Soaking up the Rain

A combination of bright sunshine and heavy rain has really brought things on in the last week. These Croatian Black beans are climbing inches every day up the trellis on the garden shed.

These Epicure new potatoes have doubled in size in just a week. They are perfect just now. I always try to dig up new potatoes while they are still new. In a couple of weeks' time they will just be ordinary potatoes... not the same!

In the greenhouse these Pink Berkeley Tie Dye tomatoes are going nicely. They should ripen to a miriad of tomato colours. Very special tomatoes, I can't wait to see them ripen.

Japanese Black Trifele tomatoes have a different shape and habit altogether.

In fact, I've been having real problems when I nip out the side shoots on these Trifele tomatoes. They don't seem to grow in an upright cordon method like other tomatoes. This is probably because they are a Determinate tomato. They prefer to send shoots up wherever! I just have to choose a side shoot to grow!

The rain has certainly got through the hole in the black plastic to help these courgettes grow. The plastic has warmed up the soil and kept some of the weeds at bay. A good way to grow courgettes as long as they get enough water.

These Kent Blue Peas are ripening nicely. The flowers mature from pink and purple to a lovely blue. Peas are quite small but make excellent mangetout peas. Just as we are getting to the longest day here in the Northern hemisphere, just stop to take a look at your veggies. Almost immediately the days start to shorten, if only a minute at a time, your plants and flowers will start to store energy for the Winter. Within just a few days of the longest day, these will start to swell into Bedfordshire Champions! watch this space!