Friday 30 May 2014

Garden Share Collective - June 2014

This is my monthly contribution to the Garden Share Collective an expanding community of gardeners across the globe.

May has been a very busy month for me, and the garden is now brimming with good stuff. This is my favourite time of year, when all the crops are looking fresh and full of potential, and there is nothing that looks tired and in need of replacing.

I have spent a lot of time erecting support systems - e.g. for the Runner Beans


and protective systems - e.g. nets for the Brassicas and Strawberries




Lots of planting-out has taken place. The Runner Beans and French Beans are in


The Tomatoes are now outside, in big pots. My "Main crop" ones are housed in 40cm self-watering pots like these, and supported by bamboo canes held securely with metal supports.


I have six Brussels Sprout plants in and growing away, and I also managed to squeeze in two Tenderstem Broccoli plants (in the centre of the bed) as well, which will mature much more rapidly, giving me two crops from the same bed.


I have planted some of my Leeks, following my pledge to do more to extend my cropping season into the Winter months. As many of you will know, my plot is very small, so I have only been able to make room for 16 Leeks. That bed they are in is also hosting a couple of Cabbages (more to be added soon to provide a successional crop), and I will soon be putting in a few Swede Turnips when the seedlings are big enough to transplant.


The First Early potatoes have produced a lot of foliage and are looking exceptionally healthy so far. I hope to be harvesting them in early or mid-June.


The Chilli plants have been potted up too (into 10" pots) and are now living outside permanently. They are not particularly happy at the moment (not growing much), because we are going through a spell of cool, wet weather.


One of the Turkish Peppers has set its first fruit, so we're making progress:


I was hoping to have had some Broad Beans by now, but they are only just setting pods:


My few Peas have produced a fair few pods, but none of them are ready just yet. Perhaps another week or 10 days...


My Asparagus bed is still producing a steady stream of spears. Never enough, mind, but still nice!


The Blueberry bushes are laden with fruit, and I'm hoping for a much better harvest than last year, which was exceptionally poor. No ripe fruit yet, but it won't be long. I grow my Blueberry bushes in pots, so that I can move them around as necessary. Soon it will be time to shift them into a place where I can conveniently protect them with a net to keep the predatory Blackbirds off.


My garden is primarily dedicated to growing edible plants, but I'm making a bit of an effort to include more ornamentals, which I shall represent here with this stunning Aquilegia.


The shrubs are probably at their best right now too. This is purple Cotinus and yellow Golden Dogwood:



Here's a summary:
Harvested
Asparagus
Radishes
Lettuce
Herbs

Sowed
Lettuce
Endive
Radicchio
Turnips
Swedes
Cabbage

Planted
Leeks
Lettuce
Cabbage
Cucumbers

Plans for next month
Harvest Broad Beans, Peas, Potatoes, Lettuce, Asparagus, Radishes, Strawberries, Blueberries
Tie-in Beans, Tomatoes and Cucumbers as they climb their canes
Plant Cabbage, Swede, Lettuce, Endives, Radicchio and possibly PSB
Make some Comfrey Tea plant food

Well that's it from me for this month. Next month I hope to be reporting some more harvests!

In the meantime, why not visit some of the other blogs in the Garden Share Collective and see what some other gardeners are up to....(it might take you all month, because this thing is getting popular!)


16 comments:

  1. I love to see your garden day by day. I like the supports for your runner beans. But the most interesting part is your asparagus plot. I have to learn more about this one.

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  2. It's all really coming on now. I love this time of year when everything gets going and harvests are in sight. It definitely looks as though it's going to be a good blueberry year for you.

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  3. Yes, the most busy and beautiful month follow - what a blessing.

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  4. It looks like June will be a great month for you. I hope you get some warmer weather to get those peppers growing.

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  5. What's the spacing of your leeks, Mark? I think I may have been tempted to squeeze mire in.

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    1. I think it is about 30cm each way. Or thereabouts... Remember I'm no expert on this, so don't copy me!

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  6. Everything looks lush and very healthy and it's interesting to see what you are harvesting. I agree it's the best time of year. I think if you plant leeks closer together you get smaller leeks. Not necessarily a bad thing - it depends how you want them.

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  7. It all looks great Mark and I agree it's my favourite time of year also loads of potential and things coming into harvest all the time now.

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  8. Mark, your garden is exquisite as always. Everything looks perfect always.

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  9. I'm very impressed with how things are coming along in your garden, Mark. My peas are only just into flower, as are the broad beans. I'm particularly impressed with your tomato planters; when my toms go into the garden the watering can get a bit hit and miss, depending on how busy my day is. I've found some on Amazon and may invest in a set. Worth getting the saucer do you think? And how often do you top yours up, or is it obvious?

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    1. Caro, the topping-up of the tomato pots depends very much on the weather. I have saucers for mine, which I deploy only when it gets hot. Normally, I think the pots will need more water about every 48 hours.

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  10. Wow your garden has loads going on Mark! It looks fabulous. You are going to have some bumper harvests by the looks of it :-) Happy gardening, I look forward to your update next month.

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  11. What a great time of year for you, everything is looking so healthy. Its coming into winter for us and I too have snowpeas going. Look forward to seeing next months garden update.

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  12. What a beautifully laid out plot. I have just started growing blueberries in pots after some pretty poor crops. I'm hoping that I can keep the soil acidic enough for them to thrive. Do you feed your blueberries with anything??

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    1. Sarah, my blueberries are in pots (looking very small these days as the bushes have grown!), so I feel that giving them something every now and then is a good idea. I use general-purpose plant food, the sort of stuff I use on my flower containers.

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  13. You are such a neat gardener! Beautiful clear photos too.

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