On the Plot – June: Garlic Harvests, Growing Plans and a Dash of Foraging
June has been full of good growing, great company and the occasional battle with the weeds – but we’re winning (for now).
Over in the orchard, we’ve made a decent dent in the weeding and were rewarded with some exciting early signs – a few apples and plums starting to swell on the branches. Fingers crossed they keep going.
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The big news this month is the garlic harvest, so we’re set if any vampires turn up. We’ve also pulled up some gorgeous little beetroot and radishes.
Elsewhere, the carrots are thriving – some of them well over a foot long now. We’re thinking of mixing it up with some carrot hash browns!
The peas, potatoes, courgettes and sweetcorn are all coming along nicely too, making this one of our best-looking summers yet.
Skye, inspired by a foraging session with Kirsty from Sage and Bellflower, has taken over one of the planters to grow flowers for her homemade soaps, balms and oils. She’s since expanded into one of the new mint-green raised beds, getting stuck in with help from her mum. The second bed is now full of cabbage seedlings – big thanks to Linda for helping prep that one.
Martin gave Louis a masterclass in compost management this week. It’s a fine art, apparently – more science than guesswork – and Louis and Martin are now our unofficial compost experts.
And we had a surprise visit from Wayne, a former volunteer, who popped by for a chat. It was lovely to catch up and hear how he’s been getting on.
Looking ahead, we’ll be sowing a second batch of beetroot, radish and peas for a late summer harvest. We’re also planning what to put in our empty beds ready for winter. If you’ve got any favourite winter crops, let us know – we’re always up for trying something new.
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