Summer veg

Now all the family have departed for other holiday destinations I can have the time to reflect on the veg garden.  Plus its too hot to do much outside although I am taking the opportunity to wash blankets and pillows!

Like everyone else there have been days this year when we have wanted to give up gardening.  Cold winter, long difficult early spring then the "big dry". 

What went well?
Broad beans - very light crop with loads of black fly. Enough from one single row as I don't particularly like them.
Dwarf French beans - despite looking poorly when they went in and got cold and blasted by easterly winds are cropping well despite not being very big plants at all.

Washing up bowl full one day.

Courgettes - again plants took a while too get going and now won't stop, Pleas all round for NO MORE courgettes for tea.

Tomatoes - slow, slow and much smaller than ever before but are now cropping well Sold 4lbs at the garden gate yesterday and have enough flowing through for tomato sauces and soups as needed for us.

Cucumbers - one big one every 2 or 3 days so more than enough for us and the visiting grandkids who all adore slices and would prefer that to sweets.

Peas - surprising left alone by pigeons and we had loads off a short 6 ft row. Grandchildren loved to help pod these and it teaches them where food comes from (city dwellers - peas come from Tes**cos!!).

Carrots - only managed to get one row and second sowing to come up as it was much too ho for germination. Husband watered a lot and now we have fairly decent crop.  Had a thunderstorm last weekend so he quickly re rotovated where the broad beans were and put in 2 more rows in the damp soil.  Hotter now so not much hope there.

Runner beans - weird.  No other word for it. Multi stems all from the base and very thin at top of poles. Beans are small, short in length and liable to go to seed quickly,  Had a sneek round a few veg plots on way round village and most people's seem the same.

Cabbage - look like lace with so many white cabbage butterfly but they are big. Pity no one wants to eat them as hot meals are just not wanted.
Leeks - good crop as they went in early, may be going to seed and again no one wants much hot food at present so I am hoping they last out til Sept.
Broccoli - came and went with very small heads withing days.  Got a couple of meals and some soup.
Parsnips - poor germination but after the one day of rain those that are there are putting in some growth for the winter.
Potatoes - poor, the seed pots were effected by cold in the shed, made early growth then just stopped when it went over 25C.  What we have dug have been small and very dry to cook with, just as they turn soft enough for boiled they go to mush in the pan.  Not bad roasted but again who wants the oven on?
Sweet corn - very short but put on 2 feet after the thunderstorm and we straightened the flattened ones back up.  The soil was so dry they were tossed about in the winds as the storm raged round us. Thanks to hares eating the side shoots early on there are some plants with no cobs but some are doing well.  A light crop predicted.
Lettuce - I should have photo'd those! Have you ever seen lettuce literally cooked in the ground?Husband has replanted among the shade cast by tomatoes plants and meanwhile I am BUYING lettuce to go with cucumbers and toms.
Radish - great early crops but later ones devastated by flea beetle.  So easing off planting more.
Spring onions - good crop off the seeds on a tape.  Really recommend the ease of this.  But we have not used them all up quickly enough and they are getting big and tough now.
Onions - grow from seed this year and have done really well.  Ready to use and mostly medium sized.
I will stop by soon and reflect on the fruit crop.  Just remembered the one task I was going to try to do today which will take 20 mins outside - if I can stand the heat as it is all ready 29.8C at 10.30 am.