We have been having a very mixed summer here in the UK with both very hot and fairly cold weather as well as some high winds. I am just wondering if I need to water tonight as it feels like it will rain.
Our tomatoes have done well this year even though I did not really stake them well enough. They have grown a bit out of control, but there are plenty of fruit on there. I have picked a few small yellow ones. Just need these big ones to ripen.
The recent rain seems to have done the raspberries a lot of good. I am able to pick a handful every couple of days. I cut the plants right down at the end of the season and they come back strong.
Courgettes (aka zucchini) are sneaky plants. One day the crop will be tiny and a couple of days later they are huge, or maybe they were just hiding under a leaf. I am not sure I noticed this one before today.
Lots of people go out blackberry picking at this time of year, but we can just reach over the fence. The garden next door is neglected and totally wild. You could not get in there, but we can reach lots of berries. Tons more is only accessible to the birds. Picking them is tricky as the plants are so prickly. I had to hack back a load of long branches that were trying to invade our garden. Thick gloves are essential for that job.
Some of the apple trees are doing well. This one over the chicken run has bigger apples than usual, but another seems to have no fruit at all. Our newest tree has some good apples, but they are very high up and some were blown off before they got big enough. Our big cooking apple tree had to be taken down this year as the roots were thought to be damaging next door.
I thought the strawberries had finished, but I found new fruit today. I hope there will be more than one.
The rhubarb is very reliable and productive. We give a lot away.
The chickens have not been so productive lately with only a couple of eggs each day from the five of them. Some may just be getting too old, but we let them live out their retirement.
The plum tree did not do so well last year, but is making up for it now. We have given lots away, but I will be picking some to eat now and may freeze some. Lots have fallen off and some just rot on the tree. I have seen quite a few wasps around them, which may be a good thing as wasps seem less common these days and they are valuable predators to have in the garden.
I am not a great gardener, so it is nice to have so much coming from the garden. It tastes better when it is so fresh.
Live well!
