Taking it easy

At this time of year there is not a huge amount that needs to be done in my garden except sit back and wait for things to mature, and then harvest them when they do.

The big Tomatoes are just turning colour now, so it won't be many days before I'll be picking them. These ones are "Orkado".

I have two plants of this variety, and they are the biggest, strongest and most fruit-laden of all the 9 varieties I have in my garden this year. They have each set fruit on 6 trusses (fruit clusters), with a seventh one just forming. If the flavour of the fruit turns out to be any good, this one is a strong contender for replacing "Ferline" which I have grown for several years now as my main cropper.

The smaller tomatoes types are much further ahead - probably past their prime now. Despite the blight they have produced a reasonable amount of fruit. This one is "Maskotka", an old favourite of mine, which produces fruit that are at the top end of the size range for "cherry" toms.

Fortunately I have not lost many tomato fruits to the dreaded blight. For some reason this time, once the blight had taken hold it just slowed down and has amazingly not had the usual catastrophic results. Just a few of these horrors:

Blighted tomatoes

The "Iznik" cucumber plants have more fruit on them that is nearly ready.

There's lots of lettuce. This is one of the "Marvel of Four Seasons", growing at the base of the Runner Bean poles. I think this particular specimen is just about to bolt, so it had better be picked soon.

Some of the "Hot Portugal" chillis are nearly ripe now. My goodness, it has taken a long time!

On the other hand the Aubergines are growing very rapidly. They seem to expand by about an inch a day. I'm wondering now how I will know when they are ready for picking. This variety is called "Pingtung Long". But how long? I suspect they will get to be about 12" long, perhaps more.

I even have one "Patty Pan" squash forming now. This one looks as if it has been successfully fertilised, so I am hopeful that it will grow to a useable size at some stage. It will probably be the only squash of the year for me, since the "Butterbush" and Autumn Crown" plants have not deigned to produce any fruit at all.

I hardly dare mention Runner Beans again. They are coming in thick and fast. We love them, so the more the merrier.