The garden is just starting to fill out, with leaves getting bigger and lusher.  Beans are climbing the poles, and the beetroot, tomatoes, and Tokyo turnips starting to swell.  The first of the radishes have arrived and taste so delicious that I am thinking we should have sown even more because they are disappearing pretty fast!  This week we have been filling three of the raised boxes, sowing more rows of carrots and beetroot, spring onions, and spinach.  We have planted out more dwarf beans and tomatoes.

Many thanks this week to Terry and Alan for bringing some trays of seedlings, plus three cucamelons which are an exciting addition to the plot!  Thanks also to Freddie for the seeds, and Paula for the gooseberry bush plus a lovely shrub rose which we have planted close to a tree that Paula’s family planted many years ago in memory of her father.  We had a donation of some rather sad looking gooseberry plants plus two red current bushes which were picked up for next to nothing because they had been attacked by sawfly caterpillars.   They can strip a plant of its leaves in less than a day if left unchecked; however the plants should recover with a bit of TLC and be fine for next year.

What’s next  

• WATERING!  Sorted for Sunday night and Monday night

• Stake the new tomato plants

• Finish filling the raised boxes and top with a little compost.

• Sow more seeds!

• Clear the land to the left of the fruit trees

• We might get to plant out the leeks and kale next week!

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Well, Wednesday might have been a washout, but Saturday certainly was not!  Brilliant sunshine!  The fig tree got properly planted in a bigger pot, the next two raised beds got placed in situ and partially filled with the old grass turf, more ground got dug over and weeded, the two last raised beds got another coat of preservative, lettuces and tomatoes were planted, and more salad seeds sown! 

Many thanks this week to Geoff, one of the Saga gardeners, for the donation of some much needed hazel poles for beans, to Jill for the dozen tomato plants, and Theresa for the seeds and flowering plants!  Excellent news is that the Sandgate Society has very kindly given us £100 to enable us to build on what we have achieved so far, and take us into next year with all the seeds and plants we need!  We are bursting with ideas of what we would like to grow from the autumn, into winter and early spring, the aim being to grow food all year round.

The first of the salads has been picked!  The ‘cut and come again’ salad in the boxes is having its first cut, and will be joined by the radishes not far behind, later this week!  When cutting or picking salad, make sure you only take the leaves, and not the stem and crown of the plants, so that they can sprout again.  That way we should get several servings from the same plants!  Mixed with young nasturtium leaves and flowers, also calendula petals, and maybe chives, how more local and seasonal can you get!!

I mentioned last week to take time to look at things….. well, look at the photo attached for the view we have from the garden… that really is something!  On a smaller scale however, keep checking the beans and salad leaves for unwanted critters trying to move in!  Until the garden is balanced with more predators to help us out like ladybirds, ground beetles and, who knows…maybe some frogs…we shall have to be on our guard!

Next organised meet ups – Monday 6pm, Wednesday and Saturday 10am

If you are on WhattsApp, Sheila our Technical Advisor can add you to the group.

What’s next

• Watering – covered for this weekend! Early morning or later in the afternoon is best on warm days!

• Last coat of preservative on the last 2 raised boxes

• Get all boxes in situ and fill with whatever we have got!

• Sow more seeds

• Eat salad!

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