Karen's 2015 garden diary

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KarenE
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Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by KarenE »

As if keeping a chicken diary wasn't enough, I thought I'd do a garden one as well. There will be a lot of crossover I'm sure, as chickens are the biggest pests in my garden!

As we were away for a week in March, and the weather has been so changeable, I thought I'd delay my sowing until Easter weekend. When I've started seeds off early in the past, they haven't done well and I've always ended up having to resow later (they have gone leggy and rotted, or haven't been watered enough, or one year my plastic greenhouse blew over and I lost everything {mr.angry} ) I'm a little late but I'm hoping it won't affect things too much.

Totally ignoring the instructions on the back of all the packets, I did a marathon sow yesterday. I have 3 veg patches outside, one of which is under a large old heritage apple and is now my fruit patch (raspberries and gooseberries) and 2 more patches inside my greenhouse, so there's a fair amount of plot available to me. I never seem to use it sensibly though, I don't think I've got the hang of planting out spacing.

This year I'm growing my staples:

Tomatoes for hanging baskets - I had a load of tumbling tom seeds off my dad

Tomatoes for ground - san marzano (old seeds so they may not take) and roma, as I love to make sauces and ketchups. I haven't planted any moneymaker yet - do usually - but not sure if I will this year. Also I have had a lot of self seeded tomatoes come up in the greenhouse so I'm hoping a tigerella comes up

Cucumber - marketmore this year, hope they come up okay as last year wasn't good

Sweet peppers

Aubergines

Dwarf french beans - green and yellow varieties. I also have some purple ones which I haven't sown yet and can't decide whether to or not

Sweetcorn - I've planted 12 and most of them will be for the chickens if they don't grow well

Cabbage - 4 savoy cabbage

Cauli - sown 4 but the seeds getting old so may not come up

Salad crops - sown little gem and pak choi, usually sow lettuce leaf, rocket and lambs lettuce but the chickens had it all last year

Pumpkin - sown 2, hubby loves to carve them at halloween

A couple of chitted potatoes went into my potato grow bag.

New stuff I'm trying this year:

Melon - some variety from aldi I picked up last year. They grew okay but no fruit, and reading LLs diary I realised that you have to hand fertilise so I'm going to give them another try this year and play bee with them

Strawberries - from seed, never done that before

Celery - a self blanching variety

Leeks

The rhubarb's coming along nicely - I'm not forcing - and the gooseberries are budding, apple trees are getting blossom and even the grape vine is starting to bud.

I need to sort out the fruit plot, the raspberry canes have completely taken over. Is it too late to dig them up and replant? They are just starting to come through.

I dug over my plots last month and put compost from the chicken run down, and will give a top dressing of growmore I think. I won't be planting anything out for a while (obviously) and I have to fix my anti chicken fencing, as they sabotaged it last year by bringing down the hanging basket holder onto the panels and knocking them all down. I'm convinced it was them.
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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KarenE
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by KarenE »

Amazingly enough, when I checked on Wednesday, I was already starting to get some of the beans and one of the sweetcorn coming through! 2 days after planting them!

I've started to dig up the runners of the raspberry canes that are taking over my shaded plot - some have gone into a trough to keep, others into individual pots which I'll see if I can sell or give away. I have more to dig up and replant. I also have another little red gooseberry to plant out, it was a branch that accidentally got broken off last year but seemed to have roots attached, and it's survived and is now budding. So that's 3 red gooseberries in that plot, and I'm hoping I get some fruit this year as the lot mysteriously vanished last year (blooming chickens)

Also repotted a couple of strawberries into a hanging basket, see if that keeps them out of the chickens way as well.

Me and the girls also had a good dig over of 2 plots, they can be quite useful when they try!
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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lancashire lass
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by lancashire lass »

)wav( nice to see someone start up a gardening diary

With regards to your first post, you aren't too late at all with most - if anything, maybe a shade early with some tender summer crops especially if you are intending to plant them outdoors ... a pumpkin or sweetcorn seedling can soon turn into a monster by the time it is safe to plant outside, and then easily damaged when handled. I tend to aim for the 3rd week of April and keep an eye on the weather - if sowing coincides with a good spell of warm sunshine, the seeds quickly germinate and grow into strong plants. I plant my squashes & sweetcorn out about mid-late June.

