Most Things Are FlourIshing

Let me start this week's blog by telling you about a fantastic book I have discovered and one that is absolutely perfect for amatuer vegetable growers.  It is "The Allotment Cookbook, The fruit and vegetable growers recipe guide" by Kathryn Hawkins.  Apart from excellent recipes there is lots of advice on preserving, freezing and even hints on which varieties to grow.  In spite of having a surplus of some things, there is not a single thing now that will be wasted and I am sure, for me at least, this book will prove to be invaluable.

I have already frozen some spinach, turnips and rhubarb and will be filling the freezer with many more things for winter use as they become ready for harvesting.

Most things in the vegetable garden are looking wonderful and it is a constant thrill to watch everything developing beautifully.  However, there is one exception.  In previous years I have always been very successful at growing onions but this year they all have very thick stems with no lovely bulbous looking onions at all.  If anybody has any idea why this is I should love to hear from them and any advice will be most gratefully accepted.

I think I mentioned in an earlier blog that I had received a gift of Thompson and Morgan's Radish "Rainbow mixed".  These are really easy to grow and the different colours make a delightful addition to any salad.  However, I have also now discovered that they keep exceptionally well in the ground and last for weeks and weeks without going to seed or getting "woody".  These will definitely be a permanent feature in my salad garden from now on.

In the flower garden the shrubs are looking really pretty now and the mock orange is just coming into bloom.  Each year we look forward to the beautiful perfume that pervades the garden from this lovely tree and we have never yet been disappointed.

By the way, grateful thanks for the comment regarding adding a little lime to the soil in which our baby Olive tree is growing.  We immediately took the advice and can already see a considerable improvement.