These are a few of the things I picked today. The courgettes have finally got going after sulking all summer. All I did was defend them from slugs and rain and they sat looking miserable and not growing. Eventually I took pity on them and gave them a snuggly blanket of enviromesh - a small gauge horticultural mesh-fleece. that kept the rain off a bit and warmed them up. They perked up in September and now they're producing delicious courgettes faster than we can eat them. The tomatoes are from a free plant we we given at Barrington Court in the summer. Again because of the low light levels and low temperature this summer, the plant took ages to fruit, but now it's produced three lovely tomatoes.
The sweet peas are still going strong too after not flowering in June or July, making a bit of a feeble effort in August and then, finally, blooming in September.
This is my current experiment. These are three of our lovely organic sheep's fleeces all snuggled around the raspberries as a mulch. At the moment the jury is out on the aesthetics of this. This experiment is the result of Granny in the Annexe deciding that the meagre wool cheque was not worth the cost of getting the wool to the depot. So we decided to keep our fleeces and find a use for them. After a bit of Googling the consensus was to use them in the garden as a mulch. I'll report back on their progress.
Is this my favourite flower? Well, it varies, but I do adore the honey-smell of chamomile and it makes a lovely tea. It seeds from year to year too and, although late like the rest of the garden this year, there's a lovely big bed full of blooms to pick whenever I want a nice soothing cuppa.
These are a few of the things I picked today. The courgettes have finally got going after sulking all summer. All I did was defend them from slugs and rain and they sat looking miserable and not growing. Eventually I took pity on them and gave them a snuggly blanket of enviromesh - a small gauge horticultural mesh-fleece. that kept the rain off a bit and warmed them up. They perked up in September and now they're producing delicious courgettes faster than we can eat them. The tomatoes are from a free plant we we given at Barrington Court in the summer. Again because of the low light levels and low temperature this summer, the plant took ages to fruit, but now it's produced three lovely tomatoes.
The sweet peas are still going strong too after not flowering in June or July, making a bit of a feeble effort in August and then, finally, blooming in September.
This is my current experiment. These are three of our lovely organic sheep's fleeces all snuggled around the raspberries as a mulch. At the moment the jury is out on the aesthetics of this. This experiment is the result of Granny in the Annexe deciding that the meagre wool cheque was not worth the cost of getting the wool to the depot. So we decided to keep our fleeces and find a use for them. After a bit of Googling the consensus was to use them in the garden as a mulch. I'll report back on their progress.
Is this my favourite flower? Well, it varies, but I do adore the honey-smell of chamomile and it makes a lovely tea. It seeds from year to year too and, although late like the rest of the garden this year, there's a lovely big bed full of blooms to pick whenever I want a nice soothing cuppa.
That sweet pea is just gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteMy sweet peas abandoned the will to live around the beginning of August I think. I had given up on my courgettes again too (2nd year running0 but then the warmer and drier September gave them a boot up the pants and they are producing steadily now. I have just two plants, so can cope with their largess. It makes me feel less of a failure to hear that it's not just my garden which as gone on strike!
ReplyDeleteWow your garden is wonderful Mags. The veg look fabulous and I've never realised that that was camomile. Hope the sheep wool works out. :D
ReplyDeleteA pretty post Mags and I have just caught up on your last one too. So much to comment on - I envy you your courgettes as ours gave up the ghost completely due to lack of light, though I do have some gorgeous peas and runner beans only now setting fruit! Love the sweet peas and have read of others still picking. Such an odd year. Yes, you are mad to enter the writing marathon, but you cvlearly do well on it, so go girl! Much love xx
ReplyDeleteYour sheep skin mulch made me think that you had already had a fall of snow.
ReplyDeleteWell done with the courgettes - ours have been hopeless - perhaps we should have tucked them up too. Still picking sweet peas as well - and they still smell gorgeous.
Wool for composting - definitely yes: take a look at Dalefoot Composts: if you can't find them on the internet, let me know and I will email you the website (I was interviewing the fells farmer only last week). A.
ReplyDeleteI would love a cup of that tea- I find it very relaxing
ReplyDeleteOur courgettes took ages to get going too but have been overwhelming us in the last few weeks. I love your mulch, I could snuggle down in it myself very happily.
ReplyDeleteHumph! I'm jealous! Didn't get a SINGLE courgette this year! Nor sweat peas, nor tomatoes (actually, I lie, I have a few green ones hanging about on the plant) AND I threw seeds around to get a camomile lawn but, no, nothing happened...I'll just have to try harder!
ReplyDeletePS: the raspberries look very cosy!!
ReplyDeleteI did look twice at the fleece, but what a good idea
ReplyDelete