July Brings ~ Wild Wind and Heavy Rain ~ 25th and 26th July

Windswept Asparagus Fern.

Windswept Courgettes with Butternut Squashes

 A very windy Saturday with an incredible night, we experienced astonishing non-stop winds battering everything on the house and in the garden. I re-visited the allotment expecting to find much devastation. However to my surprise and relief there was very little wind damage to be seen. 

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  The worst hit area were my asparagus beds, the wind had gusted in this direction and almost blown some of the ferns over. Fortunately I have spent some time staking these ferns, and this precaution saved the fragile plants. I was able to repair the damage and strengthen the support canes.
 A neighbour who also grows asparagus didn't stake his and they are leaning over almost on the ground, without a chance of restructuring.
 I also noticed some wind-burn damage to my bean wigwams, I remember this happening last year, however the bean plants still produced prolifically. 
 Overall I was fortunate enough to weather the storm, but Tony my next door neighbour suffered some severe damage to his bean frame and cold frames.

Runner Bean Wigwams~ Survivors of the storm

  I grew a few marigolds from seed to use as companion plants for my Brassicas, the pungent smell emitted by the marigold is thought to ward off aphids and black fly. Last year I had a terrible problem with whiteflies all over my cabbages and cauliflowers, even though I gave them a vigorous shake to get rid of the pests before I took them home, some managed to stick. I have heard that planting nasturtiums works the other way by attracting the aphids away from beans as the odours from the flowers are more attractive to them.

Seed drills ~ Beetroot and Radish

   I managed to sow a couple of rows of beetroot seeds that will be ready to harvest in October, just in time for Margaret to pickle them for Christmas.
I also sowed some radishes as we have had no luck with radishes so far this year.
 My courgettes are still doing well and the yellow variety are outstripping the green variety this year, we have given a lot away to people at the bowls club. Margaret has made some delicious courgette soup and has roasted some of them to add to the array of vegetables on our plates.

  I snapped a couple of lovely pictures of this very pretty tortoiseshell butterfly on my leek beds, drying its wings in the watery early morning sun.

Freshly planted Leeks and a Tortoiseshell Butterfly

  I am exploring the idea of growing some green manure on some of the empty beds on the allotment. I am intensely interested in a particular plant that has had a good write up in a Sheringham magazine named, PHACELIA TANACETIFOLIA. I have looked up some suppliers on the Internet and to my horror the delivery charges are more than the cost of a packet of seeds. I will have to try my local hardware shop before I invest that heavily. I am jotting down these few hints for successful growing of green manure.

(1) Sow or broadcast the seeds.
(2) Chop the foliage down and leave it to wilt.
(3) Dig plants and foliage into top 25cm of soil.
After digging in, the site should be left for two weeks or more before sowing seeds or planting. Decaying manure can harm plant growth.

 Suggested varieties.
(1) Buckwheat ~~ best sown April to August. Good for nutrient-poor soils
(2) Mustard ~~ Should not be followed by Brassicas. ~~ Mustard is a member of the family
(3) Grazing Rye ~ Good for soil structure and overwintering well ~ Sow August to November.

 I like the idea of PHACELIA TANACETIFOLIA though as it has so many plus factors.