Flighty's plot

On the windowsill, mid July

It’s been a so-so year with seeds not germinating, or growing, and my usual problem of plants growing much too tall. The hot weather has meant that I’ve had to water more often than usual, but trying not to over water them.

The dwarf tomato Aztek has grown to around 18 in / 45 cm with lots of flowers but no fruit. At the moment I don’t think I’ll try again next year.

The dwarf Pot Marigold Fruit Twist, which has a quoted height of 6 in / 15 cm, has grown to over 18 in / 45 cm! It has shown several yellow flowers.

I didn’t take the English Daisy to the plot to plant out and it has kept growing, but certainly needs repotting. As yet it hasn’t started flowering again.

My biggest disappointment was the non germination of any of the dwarf sunflower Big Smile seeds I sowed.

I’ve already started thinking about what to try growing on the windowsill next year.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

Apologies

It was another dry, sunny and very warm week with the temperature around 30 C / 85 C. I only went to the plot a couple of times early morning for a quick look and yesterday to water all round. There’s been a continuous high, or very high, pollen count which after half an hour has given me really itchy eyes. This weather looks like continuing through next week with the temperature only dropping a few degrees towards the end of it.

I did dig up a few more first early potatoes Pentland Javelin, and picked some blackberries and raspberries.

These white cosmos are from July 2020.

I’ve not done an On the windowsill post since late May so I hope to do one next Thursday, 16 July.

Apologies for this rather brief post. Have a good week and take care!

July plotting

Thankfully it was cooler last week so I was able to do some plotting. It wasn’t as much as I would have liked as the pollen count remained high which caused my eyes to start itching after an hourt or so.

The sweet corn Golden Hind plants are growing well,

and the first tomatoes are showing. I’m not sure which variety they are, either Golden Sunrise or Outdoor Girl.

I was surprised to see flowers on some of the strawberry plants, and wonder if they’ll form fruit and ripen. I’ve been picking raspberries most days, and next week I’ll be picking the first blackberries.

I’ve pruned the three clumps of Asters/Michaelmas Daisies back to around half their height to avoid staking, but this does mean that they’ll flower a bit later .

Next week as it looks like being dry, sunny and around the low 30’s C / 90 F.

Have a good week, and take care!

Heatwave

With the temperature reaching over 35 C / 95 F most days last week it’s not surprising that I didn’t go to the plot at all and stayed indoors mostly sofa flying, reading and drinking cups of tea. There was some torrential rain early Tuesday morning for an hour or so which was welcome. It’s cooler today, around 25 C / 77 F with a breeze, so I went to the plot early and watered all round.

I also dug up these few first early potatoes Pentland Javelin. What with the frost in mid May, last weeks heatwave and very little rainfall over the past few months I wasn’t surprised that there were less than I would generally expect. The smallest one in the picture is just about the size of a golf ball.

The weather for the week ahead looks like being the same as today so I’ll hopefully be doing some plotting

Have a good week, and take care!

Too hot

Although I went to the plot most days last week I didn’t do much apart from watering and weeding. I did rough cut one of the grass paths but my eyes started itching so the rest will have to wait until the pollen count drops.

Some of the potatoes are now flowering, but I won’t be lifting any until the plants start dying back in a few weeks time.

The temperature this comimg week is going to be well over 30 C / 85 F and reaching 38 C /100 F for a couple of days, which is way too hot for me. If I do go to the plot it will only be for a brief look round early morning, and I’ll be spending much of the week keeping cool armchair gardening, reading and drinking cups of tea.

Out the front at home the Iceberg rose is flowering profusely, and next to it the smaller red and yellow ones (varieties not known) are too. Pictures below taken through the living room windows yesterday.

Have a good week, keep cool and take care!

Into summer

Only two of the dwarf French beans I sowed a couple of weeks ago have appeared, as shown below left, so this morning I sowed some more. Thankfully I have plenty of spare Martini and Nassau seeds.

The sweetcorn Golden Hind I sowed have fared much better as they’ve nearly all now showing. Picture of one above right.

