My garden in the first week of June

Here we are nearly halfway through the year already! Today I am going to write generally about how things are progressing in my garden.

Firstly, the Runner Beans are beginning to climb. I often have to tie them to their canes with string to get them started, but this year it looks as if I won’t need to do that:

Nearby, the “Winter Veg” bed is rapidly filling up. The Leeks went in last week, and the two “Predzvest” cabbages have been joined by 5 more of different types.

In the bed with the Lettuces are some Beetroot (a row down the right-hand side) and a few Turnips (foreground) – and of course the Parsley (the row down the left-hand side).

The Cucumber plants are gradually recovering, though still far from strong.

The tomatoes are all looking pretty good, and I am doing all the right things to them – pinching out the sideshoots of the cordon varieties; tying the plants to the canes as they get taller etc, and I have started applying “Tomorite” liquid feed as well.

The Asparagus is continuing to provide a steady trickle of spears to augment the shop-bought ones that are everywhere now. I’ll have to stop cutting them soon. 21st June is the official end of the Asparagus season here. After that time you are supposed to let the spears develop into fern, so that the plants can build up their energy for next year.

Even the Rhubarb has decided to put up some more leaves – prompted no doubt by the copious amount of rain that has fallen in the last couple of weeks.