This year I decided to make a special effort for the squash plants. I got myself a trailer-load of sheep manure from my friend Louis, mixed it in with well-rotted compost from the heap, spread it all over about 20 square yards, then covered the lot with a tarpaulin. I planted the seeds in small holes cut into the tarpaulin. They grew like topsy.
Winter squash is a wonderful vegetable for the cold seasons. You can cut them up and bake them, use them in stews, or as the basis of a nice thick warming soup. Ideal for those chilly Autumn and Winter days. Mine are delivering ripe fruits in July. Perhaps I was a bit too impatient.
On the rest of the veg front, some success and some failures. The tomatoes are going strong, I've had only one ripe one off them so far, but there are plenty of green ones coming along nicely. The beetroot is looking good too, and I've already had a couple of them in a salad, with more to come.
On the downside, the runner beans have not done too well: I have plenty of flowers but not many beans set. My friend Mick who lives a few miles away has the same problem - I wonder if we have a shortage of bees? The broad beans didn't do too well either, but they got devastated by mice so I didn't end up with many plants. I planted French Marigolds around them to ward off evil spirits, so at least I got some flowers. The French beans have done very well, however.
The poatoes are dying back nicely, we have had a few of the early ones already, but I'm leaving the rest in the ground for use as and when needed. The asparagus is also growing up nicely, I am hoping that it is storing its energy for vigorous and tasty shoots next year.
The swiss chard is doing fine, with nice shiny leaves and bright veins, but the brassicas, all of them have had an infestation of something that eats the leaves. The cabbage, kale, cauliflowers and sprouts are nowhere.
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