Vegetable gardening is all about timing at this time of year. We scan the weather forecasts for signs of a sudden late frost. We consult the television gardening gurus. We look over our shoulder at other allotment plots and see what everyone else is doing. The time comes though when we must throw caution to the wind and plant out our tomatoes and courgettes and hope for the best.
Ours went in last week but three nights ago the clear skies lowered the temperature just enough to nip the toms and courgies causing the outer leaves to become a sickly yellow. The winds have raised the temperatures since and I have no doubt these plants have been slightly set back but will recover.
I note with some relief that other gardeners have suffered the same fate. At least I am not in the boat alone. Potatoes and beans have all suffered but once again they will pull through no doubt.
Some have erected fleece shelters just in case but I feel that may be the last frost of the year. These could be famous last words! We shall see.
Every two weeks we have been sowing fresh rows of salad ingredients in order to keep a supply coming through the summer. This will be the task for this week. Already we have eaten our way through a row of radish and rather welcome they were too. This has left a gap for more lettuce to be sown.
The first of the sweet peas have come through and provided a welcome feminine touch of colour to the allotment.
Since my camera and my computer have decided not to talk to each other again this is a picture-less post but hopefully I will be able to sort out their disagreements this week!
Had the same problems with my courgettes, the runners have suffered from wind burn and outdoor toms have been torn to shreds – other than than everything is fine!
Hello Elaine, what fun it is to be a gardener eh?
Had problems with yellow leaves on my courgettes or as I know them, zucchinis. Time under the cloches has cured them for now.
Hello Susan, yes zucchini is such a lovely name but I still end up calling them courgettes…very English I am afraid…
I’ve noticed yellowing leaves on some of my courgettes too, though only one variety – Soleil. I hadn’t thought about the cooler nights being the culprit. I smiled at your description of looking over your shoulder at what other people are doing – I am exactly the same, and consequently erected little fleece windbreaks around my early bean plantings. Sunny and not windy today, so more radishes, salad onions and salad leaves to sow, not to mention the carrot bed to sort out. Hope your camera and computer get back on speaking terms soon, your words are lovely but I would miss your beautiful photographs.
thank you Janet, the fleece windbreaks are a good idea indeed…
I was a bit worried when I put my courgettes out a week or so ago but they seem to have survived and kicked on since going in and surely we’re past frosts now we’ve all but hit june…
Hello Paul…thanks for passing by…yes i hope the frosts have passed now…
No pictures necessary, Michael. I had the same issue with frost in my Chicago garden. Here, it can happen but rarely after mid-May.
Are your computer and camera headed for a break-up, or simply having a barney or bust-up (how am I doing with colloquial English?)
Returned from England yesterday and wanted to get back to you about the weather! It is still raining here! ! !
I appreciate the fact that I did not get drenched at Chelsea – that came later in the week. And in London and Sussex it was cloudy and very windy, but no rain to speak of. Good for me, bad for the U.K.
Wish I had better luck with sweet peas… but I can picture yours.
hello Alice, blimey and gorden bennet, bloomin heck, your colloquial English is not half bad, glad you enjoyed Chelsea!