I’ve had virtually no strawberries as I think that the frost back in May turned the flower centres black.

Thankfully the raspberries are okay and I picked and ate the first one (picture on the left) yesterday, with plenty more on the way.

It’s good to see that the collomia grandiflora plants are now flowering, as shown .

This morning I sowed some more sunflower seeds as so far none of the ones I’ve sowed have appeared.

There are plenty of cosmos Royal Dwarf Mix seedlings now showing in cosmos corner.

Due to the unsettled weather last week I only went to the plot after lunch on Tuesday but only had a look round as it was too windy. This weekend has been mostly calm, dry and sunny, with the temperature going up to the mid 20’s C / 77 F during next week.

Have a good week, and take care!

I only went…

to the plot a couple of times last week as the weather was unsettled with plenty of rain. Friday after lunch I only had a brief look round as it was too wet to do much, if anything, and I really wasn’t in a plotting mood either.

What did cheer me up was seeing that the self-seeded Pot Marigolds Flighty’s Favourites have started flowering. As usual there is is a mix of colours including orange, yellow, buff and various bi-colour combinations. The picture on the right is from September 2010 and the one below May 2020.

Yesterday it rained most of the day, and was noticeably chilly and windy as well. It looks like I won’t be going there, or doing much, next week either as the unsettled weather looks like continuing and I’m otherwise occupied on a couple of days.

Have a good week, and take care!

Too hot to plot

I made a brief visit to the plot early last Monday morning then didn’t go again until early Friday morning, when I watered all round. I mostly spent the rest of the week indoors, armchair gardening and drinking cups of tea, as it was too hot to plot or do much else.

Thankfully the temperature started to drop yesterday, and today it’s about 20 C / 68 F and looks like remaining around that for the week ahead There is heavy rain forecast for early Tuesday which would be most welcome.

I’ve had to sow another double row of carrots Royal Chantenay as, during the week, a fox had been digging where I sowed the first ones. Two of the dwarf French beans I sowed have appeared, and today I sowed some sweet corn Golden Hind. I also planted out two each tomato plants Golden Sunrise and Outdoor Girl.

The poached egg plant flowers are now dying back, but growing through the carpet are self-seeded blue and white love-in-a-mist Persian Jewels flowers. This is an archive picture from June 2010.

I should be picking strawberries soon, and it’s good to see that the blackberry bush is covered with flowers, buzzing with bees and there are a few ladybirds as well.

Have a good week, and take care!

On the windowsill, late May

The tomato Red Robin had reached about 18 in / 45 cm earlier in the month and was far too tall to keep in a pot on the windowsill so I decided to take it to the plot and replant. However I accidently dropped it and the stem broke. I sowed another one, but so far that’s a no-show.

The other dwarf tomato Aztek has fared much better remaining compact and is still less than 5 in / 12.5 cm tall. I ‘ve replanted it into a 2 litre pot where it’s doing really well.

The dwarf Pot Marigold Fruit Twist has reached about 6 in / 15 cm tall, which is the quoted height for this variety.

The English Daisy stopped flowering but the leaves continued to grow and it’s now a rather sprawling looking plant so I think that I’ll take back to the plot and replant it.

In exchange I dug up and bought home this very small one which is in a 3 in / 7.5 cm pot.

That’s it at the moment, although I do have a few seeds in pots waiting to germinate and show, including a dwarf sunflower Big Smile which I’ve successfully grown the past two years.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

Two weeks ago…

there was a frost and today the temperature will reach over 30 C / 86 F, and the next two days will be a few degrees warmer. Needless to say there has been no rain so early on Friday morning I watered all round the plot. It’s too warm for me so I go to the plot early morning, only stay for an hour or so and mostly potter.

During last week I sowed the rest of the annual seeds, and yesterday morning I was pleased to see that the nasturtiums Whirlybird are already showing. I also sowed a double row of carrots Royal Chantenay, along with a row each of dwarf French beans Martini and Nassau.

It’s been good to see plenty of ladybirds, this one is on a white meadowsweet flower, and the white flowering cornus/dogwood has been buzzing with numerous bees.