st_ouennais

Well thats the rest of the shallots lifted, and the last of the overwintered broad beans harvested.  I am concerned about the garlic.  Usually I would expect to lift it at the end of July or early August.  However they are already very yellow and a decent size. Shall I wait and get even bigger bulbs, or lift now before there's any chance of them splitting and reshooting? For sure I won't be doing anything to them until we get a dry spell.

We've had the last of our main strawberries, though there wil still be a few of the tiny alpine ones until October.  I have started picking the blackcurrants, and the summer raspberries are still coming too.  Oh and the damsons are just getting the first faint blush of red colour.

The barley is also changing colour rapidly and the golden heads are starting to turn down.  It wil be ripe for harvesting soon. I just hope my replacement part for the broken scythe arrives in  time. The heads wave wildly in any decent breeze in a mesmeric wafting shifting pattern.  It 's captivating in a similar way to watching rolling crashing waves are down at Grève de Lecq. 

Just in time I have this morning found my small packet of yellow carrot seed, to compliment the white ones I already have growing.  I've sown some climbing black beans at the foot of the established maize  since I don't have enough canes to support them any other way. Shortly I'll be sowing endive, kohl-rabi and leaf beet.

À bé

Today has been a long stint in the field - scything grass, harvesting the last of the radar onions and planting out a few melons (Blenheim Orange) and sweet potatoes.  The sweet pototoes are slips I grew from a couple of small tubers I saved last year. Did I mention weeding and hoeing -plenty of that too.  The spelt and oats are heading up nicely I notice.  Perhaps I'll have enough to warrant using the hand mill to make some flour.