apples 
plums 
cherries 
pears
It looks like it’s going to be a good year….there’s that song again… for fruit, as all the trees are laden, despite the June drop.
Let me show you around….
The greenhouse is overflowing with plants, now it’s mainly peppers, chilies and tomatoes. I can barely get inside to water them. I’m keeping the kale and other brassicas in here to protect them from the cabbage white butterfly, although I know they dislike heat! They desperately need planting out, but I’m out of space until I can lift some potatoes from the veggie patch in the front garden.
I always grow far too many plants, and NEVER seem to learn from my mistakes!
Outside the greenhouse, the experimental veg, grown in pots, are doing really well, the parsnips and carrots are flying up.
I’ve re-sown some more spring onions and carrots as the first batch are growing so well.
Given I’ve run out of room, plants are now sitting on tables, large and small, here, there, and everywhere!
These lettuce and cherry tomatoes are outside the dining room….and straddling the strawberry raised bed….oh the strawberries this year have been SO bountiful, I’ve never known a year like it. Punnet after punnet have been filled!
These plants are on a table outside the greenhouse. I like mixing different plants together; I always hope it helps deter pests.
All the tomatoes are now flowering, along with the odd potato and pepper, so I’m looking forward to a good, long harvest.
The potatoes, in the front garden veggie patch are now enormous and are almost swamping the fruit bushes which of course I still haven’t netted, the birds are having a fine old time, which is fine by me. They can have the red and blackcurrants, it’s the blueberries I’m precious about.
In amongst the potatoes, along with fruit bushes are fennel, cerelac and artichoke.
The fruit bushes were only planted in the veggie patch as a temporary measure, they really will have to come out soon.
Onwards… to the courtyard…
The raised beds are doing well. The potatoes have pushed through the mesh in the cage, which is fine as it’s only there to keep the dogs out.
This raised bed has more mixed veggies. Chard, beets, leeks toms, herbs, and probably, still a random onion! A thunderstorm flattened the leeks recently, I did manage to get them vertical again!
Opposite the raised beds, against the garage wall, are yet more veg in pots. Climbing beans, tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes and lettuce.
More taters and carrots!
Courgettes, along with the odd tomato, aubergine and onion. Leeks and lettuce in pots sit on the edges of the planters.
Still in the courtyard, these brassica plants also need planting out, I might have to dig a space for them! It is getting hot around here so I’m worried they may bolt. If they do I’ll just sow seeds in the autumn, at least then I won’t have to cover them or worry about the cabbage white!
And Finally…
I can’t remember even buying this bulb or planting it in a pot.
Yet, she bloomed! At first I noticed the leaves, and then the gigantic, unfurled flower….then the bloom!!!
And…
then the smell!!!!
Dragon Arum, a lily, also known as the voodoo lily. The hideous stench of rotting meat she produces attracts flies, which pollinate it.
Every, single, bit of this plant is toxic!
Just beautiful though!
Thanks Chloris. Oh, you can’t beat home-grown! Far superior to supermarket bought. I have a similar problem with lettuce, I sow them three weeks apart but round about now they all seem to be the same size.xxx
So you’re well set up then. You are certainly in production. Well done. There is nothing like growing your own veg, I’ve grown lots this year. Lettuces are a problem as it’s feast or famine, I never get the sowing right so that we have a constant flow.
We had a relative of your arum lily, the huge so-called corpse flower, at our Museum of Natural Science. When it bloomed, the smell was — ghastly. But, if I were a fly that adored rotted meat, I suppose I would have found it appealing.
What I do find utterly appealing is that header photo — I’ll never tire of that one — and that marvelous bounty that you’ve produced. It really is astonishing to me that so much goodness has suddenly filled up every corner of your place: almost literally! I’m with you on the currants and blueberries — the birds can have those currants, but save the blueberries for me!
Oh…..the smell is truly hideous! You certainly have to keep your distance when it’s flowering. Mine certainly attracted flies, I was thankful it only had one bloom! I like that picture of the dogs lined up, it’s not often they do that. It is lovely seeing the veg shoot up. I’m now enjoying fresh plums! Thanks Linda.xxx
What an inspiration to see all your veggies flourishing so well. It does give me a boost to read what you are getting up to, but I don’t think I have the boundless energy to match yours haha.
It is nice to have some extra to swap with friends and neighbours.
And that lily – what a gorgeous colour. I dread to imagine what it smells like though. It did remind me of the anthurium (the red lily with a yellow stalk in the middle). Our flower arranging teacher used to call it ‘willy on a plate’. What a rude name.
Thanks Keggy, lovely to hear from you. Once all the veg is in it’s final place it’s pretty low maintenance. I am enjoying picking fresh lettuce each day and will soon have courgettes, I do like to eat them small. Goodness, your flower arranging teacher sounds odd! The smell from that lily actually had me gagging! xxx
Wow, your garden is so productive! Mine is just nothing when I see yours! I love strawberries too! And the blueberries! How lovely it is to have that accidental gigantic bloom!
Thanks Jade. Your garden is delightful. I often enjoy small spaces more than large ones. xxx
You’ve got a regular cornucopia of fruits and vegetables! Fresh-picked strawberries are the best.
Oh yes, fresh strawberries are wonderful. I’m enjoying the plums too now. Delicious.xxx
I love seeing all of your vegetables. You’ll have a busy harvest! The voodoo lily I can live without.
Thanks Brenda, you can’t beat growing your own. xxx
I also have to laugh at the header picture every time I see it because you couldn’t line up the pups in a better fashion looking in through the door 😉
I am amazed you have that Voodoo lily ! and you can’t remember buying the bulb ? .. maybe it was packaged as another type of bulb ? .. ah, yes .. the SMELL ! LOL
We have two tiny blueberry bushes … the birds usually beat us to the fruit as with the Serviceberry tree .. but we don’t mind ..
