Pushing up the daisies

The most bizarre weather ever continues. On Friday it became incredibly hot, Saturday too then yesterday it was humid and overcast with a huge thunderstorm in the evening. And today, rainy...again.
But some gardening was done yesterday, quite a bit in fact. The kids helped me dig up one square of spuds, the yield was pathetic, just one plastic bag full for a patch about 1.5 x 2 m. Then came out the onions, which don't seem sick, even if they are not particularly huge. They are now drying in the kitchen.
In place of the onions went some super organic fertilizer stuff that I bought and then two rows of cabbages, a late autumn variety.
In place of the spuds went again the fertilizer and 50 leeks. Biggest one made the holes and I planted the leeks. He also very kindly weeded the garlic and helped me rebuild the compost box which keeps falling apart. Smallest one harvested some strawbs but squashed quite a few, still there are loads more waiting behind.
I planted two tomato plants as a last ditch effort, although I must say that the tomato plants I had thought were completely dead are in fact taking off a little. Last week's sun must have encouraged them. But looking around the site I didn't see anyone with any decent tomatoes, so I won't be too optimistic.
I attempted a bit of weeding, a barrowful but really it could do with even more than that. The strawberries were a bit of a mess and I have a lot of grass in the fruit patch. I must buy some green manure and start sowing that, to fill up the bare patches that will be left once I harvest the rest of the spuds and the garlic.
The seeds I planted last week are showing some signs of life, at least the radish and the beets and even the spinach, now that will be a miracle. The parsnips, beets and carrots are now taking off really well and the fennel is delightful, I must try and thin it again next time I am there. The coriander gave almost no leaves but went straight into flower and I can see the little seedpods ripening so will have home made coriander this winter :-D
I will try and get the camera down there tomorrow if it is fine, and photograph my lovely sunflowers, as big as me, and my marigolds, all orange and yellow.
Harvest: rocket, one lettuce, bag of spuds, about 50 onions, a punnet of strawberries, 1 courgette and two gherkins (will not do them again next year, they don't come all together so there is not enough to actually pickle them!!)

Labels: cabbage, harvest, onions, potato, strawberry, summer