2020 Calendar

[veggiechicken]

April 1st

Starting to come to life for spring. Should look a lot different next month.

North side facing east



South side facing East



North side facing West



Up the middle facing West



South side, facing West

[Penellype]

April photos (taken on 1st - I have to screenshot them to post them hence the delay)



Everything is looking much greener. 2 buckets of Charlotte potatoes under the plastic cloche.



White currant and apple starting to break their buds. There is no sign of any of the flowers on the apricot tree producing any fruit.



Cauliflower plants in the growhouse are growing well. The carrots under the net are rapidly being eaten, Kale is finished having bolted, and the spring cabbage is going the same way.



Buckets of compost are now being sorted. Some will be used for potatoes in the next few days,some sieved for carrots and others put by for brassicas, depending on what grew in them last year. This is always a long and complicated job as some of the buckets have copper tape round and I use these mostly for carrots, but of course the compost in them grew carrots last year, so the compost needs swapping round.



Meteor peas are growing nicely. Chives and garlic chives on the path. The rest of this area is a bit of a dumping ground at the moment, although some of the pots do have seeds sown in them.

[Penellype]

May photos - what a difference a month makes!



Strawberries covered with a net to stop the birds from digging them up. Charlotte potatoes getting too big for their cover.



Apple tree has nearly finished flowering. The canes are to support fleece if frost is forecast. Hurst Greenshaft peas have been planted.



Growhouse is full of seedlings and begonias. The green nets cover lettuces and Lady C potatoes (mainly as a frame for fleece if frost is forecast). The hosta in the green pot will need moving when it gets bigger. Buckets of newly sown carrots in the carrot cage. The carrot cage and fruit cage frames are getting old and pulling apart. The fruit cage joint was easily pushed back together but I only noticed the carrot cage was wonky when looking at this photo - the steel rod supporting the corner has snapped off inside the joint. I've now mended it with duct tape, but the whole area really needs some planning and renovating, with one of the options being a greenhouse.



The plastic covers are protecting the potatoes from frost - the best I can do with them, but a nightmare to water. The buckets of compost help to stop the plastic flapping when it is windy. Spring cabbage and red veined spinach in the buckets.



Meteor peas are flowering. Cauliflowers under the nets. Calabrese and kale are bolting now.

If you can't see the pictures, clicking on the links shows them (but not the writing) - right click on the link to choose to open in a new tab. Must be to do with the changes they have made to the forum recently.

[Jungle Jane]

Photos taken yesterday in the garden -

[Penellype]

June photos

[Jungle Jane]

June -

[Jungle Jane]

June continued

[Penellype]

July pictures



Tomatoes growing well near the hotbin.



Loads of apples on the tree and the peas are doing really well too.



Tomatoes and strawberries in teh growhousem lettuces starting to bolt. Carrots and calabrese under the net. Potatoes in the raised beds are huge.



Another view of the potatoes almost blocking the path despite being held back by mesh. Strawberries on the shelf and in the fruit cage (which has been mended after the weekend's wind).



Early peas have finished but are producing more flowers. Cucumbers in the green pots. French beans and more peas at the far end. Off picture to the left are Sungold tomatoes.

[Penellype]

A few more pictures of views I don't usually post:

[Penellype]

August photos (taken yesterday)



Tomatoes near hotbin are growing fairly well, considering the weather.



Apples keep falling off the tree. Late peas (Terrain) have replaced the main crop (Hurst Greenshaft).



Lady C Potatoes in the quadgrow planter are about ready for harvest. Lettuces in the salad planter have been harvested and now replaced with newly sown oriental leaves. Carrots in the carrot cage have gone floppy. Potatoes behind have grown well but are starting to die down. The pink flowers in the growhouse are strawberry Just Add Cream - a gorgeous strawberry but very hard to grow.



Strawberries and Framberries have finished, potatoes continue to block the path.



Meteor peas have finished, but there are some Terrain and french beans in the buckets. Cucumbers growing very slowly, the dwarf nasturtiums have cone completely berserk. Sungold tomatoes far left. Hedge needs cutting.

[Penellype]

September



Tomatoes by the hotbin have lots of green fruit but only a couple of the Sungold are changing colour so far.




Most of the apples have fallen off the tree. The Terrain peas are just ready to eat.




The growhouse is now hidden by the dwarf (!) cosmos plant. Oriental greens in the saladgrow planter under the green net are growing well.



Potatoes are dying down and most of the Charlotte have been harvested. The fruit cage net is rather worse for wear after the gales.




Cucumbers are struggling on, but they have hated the wind and have only produced a few rather small fruit. Sungold tomatoes (far left) are producing a few ripe fruit now. Against the fence the Balconi tomatoes, which looked half dead when they came out of the house, are covered in flowers and developing fruit and are looking really happy. The beans next to them have nearly finished. The rampant nasturtiums were completely defoliated by caterpillars.

[bramble]

Fantastic pics Penellype. What a lot you can fit in a small space.
I am also a back garden grower but haven't utilised the space half as well as you.
I will be looking at redesigning my garden.
Thank you for sharing the pics.

[Penellype]

Fantastic pics Penellype. What a lot you can fit in a small space.
I am also a back garden grower but haven't utilised the space half as well as you.
I will be looking at redesigning my garden.
Thank you for sharing the pics.

Thanks for the kind comments Bramble. I hope people find my pictures interesting. The 4th picture shows the challenge I have in the area at the back of the garden quite well - the wall on the right is north facing and most of the sun is cut off from the east by the huge leylandii hedge. To the west is the garage, so the potatoes are grown in almost total shade. These photos were taken mid morning. You can grow things under these conditions, just don't expect bumper crops!

[Jungle Jane]

September
I took these photos yesterday,some tomato plants are laying sideways a bit after the storms but they’re alright. Fruits done really well this year

[Jungle Jane]

September continued
Some close ups