With summer well underway here in the UK and temperatures soaring, I thought it was time to give you a little update on our new veggie plot.
(It's not quite tropical for us up here, in the North East of Scotland...but still it's very nice, thank you)
We're not quite self-sufficient in fresh produce yet, but we're getting there.
The raised beds are doing well...housing onions, garlic, fennel, carrots, and brassicas (cabbage, sprouts, broccoli) .
The only failure so far has been our cauliflower...or lack of.
The seedlings didn't stand a chance with the early temperatures.
We've made a note that we shouldn't sew them so early next year.
The tatties (or potatoes) are doing really well with six different varieties.
They are flowering now so we won't have long to wait to lift them and see just what we have.
The fennel has also been a huge success.
We have far too many and will have to be inventive in how to use them all.
I'm happy to report that our cabbage, sprouts and broccoli are another success.
Here's the parsnips still in their toilet roll holders... hopefully they aren't being restricted and we have prime specimens underneath the soil.
The peas and runner beans are also starting to flower.
I can't wait for the snap of the pea pod being opened and the juicy sweet jewels held within.
Once these flowers die off we can start to lift our potatoes...well hopefully we'll have a reasonable crop. We have staggered the planting, so that we have a steady supply to harvest.
I sound so confident that there's something lying there, don't I?
We have quite a few beetroots so if you have any tips on how to use them I'd appreciate it.
I'm not sure other than to slice into a salad or to pickle them.
I was rather delighted to find that the broccoli are sprouting too and there's a couple of sprouts appeared within the cabbages!
Obviously, someone's organisational skills at the seedling stage went slightly awry.
We also have herbs, lettuce, artichoke, blueberries and strawberries.
Growing blueberries is completely new to us and we're hoping that they actually can survive up here with these temperatures. We have three small bushes that are located in the Tardis (small plastic greenhouse) and one has flowered, so I'm hoping the berries will follow.
Here's our first strawberries.
I feel we should have a strawberry ceremony...perhaps including ice-cream, meringue or maybe I'll just pop one straight in my mouth!
We should be well set ready for the start of Wimbledon if these beauties are anything to go by.
How do you prefer to eat your strawberries?
Have a great week...if you're in the middle of these record temperatures then stay cool and know that it will pass... plus there are some that would love a few more degrees up on the thermometer.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you again soon.
