Pushing up the daisies

It's still a funny old summer. Temperatures are extremely variable, depending on the cloud cover yet there is reasonably high humidit. Sounds unfortunately like perfect blight weather. Still, the tomatoes seem to be holding their own. I have decided that at least one has turned out to be a cherry type, as one is decidedly bushy compared to the others. It's looking like a Gardener's delight although could also be a Roma plum. Remember that i could not label them this year so it's all down to luck what comes up! I sprayed them again yesterday with bordeaux mixture so they are nicely blue now. The poppies next to them are dying down so I will cut them away so the tomatoes have maximum airflow. I have been much more successful this year in staking and tying them, and they have more room for each plant.
The courgettes too are doing very well, there are some flowers and I hope to have fruit starting soon. the butternuts are also flowering.
I am still harvesting the new potatoes, there is a very large quantity of them this year and the flavour is excellent. I also started picking the broad beans - what a harvest! I took only the very largest pods from the base of the plant, there are many many more still developing and I still had a small plastic bag full! I might actually get to freeze some this year.

The runner beans have germinated, some better than others, I will have to fill in the gaps! I still have to sow new rows of French beans this weekend, and I will do more climbers in July. I am hoping they will develop either before my holidays or once we get back!

The parsnips do not seem to have germinated... It is quite late but I think I will try to put in another row and see what happens. Not sure how to get them to work really.
The salads I planted out seem to have taken despite a drier few days, and the beetroots that I transplanted have now sprung back quite well.
As for fruit, the raspberries are showing the first white baby berries, so I should have ripe fruit soon. The gooseberries are starting to turn red, must keep an eye on them. The strawberries have finished their first flush, they need tidying, weeding and fertilizing for the next crop which should be in July.

Despite the odd weather, the plants are growing quite well. Next tasks will be to find some leek plants, and to continue sowings of beets, autumn carrots, beet spinach, winter brassicas, beans and plant out the late sowings of cukes and courgettes that have come through. No rest for the wicked!