Busy in June

Well, it's now June and I'm certainly keeping very busy with my gardening. To recap: I've been planting out veg that's been accustomed to the outdoors and I'm now able to harvest more as the gardening year progresses.

Broad beans: 

These are now producing lots of pods and as the family prefers smaller, more tender broad beans (older, bigger beans can get tough), I've now started collecting and freezing the beans. They store exceptionally well in the freezer and I prefer this to drying them. So far I've collected a total weight of 400g and there's still plenty to pick. As for any pests - there's been a few aphids but not many and I think that may be due to a couple of factors. The first is that I have planted companion plants near them. I chose borage, which the aphids have flocked to and seem to not bother with the beans. Secondly, I recently took the tops off the broad beans. Aphids prefer tender young stems so by removing these I've deterred them further. The tops can be cooked and eaten so that's extra food for the table!

Healthy looking bean pods.

Beans and tops for food.

Courgettes and peas: 

I have three courgette plants that were in pots but seeing as there's plenty of room in the garden still, they were planted out. So far each plant is producing flowers and there are at least two very young courgettes on each plant. These plants aren't keen on wind so if you want to plant out these in your garden, bear in mind the position: somewhere sheltered from the wind will be great. 

Like the beans, the peas are producing pods but I don't use these for the dinner table. They are a treat for everyone who likes to take a trip down to the veg patch and pick a few for themselves. Fresh peas are sweet and full of flavour but the quality of the flavour will start to deteriorate fairly quickly after picking. When harvesting peas, don't leave them too late as they will become starchy when the peas are big. If it's your first time growing peas and you're not sure when the right picking time is, just pick one and try the peas. Look at the size and taste them. Experimenting by eating is the best way of finding the best picking time!

This one's not quite ready for picking just yet!

Don't be fooled by the appearance in this photo - the courgette shown here is only three inches long!

Tomatoes: 

Perhaps my favourite to grow, the tomato takes top spot in the gardening year. My tomato plants have been spread around, some in the green house, some in the polytunnel, some in a temporary green house and the remainder outside. All the plants I'm growing are now in their permanent homes. Those outside are supported by canes/hazel sticks, while the rest are supported with string (to make it easier as they grow). There are trusses appearing on most now so it's just a matter of waiting for tomatoes to ripen. Remember to keep feeding tomatoes and with indeterminate varieties, keep pinching out any side shoots so that the plant's energy goes into producing fruit. 

Garlic:

The garlic I grew in pots and outdoors were starting to get yellow leaves so I decided now was the time to harvest them. If left too late the bulbs would start to open up and at that point they won't store very well. I lifted the bulbs and am now drying them under the sun. If you're doing the same, check for mould routinely and when the leaves are dry, you can move your garlic into storage elsewhere. Expect drying to take about 2-4 weeks. 

Drying whilst being hung up in the polytunnel until temperatures get too hot.

And everything else:

Marrows, pumpkins and butternut squashes have gone outdoors now and are doing well. Runner, climbing French and Berlotti beans have been planted outside and are currently growing with the support of bamboo canes (the canes kindly donated by my neighbour). I've stopped earthing up the potatoes and am now waiting for the right time to harvest them. It's the first time for me growing Rooster potatoes and I'm hoping for a good crop. Roosters are a maincrop and they should be ready when the leaves start turning yellow, which I reckon should be about early August. The onions that were grown from seed are growing, although a few did die after being transplanted. The chillies are now in the polytunnel after being grown in the house and both varieties are producing non stop now. The Jalapeno is very hot and so is the Apache, but I find that the heat from the Apache does die down sooner! 

An apache chilli waiting to be picked.

Time for the wildlife:

The good news is that Spines McCoy the hedgehog has come back to the garden and is eating a mix of mealworms, hedgehog biscuits and cat food each night, along with helping eliminate slugs. This week's breakthrough was on Wednesday, when Jim (the feral pigeon) started feeding from my hand. It's been delightful feeding him but the rest of the flock are still a little nervous. The garden hosts several fledglings each day including starlings, robins, dunnocks, great tits and blue tits. On top of growing my own I find that encouraging wildlife has been great for my mental health and I've never felt better.