The developmentally delayed watermelon is starting to flourish. There are more leaves and even two very tiny flowers. Looks okay, but let’s see how this turns out.
Baby aubergine: Goodness Gracious me
The aubergine continues to grow. This is the first one, there is another fruit in a second plant. With further lilac flowers opening across the three black prince plants. Quite rapid growth across the assorted plants as the weather warms up.
Building the brand II
Lifted; up we come
Have lifted the garlic from the largest bed. Have to say, that I’m not convinced by this years crops. Purple wight was this years go to, in previous years it has been brilliant. Yielding big fat juicy cloves. This years crop is smaller in bulb and Clove size. The vayo and sultop does appear to have done better. There is further evidence for putting it in raised beds.
Now left to dry out and use as and when.
Bollywood courgette chutney first draft 2014
Last year, I made a version of Pam the jam’s courgette chutney. The fact that it is very Bollywood was a key point. Today, I have attempted another version, but varied still in adding red sweet pepper.
Home grown onions and garlic as well as a patty pan were used in this. The courgette was salted before hand.
Was simple enough to follow through. Does look a bit untidy though. I did note, that Thane Princes tip; of parting with a spoon and parting the sea to form a channel was a very good indicator to have in mind.
Self healing tomatoes
Nestled in a raised bed are two very small tomato plants. Up until a few weeks ago, these were gnarled sticks that had been gnawed about by slimers whilst in open ground. Not wanting to give up on them, I transplanted to a raised bed.
They may not be as tall or leafy as their big brothers and sisters. But I do hope that that continued to flourish.
Never ever give up on a plant!
hot stuff in the hot house
The warm spell has somewhat spurred on the contents of the poly tunnel. With the one vent open, and a tray of water in the middle to help maintain the temperature; there are lots of little flower buds dotted around. A welcome sight, since many of the plants have suffered episodes of sun scorch. The poly tunnel gets extremely hot! The highest I have observed is 40 odd degrees when we have had very warm spells.
The Dorset nagas are the competition plants; the plants that we are willing on daily. The plants are still quite small, and I am wondering how to get some height onto them. They are sitting on clay soil, that may well be part of the problem. But they have heat, light, and regular feeding. It is a long way to October, granted, but these really need some. There is marked difference between the orange and chocolate habaneros. The orange habs, there are three of them, I think, there is luscious green foliage. The plants stand quite proudly, and for the moment, are flourishing. Stark contrast, to the waxy, bright green foliage of the chocolate habanero.
A vista of the polytunnel as a whole. There are sweet potatoes there and out of shot, there are some newly transplanted sweet peppers. These are two bell peppers, and a cone shaped one. The california wonder pepper has sadly died a death.
Tickle time
Though I don’t think you need to tickle F1 plants. This pretty purple flower belongs to black prince aubergine and had most likely bloomed today; it was certainly closed shut yesterday. Just in case you are meant to tickle them, I did just that with a paint brush.
Happy habaneros, at the moment
The orange habanero is certainly more healthier looking with broad green waxy leaves. The chocolate habanero is a bit battle weary. Yet both plants have the tiniest of floo’ers forming.
There are also floo’ers forming on the others
Nicely Naga: Dorset naga update
We have four Dorset nagas there. El macho, stevie, Sybil and big al bidgy.
They have had a few turbulent weeks with nearly keeling over in the hot weather. There are new leaf buds forming though. The aim is to keep them going for the Dorset Naga competition.
horticultural 'obbit 