Re: melons - funny enough I was clearing out the polytunnel yesterday and to my amazement found a dried up fruit behind a growbag, so not a total disaster after all (wish I'd known last year when it was ripening LOL) If you only have a few plants going it might be more manageable whereas I had dedicated the whole of the polytunnel to various types and the thought of playing bee was too much. At least with the chillies and peppers I just thread my fingers through the branches and give it a shake so that the pollen is knocked about whereas melon like all squashes and courgettes have a separate male and female flower.

>gl< for 2015
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KarenE
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by KarenE »

Never thought of needing to do that with peppers as well LL!

Sweetcorn and the green and yellow beans are starting to pop up nicely. Nothing else coming up yet but it's early days.

This weekend I sowed some cut&come again salad leaves, rocket and lambs lettuce, beetroot and some brussels sprouts which I've never grown before, as well as some moneymaker tomatoes. Can never have enough tomatoes when I make ketchup and the girls do love to steal a few as well.

This weekend I think I might sow some flowers - I usually do nasturtiums and lovely different coloured sunflowers.
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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KarenE
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by KarenE »

This lovely weather is really helping things along. The beans are well and truly up - both yellow and green varieties. The sweetcorn's starting to come up too, and one of the pumpkins is up as well. And best of all, the salad crops I sowed last weekend are already coming through.

Fingers crossed other things start showing some signs of life. I'd love to have a good crop year especially since last year was a bit of a bust )t'
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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KarenE
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by KarenE »

This lovely weather is really helping things along. I shall have to get on with my anti chicken fencing screens as before I know it, it'll be time to plant out. And the little !!!s have stripped my raspberry canes of leaves already. They'll come back fine, they've taken over the whole patch anyway.

Peas are coming through, bit of a surprise as I'd forgotten I'd planted them and thought they were beans! I have 2 pumpkins up, and 2 of the tumbling toms are up too which is very encouraging as they were seeds my dad gave me from his crop last year. I also noticed a stray tomato seedling coming up in the greenhouse so I could have some mystery varieties, if they have survived the girl's dustbathing.

I also have a couple of cucumbers starting to come through. A couple of the brussels look like they're pushing up and I think I might have a few caulis or cabbage - there's some seedlings but I forgot to look at the label! >du<

The sweetcorn and beans are all looking very well. The beans in particular seem to have put on some strong growth. Just got to make sure I am keeping everything well watered, as they are drying out quite quickly at the moment.
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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KarenE
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by KarenE »

Not much to report. Peas, beans and sweetcorn all doing very well. I have 2 cucumbers up, no sign of the others I planted sparking into life but I'll leave them a while and the same goes for the pumpkins (2 plants is more than enough though). 3 melons now - don't know what I'm going to do with all them! None of the caulis are up, 2 cabbages are and I have I think 3 sprouts up too so should be interesting as I've never grown them before. The loose leaf lettuce are doing well, no sign of the aubergines, pak choi, celery, little gem and peppers I sowed but maybe they take longer. They are all new seed so they should come up.

The tomatoes are coming up well, the tumbling toms are starting to come through as are the roma. No sign of the san marzano but they may have been old seed. I also have some growing from dropped fruit from last year in my greenhouse which could be anything from some lidl seeds to moneymaker, roma or tigerella, so I've potted them on and we'll see what they end up as. Can never have too many tomatoes!

And I went a bit mad a few weekends ago and sowed loads of beetroot - don't know why don't really eat the stuff! They've all sprouted and now I have about 8 of them growing. Lots of borscht this year I think!

The chickens have nibbled all my raspberry leaves, and have just started pulling the baby gooseberries off my bushes }hairout{
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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KarenE
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by KarenE »

Today I have set myself the task of repairing my anti chicken fencing panels (destroyed by the Evil Chickens last year in a sortie which proves how cunning they can be when they set their minds to it) so I can plant out my peas and beans, which desperately need it. Also I need to get my brussels sprouts, my cabbages, beetroot, lettuce and pumpkins out. Still a bit early for sweetcorn yet I think, and I have started putting the biggest of my tumbling toms into their hanging baskets.

