bolted broccoli

Hardly surprising that my broccoli has given up the ghost and bolted. First it had to just sit in the cold soil waiting for spring, then it was battered by gale force winds and the final indignity was rain of monsoon intensity. Now it is just producing some pretty flowers for me! Thankfully I have some cabbage plants to replace them and will make another sowing of broccoli to slot in when space comes available.

On the up side I'm hoping for a decent crop of blackcurrants this year.

All four bushes are festooned like this so if we get some sunshine all should be well. I do hope so as I've invested in a fruit press and want to have a go at making real juice ice lollies.

Indoor strawberries are plumping up nicely and waiting for the sun like everything else.

Tree fruit have an abundance of blossom and there are some pollinating insects about although not as many as their should be at this time of year. The forecast is for it to warm up this week which will certainly help. 

I pricked out more celery seedlings today. If we get as much rain as last summer they should cope as celery is basically a water plant.We like it as a cooked vegetable, raw in salads and as a flavouring in soups so we should be able to make good use of plenty of plants, assuming I can find space for them all.

As last year I'll be growing my climbing beans up the privet hedge to maximize garden space. It worked really well and gave a good harvest despite the poor weather.

I got 100 percent germination from this lot and have another ten currently just poking their heads up. Thirty-five plants should provide us with plenty and when you add in the dwarf french and broad beans we'll be looking at a real bean feast!