The summer potager

Now this little photo essay might make you imagine I am swanning about in among the vegetables and flowers.

In actual fact I am looking for the basket that holds the clothes pegs.

I know I put it down somewhere when the last house guests arrived right on time and I was still madly folding laundry and shoving things away.

I found the basket eventually. On a shelf in the old bread oven.

Of course.

Now here is what I really wanted to show you. The summer vegetable garden in all its glory.

I’m mainly concentrating on the large raised beds where the veg are located. All the dahlias are now further towards the top of the garden.

Very fluffy.

In the first bed I have a sea of courgettes, leeks and red kale.

And you can barely see them for the anchoring climbing beans on the edges of each upright post.

The usual. Borlotto. My mighty good shade cloth and supplier of endless greens. I swear I can do a swoop each morning and pick. Then come back round in the afternoon and find yet more.

I planted mainly tomatoes in the second bed. With an understory of dwarf French beans. I can barely find them in among the vegetation. I MUST do some tomato leaf pruning soon.

The third bed is the most open and sunny. And currently houses a crop of basil like a carpet of delight.

The leaves are huge. And some hidden underneath the wonderful ‘Sunburst ‘custard white’ squash plants. And yet more courgette Soleil.

In the third is the kale cage. Still going strong. if a touch mildewy. And naturally everthing needs a good sorting. I have self seeding chard, sweet peas, and goodness only knows what else. I might attack that tomorrow and get inspired to sow even more cavolo Nero seeds for autumn.

Even if that involves going up to the potting shed and Confronting The Mess.

The last bed is also tomatoes. And oh dear oh dear.

The bed is way too rich an environment for a plant where you want to encourage fruit over foliage.

Mind you, I do have some small orange tomatoes ripening already. I don’t normally get my tomatoes for another month at least.

I can’t even reach in to harvest the helichrysum flowers and red kale in there.

More secateur work required.

Elsewhere it’s cucumbers galore, some fun squash … or are they pumpkins? Their foliage is nicely hiding all sins in the middle beds where I haven’t quite finished landscaping.

And elsewhere just a jungle of tasty delights.

I reckon if the cat falls in, I might not find her again.