This week the main job in the kitchen garden was cutting and shaping the box hedging. Itm is normally done in the autumn, but this year with the rain we had over the winter period and the heat we have had recently, the box was getting rather long. We also have a photo shoot soon in the kitchen garden so it was time to whip the hedging into shape. We did the cutting over 2 mornings as the temperature and humidity became too much by lunch time. But once finally finished the hedging looked so much better, tidy and crisp.
Elsewhere in the kitchen garden it was continuing with the weeding and watering. The redcurrant berries have started to ripen and we were able to pick a bowlful of the fruit. We have also been able to harvest a few of the Napoli carrots, no carrot flies to be seen.
It won’t be long before the first of the potatoes can be harvested, white and red flowers can be seen amongst the stalks and leaves. The broad beans are starting to fill out so they will be harvested soon and we are looking forward to our first serving of these delicious beans.
In the greenhouse the aubergines are in full flower so hopefully it won’t be long before we start to see their fruit. The tomatoes are continuing to climb sky high so we will be nipping out the top tips and continue to nip out any side shoots. Not forgetting once a week to give all the vegetables and fruit a feed, we use Maxicrop Organic Seaweed Food. Just add to a watering can of water and pour in around the plant’s roots.
In the other gardens, weeding and dead heading are the main jobs. The lawns are being regularly cut but with the lack of rain they are starting to turn summer brown, though when we are blessed with a rain shower the grass soon starts growing again with a hint of green.
With the talk of a heatwave over the next week, looks like there will be lots of watering in the Kitchen Garden again!
Happy gardening!
