Our rollercoaster summer has come out of a dip and is climbing a steep gradient, heading towards the summit of 31° on Tuesday before levelling off for the rest of the week….it’s going to be hot! But we are not going to complain are we, because, based on the past few months it is likely to be a brief window of proper high summer. After that we will probably plunge rapidly down hill with the brakes off, so enjoy it while it lasts.
The grain harvest has started on the arable land on the Moyns Park Estate, the hay has been cut and baled, and the monstrous tree felling machine is back in the woodland thinning out the trees. On the horse stud the yearlings are now being exercised on the walker at the start of their preparation for the autumn sales at Tattersalls in Newmarket. So it’s a time of great activity, as it is for me in the market gardening, with lots of time consuming harvesting to do, as well as crop maintenance, weeding, grass cutting, and watering/feeding, and I have to flail mow the comfrey jungle at the bottom of the garden this week – if I can stand the heat in the cab of my little tractor.
I have resorted to covering the courgettes with netting to prevent the loss of the entire crop to the Muntjac, and already I am seeing the rewards with the harvest of a few fruit. The drawback is that I need to remove the netting during the day to allow pollination, and then remember to replace it in the evening. One lapse in this routine and it will be back to square one. I don’t want to tempt fate, but thus far they have left alone the uncovered winter squash.
I did another video last week showing the current state of things in the greenhouse, but also a brief look inside the polytunnel and part of the outside growing area. I posted it on the Moyns Park Organics Facebook page, so you will find it there if you haven’t already seen it. https://fb.watch/tCb4WE9qmW/
The finger? Oh the finger. It’s doing really well. It’s still sore but it has healed remarkably well, given that the accident happened only just over 2 weeks ago I am more than happy. Okay it’s not a nice rounded finger tip, but once the wound has new skin on it you will have to look hard to see that it’s not perfect. I just wonder if I will lose any sensitivity, it feels a bit numb at the moment.
The French beans have the same status as last week – first come first served. I actually had enough for everyone last week, so I hope that I will again this time. I am still disappointed with the progress of the runner beans, they are really dragging their heels. There are now plenty of tomatoes and cucumbers, there are red onions as well as brown, and Gatsby potatoes in addition to the Maris Peer of the past weeks. The summer cabbage has finished, and I think that the Florence fennel will have bolted in the sunshine and heat by mid-week, but courgettes make a return. Lettuces are loose leaf types, but after this week there will be a break because I got the timing wrong in planting the follow on batch.
I’ve got to go back to the garden now to do the watering, close up the greenhouse, and re-cover the courgettes, so I’m going to call it a day. I will try to be more entertaining next week, but by then the athletics will have started at the Olympics so I am not going to make any promises.
Have a lovely week, take a daytrip to the seaside if you can; a paddle in the sea will wash your worries away.
Phil