Tag Archives: Martock Field Beans

June and July 2017 Growing Update

Another young squash fruit at the allotment. I think this one is a Sweet Dumpling.

Attentive readers may have noticed that there was no growing update for the month of June. We just about managed to get on top of things in the garden and at the allotment, but unfortunately I simply ran out of time to write the post. We were busy every weekend and we spent much of our free time during the week watering, weeding and planting. By the time I had enough spare time to write the post it was so far into July that I thought we may as well combine the two months into one post. June was a…

This month saw our first broad beans of the year harvested.

What a turn around we’ve had in the weather this month! The arctic winds have subsided and for the last couple of weeks it’s been like summer. Plus a few times in the last week we’ve had rainfall at night followed by a sunny day, which has done wonders for our plants. We’ve been very busy this month in our garden and at the allotment, although we’re still behind schedule. We’ve also started harvesting, with our overwintered broad beans now yielding returns. It’s been another month where we’ve struggled to find time to get the jobs done that we wanted…

An early autumn treat - the biggest pumpkin we have ever grown.

September is already coming to an end. It’s been a great month for us in the garden and at the allotment. We’ve had some exciting harvests and we’ve been enjoying the changing of the seasons. The month started with weather cloudier than we had experienced in August. It was still warm, but there wasn’t as much sun, and the days were getting noticeably shorter. We had a fair bit of rain in the first week or so, which prompted another surge in courgette production. But it did give us cause for concern regarding our drying Martock field beans and Boddington’s…

It's that time of year again! That summer staple - the runner bean.

We’ve had quite a successful, if a little hectic, month. August carried on where July left off and it has been hot and sunny most days. This has been great for our squashes and courgettes, which have come on leaps and bounds. It has meant we’ve spent a lot of time watering, and so our basic evening routine is either Liz or I water the allotment, and the other waters the garden. These tasks take some time, so what with weeding and cultivating the last of the space at the allotment, it’s been a busy month just keeping things ticking…

Mature Martock field beans growing in our garden.

What a contrast July has been when compared to June! Almost every day this month has been warm and sunny with very little rain. It’s been a very busy month for us. We’ve transformed the allotment and the plants there are thriving in the warm weather. It has meant that we’ve had to spend a lot of time watering the plants this month, and even more time weeding. In the garden the legumes bed has been very productive. Our Martock field beans have produced such a crop that we’ve had a couple of plants bend in two under their own…

Visually pleasing and deliciously sweet - our Fragoo Deep Rose strawberry plants.

Well, what a strange month June turned out to be! The most exciting news is that we now have an allotment! After that the biggest news has been the weather. The month started with a mini-heatwave which decimated crops in our plastic greenhouse, forcing us to get a move on and finish planting everything out. Then the wind and rain wreaked havoc with the plants once they were out! It hasn’t felt like June. Early in the month (after the few hot days), it was quite cold. It may as well have been April. It’s warmed up somewhat now, but…

Some oca shoots poking through the soil.

It’s been nearly three weeks since our last post and a lot has changed since then. Shortly after going to press our young Court Pendu Plat apple came into bloom. As noted in our last post, this tree was historically known as ‘the wise apple’, because it blossoms so late in the season that it never loses its blossom to late frosts. This then signified that it was time for our mostly hardened off tomatoes and curcubits to be planted out into the miscellaneous crops bed. But then disaster struck. In quick succession strong winds and unexpected hot weather devastated…

Beautiful blossom on our dwarf quince tree.

Spring has well and truly sprung here in the East of England. We’re surrounded by beautiful blossom in our garden. We’ve also been busy planning this year’s crops, preparing beds and sowing seeds. It’s strange to think that we’ve been in this house for a year now. This time last year we were just sowing the first of our seeds – a very late start due to the move. Despite this we still had a very successful growing season. This year we’re better placed as we’ve started earlier – so we’re hoping for another bumper harvest. The many plum trees…

Slightly Self-Sufficient

Tasting The Good Life

Tag Archives: Martock Field Beans

June and July 2017 Growing Update

May 2017 Growing Update

September 2016 Growing Update

August 2016 Growing Update

July 2016 Growing Update

Late June 2016 Growing Report

Early June Garden Update

Our Growing Plans for 2016