What Jobs Are We Doing in the Garden Today... MK3.. 2013

Be careful with them as they can eat their way out of plastic bags!!!

I thought I was going to be able to have a bonfire as they were harvesting the field the other night. I just needed to wait for them to clear the straw as well. Unfortunately, they've bailed the straw in giant cubes and left them all over the field. So now I've got to wait until they take them away. I guess that won't be until they've done all the harvesting.

Yesterday, after the rain, I picked another 10lb of beans - which will be picked up this morning by someone who shall be making bean pickle. I then picked 20lb of golden plums (beware of wasps ) and 3.5lb of blackberries (beware of thorns). It was much more difficult to pick the blackberries than all the others because I have to stoop over to pick them as the branches droop to the ground.

This morning I shall pick loads more beans (all been ordered for tonight) and try and get the main lawns cut as soon as the grass has dried enough.

 

Some dead heading and watering was all for today - really unpleasant, sticky air here so wasn't really in the fettle to do much more. Got a few days off over the weekend, so might do a bit of tidying and harvesting

 

The lawns didn't dry out until close to lunchtime and then it was hot and muggy. Fortunately, there was a pretty strong breeze so I got all the main lawns cut. The beans are now into full production and I picked another 20lb - and I sold them all last night . The charity are gaining £100 a week from produce. As the beans slow down the pears and apples will be taking over

 

I put gloves on as well as long sleeved clothing and cut back the deliberately grown Nettles at the back of some of the Borders. Most of the Butterflies and Caterpillars have finished feeding on them and so I've cut the heads off the Nettles to try to stop them seeding. I'll still be finding unseen Nettles in the borders next year though

 

Seed saving today - I now have a good supply of African & French marigolds, nice deep red hollyhock and malva zebrina seeds; holler if you want any!!

 

@pamsdish @ARMANDII

I have found my copy. Here it is. I've never made it as it contains too much sugar - not good for diabetics

2lbs of prepared runner beans.
1 1/2 lbs of chopped onions.
1 1/2 pints of malt vinegar
1 heaped tsp of corn flour
1 heaped tsp of dry mustard
1 tsp of turmeric
8 oz of soft brown sugar
1 lb of Demerara sugar.

Put onions into large pan with ½ pint of the vinegar and simmer for 20mins till soft.
Cook beans in salted water 5mins.
Strain and add to onions.
In a small basin mix dry ingredients with a bit of vinegar and make a paste.
Add this to the onions and beans.
Pour in rest of vinegar and simmer for 10 mins.
Take off the heat and stir in all the sugars until dissolved
Simmer for 15mins
POT,SEAL,and Lable .Leave for 1 month before eating.
ENJOY xx

 

Yesterday I picked 15lb beans, 2lb blackberries, a washing up bowl full of plums and 5lb rhubarb.

Then I started on cutting the laurel. It's a lot easier to cut now that I've had 3ft - 4ft taken off the top, which reduced it to 6ft, but I only got through about 40ft length of it before I had to give up. Although the height has been reduced it's still difficult because it's 8ft wide in places even though we've also reduced the width.

This morning I'm having trouble moving my elbow!!!