On our return from jollies, I was pleased to see the garden is a riot of growth, colour and abundance. Dad looked after the house for us for the two weeks, and it's clear he's kept the pots watered.

We did ask him to harvest-as-it-grows but he hasn't, so runners have dried on the stem; but the peppers, chillies, tomatoes, courgettes, and butternut squash and all of Bess' flowers are doing beautifully. Top star- cucumbers; 5 big ones off the vine. Enjoyed 3 for lunch yesterday with the children.

A rain day so no out with the watering cans.. Runner beans picked every day. Blanching and freezing for another day. Sugar snaps also picked daily. All tomatoes are green .. Will be going on the window sill soon. herbs are doing well. Mint picked every day for lemon and mint drinking water. Very refreshing.....

Yay!  My chillis are turning red!  4 Apache chillis in a big pot outside in full sun and they’re laden with green fruits but just noticed some red one hiding underneath!  So I’ll be stringing some to dry and also freezing some.  I love chillis! 

We’ve been eating tumbling toms from the hanging baskets for a few weeks as they got a head start in the front porch.  My Alisa Craig toms are in tubs and are showing signs of ripening.  I had tomato seedling sprouting everywhere, (probably come from the compost bin again) so I transplanted some into tubs and they’ve already provided a few very tasty fruit with many more ripening. I think I’ll be making ketchup and of course, sauce to go with the chillis!   

My plums are ripening but our fruit bat daughter tried one today and didn’t pick any more - so they’re not ready!  

The rain of today is good for the plans in tubs ,troughs and baskets. Ailsa Craig is still in the green . Hope for some color in them soon. "ELse they will all be used as fried green tomatoes.   

My tallest sunflower is 7' 8" in old money. I'm sure that height could be dwarfed by others. The corn is very pleasing this year- grew a few plants last year and they did so well, I used half a bed for them this year. The weather has helped, of course.

Garden is flush with tomatoes, on over 50 separate plants, all grown from seed, but only the hanging basket tomato fruits have ripened so far.

Runner beans are dying and I don't know why. We had a harvest yesterday, which we ate, but there are numerous unfertilized flower stems. I am not a runners expert by any means- help. Could it be the drought?

That's a lot of plants, Bert! We only have a few and can barely cope with the output of that.

The Memsahib has been making and freezing tomato pulp.

The beans have been great but are well over now.

We are almost at the winding up stage. Lack of water could well have been the critical factor.

Several of that weird Boletus on the lawn - not edible I fear, a "cracking" species with an odd off-putting aroma.

The lawn has recovered and the place looks positively tidy!!!!

Roger

Seriously, Roger, I am finding it more tiring each year and yet...and yet I find myself growing more and more as increasing gifts from others include seeds- no strategic forethought for my ability to pot them all on etc- in the case of seed tomatoes, an average of 4 times per seed. Bess does the flowers (except the wildflowers & cornfield stuff- my dept.) and I do the veg. It's been a productive year, but these toms! At least we have the space. 

Went for a first ff today with the three youngest, into the New Forest; lots of Russula species, a few Boletes, but my favourite chanterelle sites were sterile. Try again next month.

My hanging basket toms have been producing for a while and we’ve had ripe Alisa Craig since the weekend as well as transplanted self sets.  They’ve suddenly gone mad with dozens of tiny sweet ones, some plum toms and another larger variety.  I haven’t a clue what they are but they’re tasty!  

Gemma has instructions to pick them while we’re away and make sauce if she can’t eat them all.  

The fuchsias in my borders haven’t done too well and a few have died off, I suspect it’s been too hot and dry for them. Lobelia put on a nice show to start but has also died back now. Just as well geraniums suit long hot summers though as they’ve really done well and filled the gaps. 

Same Caz; lobelias have suffered especially in baskets but geraniums have done well.

Back to lawnmowing - grass growing double fast to make up time!

yes- our grass looks surprisingly green. 

Two walnuts have fallen, ripe and ready. A month early and they are a little smaller than in a more balanced year.

Pain in the ass.

Roll on October.

The only new growth on all of my pathetic-looking runners is a few clumps of black aphids, ever-tended by the caresses of ants.

My neighbour recommends talcum powder for ants rather than insecticide, Bert. Make of that what you will. Roger

Sounds interesting- we don't use insecticides other than starch solution once or twice on the aphids on the broad beans but we stopped as it smells worse than cat poo. 

In any case, we want insects in our garden- not just the pretty ones like the butters and dragons but the ants too; but food crop is food crop.

I wonder if the talc works like chalk- interrupts the scent trail- is that made from their formic acid?

I think the scent trail was the explanation, Bert. I tried using in on a nuke hive the ants were exploring - without success. Needs to be dry, I'd guess, so a good time to try.

R

What's a nuke hive? 

Hi Bert

Nuke = nucleus = a small "backup" hive - a small colony with a spare queen in case a main colony goes queenless.

It's also a way of propagating new colonies. Think of it as "taking cuttings".

A full summer beehive can have 40,000 bees. A nuke might have only 2000 or so, but it's viable.

At the end of the year you unite nukes with main colonies as they would not normally survive a winter.

The ants were scavenging in an empty nuke box I put in the garden.

R.

Scent is important. In our previous house I successfully discouraged ants from visiting our kitchen across the patio by wiping the trail with kitchen bleach. But not recommended for plants!

I recall reading an article about an Aussie chap who used slugs to graze the joints between tiles in his shower. Maybe one could come us with a similar plan to the lead the ants astray? A thin trickle of golden syrup up to the compost heap, perhaps?

Good grief - I've found the article!

http://www.anapsid.org/slugcleaner.html

R

Collecting seed from hollyhocks, fennel etc, to spread around with future years in mind. Meanwhile the nasturtiums are mounting a takeover bid, and the clematis and honeysuckle that I planted earlier (to cover a north-facing fence) have woken up now they have enough moisture in the ground, and are producing long shoots.

Not tomato ripening weather. Cut the tops off the plants today and put them on seed trays. The wind was bending them over.  Put the cover back on the new growing room as I do not wish to loose any. 

I currently have an abundance of ripe tomatoes as expected, even though my sister and both kids say they’ve been picking them like mad while we were on holiday.  Most are the self sets from my compost so there’s a variety but they’re all really sweet and tasty. I have lots of red Apache chillis too, so I feel a session of tomato ketchup and chilli sauce making coming on!