I could use some rain ! 9.09.07

The plot is getting drier by the hour, with no rain on the horizon at the moment. Life is busy here and often there's not enough time to water everything, but I struggle on !

We had 9 for dinner today, hence the late update. It was very nice to welcome A all the way from California, was great to see you - and what a smashing hairdo.

On a more growing related line, there is progress all around the plot:

The Curly Leaf Kale (v.Frosty) continues to grow on well. Most of the plants are now a good 8" tall and bushy too, and I think I have deterred the local slug population sufficiently to enable more growth. All the seedlings I transplanted last weekend into 3.5" pots are also looking healthy, so I am hopeful of a good continuing crop.

The Christmas spuds (v. Maris Piper) that were planted last Sunday have amazed me with their growth rate, as they are all now about 1.5" above ground. A bit too small to photograph, but i will put some pictures on the blog when they are a bit bigger. I had planned to plant some more today, but i just ran out of time.

The Beetroot (v. Boltardy) are all now about 2" tall, and although planted late in the season, I hope to be harvesting them in about a month. I water these every morning, and they are simply thriving in the raised beds.

The Runner Beans (v. Unknown) are going from strength to strength. I fed these last Sunday and now have a plethora of red buds buds from top to bottom. I guess If i continue with the watering regime then the bean growth will carry on for a good while yet. I hope so ! This has been my best cropper this year by a long stretch.

The outdoor Toms ( v. Moneymaker) are still yielding half a dozen good sized / well ripened fruits every couple of days. Sadly we cant eat them fast enough, and some are going to waste. I only used 6 seeds from the packet so have plenty more if I want them. I'm still debating whether on not to grow them again.

Other news:

Following the sad demise of Oddball, my step daughters Russian Hamster, we had a small burial ceremony today by the fence at the end of the plot. A nice resting place me thinks.

I picked up a copy of last Saturdays Telegraph magazine, and had a read of the Jamie Oliver bit plugging his new garden programme. I've not seen it yet. I've added a link to his site. I think his ideas for improving what kids eat is a great step forward, and as an avid cook, i like to try his recipes occasionally. If you have a site that you would like to link with mine - please get in touch!

Thats about it for this week. Sorry no pics for you all to drool over, but stop by next week for a more colourful update. Enjoy your week, whatever you do and wherever you do it.

TTFN.