This morning is blissfully cloudy! Hope that means rain.

I started in my kitchen garden really early in case it was going to be another scorcher. Firstly, I watered the greenhouse. I was too tired last night and it was sooooo hot!

Then I cleared the cut and come again bed as they had all gone to seed. Then I potted up the asparagus plants I've grown from seed. They were beginning to suffer in the plugs I started them in. I have a good number so I am pleased I went down the seed route.

It still hadn't got hot so I decided to clear the outside deep bed which had the broad beans , carrots and parsnips in. Some of the plants are still producing so I left them but cleared enough to start off a new system which I am trying out on just one bed first. It is called "Square Foot Gardening" and is ideally suited to deep beds. I made 8 square foot spaces and have sown dwarf Bean "Purple Teepee", Kohl Rabi "Blusta",Carrot "Autumn King", Fennel "Perfection", Pak Choi "Cantong White", Swiss Chard "Yellow Lights", Raab Cima di Rapa ( a "broccoletti seed that I got free from Grow Your Own Magazine) , and Turnip "Oasis". I'll take a photo later and report on the progress of the beds as they grow. I have had the book a long time and wanted to try the method as it avoids gluts.

Yesterday I cleared the cabbage bed as they were hearted and needed cutting. The cauliflowers were all brown, and past their best even though they weren't very big. I will be looking up to see what went wrong there. Basically I think they were too dry. Watering all the beds with a can is not really an option so there were bound to be some casualties.
Hopefully the Sq Ft Gardening method will prove to be helpful water wise too. You only need to give each plant a cupful of water once a week. I can manage that!
If anyone is interested in the method there is a very comprehensive website dedicated to it here
http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

I watered my beans and peas at the allotment on Sunday evening. I gave them gallons as I knew I wouldn't get there yesterday or today. They were coming up already, which is a miracle given that we have had no rain for two weeks. I also watered the pumpkins and squashes. They are doing really well.
I harvested the first courgette from the kitchen garden at home this morning. Some of my squash plants are doing really well....others are really pathetic. I think next year I'll put them in later. The spaghetti sq I kept as a spare and put in where one failed is doing much better than any of the others. In fact I think it'll take over the garden if I'm not careful.

Later on I'll do some photos. It went very dull when I wanted to do them earlier so I'll wait for the sun as the pictures are so much more appealing when it is out!