We’ve started on the potatoes and beetroot. We’ve been eating the broad beans and onions for a couple of weeks now. I’ve taken to planting up the gaps as I pull stuff out. So, yesterday, I sewed more carrot and beetroot and a row of chard. I’m hoping that the chard will keep me going through the winter.

The weather continues to be warm and sunny with the occasional heavy showers keeping the water butts pretty full.

I’ve not done a thing in the garden for weeks. Those Gardener’s World types are still out there, but I’ve no idea what they’re doing. Meanwhile, my cauliflowers have gone black, surely not a good sign and the cabbages have stalled. The only things growing are the onions, garlic and broad beans.

Tags: blog

Probably a bit late for these, but they were on sale in the garden center so in they go. This also gave me a chance to play with my latest toy - a tablet and pen.

Beetroot Woden F1 Hybrid
Woden F1 hybrid was bred by Thompson and Morgan and introduced in their 2004 catalogue. It is a globe beetroot with bright red flesh that can be harvested as baby or mature beets. Mature beets do not go fibrous and store well. Young leaves can be eaten as spinach.

The local garden center had some onions (Electric, red onions and Radar, white onions), so I bought 50 of each. I’ve planted half of them in one of the beds. I pulled up the last of the Victorian potatoes* and put the other half of the onions in that bed. I cleared the end of the salad bed and planted up the garlic (Cristo).

* I don’t think that I’ll be growing these again - low yield and not a lot of taste.

I pulled up most of the onions, making room for other stuff in the raised beds. We've been eating them for a couple of weeks now.

The onions are now ready for eating and they taste lovely. Not bad for an impulse buy.

I pulled the potatoes (Scottish Rocket) from one of the tubs. Not many, but small and perfectly formed (and tasty). The onions are pretty nice too. The first turnips are ready, including one enormous one (how?).

It's all happening in the garden. Clockwise from top left:
tomato
potatoes
green beans, peas, turnip
asparagus
turnip
strawberries
peppers
beetroot, shallots, parsnips, broad beans, carrot, onions

In the middle is garlic, onion, spinach and swede

Tags: root vegetables, legumes

After seeing last night's Gardener's World, I impulse bought some shallots, "Red Sun" and "Golden Gourmet". Should be ready to harvest in July and August.
Red Sun
Gaining in popularity due to its attractive red tinged skin. Arguably the best of the red shallots. Good yields of crisp, white fleshed bulbs of excellent flavour for cooking, in salads or for pickling. Bulbs have long storage potential.
Golden Gourmet
Dutch. This is a major advance on the traditional Giant yellow and produces larger and better quality bulbs with reduced bolting incidence.
The lovely golden brown skinned bulbs store well throughout the winter.

Tags: root vegetables

I've planted a row of spring onions into the new herb and salad bed. It's a bit early, so we'll see how they get on.

Tags: salad

I planted onions at the same time as the garlic, early autumn. They're doing well.