Category: Garden

5 am watering of greenhouse (with added hose the last few days), and then the patio and the front garden. All my mints, sages and thymes seem to be doing well. Chickory has spread a little andI love the blue flowers. Pineapple sage has had a lovely red flower and I loved the flax earlier in the summer. Lots of small white butterflies and one painted lady – hopefully the hot spell will lead to a proliferation of them. I have left some nettles and buddlea for them.

Tomatoes are coming on, and another couple of cucumbers – I reckon if I get 10 that is cheaper than buying them (although obviously they have not been sprayed, etc. – and so pleased see them!). Thinking about late planting of parsley, lettuce, whatever, as there are now spaces in the greenhouse. peppers looking good.

I want one! Just saw this in the Observer Magazine during my busy Sunday! I did water the garden, greenhouse and house plants between 5.15 and 6.30 this morning!.

Obviously it needs something like a conservatory or a wall with plenty of light. But how good would a wall be with 20 to 30 herbs and flowers giving both a vibrant vista and a fragrant scent. If I get rid of the radiator in the conservatory and replace with an electric storage heater I would have a wall that at the moment has a rather brilliant Ceropegia woodii. Maybe I could move the furniture a bit and plan properly for once. But already thinking of Corsican mint, chocolate mint, creeping thyme, greek basil, parsley.

Tomatoes and cucumbers join strawberries and raspberries and redcurrant that I have got from the garden this year – along with all the herbs.

Making strawberry jam later with strawberries bought from Draycott, maybe add a leaf of a mint near the end?

Whoop, whoop, first 3 tomatoes. Hopefully I will be ok for next 3 months. Strawberry jam made yesterday has set and tastes good. I will need more jam jars, especially if I am going to dry herbs. Sun (dehydrator) dried tomatoes would be good, and then mix with different herbs, especially basil. My garlics are small but tasty. And I am getting enough raspberries to add to cereal every day (10-12). Nasturtiums ready for eating.

Thank you Martin for the strimming, and Holly for relieving me of parental responsibilities for quite a few plants. A little space on the table, and I will plant out salvia and marigolds in front now there is space. I will also dig out some of the former mint bed to make room for the 3 x sage (tangerine, pineapple and blackcurrant) and 3 x thyme (Doone valley, wild creeping, golden lemon) plants that I have ordered. Also keeping on top of the mown bits so that I can plant the 6 different lavenders once they are big enough.

All mints looking good- so just pennyroyal to go into former mint bit. And a couple more to look out for. Black Mitchum and Lavender, possibly orange and Tashkent?

I am also noticing the difference between the mints. Definitely an opportunity to do a connoisseurs bit! Cocktails, fruit cocktails, potatoes, tomatoes, chick peas, lentils, lamb, teas, list is endless, as in the supply of mint!

It maybe the weather but some neighbours are definitely leaving their lawns for longer – result. If they leave them an extra week that is a 30% reduction in energy use, and flowers available for the pollinators.

My flowers are coming out now – Californian Poppies, flax, cosmos, begonias and soon nasturtiums. Thyme is always in flower and I have let the dill in the greenhouse go to seed as I do not eat much of it anyway. Fennel seems to be spreading along the road gutter to the east!