All the fresh seed I sowed a few weeks ago is coming along nicely - new batches of cauli, pak choi, celery and cabbage are up so hopefully will go from strength to strength. I have tomatoes coming out of my ears as they have been self seeding in my greenhouse - it'll be interesting to see what they are. I am hoping some tigerella

Disappointing showing from the sweet peppers and cucumbers - I have 2 sweet pepper seedlings but they seem to have stopped growing altogether, and no sign of any of the new cucumber seeds I planted out. Just the 1 plant has managed and is doing well in its pot (the other died). And the strawberry seeds I sowed showed no signs of germinating, and they were new seeds too. I assume it's quite difficult to grow them from seed though. I've given up with the aubergine - hubby doesn't eat it anyway so hardly seems worth persevering.

Potatoes are up including the ones that must have been left behind in the ground. These are all ones that sprouted from the supermarket rather than proper ones you're supposed to grow, so I never get many but they take up so much space it's not really worth it to me. I like to get a few baby ones.

I am expecting a poor showing from the autumn raspberry this year as the chicken keep eating the leaves, so not sure the poor things will have a chance to survive. I need to figure out a way of keeping them, off but it's planted in an awkward space that I can't really fence off (chickens have never shown an interest in it before) . A great crop from the rhubarb already, and it looks like the gooseberries will also be great - I have fenced them off so the chooks can't get them.
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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lancashire lass
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by lancashire lass »

)t' sounds like things are coming along

Re: pumpkins - still a little bit too early to go out as they can be just as temperamental as sweetcorn if the temperature should drop as nights are still stubbornly chilly. Maybe put some fleece over to keep the warmth in?

Cucumber and sweet pepper seedlings - when they stop growing, usually it signals a downward trend, especially with the cucumber. Perhaps it is too cold or there are watering issues (overwatering or underwatering?) If its not watering, you could try giving them a liquid feed (such as Baby Bio) to boost them up a bit - maybe with some seaweed solution if you can get hold of it.
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KarenE
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by KarenE »

Hi LL

Ta for the advice. The pumpkin lower leaves are yellowing so I figured they were overgrowing their pots. I don't really want to repot them too much. They have plenty of growth buds on them

I think you might be right about overwatering the peppers and cucumbers. )t'

Chicken fencing seems to be holding so far! Although I have caught them trying to squeeze their beaks through the wire to have a sneaky nibble.
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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KarenE
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by KarenE »

Really set to over the weekend and finished my chicken fencing. I even came up with a nifty cage-and-net arrangement that is now protecting my fruit bed, thank goodness as the raspberries have been devastated by the chickens. I hope a bit of peace and quiet will help them recover, and as they are autumn fruiting I may even be lucky and get some berries off them.

The gooseberries are coming along nicely and just starting to redden so hopefully I have saved them from the birds too. Can't wait for the gooseberry and rhubarb crumble )eat(

Lots of baby apples on the Dummelows Seedling and on my little Cox, if they don't go in the June drop should be a good crop. Pretty abysmal showing from the blueberry bushes though, they have never done anything of note so I need to rethink them for next year. The rhubarb is doing well and we have hardly eaten any so far. I've already had 3 strawberries off my plants - they went into an eton mess! The rest don't look prolific so I think some new plants needed next year as they seem to have turned themselves into alpines. The strawberry seeds I planted did absolutely nothing. )gr:

Cherry tomatoes all planted out in their hanging baskets, and most of the roma and moneymaker and miscellaneous ones that grew themselves are all planted up either in the greenhouse (which has its own anti chicken door now, which is sending them crazy) or in the veg plots. I still have 3 to plant out. No flower sets as yet.

One melon planted in the greenhouse in the ground, another transplanted into its own big pot just to see how it does. I gave the other away.

I'm down to 1 cucumber as the others show no sign of germinating (new seed too!) so I might see if I can find a few more plants. Home grown cucumber is so much nicer than the shop bought ones.

All the brassicas are out - savoy cabbages, caulis and sprouts all planted up nicely. The sweetcorn looks happy in its bed, as does the pak choi and little gems, with the loose leaf and rocket well out of beak way (my head hen loves rocket I found last year).

The french beans don't look happy at all, they are quite yellow, as are the pumpkins. Perhaps the colder snaps are getting to them. The peas were taking a right bashing from the chickens and I needed the space in the veg plot, so they are in a trough in my greenhouse.

