Today we are busy building another two raised beds, which will be just in time for quick-growing summer vegetables this year – but will provide us with lots more space for next year’s growing season.
The best news is that we have had our first strawberry harvest, and some are even making it from the garden to the kitchen … but not very many!
Last year I bought a little daisy plant at our village plant sale, which consisted of three tiny flowers on a single long stem. My green-fingered friend confidently told me to give it lots of space as it would transform into an abundant plant this year, and she was not wrong!
We inherited four yukka plants when we moved here, and they have flourished in the current heatwave, producing long purple stems out of the centre, with exotic red buds.
When we came back from our holiday, the geraniums had spread across several feet of borders, and I’m going to go and release the lavender that is somewhere beneath them this afternoon.
Our mint seeds were very slow to germinate, but once established, they spread very quickly. I’ve learnt from experience and confine mine to pots! This hand-sown plant is only a few month’s old.
The courgettes were transplanted from pots in the kitchen to the new raised beds, in a sun-drenched position. More and more flowers burst into life every day.
By gently pulling back the leaves, you can just make out the first few courgettes starting to grow.
Several of our cabbages are ready to be harvested – we are going to pick one for our dinner tomorrow night, and have another marked out for homemade slaw and stir fries later in the week.
Some plants prefer to take their time. These parsnips have been growing since February. Sweetened by many frosts, they are now in another new raised bed. Once ready, we are planning to freeze them and keep them for Christmas.
Also for our winter feast, are the brussels sprouts. These are growing by the garden wall, where their towering stems will be protected from high winds.
Looking closely, you can spot the tiny nodules of baby brussels, just starting to grow.
If you have any recipes for the above produce, please feel free to post a link in the comments, we would love to see them 🙂
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I love that little white daisy! And parsnips are such an under-rated vegetable in the US. I grew some two winters ago, and they were yummy! (Need to grow them again this winter.) Looks like everything is pretty happy in your garden.
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I like this time of year, when I’m not fretting over slugs munching on tiny helpless seedlings … and I can sit back a little and enjoy things growing 🙂
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Your garden is looking amazing.
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Thank you so much 🙂
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What gorgeous photos! Makes me yearn for my own patch someday 🙂 xx
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Thanks so much 🙂 Maybe give it a try next year — if I can do it, anyone can 🙂
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The strawberries are gorgeous.
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Thank you – they didn’t last very long! 😀
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I’ve nominated you for The unique Blogger Award.
https://oldhouseintheshires.com/2017/06/25/the-unique-blogger-award/
x
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Thank you very much 🙂
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Hi 🙂 Such pretty flowers and good looking fruits and vegetables! Your comment about the strawberries that made it into the kitchen reminded me of the book “Blueberries for Sal” by Robert McCloskey. In the story, a little girl goes blueberry picking with your Mom. They are picking the blueberries to can them. The little girl, Sal, eats most of her blueberries before they end up in her pail. 🙂 I love strawberries, but can’t have them anymore because of allergies. I did buy some organic blueberries and organic cherries at the grocery store this morning. There is always the question of how many of them I will eat while washing them off and how many will make it into the refrigerator for later. 🙂 Happy gardening!
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I looked up “Blueberries for Sal” on Amazon and it looks beautiful 🙂 I’ve wishlisted it for our children. We love cherries too, and they never quite make it into a pie, they get snaffled straight away 🙂
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The first of our cabbage will always be made into a cabbage salad with pumpkin seed oil (from Austria).
Finely, and I mean chop your fingers off fine, chopped cabbage, a small onion, pumpkin seed oil, apple cider vinegar, caraway seeds, salt and pepper. So simple, but unforgettable flavours and texture. You can toss in some freshly cooked new potatoes as well or serve on the side. I cant wait 🙂
Your garden is looking fantastic by the way.
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Thanks so much for this Eddy – we’ve had this three times since reading your tip, and it’s absolutely delicious! 😀
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Exciting time for your lovely garden!
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Thank you! We’ve been away touring with our EV and tent – so I’ve a lot of harvesting to do now! 🙂
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Brussel sprouts are delicious, especially eaten with a smidgen of butter.
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There’s definitely a growing sense of anticipation … we’ve been nurturing the plants since feb/march! 😀
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Visually stunning post! Congratulations on your glorious bounty!
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Thanks so much! It all looks different again now, I’ll have to nip outside and take some snaps, we have some glorious sunflowers and the tomatoes are just coming through…
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It all looks so lovely. It must be such a pleasure to see things grow.
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It is … and I love that every morning it has grown and changed, so there’s always something to see 🙂
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Everything is blooming and growing. Ah, summer!
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Wow! What a beautiful garden you have. I had not seen the yucca plants before. What a fabulous post!
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It’s a very perculiar plant that I never would have picked, but have grown to like 😀 I always go for more “English Country Garden” style flowers that look untamed 🙂 The children love it because it looks like a jungle plant!
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Wow! What a productive plot you do have! I’ve had no success with brassicas other than as a lovely butterfly farm. Too lazy to net! We share the same taste in flowers, I think. That daisy looks to me like feverfew which is a brilliant self-seeder so, with any luck, you’ll have dozens of them next summer! You’re supposed to be able to chew the leaves for migraine but it tastes vile. Mind you, I could be wrong, I’m not the best of plant identifiers!
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I think (hope) that we have just sailed through cabbage white butterfly season … companion planting has helped a lot, and a lot of luck. I think you’re right about the Feverfew 🙂 x
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It’s a lovely little plant, regardless of the taste!
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It is 🙂 The history/literature loving side of me just likes really old fashioned looking plants like daisies x
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Seeing pictures of thriving vegetable garden made me happy. There’s something so joyful about harvesting own fruits and vegetables.
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There is! I love just nipping outside in bare feet to snip a few herbs … although when we got back from our last camping trip the courgette plants had gone wild and we had over twenty marrows to eat, so I’ve quickly been learning marrow recipes!
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I have nominated you for the following awards!
https://ahomeschoolinglife.wordpress.com/2017/07/18/a-few-awards/
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Thank you very much :o)
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Great pictures of veg. Who would think they could look so beautiful.
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Thank you so much 🙂 That’s one of the best bits about trying to grow a pottage style garden, that the veggies start to merge with the flower borders 🙂 We’re big fans of your blog by the way!
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