I can’t get over how many veggies you do ! .. I would be overwhelmed and exhausted .. but having that fresh home grown bounty is such a wonderful thing to accomplish !
We are headed for HEAT and humidity .. jungle mode so I have to get some things done in the garden pronto !
Take care and stay safe !
Thanks Joy, yes that was a lucky capture of the dogs! I often forget about bulbs I’ve bought so get to enjoy many happy surprises. I certainly do feel overwhelmed during heatwaves, watering is so time consuming. Oh….your weather sounds awful, I hope it cools down soon! xxx
I love the header picture. I never tire of seeing it. It is terrific.
It strikes me that you could easily end up feeding the ‘5000’, once you’ve done all your preserves, savoury and sweet. you’ll corner the market with tomato chutney. Then there’s dry storage for potatoes and other root veg. That’ll be at a premium I’d wager.
You are certainly making the most of the weather and providing your household groceries with grow-your-own for some time to come. Marvellous! xxxxx
Thanks Menhir, it’s not often the dogs line up in size order! I’m pleased to see you can comment again, I updated my word press site so hopefully that will sort the sideways pictures too. I am looking forward to making sauces and preserves. I always feel happy when I know I have potatoes in the ground. xxx
Your garden is amazing! I love that you have things growing everywhere in every available space. Such an inspiration, I am going to make more use of space in my garden after seeing what you have done!
Thanks Sustainablemum. That is a compliment coming from you!xxx
Goodness me … that is a lovely lot of vegetables … you must be so pleased 🙂
The colour of the dragon arum lily is amazing, I don’t think I’ve seen one before.
Hope your week is going well.
All the best Jan
Thanks Jan, I am enjoying have fresh salad leaves each day and am now looking forward to harvests in the next few weeks. That lily sure looks better than it smells.xxx
Good morning Dina.
I have two thoughts. 1) I wish I lived next door to you and 2) you could really open up a little ‘garden produce’ stand in front of your house.
It has been the most beautiful spring and so I am not that surprised to see your haul….let’s hope that now pub gardens are going to open up that the weather doesn’t change:)
Enjoy your garden….hopefully you will get to see your beautiful granddaughter soon.
Sending love
Janet XXXX
Thanks Janet, how lovely it would be having you next door! We could run a veg stall together.Love and hugs.xxx
You have an abundance of veggies. I wish we had more room in our garden although granddaughter whose coming back home from her studies this week has put her name down for an allotment plot near us. It’s a good sign that she’s interested in hands on growing of edibles. We’re so looking forward to our times together again. Watering is the big priority with all the plants especially in this heatwave. Enjoy all that you’ve grown. Hard work, but worth it.
How lovely that your granddaughter is taking up growing her own, I’m sure she’ll keep you all well supplied. It will be wonderful getting together again. Yes, keeping things watered is so time consuming given how often we get droughts now. Thanks Linda.xxx
What a great inventory tour around your veg plantings! I love love love all that green bursting out all over. Years ago, I tried growing lettuce. Soon as the baby leaves looked pick-able, an army or maybe only one really hungry slug devoured the lot. After a couple of tries, I pretty much gave up on lettuce growing. Is there a trick you haven’t shared??
Those potatoes are looking amazing! So healthy and robust. You are having a great year indeed!
Thanks Anne. I do enjoy checking all the veggies each day, it’s lovely seeing them shooting up. I try to raise the lettuce and often grow it in pots hidden among other veg. For some strange reason I’ve not seen many slugs around this year, so have happy hostas and lettuce.xxx
Some great images there.
Thanks Peter.xxx
Wow, how your garden FLOURISHES! Must be those double-green fingers!
Thanks Gill, I seem to have good and bad years, this year it looks like there will be a marvelous harvest.xxx
Wow! You could have your own survival-gardening show on the telly, Dina. My goodness, what bounty! So impressed and happy for you!!! Gorgeous, and how busy you must be! You are amazing. Is a courgette a squash?
I loved this post so much. It almost made me cry to see how my far-away friend is pushing back against the dark by creating so much life and beauty. Thank you! ♥️
I’ve always liked the idea of setting up a little veggie stall at the gate, the good life here I come! Yes courgette is zucchini, I love them small, I’m growing the yellow ones this year too, they are simply lovely, even when raw. Ahhh….you do say the nicest things. Thanks Kitty, love and hugs.xxx
It’s all looking and sounding good, better too much than not enough. I guess that you may well have a glut of one or two things. xx
Thanks Flighty. I’m sure I’ll have a glut but can share with family and friends. xxx
You’ve loads pf goodies there. Do your four legged family members leave them alone.I think we all sow too much. I really must get round to sowung spring onions
Thanks Sue. The dogs will jump on the raised beds if they’re not covered. Sam is fond of strawberries and helps himself to them. I’ve been enjoying the first of the spring onions, they do really well in pots.xxx
Wow, what a lot of veggies. You’ll be very well fed in the coming months. I really envy you your plum crop – we have 1. Yes, count it, 1! It is a new tree (our old one became diseased and died) so maybe next year will be better. I can heartily recommend a fruit/ brassica cage. R made me one for Christmas and it has been brilliant keeping off the cabbage whites and birds.
You made me laugh about the dragon arum lily. It looks beautiful but is probably best admired from a distance! What do the dogs think of the smell? Enjoy your veggies. xx
Thanks Veggiemummy. Oh, I’m laughing at your solitary plum! I have an apricot tree that produces zilch, despite flowering beautifully every year and raising my hopes. I am in need of a fruit cage, the two I have are on the raised beds in an attempt to keep the dogs out. Funnily enough the dogs completely avoided the arum lily. xxx