Tomato tidy

One of the jobs on my jobs list for a while now has been to get in the polytunnel and 'tidy up' the tomatoes.  They were looking scruffy, starting to fall over from the weight of the fruit and full of weeds.  Now I love a good tidy up, so I set to the task in earnest this morning, before it got too hot to work under plastic.

I planted half the tomatoes down one side of the tunnel, the other half having to stay in their pots for a while longer, because the ground was still being used by new potatoes. Once harvested the other half went in.  So I'm hoping from this that I might have accidentally staggered the harvest season.

I've grown two varieties - Money maker and Gardeners delight (cherry tomato), and both are doing really well.

I removed the lower leaves to let the light get to the swelling fruit, to aid with ripening -

I took out wayward side shoots and other stems that seemed to have grown from nowhere(?), so that the plants can concentrate their energy into producing fruit not leaves and stems; I then weeded the soil around them, especially around the base where I concentrate the watering -

Finally if the plant had five sets of fruit on it plus two more leaves I pinched out the tops.  The difference in the plants was amazing, I can actually see what's on the vines now.

I think you'll agree they look really tidy now -

Now I've just got to do the other side of the polytunnel -

Aaarrgh!!  Am keeping my fingers crossed for a cool day.

Just wondering though what you all stake your tomatoes with?  Up until now I've always used garden bamboo canes, but am finding they are not strong enough, what else can I use?

Stats today -

Eggs produced = 12

Sales - good day today
1 dozen eggs £1.80
1 x 500g Carrots £0.75
1 x 500g New potatoes £0.75
1 x Cucumber £0.60

Just an aside - had a customer comment on our produce today, she stopped me in the street to tell me -
'Since eating your produce I will not be buying supermarket produce any more.  It all tastes amazing.'
What a compliment, we are chuffed to bits.

Expenses -
Nil

Swallows and .... Leeks!

Just spent the last two hours, in the gorgeous evening sunshine planting out my leeks, 144 of them in total!
I dead proud of myself, it's the first year I've done the leeks, usually my husband does it.  Here you go -

Phew!  I did have my large friend watching over me the whole time -

This is Red, my pedigree Dexter cow, she always comes up for something to eat at about 8 o'clock, then stands and watches and usually talks to me, in soft mooing noises.  Aww!

As for the Swallows, this is the second year running that we have had Swallows nest in our log store adjoining the house.  They have just left the nest, but aren't going very far at the moment, they're sitting on the wood pile underneath it!

Empty nest!

Just look down a bit - we're not going too far yet!

Just love to see them.  That's the fourth type of bird we've had nest in the garden this year.  It started with Wren's, then Blue tit's, Swallows and Gold finches in the wisteria just outside the back door, which were just gorgeous.

Stats today -

Eggs produced = 11

Sales -

2 dozen eggs £4.00

Expenses - 

Nil

Irrigation questions

Just wondering how you get enough water onto your crops in this hot weather.

Are you a hosepipe, three hours a day person, or is your whole plot covered in soaker hoses?  Be interested to know.

As we are on sandy soil here, with copious amounts of horse manure dug in, in winter, we still battle to get enough water on the crops.  Sandy soil does come in handy for dust mulches though!  Here's a picture of my current irrigation system, works really well on a windy day.

It covers a wide area, especially when it's windy.

It's just one of those sprinklers that you poke in the ground normally, we just found a long piece of pipe to raise it up, which throws the water further.  We leave it on all day in one or two spots and let it get on with it.

Stats today

Eggs produced = 10

Sales -

1/2 dozen eggs £0.90

Expenses -

Nil

Planting broad beans

The first lot of broad beans refused to germinate, so unperterbed, (I love them skinned and either covered in garlic butter with loads of herbs, or scattered in a large salad with lots of home-made salad dressing), I stuffed some more seeds in pots in the greenhouse and thankfully this time they germinated and grew well.  So I know I am a little late sowing them outside, but better late than never.

It was with great interest that I read the article - 'notes from the potting shed', in the July 2013 edition of Grow It Magazine, about puddling in your plants when planting out from pots.  So I thought I'd give it a go.  The basis of the article was getting much needed water to the plant when it is first planted out, a crucial stage of the plant's life.

Here are my efforts: -

First dig your hole

Then fill it full of water

Pop in the plant, having got it out of the pot before pouring in the water, just in case it all disappears whilst you are fiddling around with the pot

Then quickly back fill the soil around it, so that as the water drains away it takes the soil down with it.

 Work in progress

The finished line of fifteen plants

I'm  looking forward to seeing how these do, will monitor them and let you know.  It was amazing to watch the water suck down the soil, but the long traditional urge of firming was strong and hard not to do - I managed it with most, but my automatic brain kicked in before I had chance to stop it and my hands were round the base of the plant compressing the soil - old habits and all that!  

Have you ever tried something new like this and been impressed by the results, so much so that it is now part of your regular gardening routine?  I'd be interested to know.

Stats today -

Eggs produced = 8

Sales -
1 & 1/2 dozen eggs £3.00 (overpaid by £0.30)

Expenses -
Nil