Sowing and planting season is just beginning to turn into harvesting season, and it's quite exciting. The weather is not so bad as last year, so the slugs haven't been so bad, though still a problem. They've had all the lettuces bar two in a pot which they haven't found yet.

August

Week1 5/6

(Edinburgh)

Week 2 11/12

Eating kale and leaf beet, courgettes (though these are not quite as prolific as some years), the first sweetcorn, last raspberries, a small cabbage, the first French beans. Stored all the onions and garlic. The red onions that were late in were very small, the others ok. Dug the King Edwards - they were small, probably because of the lack of water, but not blighted.

Sowed spring cabbage, directly into plastic bottle middles. The peas have come up, and the Wong Bok seems to be on the way.

July

1/2 (away)

8/9
Sowed more carrots, parsnips and turnips into the plastic bottle sections - this seems to be working for the first lot, at lasT I have carrot seedlings surviving. The brassicas (cabbages, cauli, Kale, a sprouting broccoli under netting are also surviving the rabbits now, and things are looking better. The leaf beet is growing as well.

On 31/5/06 and 1/6/06, sowed
broccoli white sprouting early
sprout red rubine
cabbage january king
cauli st george
melon charentais
lettuce little gem
french beans tendercrop dwarf
runner beans scarlet emperor
coriander
balsam camellia
landcress
all in the greenhouse, due to rabbits etc on the plot.

Also sowed turnip purple top milan
parsnip avonresister
carrot
on the plot, bed A8.
and some more French beans in A9

Started picking gooseberries.

10/11
planted out the leeks in D6, and a few onions
sprouts, kale and seakale in B7

This diagram shows the plot as it is now, using the four section rotation I've used for the last six years or so. I'll dig up the 4th year strawberries as soon as the season is over, and put in some left over Pink Fir Apple potatoes that I havan't had room for - won't get much of a crop, but I can keep them going for seed next year.

week 1 - 6/7
sowed red onion sets and planted out sweetcorn in the middle of the same bed. Took the fleece off the potatoes, they seem to be coming up OK. Should probably earth them up in case of a late frost. Another bag of broccoli cut. A couple more early peas planted in the garden.

Hoed the onions and garlic

Sowed leeks indoors, and more pumpkin, gourd, peas, sugar peas, runner beans, kale, lettuce, melon

week 2
Sow
onion sets 2 beds white, 2 red
Shallots 1 bed
cos lettuce
radish
globe beetroot.
summer peas ½ tray
more broad beans 1 tray
first early potatoes

Plant
peas

Mulch between raspberry plants with compost or manure.
Transplant shrubs as soon as ground starts to warm
Plant pot-rooted trees and shrubs
Prune evergreens
Feed fruit trees and bushes with a high potash feed.

Note 18-03-05

week 2
Cut back gooseberries
plant garlic 2 beds
prune clematis
divide perennials

sow indoors:
summer flowers
coriander
basil
dill
sweet pepper
leaf beet

week 3
divide chives
repot begonias

sow indoors:
early peas ½ tray
brussels 1 tray
sweet corn ½ tray
summer cabbage 1 row
summer cauli 1 row

Notes 26-02-06

08-01-06 Notes:
I removed the carpets/cardboard mulch from beds on the plot just before the Christmas break, so it's had a bit of frost. I'll remulch at the end of February, as that's when the weeds really start growing again.