I’ve done a better job of sowing and planting follow on crops this year. The greenhouse is stuffed full with French beans and courgettes which will hopefully be pick-able in September. I followed the first early potatoes …with more first early potatoes. I’ve just planted more broccoli for the Autumn and have sown a lot of chard. I’ll be following the onions with mustard greens and salad leaves.
The tomatoes have ripened more quickly this week. I’m trying a new yellow variety called Honey Delight, it’s grown a lot of leaf and a plenty of tomatoes which are just beginning to ripen. My favourite variety is called Honeycomb, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to be too reliant on one type of any plant. Each year I try a few new tomatoes but so far I’ve not found anything as reliable or early as Honeycomb. In the past I’ve tried lots of heritage varieties of vegetables. Sadly when it comes to tomatoes the modern, hybrid plants are more disease resistant and dependable. I have found heirloom kale and broccoli which are better than modern varieties. I grow a traditional allotment type of green courgette and a mix of old and new French beans. The problem with hybrid plants is that the seeds can’t be saved – well they could be saved but the resulting plants wouldn’t be the same as the parent.
We’ve dug up a lot of potatoes. There were some first earlies left and then we tackled the first row of Jazzy. This is such a good variety. I discovered it by accident. A couple of years ago the seed company didn’t have the variety of potato that I’d ordered so they sent Jazzy instead. I’d never heard of it, but it turns out to be a fast growing, waxy type, which produces lots of oval potatoes with very little slug damage. They taste good too! Just scrub or scrape, then boil and smother in butter! They hold their shape well so would be good in a curry with some leafy greens.
If anyone fancies extra tatties or some blackcurrant jam I’ll be at the craft fair in Kilmuir Hall on Wednesday with some produce, loads of eggs and a few baskets and pictures. The craft fair stock that I built up after Christmas is on the verge of running out, I’m hoping to fit in some basket weaving next week. I do feel a bit out of practice but I only have three baskets left!
This week’s Croft Shares will have:
Small – potatoes, broccoli, French beans, tomatoes and onions.
Medium – potatoes, broccoli, mange tout, courgettes, kale, salad leaves and beetroot.
Large – potatoes, broccoli, sugar snaps, courgettes, kale, onions, salad leaves, cauliflower, broad beans and garlic.