Wednesday 18th August 2010 - weather: bright and breezy

Flying visits seem to be all I can fit in during the kids hols. I have told them that I want to go for a decent visit, but they moan and groan. Mananged an hour yesterday and the same again today which was good.

Yesterday was just to pick. Came home with a carrier bag of mixed French and Runner beans. I also cut a couple of courgettes (they are very slow at getting going) and cucumber. I picked a bowl full of tomatoes (I am not sure if they aren't just beginning to show the first signs of blight) and pulled some carrots and spring onions and cut the first few mini corns. There is still plenty on the plot to bring home, beets, spinach, chard, kale, spuds, onions, cabbage, and so on, but whilst I don't need it, it can stay put. I do need to sow some more fast growing things and overwintering bits, so I need to get up to the plot and the kids have promised that next week we can.

Amazing what a drop of rain can do. My squash bed looks amazing. It is a jungle and there are loads of fruit developing which is exciting. After going to a potager in France that grows over 300 varieties of squash, I have decided next year to devote a bit more time and attention to my squashes.

Anyhow, I digress. Todays lottie adventure was mainly to tie up my wayward tomato plants. They are soooooo heavily laden with fruits, that if the blight holds off and they all ripen, I will have tomato sauce in the freezer to last me into the summer of 2011 !! Plum toms seem to have done really well. I am relieved as I had a tomato disaster during spring. When we first got our gals and moved them into the greenhouse, I still have all of my young tomato plants living on the staging - 30 odd varities, looking lovely. All was well for the first few weeks, until the gals spotted greenery, and up they all went one night, and ate every single plant down to a stump. Buggers!! So I had to start again. I didn't sow, but I begged, pleaded and purchased plants at local plant sales, at peoples gates, and took peoples spares. So, I now have quite a mixture of plums, cherries, regular, stripey and huge beefsteaks. Phew, alls well that ends well and all that.

So that was that, home again. Now, fingers crossed next week I will have a more detailed blog after being able to spend a bit more time on the plot.....we shall see.