Alan Holmes wrote:
My first early pots are just begining to show, put the second earlies in
about a week ago, and today planted the maincrop!

And discovered a few tomatoes begining to form.

Alan

Gasp. You're late??? Mine (toms) are only just starting to show
flowers !!
So far, we have consumed rhubarb, rocket (left over from winter
planting, hair cut regularly, so it keeps giving me leaves which are
increasingly peppery, to my delight) fresh rocket planting not
harvestable yet. I have consumed some lettuce thinnings to make room,
armfulls of herbs (I have without a doubt the best herb bed in the
British Isles, and you'll have to take my word), radishes, 1 asparagus
stem (it didn't make it to the kitchen, never mind get cooked).
Strawberries are formed but desperately green - I must think of netting
them this week end without fail, or risk having nothing to show for my
efforts. Raspberry crop will be good - that is netted. Blackcurrant
bush spectacularly laden, also netted, though all green as yet. Red
currant sulking with one or two miserly strings of berries - they just
didn't form. Gooseberries (netted) absolutely laden with stuff, but
taking their own sweet time to sweeten and soften. Blackberries just
finished flowering - good crop I hope, but only one plant.
Fabulous success - so far with my first ever planting of broad beans -
all germinated, all in flower, I haven't seen them in a few days, and
could see beginnings of pods this week end.
Runner beans a disaster, like so many others on urg - two wigwams with
only 5 plants germinated between them, which have taken forever to
germinate, and still look miserly.
Fortunately, one of my wigwams is well laden with another type of
climbing bean - but I lost the label - and the dwarf french are also
doing ok. Just as well, I can't get enough beans.
Peas germinated well in a cold frame this late spring, and they are
scaling their wigwams and starting to flower - so far so good. I also
have some kohlrabi - not hectic - some now healthy looking brussels
sprouts, saved from the pigeons by two double CD's of Tom Jones
Greatest Hits (free with some Sunday paper), two rows of my beloved
salsify - one rather more successful than the other. And three
courgettes about to conquer the planet and provoke all my friends, just
like last year, to cross the road when they see me coming...
Amazing. As I write it all out, I realise how much stuff I am managing
to grow with reasonable success (cross toes).
The beloved - who has as much interest in matters horticultural as I
have in trainspotting - smiles magnanimously at my business around the
garden, and is mildly benevolent in the face of my enthusiastic gardeny
gushings. Growing his favourite lettuce and brussels sprouts is my way
to make him more interested, as well as trying to share the burden of
consuming the glut...

All the same, it's great to garden, is it not?

Cat(h)