Beans

I've just picked the last of the Broad beans (masterpiece green long pod). I've left the largest pods on the plants to go brown and dry off. They will be for planting next year. I've done this a few years now and it works really well and saves a few pounds in buying commercial seed.

The French beans (Blue Lake) have been a bit variable. They didn't germinate well, then the slugs got them when I planted them out. I kept planting more seeds in the ground where there were gaps on the cane wigwams (apparently should be called a Tepee!) so now there are some that have climbed to 6 ft and are flowering and producing beans and some which are about 2 inches and just thinking about it.

The Runner beans are doing well as always. We've picked loads, eaten them, frozen them and given some to friends. Surprisngly since the ground still seems wet after our torrential summer some of the beans have shrivelled up before developing. No problem because we have loads. As well as eating, sliced as a veg we usually make soup and chutney with the runner beans. The beans we grow are saved from seeds year on year since my mother set up her garden in Dorset 30 years ago so I have no idea what variety they are.

Jungle & plums

We've been very busy the last couple of weeks - hence lack of posts. The weather this year has been very strange with spells of warm - even hot- weather mixed with torrential rain and hail. A couple of nights ago the temperature went down to 2 degrees C.

The wet and warm has resulted in shrubs, trees grass and of course weeds growing like mad. It really is a jungle and whenever it's not pouring I've been out hacking and pulling at the overgrowth. Not sure I'm winning!

It's harvesting time -  plums are beginning to come nicely now and the runner beans. We have 5 very large marrows one of which has been made into a marrow / tomato / onion / garlic / herb mix (version of ratatouille) which we freeze and eat with pork and sausages during the winter. At least one of the others will be chutney.

Plums from various trees

Plums are a delight. They're great just raw off the tree and gorgeous cooked. I did our favourite plum crumble on Friday and last night I cooked plums cut in half with a tablespoon of demerara sugar, a couple of cinnamon sticks and covered with our own elderberry wine. Delicious!

Hot potatoes

It was a great August weekend - sunny, just a couple of spots of rain and hot! With our fickle weather we had to make the most of it in the garden.
I dug up the remaining potatoes. So far the yield hasn't been great (mostly Sante and Pentland Javelins) but the last bed was Desiree and Colleen with some Rosas that came up from last year's missed ones (what I call feral potatoes!).
In general the Desirees were good quality and size. I got 22lbs from 3 lbs of seed potatoes I bought, which doesn't sound all that great but much better that the Sante and PJs in the other bed. Colleens are supposed to be first earlies but I find they are better left to get a decent size and got about 30lbs from the 3lbs of seed potatoes. I did take a few for new potatoes early on.
The commercial potato growers are all complaining because although this year there was lots of rain there was not much sun. Their yields are down 15-20%.
This year I planted some potatoes saved from last year. Because of the warm winter a lot of our stored Sante & PJ potatoes had started sprouting so I thought they may as well get planted because they weren't any good for eating.
In general:

• The early potatoes (Santes & PJs) grown in pots in the greenhouse from own stock were good this year and I may do more next year.
• Santes & PJs grown outdoors were poor, maybe weather or soil or possibly a bit of blight. We love Santes for their flavour but I may give them and the PJs a miss next year and try other varieties. We had Hunters last year and they produced really nice big white potatoes.
• Desirees were great. I will plant more in future.
• Feral potatoes come up sooner than planted potatoes and give reasonable yield - maybe because they get started earlier or have proved their strength by survival in the soil over the winter. Is it worth deliberately leaving some in or planting much earlier?

Potatoes waiting to be packed into cardboard boxed for storing in the garage.