Wellspring Vegetable Garden Progress
Summer Garden News
At long last the ‘dry season’ has come to an end, with a lot of real heavy showers. The problem this brings is that the ground has been so dry the heavy rain just washes off the ground into the gullies and drains.
On the bright side, it looks like we have a good crop of cabbages this year, as the ‘team’ invested in some paper like covers that measure 15 x 1.5 metres and the cover does look like fine mesh paper. The cabbages have thrived under the covers and to-date we have had no cabbage moth, or any slug damage either. This may be tempting fate, but fingers crossed they will flourish onwards and get big hard hearts. Last week we had to remove the paper like cover, as the cabbages were getting so big they were lifting up the covers, so thanks to the builders of the new houses, we now have 2 metre wide blue netting that is not as fine (in hole size) as the paper but seems to be doing the job just as well.
So far we have done quite well selling Radishes & Beetroot (quite disappointed that those that have grown the tops are in fine form - lots of bushy leaves - but when pulled the bulb have not developed at all, and those bulbs that have developed have been very small indeed). We are trying turnips for the first time this year as well as sprouts. Both seem to be coming on well - but are very slow growers it seems. We are also rather disappointed with the rhubarb, we moved it away from the water butts, as we felt it may have been far to wet for the plants, so we split the crown and moved them to the ‘arrow head’ of each plot with no improvement in the crop at all. Could it be that we have a duff crown?
We are starting to pick our first Blackcurrants we have 3 bushes in fruit - these were planted last year, and they seem to like the ground so much that the branches are bowing under the weight of the berries. This year we have planted Blackcurrants and Raspberries to compliment the Blackcurrants. As well as the berries we are just starting to crop our French Beans and New potatoes - although the potatoes are not doing so well (4Ibs of new potatoes to 3 plants. This may well be due to the dry period we had in May and June, when the plants are in flower, that is when they need the water so that the tubers develop). Our Runner Beans should also be cropping in two to three weeks time, just as the Radishes finish cropping.
Have a good relaxing summer
From the Wellspring Gardening Team
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