Garden Diary: Vegetables in June

Yesterday, some German friends who are keen gardeners came for dinner. Needless to say, the subject of my ailing vegetables was raised, and said guests were asked to inspect and pass judgment as to the cause. I gave them the list of suggestions already offered. The guy checked the pot drainage, watering, sunlight, leaves, etc. I answered numerous questions, then after much deliberation, he thought the problem pointed to a bad batch of compost because all the plants (cucumbers, courgettes, squash, tomatoes et al) looked sickly and yellow, and the yield poor. He then gave me a tip on where to buy soil.

I sometimes wonder if it’s worth the cost, effort and stress of growing vegetables and keep chickens instead? But then I know we have a huge silver fox and a mongoose who are regular visitors to the garden so maybe not.

But then, with the uncertainties in the world, it is probably better to at least try to grow some of your own fresh, pesticide-free veg.

This week, here is a quick round-up of what veg is trying to grow despite the odds.

BROCCOLI

I bought these as seed plugs, potted up in starter pots for a couple of weeks to establish a stronger root system before planting in the main raised bed. No doubt it won’t be long before the cabbage white butterfly discovers them, lays eggs, and the plants will be squirming with hungry caterpillars.

Oh, joy. Taking the photos of other veg I spotted a cabbage white.

Tomatoes

The bumper crop of delicious black tomatoes we enjoyed last year has not been repeated. Despite saving some seeds for this year’s crop, not only are the tomatoes not the same colour, but they are also tasteless. This is our total harvest this year. No, your eyes are not deceiving you.

I think maybe they were an F1 variety.

Orange Cherry Tomatoes Seed Share from Fred in France. At least these are doing reasonably well, but again, I suspect the compost I used was not up to par. I must feed them more often now. The compost looks dry on top but according to the moisture meter they are not bone dry a few inches below the surface.

Cucumbers

Butternut Squash

These self-seeded.

Zucchini

After the disastrous start, when I returned from vacation to find 29 shrivelled specimens, I tried hand pollinating them and gave them a good feed. I still continue to lose most, but at least last week, several zucchini matured to:

Although they would not receive any prizes in a show, at least I would have something to show for the fruits of my labour!

And there are a few more on the way.

Yellow Peppers

I am growing these in one of the raised wooden beds and they seem to be progressing nicely.

Also growing in June: Abergines, strawberries, carrots in a pot and raised veg area, lettuce, physalis, red onions, ginger, dill, basil, mint, flat parsley, lemon thyme, chives and mint.

Weather: I don’t think we have had rain for over a month so it’s time to start using the swimming pool backwash.

That’s my six for this week, folks. Now it’s time to pop over to Jim’s blog and check out other Six on Saturday bloggers