Courgettes and Lettuces

One last photo of Epiphyllum Marilyn Monroe ..taken in much better light , showing her colours more accurately  . 

She'll probably be fading this evening  😢         🎶🎵 Goodbye Norma Jeane 🎵🎶 !

And that is pretty much the end of the Epie blooming season for us here in the far south west of Cornwall U.K.

Oh there can still be the odd one or two blooming every now and then through the summer months , but from now on I tidy them up , prune and take cuttings , re-pot and feed them . I need to make new plant labels .

This pic was taken early this morning .

Today's task is to prick out and pot on these Courgette seedlings . 

I was beginning to think we would have to do without Courgettes this year . This is the third batch of seeds . This time I simply got them going up in the shed .

     I sowed two seeds into each 3inch pot  . Those are lettuces germinating up on the top shelf .

Anyway , I took them all outside .

Filled the pots and gave them a bit of a soak . Got everything I needed  and a kneeler pad to sit on , get comfy for about half an hour , to really relax and get some of them into their own 3" pot .

               These little tools are so useful for pricking out and potting on .

After about half an hour , I did wish I'd taken out a more comfy cushion to sit on !

Look how long that root is ! You have to be very careful not to damage it , make a hole deeply enough for the whole of it , and carefully gently backfill with the compost as you lower it in . 

 I repeat all that to myself as I do it !

I potted up 12 lettuce seedlings . The rest will be spares waiting in the wings to replace the exhausted plants as we use them . I pick a couple of the outer leaves from each plant  and this keeps them going for a while . I can always sow more seeds to keep the succession going .

Next I potted up six of the Courgette seedlings . 

Look at how they have grown even from just this morning !

                          Look at the roots on that !

 I gave them a good drink then away into the shed they go !

On to this cheap little shelving unit . Thankyou to clever husband for putting it together for me . My thinking is that snails can't walk on the wire grid shelves . 

 These are the lettuces waiting to be potted up .

 Also two pots of two more Courgette seedlings spare for anyone local who wants them . Courgettes have been impossible to find in the shops round here .

So that's that job done !

Took a large half of my cheese flan over to my daughter . For lunch we had roasted sausages and onions , cauliflower cheese with honey mustard and tomatoes , roast potatoes and peas , mango chutney and ketchup . .... Oh my life !... Proper job ! ...  mmmm ....