Vivi's Kitchen Garden

I was reminded recently that I had forgotten to give you all an update on my horse manure experiment in which I was testing for the herbicide ‘Aminopyralid’……so here’s an update on it today. Plus I harvest my first batch of Lemon Balm and discuss growing, harvesting, processing and using it. It has a great many uses……for me it’s mostly about the bathroom.

It’s time for a long overdue postbag catch up and thank you session. It’s a wonderfully mixed bag……and I enjoy it all with a naughty beer……but I have a good excuse! And how exactly did my letterbox get broken? Well….let me explain…….

On another warm and humid day I set to with starting to plant the winter garden. Today the first of the brassicas will be planted: Cavolo Nero kale and a red, curly kale. As the beds will be exposed all winter they will need some mulching and, most importantly, these beds will need protecting from the pests that love brassicas. I talk about the kit I use for this protection.

Gosh, it became a long one……I guess it’s not surprising though as we head into the height of the growing season. So many plants are still quite small but there are exciting signs of life and development everywhere.

For the first time in four years I skipped making a ‘Thoughts on’ video at the end of May (month 49)……life was getting a bit bonkers…….but I’m gradually turning things around again by using a sporting analogy. ‘Quiet please, the players are ready’….

My day continues……still lots on the ‘to-do’ list…….and a change of plans because the harvest is the most important thing.

You will be seeing this on the longest day, the summer solstice…..it seems apt somehow. I actually filmed it on the 15th, exactly two weeks after I filmed the June tour. I wouldn’t normally film another tour in the middle of the month…but this hasn’t been a normal year…..I have been ‘behind’ since March….but finally I am beginning to catch up and as so much has happened in the last two weeks I thought I’d bring you up to date with the garden………looking like it ought to have done at the beginning of June!

Woohooo, I finally have some tinker time! For anyone not familiar with the phrase it sort of means doing little finishing touches/jobs after the big jobs are done….no pressure, no urgency, no time constraints….just…tinkering. I shalln’t explain anymore….simply come and be with me in the garden and relax a bit.

Oh my goodness……..this should have happened in the middle of May (!) …..I am finally putting up my bean arches….the last major job of ‘spring’! Before I start this job, though, it is our community work day…so I roll up my sleeves and get stuck in on the hottest day of the year so far. After the communal work I was done in and ready to call it a day…….but help arrived so I decided to carry on and get all the bean arches built!

Things may not have gone according to plan this year, things may not have grown as I would like them to…..but for the near self-sufficient garden there is no room for dwelling on disappointments…and there is certainly no room for empty beds through the height of the season. So….it’s time to roll up the sleeves again and make something out of nothing!