Beans and Peas

    I decided my work for today would be to tidy up the beans and peas bed .

  To climb in there and pull up the speedwell and chickweed and the pretty scarlet pimpernell .     

These are the good weeds !  I leave them to grow around and beneath the hazel rod bean teepees .They really help to keep the moisture in  and we had a really good harvest of  the French Climing Beans ...but it's time to have a clear out and get this bed ready for my brassicas and leeks .

                          Our Beans have been brilliant !

               We've had lots to eat fresh and some are in the freezer .

The Peas were fantastic . I have never had so many ! Enough for proper portions to have for dinner ! 

             Really pleased and I'll be growing these again next year .

 But today they are turning crispy and exhausted and it's time to pull them out .

 So I climbed in and spent about an hour hanging upside down grasping and pulling weeds 🥵 and picking a few beans to eat and some crispy pods to sow again next year .  Actually I'm leaving the french beans in to save seeds from now really .

 Over there in the background are the potato tubs , just to the left of that rusty old incinerator....these are doing really well too !

 This is our second planting of potatoes .  Our first Spring planted lot have been beautiful ..still got one more tub to furtle through !   😃

 Ricardo Lord Protector of the Spud Tubs has four more tubs on the go for Christmas and mid-winter potatoes ..... fingers crossed !

In another bed I have parsnips also for Christmas !

 Planted on the 8th August this second lot of potatoes are doing well and have  already been earthed up a couple of times and are looking like another top up might be required .

  ❄️ We generally don't get frost here ....Lots of  ⛈️ alarmingly wild , violent and destructive storms ⛈️ ....but usually no snow or frost . ❄️ Don't get me wrong ..it gets cold though ! ❄️

  If need be Ricardo will drag them under cover . The woodshed has a clear plastic corrugated (and leaking) roof . So plenty of light and the stacked wood gives off some warmth too . 

  I over winter quite a few plants in here too . Goodness I'll be digging up my Musa ensete "Maurelii"  banoonahs again soon ....towards the end of next month . 

  You might think that is a bit early but I dig them up and plant them up in  really big tubs with lovely fresh compost mixed with a bit of pearlite .They go into the corner of the woodshed . I give them a good drink of rain water and just let them get their roots down  and put up new happy leaves and look fabulous . As we go into the colder times they get less and less water , I allow them to go almost dormant  .

      Later on I will lash polystyrene sheets around the tubs .  

             I do that every Autumn and they are fine .

 I leave Musa basjoo outside in the ground . I only put a cloche over it if there is a weather warning and take it off afterwards .

 People , please remember that I am way down South on the Lizard ! 

If you live up country , then you will need to look up what people do up north !  

       

               I will do a post showing exactly what I do later on .

 So there we are , a whole wheelbarrow load to save and go onto the pumpkin bed with cardboard and seaweed and lovely rotting leaves .

 The Runnerbean bed also needs replenishing  .

My sweetcorn has done nothing and my Runnerbeans well .....you can see ....they are only just starting to climb up the poles  ! 

   I am hopeful of having a late harvest  , I think it's not too late for them .

 Ricardo says "I don't like them anyway !"

    The price of vegetables in the shops is going sky high though now . He will be glad of them later on .

      £2.00 for a cucumber is ridiculous !

        

         We had some rain .....so a bit of happiness for the wildlife .

That's all for today ! 

   I am aching and need a flop and a nice glass of icy cold chocolate milk .

Going to do some embroidery and maybe a bit of patchwork ....we'll go for a walk later on .

                              Peace and Love  🕊️💕

                                        Love Debbie 💐x

                      

                         

Goodmorning !

                       Goodmorning !  The sun is coming up later now ☀️

                                Make it a great day ! 

                                        love Debbie 💐x

🌦️ RAIN ! 🌦️🤍🌧️

I opened the cottage back door this morning and the first thing I see is .....

                                          .......the back door steps are wet !

            The puddle where I wash my muddy boots has returned !

                  I check inside the waterbarrel .......

                         ..........it is about a third full ! 

                 Could do with more but at least it's something !

       And as I opened the greenhouse door , I saw a frog ! 🐸 Unfortunately I wasn't fast enough with my camera and he quickly scuttled off , but I am so happy to see him having survived this awful heatwave .

     I think there is more rain forecast for tonight .

              Such a welcome relief for the wildlife and nature .

 🌿 🌦️ 🌧️ 🤍...and it smells so good ... .. petrichor .....mmmm ...🌦️🌧️🤍🌿

           Plan for this morning . Doing some baking !

                  Have you had some rain yet ?

                                           All fer now ! Love Debbie 💐x

                        Peace and Love and Rain 🕊️🤍🌦️

 

Fog

          This morning looking very Autumnal through the fog .

Autumn leaves . The Horse Chestnut always the first to say goodbye .

                                         Crab Apples and Plums

 A few wind fall apples for a crumble . I found this beautiful Buzzard feather .

                 Leaf sweeping time has come early this year .

                                     Cornish Mizzle and Fog 

                                          .... and still uncomfortably warm .

           Yesterday , I did get round to thinning out the grapes at last .

                       A few for me and a few for the Blackbird .

 I don't really mind if the birds take them all . It has been a very hard drought and heatwave for them this year .

The grape vine really could do with a frame of some sort after the old one fell down during a storm last year . 

It couln't be fixed sadly .

And while money is a bit short , it will just have to continue to scrabble through the bushes and up into the sycamore trees as nature intended .  🍇

The Pumpkins are coming !   At last !

