Garden Notes 2013

So - Summer is over. The first of the Autumn gales have been forecast for the weekend, and it is time to batten down the hatches. But, before we do that, I want to have a look and see how 2013 went for this garden on the edge of Europe. It was a late starter for us, due to the very cold Spring, the diversion of the polytunnel construction and the fact that not all the raised beds were in situ until June. But, we got there in the end, and I can now share some of the results of our Summer labour.

Chard is always dependable. Such a good crop here - beautiful big glossy leaves - which taste sweet, even when they run to seed, and can last until next season's seedling are ready to go in!  I do find that the ruby chard seems to bolt much more than the yellow and pink, so when my (seemingly never-ending) packet of Rainbow mix is finished, I will order single colours.

The beetroot has been a great success this year too. In previous years I have always had trouble getting a crop at all, so these tennis ball size globes are such a bonus. This year I grew the Beetroot seed collection from Sarah Raven. Amazing result, and we have lately enjoyed several platters of 

incredibly trendy looking, three-beet salad. I would say though, that there were very few of the golden beet seeds, so I will need to order double of that variety for next time. Happily there were plenty of the red and pink, so saving a bit there.

In other veg news, the carrots (Autumn King) are fattening out and can really stay in the ground until the end of the year. I will cover them with fleece to keep the worst of the winds off them. The kales and cabbages are nice and snug under their enviromesh cover and we will harvest them as we go. Cauliflower and broccoli have been cut, eaten and some of it even frozen! I did leave the broccoli plants in the ground, and have been picking little shoots now and then - just enough to add to stirfries and salads.

Potatoes did well, considering how late they went in (end of June). I planted Accent, which was a first early, and Charlotte, a waxy salad. I am almost at the end of the Charlotte now, and as I worked through the bed, discovered a courgette plant and a large nest of hens eggs hidden beneath the foliage!
The Accent were large white potatoes - very easy to over-boil if you took your eye off the pot, and they were really soft in texture. I found them to be a bit bland, but the rest of the family seemed to like them. I thought they were tastier cold rather than hot, so better for salads. Charlottes are always good, and I will definitely grow them again. Next year, I will be more organised and get them in earlier and even try to grow a maincrop as well.

Beans were mixed. The broad beans did really well - a mixture of Super Aquadulce and Stereo. The Stereo grew really tall and suffered a lot in the windy conditions, but the beans were superb. Aquadulce are always good performers, and we like the big fat beans and the furry pods. I have several bags in the freezer, and we enjoyed them in a lot of meals over the last two or three months. Broad bean hummus is definitely  the taste of Summer for me.
I had also planted dwarf French beans ( Cantare and Aguillon) and climbing beans ( Borlotti and Blue Lake) but  - failure here. I never can grow dwarf beans - they are always tiny, shrivelled little specimens. Even in my previous garden, much further south, I only ever harvested enough for maybe one or two small portions. I just don't think it is warm enough here.  I am still going to try next year, but in the poly-tunnel. The climbers?  Well, Borlotti is very far from home up here on the Western Isles, so a few stumped empty pods and wind-scorched leaves were the result here. I had hoped for more from the Blue Lake, as I have had good harvests in the past from this variety. Again, though, it was those old South-westerlies that did them in. Sustained moderate breezes are just as drying as hot sun, without the growth promoting qualities.

Although -  look - right down there at the very bottom of the bean tower -  maybe half a dozen decent looking pods!  A lesson there then - more protection.

I am pleased with the bulb fennel, which I only planted last month, under fleece, and the stems are just beginning to swell. I have planted a comfrey bed, so that I can make my own liquid fertiliser. We are all waiting and hoping for a late strawberry bonus - just a couple of more sunny weeks - please! I had forgotten to sow any peas this year, so I bought some plants at the Crofter's market last month. Of course, the beds were all full and I had nowhere to plant them, so they went into the flower bed. We have had a fair few pods from them, but now they have been discovered by the hens. What I want to know is - why they can't peck at the creeping buttercup as well - then I might not mind so much. Ho hum...

...at least there is still time to smell the flowers..

...oh yes - there should always be time for that. ♥