Time for another Garden Share Collective. I like that these posts are recording what’s happening in the garden each month, but they’re coming around very quickly as the year is slipping by – we’re up to the June post already.
As May comes to an end, the Met office is reporting that spring 2014 is likely to be the third warmest on record. It might have been warmer than average, but May has also had less sunshine and more rain than usual. We’re forecast a dry and relatively warm weekend, but then it’s back to unsettled, cooler weather next week… the slugs are just loving the conditions.
There may be more slugs, and fewer bees and butterflies around, but there are still flowers. Self-sown calendula…
And deep purple flowers on the spring sown broad beans. When most of the autumn sown beans were eaten by the greenhouse mouse before they got a chance to germinate, I made a second sowing of crimson flowered beans. So now there are a few pods ready to pick and eat, and lots of dark red flowers promising more beans to harvest later in the year.
The chives are deep in flowering season too. And don’t bees love chive flowers. This one was ‘rescued’ from the greenhouse – they fly in and don’t seem to be able to find their way out again. A quick feed on chive nectar and the bee was off again.
While I like to leave the flowers for bees, I have picked a few this year to make chive vinegar after reading about it on Cathy’s blog at Words and Herbs, and then Marie’s ‘how to’ guide over at My Little Corner of Rhode Island. The flowers have been sat in a jar of vinegar for a few days now, already turning it a gentle pink.
The tomatoes are also starting to flower. Back in early spring, I potted up the same variety of tomato (‘Tiny Tim’) into both terracotta and plastic pots. For some reason, the plants in the terracotta pots aren’t doing so well – smaller, with paler leaves and looking much less happy. I’ve repotted them into plastic pots, but can the pot really make that much difference, or is it down to the compost mix or where they were sat in the greenhouse? Any ideas?
My lemon trees have been struggling with both the Yorkshire weather and a major infestation of scale insects over the last few months. Despite this, they are both now producing flowers, and on warmer days when they are out on the patio, attracting bees. They’ve flowered before, but have yet to produce any fruit. Maybe that’s expecting too much so far north of their preferred climate, but I live in hope.
So, harvesting wise we’re still on herbs and salad leaves. There are some radishes ready to pull up too, and those few broad beans. Soon there will be wet garlic, more salad leaves and the first of the beetroot and carrots. The mashua, sent in my last Seedy Penpals parcel from Emma Cooper, is growing like crazy. It’s a root crop – producing tubers in the autumn, but the leaves are also edible and will no doubt be tasted soon.
The ‘to do’ list for June is largely filled with weeding, planting out squash, courgette, sunflower, bean and cucumber seedlings, oh and more weeding. If I remember, there will be regular sowings of more lettuce and herbs to keep the fresh salad leaves coming. And it’s just about time to start sowing biennials for flowers next spring.
Wherever you are gardening in the world, June’s Garden Share Collective will have some ideas or tips for seasonal gardening chores. As well as checking in on the gardens that are moving into early summer, I’m looking forward to reading about the autumnal harvests from the bloggers in New Zealand and Australia.
The Garden Deli 
Your photos are absolutely stunning – it’s so good to see the bees too!
As you say, this year is slipping fast so quickly. All those jobs to be done in June – that will pass in a flash too, no doubt!
We have a majoy infestation of leaf miner here in London – does anyone have any tips for getting rid of the blighters?
Emma 🙂
Thanks Emma. Sorry, but I’m no help with the leaf miners. That’s one pest I’ve not had to deal with… yet.
Hope they stay away from your patch – they are awful… I’m going to have to re-plant with some other species I think, as I can’t bear them!
Everything looks so beautiful, I agree the photos are amazing. We have had a few really warm days but it’s been pretty chilly all month long. Lots of rain, I have weeds galore, can’t keep up with them, I still have to get my tomato plants and some more basil. Your garden is wonderful.
It’s a constant struggle against the weather and weeds, isn’t it? But I guess that’s what makes gardening interesting.
What a beautiful photo of a borage flower. Mine have just dies back for the season – it is the beginning of winter in melbourne. Thanks for the updates.
Borage is a great flower – beautiful and good for the bees. Does yours seed itself about the garden?
Yes they pop up everywhere in Spring. love them.
Scale insects are horrible aren’t they, I’ve struggled with them in the past too. No reason why you shouldn’t have lemons though, I’ll be interested to hear if you do. The tomato in the terracotta pot is intriguing, maybe it’s been drier and that’s why it’s not as happy. Let’s hope there’s some good warm weather in June to keep those slugs and snails at bay.
I’m beginning to think the scale insects are a permanent feature on the lemon trees – they’re very persistent. Did you manage to get rid of yours? The tomato plants are puzzling. I’ve repotted one from terracotta to plastic, and left one – not very scientific, but it will be interesting to see what happens.
Hi, butting in on this comment thread as I grow lemons as well. I’ve read that they can get red spider mite in a greenhouse situation but not scale. I’ve had scale on my balcony bay tree this year. The only answer is to scrape them off and squish them. Look out for the larger laying insects on leaf stems, they look like a bud on the stem (google scale insects for more info). I had the added problem of an army of ants nursing the scale insects so I was doubly motivated to remove them. Once the scale insects had gone, the ants went too. I’ve never had scale on my lemon tree (but loads of whitefly this year) and my tree has fruited properly for the first time this year, although I did have mini green fruits over the past 2 years which usually just dropped off.