I thought I'd grow a couple to give to the children to carve Jack'o'lanterns for Hallow'een . 🎃🦇👻🎃

 

                      I do hope they grow a little bit bigger !    🤔

                These are supposed to be those giant pumpkins !   🤣

  It's very early and I expect this mist will soon burn off as the sun comes up .

                              Still waiting for rain ! 

                               Peace and Love 🕊️🤍

                                        Daisy Debbie 💐x

I think the Weather is Changing ! ⛅

We had a very brief mizzle shower and I am really hoping we may get some proper rain in the coming next few days .

Still picking some nice vegetables .

 

Today's "must do today " job is to thin out the grapes on the grape vine .🍇

One of my young Hostas " Golden Dragon Tails " was looking a bit poorly and so I decided to tip it out and change the compost . 

 There were some sort of insects at the bottom , which the Robin enjoyed after I tipped it all out .

         Golden Dragon Tails is one of my favourite Hostas .

                   The roots look o.k. so hopefully I got to it in time .

                                Peace and Love and Rain 🕊️🤍⛈️

                                       Love Debbie 💐x

You must Eat your Greens ! 🥬🥬

     We are all wondering when this heatwave and drought is going to end .

This morning there are some clouds high up there in the sky .....

           .....but then the sun comes up and the clouds soon evapourate .

        We took our walk along the cliff fields .....look at how dry it is !

By the way , in the corner of this field there is a water-trough for the cattle .

Meanwhile in the vegetable garden , I had thought that the beans and peas were coming to the end now .....

                ...... but I had a good look and managed to fill this pot .

This lot are now in the freezer . I have two or three large free-flow bags now . I think I will leave the rest to save the seeds for next year .

 So the french climbing beans did really well , very hard work watering everything but it was well worth it .

  We should be picking our Runner beans by now , but they are only now getting going !  No idea why . Anyway they are now starting to climb up the canes .

  I think we will have a late harvest of Runners .

Ricardo says he doesn't like Runner-beans anyway ! 

           He is very naughty ! He won't eat his greens !

                         🥬 Through the shed window, brassicas !🤣🥬

I have Pak choi , beetroots , greyhound spring cabbage , green and a few red cabbages to go in after I've cleared the beans away .

 Ricardo is cross with me for not growing broccoli .....I didn't sow them because each plant takes up so much room for so little yield . 🥦🥦🥦🥦

    .....oh there's still time..... maybe I could squeeze them in somehow 🙄 🥬

          All fer now folks !   Hope you are taking care in the hot sun ! 

                               Peace and Love 🤍🕊️

                                        love Debbie 🥦x

In the Shed and In the Greenhouse 🌿

 

                  Amorphophallus atroviridis ........looking fabulous !

      Wow , such magnificent leaves from such a tiny little tuber !

                                      I am in love !

        🐜  Next we await it's extraordinary flower  . 🐜🪰🕷️🪳

Also putting on a show today .......

                              Tradescantia pallida "Kartuz Giant" 

Meanwhile in the greenhouse......

         I took off all the drooping yellow leaves from the Sweet Peppers . 

  There are lots of new leaves growing away nicely now .

          Finger's crossed for a second harvest of Sweet Peppers !  🫑🌶️🌿

       A pile of tomatoes to put in the fridge . Very happy me !

                   After a very warm and uncomfortable night .....

                 .......it is overcast today and very very warm  .

       

                                   Please let it rain !!!

                          Peace , Love and Rain  🕊️🤍🌧️

                                             love Debbie 💐x

Tidying in the Greenhouse 🌿🌿🌿

                                             Good morning !
 

                                       Unrelenting hot sun ! 

I threw myself out of bed very early this morning , about 5am , determined to get something done in the garden before it became too hot .

I decided to tidy up some of the plants in the greenhouse . Mainly the Tomato plants . 

I snipped off any withering or yellowing leaves and took the very tippy tops off .

Still plenty of tomatoes coming . I gave everything a drink . I share out two watering cans of tap water with some tomato food stirred in .

             Tomatoes , Sweet Peppers and Cucumbers watered  .

  I filled an old compost bag up with all the withered leaves to take to the tip later on .  

 No bonfires allowed presently with this cruel heatwave and drought  .

    I made a bit of space for the cacti ! The tomato plants had been giving them some shade from the fierce sun , but it is nice to see and enjoy them again  .

Dad - I don't know how your old hockey stick came to be in my greenhouse ? !!

There are still more hidden along the greenhouse bench !  😊💚🌵

                    Happy to see some more Cucumbers on the way !

These lovely cucumbers were almost hidden by the Passiflora manicata and the Bowiea volubilis . A nice surprise to find them ! 

 The Cucumbers had full rein of the greenhouse ; as in total , unlimited freedom to romp away amongst all my other plants . This worked really well this year  .  Growing whichever way they naturally wanted to grow , very happy plants ! 

                                  Kalanchoe daigremontiana

                       Also known as Mother of Thousands  😱

                  

                 Whatever shall I do with all these babies ? !!!

Always reminds me of this 18th century old English nusery rhymme .....

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe ,

        She had so many children  she knew not what to do !

 She gave them some broth and she gave them some bread .....

             ......  then whipped them all soundly and sent them to bed !  😱🤣

I'm the eldest of five children ....

               ......and we always joked that mum was that old woman !  🤭  lol !

                    🤣               Sorry mum , love you !!  🤭💞

                                  Cheerio fer now ! 

                                         Peace and Love 🕊️

                                                         Love Debbie x

p.s. you can change the word "whipped " to "kissed" might be better these days ! x