Terry Walton is working with the weather!
It’s all chop and change – but this can be a good thing in the garden
Part of the battle gardeners have is to fight with nature on occasions, and in this ever-changing climate we can expect unusual weather, even in the middle of July. Last week it was St Swithin’s Day and folklore states, ‘If it rains upon this day, for a further forty it will stay’. Oh, I do hope this isn’t the case, or it will be off to the garden centre for some rice and watercress plants!
Despite the sometimes unseasonable conditions, nature can also bring happier surprises. I was standing by rows of runner beans with the rain coming down and a stiff breeze blowing. But among the stalks of flowers were two bumble bees going about their work without a qualm. They popped from bloom to bloom, converting the flowers into my beans.
The larger-growing crops are relishing damp conditions and my onions are swelling significantly. If they continue like this, assisted with a regular feed, then one bulb might be all I need to see me through winter! The Brussels sprouts – yes, the same ones that were suffering heatstroke not so long ago – are growing like trees in the Amazon rain forest. A ladder will be needed to pick the top green buttons if their growth doesn’t slow soon! The garlic crop looks very tired now and shows almost no sign of green. All the foliage is brittle yellow and has indications of rust forming on its leaves. Armed with a garden fork, these can be eased from the soil and loose soil tapped off the roots, before being placed in plastic trays in the airy greenhouse to dry before removing old foliage. Later these can be plaited into strings for use in tasty winter dishes. Parts of my greenhouse resemble a deep tropical forest and this is down to the poor maintenance of my cherry tomato crop. The cordon tomatoes have their sideshoots removed regularly and are tied to their supporting cane. The cherry ones, however, send out myriads of sideshoots and I’m reluctant to cut these off as they produce more fruit. It’s time to be ruthless and remove some of the dense foliage to allow the tomatoes to get some sun to ripen. The gales of a week or so back made short shrift of my pumpkin plant growing through the plastic sheet covering my compost heap. Not to be daunted, I’ve acquired another one, but this time the sheet is removed and the pumpkin is growing directly onto the heap.
Not all my plot is dedicated to vegetables – I love the scent of sweet peas! These have formed a great hedge this year and are laden with beautiful flowers. So, daily, I can please my patient wife on my return from the plot with a large bouquet of the wonderful blooms!