Cat napping ! 22.07.07

Ok, it was me !
I had only just put the beef in the oven, drizzled it with a bottle of Balsamic vinegar, and left it to slowly roast at gas mark 3, when my plans for the morning went out the window!

Ruby was settling on the couch when she started hiccuping, so naturally I picked her up for a cuddle!
That was 2 hours ago ! Still not even dressed and with dinner still to cook, I'll get back to you later with my update !
Well, I managed to spend some time sorting through my shallots.
I had laid them out to dry from a couple of weeks ago, but some of the stems had remained damp and proceeded to start rotting. With these, I chopped off the stem just above the bulb, and will use these first.
The remaining bulbs will be hung in the shed, ready for use when they are needed.


The same exercise was also completed with the garlic bulbs. The stems of these had dried out much better. I couldn't work out how to plait the stems so simply tied them into bunches.

This lot will be hung together ( as pictured) and stored ready for use.




Elsewhere in the garden, its just a case of looking after the existing crops. We harvested more carrots for dinner today, as well as more runner beans. Of the latter, most went in the bin as they were too stringy for use. The good news is there are hundreds of smaller beans still ripening. If we can string a period of reasonable weather together, then maybe we will get a good usable crop?

My fears from last week with the outdoor growing tomatoes were well founded. During the wind and rain of the last week, the plants have all collapsed and broken. With main stems now in half, I will just have to leave them as they are and hope that some of the many green toms get enough sun to ripen off. I'm sure that in a sheltered spot this variety would prove to be a very good cropper, but i think i will try a different variety next year. Any ideas anyone ?

The seedling of Curly Kale have not grown on as well as I'd hoped, in fact have hardly grown at all. I will persevere, but again I'm dependant i think on the weather im proving.

I'm gonna plant up some Cabbage ( v. January King 3 ) and see how these get on, as i want to grow well into the winter months, rather than leave the ground bare. I'm also now thinking of growing some Turnip / Swede. I'll look into this and let you know what I decide.

Finally, you may remember I told you about the pumpkin seeds I found on the conservatory floor ? Well, one plant remains, and is only now beginning to form a fruit ! Its a bit too small to take a picture of at the moment, but I will add some pics as soon as I can.

I purchased a secondhand camera on ebay today, so am eagerly awaiting its arrival. Hopefully this will mean I can post better pictures!

Take care all. I hope your gardens are not submerged, as many are that have been on the news. I'm just glad we are not in a flood zone! My heart goes out to all of you who are suffering with these conditions.

TTFN