Summer bits and bobs.

[Cider Boys]

That is a kind gesture Westie, I expect he will appreciate your generosity.

I went down with my dog to see the Flying Scotsman on the WSR and as I was waiting we were joined by several holiday makers. The train was late and I could overhear the excited families saying they could hear the famous locomotive coming, unfortunately what they were hearing was the sound of my dog panting in the heat! Alas it did arrive and it was a splendid sight to see.

Barney

[Westi]

Officially hot today, inside the tunnel was 41C & just walking in there was like a sauna. The plants are loving it, the cucumbers are climbing & I spotted baby fruit, all the toms are starting to set flowers, the sweet potatoes are covering the ground & the melons are trying to escape outside! The naughty runner beans are still very fickle but some of my sown seeds have popped up looking quite frisky.

I only have 1 bed to weed but I have to plant out the PSB & winter stuff which I would have liked to have done as I went along, but got in the zone; nothing like no weeds to make you feel happy! Will finish this when down on Saturday & then tackle the beds in front of the tunnel as some prickly guys have moved in; probs putting out the 'Welcome to our Home' sign so best direct them elsewhere quickly!

My neighbour is indeed a brilliant man OH, he just has to be busy all the time which is very opportunistic for me, but I compensate with petrol & chicken feed. He is always allowed on my plot & I even advised the committee to ignore him if on my plot after some other side folk started reporting his trespassing!

[oldherbaceous]

Another scorcher today, poor allotments look like an arid plain!
All of Codgers early Charlotte potatoes, have died off….think him planting them really early, hasn’t helped.

[oldherbaceous]

How are things in the Big garden Clive?
I planted hundreds of plants about 6 weeks ago, in the different gardens I work at, and i’m really struggling to keep them alive, with the lack of rain….really frustrating.

[Clive.]

Hello Old H',
There's a rather more retentive soil than at home here. I am a staunch believer in putting water underneath at planting time and pulling the dry soil back around...and we have been fortunate to have caught a few small doses of rain during the otherwise long dry.

Lunchtime is.... Boldor beetroot sandwich time

C.

[oldherbaceous]

Afternoon Clive, that’s exactly what I do….think it is where the water table is so low, and the temperatures so high….it’s the bigger plants that were in 3 litre pots, that are struggling the worse!
Hope you enjoy your Boldor.

[retropants]

I’m finding even my well watered veg plants are wilting daily at the moment.

[Westi]

Another hot one down here, but I did get the weeding done I wanted, funnily doing my walk around it was like I had never weeded some of beds, but that's OK; I'll wait for the light rain showers expected end of the week that will make it an easier task & give me a chance to do some of the sows & plants into the prepped beds & get them netted while waiting.

Big issue with wasps today so was ducking & diving a bit. I think they are getting over indulgent on the sugar water I leave out for the bees, maybe it is turning into ETOH with the heat, either way its got to go for a bit until the wasps find another source, then I will set up the bee bar again for the more passive guys. Mind the ripening fruit is another attractor so might not be the sugar water, but I do rake up dropped fruit & throw it onto the compost out of my way as my first job each morning.

[AdrienneRobinson]

Another hot one here again today - while I was watering first thing this morning before it got too hot, I noticed a few of the calabrese should be ready to pick sometime this week! The blackcurrants have finally finished and I’ve frozen loads so that will save us buying blueberries for quite a while.
Regarding wasps, one managed to sting me while I was picking the blackberries - I didn’t spot him in time. Then I noticed another blackberry I had just picked still had a wasp on it! Phew, just saw it in time!
The Bramley apple tree is loaded and still dropping fruits - some of them are pretty big now, so yesterday I cooked one with some of our blackberries and we had it after our meal last night - it was delicious.

[oldherbaceous]

I still get that marvellous feeling when harvesting stuff I have grown, Adrienne, so glad you are getting some good rewards….apart from the wasp sting that is!
Have Ladybirds everywhere at present…..

[AdrienneRobinson]

Yes I agree wholeheartedly OH, that marvellous feeling keeps us going with it all don’t you think! And yes, there was something on the telly yesterday morning about there being lots of ladybirds this year - that’s got to be good for our gardens hasn’t it. I didn’t get a single blackfly on the broad beans, nor in my Bramley tree this year which is usually heavily attacked, presumably at least partly down to there being so many ladybirds.
I hope your poor plants can pick up soon OH, and that you get some decent rain where you are, it must be so disheartening when you must have put so much time and effort in.

[oldherbaceous]

I heard something Friday, i’ve never heard before, multiple Ladybirds are called a, loveliness….made me smile!
I remember years ago, when my lovely old neighbour was alive, I was moaning about the weather and he said, “we will always get some sort of weather, boy”, how right he was……

[Clive.]

We had a load of ladybirds a few days ago..

Meanwhile, today attending the local show, we had three flypasts by a BBMF Spitfire 19 and then by chance the Red Arrows passed overhead en route back from the South coast.
Not too arduous trip to the show....cross my road, which was closed for the day and then 100 yds to walk...

C.

[oldherbaceous]

Sounds a perfect trip out, Clive…

[Westi]

The Red Arrows flew right over the house yesterday Clive, actually saw them 3 times as they flew over on Sat but then straight over the IOW & did not return this way, but yesterday they did the return as well, so loud as they were very low. No official displays by them this year for Bournemouth as council is broke, good job Bournemouth has a glorious beach as nothing else to attract folk in the town as nearly all the stores are closed.

Nicer day on the plot as had a nice breeze & temp way down on where it was. Finally finished the water cress bed today, moaned about the flooding in that area but it certainly suited them. Broke through enough of the hard soil to plant & set up a dripper bag for keeping them moist, a bit of tweaking to do with the rate of flow but on the positive I know the seeds are in very moist soil currently! Both of the winter Kale & BSP beds prepped, sown & netted, the weed piles in the path collected, & my tardy throwing of them onto the top of the closed compost sorted. I hasten to add nothing at the back was touched as wasps were down there before me & very feisty today. 1st couple of cucumbers should be ready when down on Wed & have my eye on some toms that will be good to go as well including the first black one. Shame the lettuce has all bolted but I'll do a trade with my neighbour for one of his.