My First Tomato

This is one of the pinpoint moments in a gardener's year - the first ripe tomato. This is a Sungold tomato in the greenhouse. The Sub Arctic Plenty are extremely disappointing, I was expecting them to be a clear winner, but no. I will wait a few more days to get really ripe, then will just pop it in my mouth, straight from the plant. Another failure in the garden, were my first sowing of Yard Long Beans. I was particularly anticipating this one in the allotment, and also some beautiful red coloured yard long beans. I think they have rotted in the soil. I planted them more than 3 weeks ago and only 2 have come up. I have therefore planted a second sowing in modules in the greenhouse, fingers crossed.

Other beans in the greenhouse are Royalty, Lazy Housewife and Dog Beans. The latter I am thrilled to have received in a swap with Gintonio from Jardim con Gatos in Portugal. The Lazy Housewife beans I obtained from a heritage company in the USA. They are a very old English variety I saw growing at the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall.

Well, you may remember my confession on February 14th, about my obsession with collecting tomato varieties 'My Affair with the Love Apple' - well it has occured to me that I also have a dirty little secret when it comes to curcurbits! I just can't help but collect squashes, pumpkins and cucumbers. I wish I had the space to grow more, but I don't. They are also such rampant cross pollinators that I dare not save seed. Some of my favourites are:

Yellow Straightneck - from the USA, a yellow courgette-type

Queensland Blue - fantastic Winter keeper with blue skin and a deep orange flesh

Rouge vif D'Etamps - traditional Cinderella pumpkin with vivid dark ginger skin

Black Forest - climbing courgette, excellent climber and good producer.

Defender - courgette, my stalwart which is resistant to the dreaded mosaic virus.

Delicata - a small squash with flesh similar to a sweet potato, another good Winter keeper

You see below my Defender courgette growing in a black plastic dustbin.

I enjoy growing something different and unusual, here is one of my Tomatillos. A relative in the tomato family which is grown in Mexico. Makes fantastic salsa!

Gosh, did we have rain at the weekend? or did we have rain at the weekend?

Claps of thunder on Saturday morning and good solid rain for hours. Just look at my potatoes below. They are stood bold upright now, they just loved it. I am growing Jersey Royal (International Kidney) and Sarpo Mira, a blight resistant late crop.

Now I can sit back and watch everything growing! Unfortunately that means the weeds as well. Sigh!