The Fruits of no Labour

Cabbage, something i doubt i'll ever eat, but having strong, dense cabbages growing in the brassica bed is another way to get over the fact that there'll be no tomatoes this year. From feeling like wanting to give it all up as a bad job to not really caring about the losses (honest!) in a short space of time, it just pays testament to the theraputic powers of nurturing crops and getting a good share of fresh air.


Other things were getting ready to be cropped, like our first ever (there' been loads of first ever's) new potatoes, probably the highlight of the year so far. I wouldn't have believed that moving soil and finding some shiny white spuds in the ground could be so exciting and life affirming!!! I must be getting old. Lisa reliably informs me that they tasted so much nicer and 'creamier' than the shop bought ones, which is good, seen as that's half the reason we set off on this little venture.


The cucumber started growing like it was on steroids or something, i considered calling it Lindford, but i was worried as it grew some people might think i'd called it that for a different reason!!!


Yet another little treat, the 2 apple trees in the 'tree zone', gnarled and messy as they are, have taken off since the blossom and are covered in fruit. The same goes for the plum trees, the pear trees and the wild cherry trees that we've only just discovered we'd got.

As the heat continues to bake us, nature continues to suprise us, just because it can.

Going, Going, Gone

After the tomato set back it was good to see that other plants were getting on fine, another something ready, this time spring onions, this is a white lisbon, the first ever plant i've grown and eaten!!



The cucunbers had survived the mosaic virus, fortunately we'd not nipped anything off them at that point, so we decided to move them outside.


The weather has been amazing this summer, i've never paid so much attention to the weather forecasts, i look out for rain every day. Every day there isn't rain i'm aware of it, i'm aware of how dusty the land is and i'm also aware of the fact that our water butts are insuficient in this kind of weather...


With both water butts dried out we had to take the butts down to the house on a wheelbarrow and with the help of a mate fill it as full as we could and take it back. That's been the routine, about twice a week... it's not enough really, i think the yeilds will suffer, but things are still growing and the weeds are struggling, so it's not all bad!

More Signs of Life... First Sign of Death...

As June steadily rolled on things were growing like you've never known, well, never known if it's your first time round... It was time to dig another little bed and put out the strawberries... a little late, i know, but we've been a little late with everything this year.


Raddish!! No wonder all the books say you should grow it... the first harvest and a hint at what the rest of the growing season may deliver.


But with one bit of encouragement comes one mighty volley in the teeth... Mosaic Virus... I'd spotted some yellowing on the new leaves that were coming through on the tomatoes, tomatoes, incidentally, that were loving it in the greenhouse and looking really healthy. I went home to check out the literature.


A search on the net comfirmed our worst fears and heralded in our first veg related tears... The most virulent plant virus (according to the sources),it stays in the soil for 50 years (luckily we were using grow bags and pots); burn everything, disinfect the green house and pick your chin up off the floor...

'How did they get it?', i hear you ask... Well, if you look back to the first picture on 'The First Real Signs of Life' you'll see the main culprit: Tobacco. We had no idea that the habbit that's ruining us was the habbit that ruined 30 tomato plants and wasted a whole lot of effort. After reading on the internet that the tabacco that you smoke usually has mosaic virus present we put 2 and 2 together and concluded that when we'd stopped for a break on the allotment, sparking up in the process, our idea to save time by pinching out the side shoots whilst having a fag was transmitting the virus plant to plant all the time... because we were breaking the 'skin' we were doing the job of an aphid, speeding up the spead of infection. We both felt pretty ashamed and dirty, to be totally honest...

Perhaps if the packets had warnings like: 'Tobacco Seriously Damages Your Plants', then we might have stopped smoking...