Peas, beans, potatoes ....

Runner beans have now reached the top of their poles, and are looking good. Sweetcorn are waist high - at least the earlier sown ones are - and also looking good, with the first signs of flowers at the top.

Peas this year have been exceptional - a large harvest of 8 to 10 peas per pod (more in some) and no sign of pea moth or other damage, except in the very last ones. This is because I covered the peas until they had just about finished flowering with a very fine mesh. As they are wind pollinated, not insect pollinated, this had no effect on the size of the crop, but the quality was outstanding. So I have planted some more, in pots. It's too late really (next year I will get my second sowing in earlier) but if we have some decent weather in September they may do OK. They will have to go in the space vacated by the first row of peas, as there is no room elsewhere!

Broad beans too have done very well. Again, they were covered with a fine mesh until they had flowered. They are also under a coarse mesh, which lets the insects in but keeps the birds out. Despite this, they have no blackfly at all, yet three yards away, in an uncovered plot, the broad beans are half the size and covered in blackfly. I am still picking broad beans, and have put a lot in the freezer despite eating lots as mange tout, and lots in salads, but the peas have finished.

French beans are looking and tasting good. Again, from one short row, there are so many that lots have had to be frozen. Next week it should be runner beans. Courgettes also are very good - we shall have to make plenty of chutney this year! And I have been digging potatoes - no sign of slug damage or disease, and a good harvest - and pulling up the garlic for drying. Lots of lettuces and beetroot too, but my first sowing of spring onions is finished and the next set has some way to go. Summer purple sprouting broccoli is prolific, but despite being grown under a fine mesh has caterpillars, so I guess a butterfly must have found its way in. And of course there is some slug and snail damage to all of the brassica crops, so I have put down some more slug pellets. As they are all under the same fine mesh, the birds cannot eat them.

Hot!

This week, I planted out the leeks that I have grown from seed. They look a bit sad, but that's not surprising - the weather has been very warm this week, consistently in the low to mid 30s, and it was 23°C at 7am today. Never mind, as long as they are watered regularly they will pick up.

I have been picking a lot of broad beans and peas. Picked at finger size, the broad beans are delicious eaten as mange tout - just cut them up whole and boil them - either as a hot vegetable or cold, just blanched, in a salad. The peas also are delicious hot or cold. I am delighted to say that the pea pods have been well-filled, with 8 - 10 peas per pod, and none have been spoiled by pea moth. This is because I covered them with a very fine mesh, and only took that off a couple of weeks ago after the flowering stage, when the pea moth lays its eggs. The broad beans are covered with a coarse mesh. This is not nearly fine enough to keep off blackfly, but nevertheless, none of the covered beans have been affected, unlike those that are planted 'outside', which have all got heavy infestations.

Runner beans have now reached the top of their supports, and are beginning to flower, so the first ones should be ready in a few weeks. French beans are similar. Early sweetcorn are now knee-high and doing well. Late sweetcorn are still to be planted out. This is because germination was virtually zero, so I wrote to the seed firm who supplied another packet, but this is very late of course, so will depend on us having some warm weather later on. Other things are also coming on apace in the warm weather. I pulled a garlic clove yesterday to see how it was doing - not badly is the answer!