Get off my nuts
Written by: adekun on 12 August, 2008 10:14 am - Filed under: garden — 4 Comments »
Some sort of netting has got to be a sound investment. The crows, having finished off the corn have recently returned from a spell further afield. They have begun digging up the groundnuts. Although harvest time a lot further off than a week, the nuts must still be appealing. As before, the evidence is strewn across the ground. I have to be a little intrigued seeing the thick but pliable shells split open.
Garden imp
Written by: adekun on 11 August, 2008 9:26 pm - Filed under: blog — 3 Comments »
I’ve been meaning to post some photos of Kento taken before the summer vegetables went in. He’s quite adept at sticking on a pair of shoes and going for an amble.
Kento the shoe robber
We are now down to the last bunch of white onions. If they were bigger we could have looked forward to onion soup. Below, Kento managed to pull a couple of the tiniest by himself - and a smile.
Kento the onion robber
Rhubarb departed
Written by: adekun on 8 August, 2008 8:59 am - Filed under: food — 6 Comments »
Since late summer last year I’ve been nurturing two dozen rhubarb seeds. The first twelve were sown directly with about a third germinating. They didn’t flourish. The remainder was put into a module tray in the spring. Again only about a third made it to the surface, of which two developed into something worth transplanting. Both were promptly devoured. One was strong enough to spawn another set of leaves. However, I think the strong sunlight coupled with a bottle cloche were too much. It doesn’t look like it’s going to make a recovery this time. I am quite upset. 
High summer garden
Written by: adekun on 7 August, 2008 2:12 pm - Filed under: garden — No Comments »
- Along the back from the left:
- Empty space where the spuds were
- Asparagus
- Basil
- Peas
- Middle and front:
- Sweet Potatoes
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Peppers & aubergines
- Peas
- Okra
- Recently vacated kabocha and watermelon
It really looks dry out there. I’ve barely been out with either the hose or watering can. The sweet potatoes are thriving nonetheless. Expect the cucumber to have finished. Perhaps earlier with a bit more watering and mulch they may have lasted a bit longer. 
Steaming weeds
Written by: adekun on 27 July, 2008 11:49 pm - Filed under: blog — No Comments »
Instead of knocking something up in the kitchen a couple of hours were spent in the sweltering heat pulling up weeds. Only a week prior had a strip been cleared but that was already engulfed. The relaxed ‘living mulch’ approach isn’t working at this time of year. Following a thunderstorm seemed like a better time to set about the task. The bulk of the weeds are grasses in addition to the ubiquitous kudzu and Japanese knotweed. I’d quite like to find out the names of to of the other weeds. One is a grass that produces a big clump of roots and the other little rootlets or perhaps weedlets.
Sniffing potatoes
Written by: adekun on 25 July, 2008 4:09 pm - Filed under: blog — 2 Comments »
I’ve just whittled away the afternoon smelling potatoes. The spuds have been hanging up in the garage waiting to turn green. Despite checking them when digging them up, a few had turned putrid. The smell was horrid; hot cat shit.
I am anxious about storing them without anywhere cool to store them. The humidity is a real problem. The spuds were spaced out between layers of newspaper in a few boxes. Hopefully the orderly three layers will make checking them easier.
Kabocha
Written by: adekun on 22 July, 2008 4:02 pm - Filed under: food — No Comments »
Kabocha a few days old
These are a variety of mini kabocha; both the fruit and leaves are smaller than the usual. From the two plants only three squashes are good. The majority of the vines are now yellowing. This is in part to my idea of growing some of them up poles to make better use of space. Besides what I think was a pollination problem, many of those that did start to bear fruit soon died. I shall certainly aim to try again; in the meantime there is some new foliage to gaze at.
Kabocha harvested
