After weeks of rain

Rain, floods and humid weather, not a good combination for a garden. I returned yesterday after a few weeks away and how the weds have grown! The carrots have not done much neither have the beetroot, they sure don’t like all that water. Here are some of the weeds:

I am pulling out everything that is not performing well as a result of the rain and will prepare the soil for autumn planting.

Dinner last night was carrots, potatoes, beans and beetroot with a drizzle of olive oil and a small sprinkle of sea salt – delicious.

The next crop of sweet corn is looking good, it has tolerated the wet wether very well. I gave it a heavy top dressing of blood and bone to help it along. In a few weeks the cobs will be ready to pick.

The days are still hot and humid but the nights are getting cooler, last night an extra blanket was almost need.

Flowers of Lughnasadh

I watch for these flowers (Lilium longiflorum) to bloom every year, it means that the number of hot days will begin to diminish. In the pagan calendar Lughnasadh is the first of the three harvest festivals and is an auspicious time for handfastings.

Astronomically it is the time halfway between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox.

This is one of the earliest blooming on the mountain although there are others at lower altitudes that have bloomed earlier along the roadsides. This stem is about 2.5 metres high which is unusual for here although I did give it a couple of helpings of blood and bone and sulphate of potash as it grew, I hoped it would encourage more flowers but it seems that it encouraged stem growth.

Happy harvest time….

Christmas day with the veges

After lots more rain the tomatoes are not looking too good, there are some fruit and I did enjoy some cherry tomatoes. There are some Brandy-Wine variety about 40cm high now so I might do better with them but if the rain keeps up they too may suffer the same fate.

The sweet corn is thriving in the wet conditions and the tassels are turning brown so it won’t be long before they are ready. It is delicious raw.

Here are the potatoes, not long to go now, the plants are dying off and a light dig revealed treasure underground. There are about three varieties and I am not sure what they were. The planting consisted of those which were sprouting in a few fridges.

Lebanese Cumbers will be a welcome addition to the salad plate and they are looking healthy in spite of the weather. The garden is very well drained and the soil contains some sand so water passes thru easily.

Here’s the next crop of sweet corn, it looks a bit pale so I gave it a big dressing of blood and bone. The rain must have been leaching nutrients from the soil so everything got a big feed on Christmas day.

The garden is completely enclosed with chicken wire and I have been leaving the doors at each end closed for no good reason other than they were there. This results in the birds not being able to get in and eat the grubs so I have left them open for this reason and will see if they cause any damage elsewhere.

A Permaculture blessing by Joel Salatin

May all your carrots grow long and straight,
may the foxes be struck blind by your chickens,
may your customers love cooking your food in their kitchens,
may the rains be gentle on your pastures,
may your fields grow with soil,
may your earthworms dance with celebration,
may the wind be always at your back,
your children rise up and call you blessed,
and may we all leave a better world than we found…

Rain and Mist

The wet season continues affecting on the tomatoes somewhat but the sweet corn is loving it, if I brush a stalk a cloud of pollen is released.

I had one day of sunshine and then the rain and mist returned. This is expected to continue until Autumn.

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