After midsummer

A long visit on Sunday full of hard work on a hot hillside.

I harvested all the broad beans, pulled up the plants and filled the space with tomato and cucumber plants kindly donated by a friend. Several pak choi plants came up as well to make room for yet more tomatoes.

I got lots of seed recently from the Real Seed Catalogue, inspired by a reference to cima di rapa in the Guardian, and most of it bore the instruction to sow after midsummer, for an allegedly cooler growing period to reduce the chance of bolting. I'm not sure this is very likely, with temperatures this week forecast to be in the high twenties. However, I sowed more pak choi, mizuna and some Pe Tsai or Chinese winter cabbage. I must get some chard seed sown somewhere too. Another round of lettuce and rocket seeds went in in various odd corners. I then discovered that the marker pen for plant labels has gone astray, so will need to try to remember tonight where I put everything.

The mange tout, doing well, now have twiggy sticks to scramble over, and some of the beans and one courgette plant are in flower. I also thinned and re-spaced the leek plants - I hope they make it through the dry weather. At home there are still squash plants waiting to go in, and next weekend I really must sow carrots and beets.

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of providing picnic food based on my own horticultural efforts: potato salad with homegrown dill and chives, and a tian of pak choi and broad beans. Highly satisfying.