It’s been another strange week. This morning I was informed we need to adapt to the NEW ‘normal’ – or words to that effect. I’d just woken up but I’ve already embraced ‘normal’ to stay safe. On a positive note, hopefully the garden centers will be open from today as Portugal moves from State of Emergency to state of ‘Calamity’. I need bedding plants to add colour. We will see.
The combination of showers and sun has rewarded me with a jungle. I just hope I get to harvest before the slugs, caterpillars and other assorted critters move in. I am convinced there is a hidden sign informing said critters go to piglet’s plot it’s a 3 star Michelin dining experience.
1.Curly Carrots
When I thinned my early carrots in my naive enthusiasm I replanted the discarded seedlings elsewhere. My faulty logic was based on the fact that I’d seen carrot plugs for sale at the local market. A picture saves a thousand words.
**
The original plants, while only a mouthful each were delicious!
Once the carrot crop is finished, what crop can I plant in it’s place?
2. Courgettes and the Runts of the Litter (Success and Failure)
Despite getting off to a bad start I’ve now picked at least six healthy courgettes.
Let me introduce you to the runts of the courgette litter.
3. Cucumbers
While several baby cucumbers shriveled on the vine, I’ve now harvested three healthy cucumbers. I only have two mature plants but already have three babies planted on ready to replace these after a few weeks.
4 French Beans – Ferrari
The seeds planted in pots on the 4th February and then transferred to the main bed on the 11th March are now starting to crop.
5. Peas – variety unknown
These were planted in situ on the 20th of february and are almost ready to harvest.
**
6. Speckled wood butterfly
I like to take an interest in the critters who visit my garden – friend for foe. I’ve not seen this one before and I’m trying to identify. Any ideas? DAwn has now identified as a Speckled wood butterfly. thank you, Dawn
That’s it for this week, folks. Next week I will focus on what’s in flower.
If you are an avid gardener, why not pop over to the Propagator’s blog to check out other Six on Saturday gardeners
Related post: Growing Fruit and Vegetables in Pots
Garden Diary-May: Garden Colours
Piglet in Portugal 
What an amazing amount of produce, and it is all looking so healthy! Glad you can stock up on garden supplies again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you hairbells 🙂 I am a plantaholic and already bought lots more plants since I have discovered the garden centres are open.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good for you! Our garden centres are too crowded, so I do a fair bit of online shopping. The online nurseries are scoring!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Where there is a will we will find a way 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love your less than perfect vegetables! They have character!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Amy. I loved all the pictures of your garden and the yellow fence was a stroke of genius.
LikeLike
The curlies are so cute!!! They look like something out of a fairytale.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, F. I confess I was a little surpised when I saw them.
LikeLike
Thank you for sharing your green thumb. This put a smile on my face.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you EE, are you are a gardener? I looked at your blog and I see your’ve not posted anything since 2017
LikeLike
I dabble in flowers and fresh oregano here and there. I don’t have near the gardening skill set you have. I do love gardens and I appreciate the hard work that goes into them. With the stay in place I’m trying to garden a little more. We will see. As for the websote. I’m slowly working on updating that website and currently working on this one https://canelaajenacom.wordpress.com/
LikeLike
Seeing your produce reminds me of how late I started my garden. Vegetables are supposed to be early here. It took weeks just to clear the site. I would not have done so a all if I had been able to work.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Is this a new site you are developing, Tony?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes. It is at work, where those who I work with wanted a vegetable garden. It is not enough for all of us, but we all should get a little bit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The curlies made me smile! Everything else looks delicious . . .do hope the gradual lifting of restrictions goes okay
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am a little apprehensive of lifting restrictions but if one of them is everyone has to wear masks when out shopping or in commercial buildings it could work.
LikeLike
Can understand why, and agree masks will help enormously. Will be thinking of you over the forthcoming days and weeks – at lest though Portugal is ahead of the curve. Goodness knows when the UK will gain some control
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am frightened for the UK … the death toll there has now soared in front of France and Spain and closing fast on Italy. I can’t believe how ill-prepared and ill-informed the government were. They only had to watch Euro news and the death tolls in those countries and the way the virus was spreading like wildfire … but they can’t turn back the clock …
LikeLike
Not sure they were ill informed, I think they just chose not to act. They have bluffed their way through on so much over the past few years, for some reason they thought it would work again 😦
as you say though can’t turn back the clock, just hope they start to listen to and act on the science and statistics, rather than continue to base every decision on what a political analyst thinks
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love the carrots – both the misshapen ones and the others. Like a previous comment says, we can almost smell them…and taste them!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, TK. I was a little dubious if the would grow and even the curly variety was a learning curve …don’t try and move carrots 🙂
LikeLike
There’s nothing nicer than the taste of a home grown carrot. I can almost smell those!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely … I am now wondering when the courgette plants go over whether I should plants some more carrots in their place.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It looks like you’ve got a good haul even if you can only eat part of the carrot. Enjoy! Glad you’ve got the garden centres reopening. Start to feel more normal.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When I went to the local garden centre this morning only half expecting them to be open and told her I was pleased she had reopened. She then told me they never closed. Only 5 people are allowed in at one time … I spent lots of money on bedding plants and more compost, so she was happy.
LikeLike
The fruits of your labor! Look delicious.
LikeLiked by 1 person
thanks, FF. Yes, when I look at these photos it makes me realise how far the plot has come … and still a long way to go
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am a bit envious that you’re harvesting already!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Unfortunately, our humid weather brings a lot of challenges.
LikeLike
Everything looks good! What the difference in weather makes a difference …
I do like deformed your carrots for photos, not to peel them …😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was taken aback when I pulled them up. Def wouldn’t meet the EU standards. STill puzzling as to what caused them to grow like that.
Any idea what crop I can plant in that space after carrots?
LikeLiked by 1 person
After carrots, don’t sow « root vegetables » like parsnips, celery … You should rather plant salads or cabbages of all sort , leeks, cauliflowers, broccoli …
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Piglet, I think the butterfly is a Speckled Wood…. although you may have different varieties out in Portugal. I can recommend Butterfly Conservation who have an excellent website and do good work. You could double check @ https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Dawn. Studying various images for speckled wood on google, you are spot on. I checked out the website – looks interesting.
LikeLike