No ants here thank goodness… so far at least. I’ve been washing the scale insects off, but must be missing at least one each time because a few weeks later they’re back at full strength. Do you have plans for your lemons, or have they been harvested already?
Love the borage colour! How on earth have you managed to grow a lemon tree – and one that has flowered – in Yorkshire? I’m also in Yorkshire and just manage a small olive tree that comes into the house over winter, but has never flowered. You are absolutely spot on when you say there are more slugs…especially after this past week of rain. Ugh!
The lemon trees are in pots and spend most of the year inside sat by the French doors, only venturing out on warmer days that aren’t too windy… and there aren’t many of those in this part of the world. You’re doing well to keep an olive tree going from one year to the next – flowers and fruit might be expecting too much, unless you’re willing to relocate further south!
Love the vinegar idea, have to try that! Can’t wait for my new borage plant to look this beautiful.
The chive vinegar is a great idea isn’t it? And the flowers turn the vinegar a lovely pink colour – stylish and tasty.
Lovely photos! That is interesting about the tomato plants. There is certainly a big difference between them. Maybe, as CJ says it is because it dries out quicker.
It could be down to the pot drying out. It’s a shame really because the terracotta pot is that bit nicer to look at.
Glad you’re trying the vinegar too. Hope you’ll think up tasty recipe for it! 😉 I read recently that terracotta pots don’t retain warmth and moisture as well as black plastic ones. I had always thought terracotta to be the best, so was surprised. Perhaps there’s something in that? Hope you get some sunshine for all those lovely plants this week!
PS Thanks for the mention! 😀
No problem… thanks for the idea!
Thanks Cathy! The vinegar is looking good – nice colour, and starting to smell a bit alliumy instead of just vinegary.
Still some of the best photos anywhere! 🙂
Michael
Thanks Michael – you’re very kind!
I’m fascinated by the differences between gardens from north to south and how the stages of growth and development vary.
My chives have been flowering for ages and are in such abundance that there is enough to share, but the self-sown borage and Calendula are still at the post germination stage.
As for your tomato plant, it could be too dry, but it is looking very yellow. Did you use the same compost? Repotting and a dose of liquid seaweed should sort it out, if not it is either just a weak plant or it could be something like tomato mosaic virus. If I didn’t love tomatoes so much I won’t grow them.
I thought I’d used the same compost, but it could be the plants were potted on at slightly different times. There are two plants in terracotta pots. both looking sad – repotting and feeding it is then!
Feels like garden snap with your flowers – chive flowers, borage and self-sown calendula are exactly what I’m enjoying at the moment too. Beautiful pics and I do like that chive vinegar idea.
The flowers are doing well so far this year aren’t they? – the ones that have avoided being demolished by the slugs are anyway.
Thanks for the tip about chive vinegar – sounds lovely. The bees must love your garden. I’m hoping that my bee mad friend will put one of her hives on my plot this summer. I’m planning a wildflower patch so think they’d like it 🙂
The bees will love your wildflower patch – and the hive sounds like it will be an exciting addition to the plot… looking forward to reading about your bee adventures next year
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What great photos you have and those bees – fantastic. Here in Australia the pot makes all the difference when growing things. Here where I live in QLD its best not to leave things in black pots or terracotta especially during summer as they dry out to much and overheat which then kills the veg.
Thanks Lizzie. The more comments I read about pots, the more I think that might be the problem. Although too much heat is rarely an issue here!
Great photos. It looks like it’s all growing pretty well where you are.
Yes, everything is doing ok – the weeds especially, but isn’t that always the case…
Indeed they do.
What beautiful photos! While I was reading your post, I felt like I could have been in my own garden, just 6 months in the past or the future. Don’t give up on those lemons. Even if you don’t get fruit, they are worth having around for the scent of the flowers, and even if they don’t flower, the crushed leaves are the best perk-me-up I know.
I didn’t know about crushing the leaves – will have to give that a try. It’s great to keep up with gardens around the world through the Garden Share isn’t it? Looking at photos of gardens in Australia and New Zealand helped to get me through the last winter here, virtual sunshine!
I enjoyed your post and found it very interesting about the tomatoes. I do know that moisture evaporates more quickly through a terra-cotta pot…perhaps that is it. Our spring has been cold and wet up until this week. My tomatoes have only been in the ground for a week but they aren’t growing very much because of temps in the 40’s and 50’s at night. The trials and tribulations of being a gardener. 😦
It can be so hard to grow good tomatoes sometimes, can’t it? But then the homegrown ones taste so much better than shop bought, so it’s worth the trials and tribulations!
Hi, I missed the deadline for the GSC but have enjoyed reading the catch up from your post. V glad to know of the chive vinegar, sounds like a nice addition to a vinaigrette, specially if you scatter a few of the petals over the salad as well. Hope your tomato recovers, I have no idea what could be wrong with it. Sometimes, bizarrely, overwatering is a problem as the roots start to leach nutrients rather than pick them up from the soil. I’d take the plant out of the pot to make sure all is well, maybe add some vermiculite or perlite to the potting mix.
Thanks Caro – I will repot the tomatoes and see how they go. Although, according to James Wong, a bit of stress is supposed to be good for fruit production… just maybe not this much stress!
Beautiful flower shots.