HEAT WAVE

The weather has been truly sweltering the last few days (approaching 30C in the afternoons) which has made watering a priority. Given the absence of frosts I have also taken the opportunity to plant out the peas, and have also been sowing the next round of veg - more broad beans, pak choi, spring onions and Little Gem lettuces. Not much evidence of slugs yet, but no doubt if there are any around, that will bring them out! The first broad beans are about 8 inches tall now and very sturdy. The salad leaves in pots are not far off their first cut, and the asparagus is now over 2 ft tall and going wild! All the 12 crowns have put forth shoots, which is very satisfactory.

I built the first cane supports this evening, for the newly transplanted peas - it was a bit of a technical challenge as I could not put bracing canes in slantwise at the ends as I would normally as these would be outside the raised bed and would present problems with mowing the grass - eventually realised that I could put two internal bracing canes in, braced against the inside of the raised bed - it's now a very sturdy construction, which I will replicate in the two beds that already have broad beans in over the next few evenings.

The roses have lots of foliage but no signs of flowers yet, but it's early days. The buddleia aren't galloping away as I thought they might, but at least they are still alive. The new trees are all looking healthy and happy, and the quince even has a few blossoms!

Fortunately the row of trees along the neighbour's boundary, although a little depleted since they thinned them out to make way for their impending garage, is now in full leaf and is offering a bit of shade in the late afternoon and evening. It has been wonderful to go out into the garden with a G&T, and sit on the bench on the patio of an evening listening to the birds and playing with the little cat from next door (I think she's bored - she always appears the moment either of us goes out into the garden!). It is so good to be able to get the use and enjoyment out of a garden, which we never really have been able to before. We even bought a little tiny table, just big enough for two glasses and some nibbles, last time we were in Ikea! So civilised...

Even Matthew is getting a bit interested in the garden - he voluntarily waters the raised beds a couple of times a week, and is entranced by the wayward behaviour of the asparagus! I have to admit, it is pretty impressive.

Cooler weather promised for tomorrow, and I will not be sorry - it's just been a bit too much - more like a really hot August than May. I have been very grateful for the aircon in the car, as it's like a furnace otherwise especially if it's been parked in the sun. And sadly it's actually too fierce to have the top down on the convertible...

We have asparagus!

I went away from Monday morning to Wednesday afternoon (doing creative stuff with Val in Dorset) and in the time I was away, not only did all 21 broad bean plants germinate, but on inspecting the raised beds I discovered the first spears of asparagus! Cue much rejoicing, especially from Matthew. As of this morning, 9 of the 12 crowns have sprouted, which is pretty amazing as they'd only been in just over a week. Keeping Matthew from harvesting them could be more of a challenge...

All three baby trees now in leaf, the quince is looking especially attractive. I acquired a handsome Euphorbia while in Dorset, along with a cowslip from Val, and both are going into the bank as soon as a) it stops raining and b) my back starts behaving a bit better. The up-side of the rain, of course, is that I don't need to water every day! The salad leaves are doing well in their pots - it won't be long now before we are eating our first home-grown salad of the season. Very little evidence of slugs in this garden so far, which is a welcome change from the last garden which was infested with them. A few in the composter, which is to be expected, but the chard has been left alone, as have the salad leaves in pots.

Peas and dwarf beans are growing well in their pots in the utility room, and will be ready to go out soon - the peas to the raised beds, and the beans to large pots on the patio. Everything else will take a while yet...