Early August

The Under-Gardener has been very busy lately picking and then podding peas and broad beans. He's also been digging the first early potatoes in the garden (and today has started up on the allotment, because we think that the potatoes may be coming down with blight.  The weather remains absolutely ideal for blight!). We are also eating carrots from the carrot boxes and the first of the zucchini.  It's funny though. Last year we were in Japan at this time. Before we went we have been eating the runner beans and when we got back the beans had all got too big to eat as pods and we had to wait and gather them in for use as beans. We also had an absolute glut of zucchini. This year the runner beans are still only embryonic and the zucchinis have only just now started producing.

The butternut squash up in the greenhouse on the allotment, however ...

There are five or six of them this size and more on the way. The Under-Gardener goes up in the mornings to pollinate any female flowers. It hasn't been a good year for bee or butterfly pollination, although there are bees and butterflies about and they can get into the greenhouse if they are so minded.  There is one female flower on the poor watermelon plant that was buried under a squash plant.  We've unburied it - but I don't think there are any male flowers and I don't know if you can cross pollinate with squash pollen!  The cucumber plants however are going great guns, although some of the cucumbers are unpleasantly bitter.  A fossick around on the internet and in veg growing books suggest this is because they're too hot, too cold, over-watered, under-watered, pollinated, not pollinated.  Take your pick! This cucumber, however, is not bitter and tastes delightful

There are lots more coming and we will just have to wait and see whether or not they're bitter.  Some of them are also developing a bit oddly. They go all ridgy at the bottom.  I thought that might be what was making them bitter, but it isn't.  Oh well.  We'll just have to watch and wait and see what happens. I'll buy a different variety of seed next year

The squash vines before we pruned them back a bit

The tomato greenhouse. Finally producing tomatoes!

Meanwhile, back in the garden - the hollyhocks are looking magnificent

And for dessert:

Blackcurrants from the young bushes on the allotment