After wonderful spring rain, it was a dry hot summer. This was generally good for plants that love the heat, although the pumpkins struggled and produced poorly. Fortunately, the Marrows did well and a small crop has been harvested and is drying now. I hope there are good seeds inside those Marrows!! The Year of the Tomato resulted in a massive crop, enough to share with the ducks. The Chilli, Joe E Parker, Capsicum, Italian Long Red, and National Pickling Cucumber, have done very well.
Beans were all sowed very late, in early January, after we had some summer thunderstorm rain, and it looks like a good harvest will come in around Easter. The Burgundy Snake beans are a real winner, for growing fast and producing well, and the Rattlesnakes have proved again, to be very reliable. The Zagreb Soldier bush beans are just starting to flower now. After several years of disappointment with Beetroots, I have finally harvested Bulls Blood variety seed, and tested it for germination, which is good. Suddenly the demand for Russian Garlic has picked up: there was a very nice crop of huge heads. Interest in gardening has not waned, demand for seeds remains strong. However, my back yard limits the quantity I can produce, but more raised garden beds are being added. And more grass being converted to vegetable beds. Parsnip seed has been unavailable, so people were telling me, so after trying several brands, I finally got a good germination and am hoping to have fresh seed by the spring. Parsnip seeds are only viable for 12 months, so plan ahead and save your own regularly. Still lots of bees on the garden flowers, many daisies, different sages, sedums and chrysanthemums bring them in to fertilise autumn crops.