I've also planted out 3 celery, supposedly self blanching so that will be interesting. And finally, I have two little sweet peppers growing away in the greenhouse - I don't tend to have much luck with peppers but I might get the odd little pepper off them.
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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lancashire lass
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by lancashire lass »

you have been busy )t'

KarenE wrote:Pretty abysmal showing from the blueberry bushes though, they have never done anything of note so I need to rethink them for next year


Blueberries need acidic soil as you may already know - maybe a small amount of iron sulphate top dressing might help, or add more ericaceous compost to the soil. Also, their roots albeit well spread out are fairly shallow and I don't know about your area, but despite the occasional rain, it has been very dry here. Blueberries excel in rainy seasons so perhaps they need watering more often. Blueberries are also "forest" plants and actually prefer semi-shade to full sun although they can do alright when conditions are cooler.

KarenE wrote:The french beans don't look happy at all, they are quite yellow, as are the pumpkins. Perhaps the colder snaps are getting to them.


Most definitely the problem this year - I think lots of people are finding their tender summer crops such as sweetcorn, squash and beans are struggling. The night temperatures below 10oC will have an impact on them.

KarenE wrote:I've also planted out 3 celery, supposedly self blanching so that will be interesting


"Normal" celery are usually large plants and are blanched by earthing up the soil round the stems but this is quite a tedious task for novice gardeners. Self blanching celery tend to be smaller, but they still need some way of reducing direct sunlight from stems - this is usually achieved by growing several in a block so that the inner ones are more sheltered. Personally I found self blanching were only useful as flavouring in soups and stews and too tough for eating raw, although one year I did do well with a variety called "Golden Self Blanching" - I remember it being a very wet summer. Watering heavily is the key.

KarenE wrote:I don't tend to have much luck with peppers but I might get the odd little pepper off them.


Although I have had some success with peppers, I find chillies mature much earlier. Beaver Dam are very easy to grow, dwarf compared to pepper plants yet produce large fruits and definitely one of the earliest fruits to ripen - have a look at the photo from my 2013 entry. Yes, some heat when raw but when cooked, absolutely no heat at all so this year I have decided to grow those instead of peppers.
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KarenE
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by KarenE »

I didn't know blueberries liked semi-shade, LL - I might move them, they've been in full sun since I got them. They are in pots in ericaceous compost but suspect one needs repotting and maybe they need fertilizer, so jobs for the end of the season there )t'

The beans seem to have picked up a bit, which is more than can be said for the disaster that is now my brassica patch }hairout{ Some idiot (whistle whistle) forgot to staple the chicken wire to the bottom of the frame of the anti chicken fencing and they got in... I caught Rembrandt red-handed. My own fault - anyway, it's fixed now. Looks like the celery has survivied and I'm hoping the nibbled cabbages pull back. I'm definitely down a few cauli plants, I don't know where she's yanked them off to

I wish I'd known about growing the celery in a block before I planted them out! Never mind, there's always next year.
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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KarenE
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by KarenE »

I've sown a few more caulis and cabbages on the offchance that I can get a few more plants out in time.

Everything is growing nicely apart from the cauli and cabbage seedlings that are now stalks. Looks like my bigger cabbages have survived, and hopefully one or two caulis. The raspberries are coming back to life now they are pest free, although I am doubtful I'll get much if anything off them. The strawberries are definitely reaching the end of their life - they aren't supposed to be alpines but they have decided to grow micro strawberries so they can be replanted on the patio where my other alpine strawberries used to be. I'll get some nice new plants in the autumn or next year.

The tumbling toms are starting to flower, so fingers crossed there should be plenty of fruit coming. I put some growmore in the baskets so that should see them over, and I might add tomatorite into the water as well.

The swithering temperatures are having an effect though - things definitely seem to be slower coming along.
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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KarenE
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by KarenE »

The red gooseberries are smashing and it looks like a very good amount of them this year - already had some in a crumble with rhubarb yesterday. Definitely looks like a bumper crop of apples in store, the June drop hasn't taken many off.

The cabbages and cauli plot took another hammering as I've discovered the chicken wire, even though staple gunned into place, keeps springing itself free so the chickens can get in - they are enjoying the cabbages. Looks like all the caulis are gone so no luck there this year. I have planted up more seedlings but it may be too late (worth a try though)

The cherry toms (tumbling tom) are coming along really well, looks like it will be an excellent crop. The bush tomatoes (roma, moneymaker) look quite small really and so far aren't doing much but hopefully they'll get a spurt on.

Everything else is growing well. It looks like my 1 remaining cucumber plant has had it, it's gone very pale and dry even thought it's regularly watered - I think it's been attacked by something, it's showing signs of pests.
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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