Harvest Time

Finally, I get to make a post about harvesting! Had my first pickings this weekend - the fun part begins.

I harvested my first early potatoes and have been trying those. They taste pretty good although slightly bitter. Not sure if it's the potatoes or the mint, which wasn't in the best condition. Anyway, I'm going to do some more tonight so hopefully they will be better. I didn't get a huge crop, but it was big enough and hey, who needs heaps of potatoes in the middle of a heatwave anyway. The first lot I did with creme fraiche and mint, but will be trying some tonight with bacon and oil; hopefully they'll be a bit sweeter in that combination. It was a proud moment when I came in with my bowl of spuds to show Christine that all the months of old compost bags and straggly growth had been worth it. Still not sure she's convinced to be honest ;-).

Next, I pulled up a carrot or two. As expected, they had forked badly because the soil is much too rich. Must add sand next year. Anyway, the carrot I pulled up was about an inch long and was quite rounded. It tasted delicious and I think they'll be perfect for salads so I'm not really bothered about the forking. It was the sweetest carrot I'd ever tasted and that's all that matters. I've also got lots of sugar snaps, which taste fab when eaten straight from the plant. Like the carrots, they are very sweet and crunchy and I'll have enough for plenty of salads. The peas and beans are by far the most attractive veg plants I have - pretty flowers and lovely leaf growth, definitely worth doing.

Having dug up my first earlies, I had room to move my tomato plants to the side so you can actually walk but the steps without being attacked now. I have little green tomatoes on most of my plants now with one or two producing Brandywine beefsteak tomatoes. The Brandywine were supposed to be grown in the greenhouse but due to mislabelling I ended up putting them outside. Nevertheless, they seem to be fruiting okay and of course, I can tell them apart now they have tomatoes on!

Elsewhere, I have gooseberries that are just starting to turn red so waiting to pick them for a pie. My apple tree now only has two apples left on it as Mother Nature has seen to the rest. Anyway, you aren't supposed to grow more than six in the first year so hopefully it'll do the tree good. In the squash patch, the plants are going beserk. After I'd planted I read that they grow really big and it wasn't a joke - they are huge. Bit worrying really but as I love squash, I'll stick with it.

In the flower dept, my nasturtiums are huge and taking over the back of the garden - didn't realise climbing nasturtiums could be so huge. My parents have some lovely little ones in hanging baskets so think I'll steal some of their seeds for next year. My Clematis Niobe has flowered and gone unfortunately. It was stunning but the 30 degree+ heat of yesterday finished it off so it looks like that might be it for this year. Not to worry as I have a Grandiflora which should flower next month and my passion flower is just coming into flower to make up for it.

Will be posting again in the next day or two, mainly lists of things to do and buy and maybe some piccies of those giant nasturtiums and squash plants.