this one to the bone in August - when there is room in the freezer to store it...



This shot from the plot shows the smaller rhubarb plant, with new gooseberry and transferred blackcurrant bushes, raspberries, leading to chilies and blueberries - and the shed. My nasturtiums also appear - yet again.

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

OUTDOORS 26






Back to the crops. Here we can see a haul including cauliflower, rhubarb, lettuce, and a bowl of gooseberries and nasturtiums. Next up, more crops - raspberries, raspberries, potatoes... May-June-July are busy cropping months!



Next, a shot along the hedge-fence. It may be more fence than hedge currently, but hopefully that will soon change. You might be able to spot 4-5 different roses - both tea rose and olde fashioned - along with yew, box-privet, hawthorn, and a yellowy folliaged thing - along with nasturtiums in the foreground.

This is the azalea which has successfully been removed from the forest of brambles and bindweed in the front yard and found a perfect home under the kitchen windowsill. I am sorry to say - we are back to the subject of crops again...


Here was a July sampling of potatoes, raspberries, cauliflower, gooseberries, rhubarb, lettuce...sigh - and yet another sampling - rhubarb, blackcurrants, raspberries, shallots, lettuce, gooseberries. Based from May and going all through June, I have a 6-10 week stretch where I am bringing home crops 5-6 days a week and spending 80% of my allotment time picking things!

Lets change the subject - to what is still growing! Here is a July picture of my onions - progressing well - with the dug over space where garlic and broad beans were harvested from, stretching to shallots at the rear.



Finally, for today - one strawberry bed, my nasturtium/squash bed, a artichokes, my salad bed, and leeks - with fruit bush 'jungle' behind.