Stuart's Garden: SUN AND SATISFACTION!

3RD JUNE 2015 - CENTRAL PORTUGAL

Sunshine and more sunshine, could this be a summer to remember?

The Catalpa trees, in their full glory of pale mauve and white flowers, are affording the necessary shade to the ‘Veg’ terrace.

Catalpas shading the vegetable garden

The general progress here over the past weeks has be truly phenomenal; beans, both ‘runner’ and ‘dwarf’ are full of flower and are already starting to crop (dwarf ‘Haricot Vert’ cooked ‘al dente’ and smothered in butter can challenge asparagus for culinary honours when served with new potatoes and gently poached salmon).

Dwarf beans

Runner beans

Tomatoes are in full production (be about three weeks before the first are picked),Cristal F1 the fully Blight Free contender has well formed fruit to the third truss and lots of flower growing above this forming fruit (doing what it said on the packet and are free of all Pest and Viral disease so far, fingers crossed) Sweet Baby are in flower, Money Maker growing away with Bankers' abandon and the assorted colours (Black, Yellow and Red) of the Cherry varieties are looking good for a July cropping.

Various tomato plants

Tomatoes with basil - a perfect combination

Sweet Peppers (green, yellow and long reds) are in flower with first fruits forming. Aubergines are full of their lovely mauve flowers and the leaves have developed thorns so fruit is about to commence growing (always feel the magnificence of their glossy deep purple fruit globes is never pertinent to their often disappointing flavour). Cucumbers are rampant, covered in both male female flowers but lacking in fertility as still no fruit. Have put up signs to persuade my Amazingly Talented Neighbour’s Bees to arrive ‘en-masse’ to alleviate the currently non-fertile situation.

First flowers on the aubergines

The cucumber bed

Courgettes are coming into flower and the first fruit has formed on Grisette de Provence (Vive La France), Soleil F1 and Black Beauty in close pursuit with Striaito di Napoli having a Ferrari moment (i.e. not doing well so far this season). All the Patty Pans, yellow, white and pale green are thriving and should start producing during June.

Courgette - Grisette de Provence - just starting

The rotationally planted (ten new plants every fortnight) Lettuce bed now has six different varieties growing. Currently eating Green Oak Leaf and Flame, this system keeps the Head Gardener very happily supplied with lettuce twelve months of each year (rewarded by constant supply of coffee when summoned by the Bell).

The lettuce bed

Planting of Chillis much reduced this year due to over-supply last season(freezer still full), growing Piri Piri, Cherry Bomb, Cayenne and Paper Lantern - they seem to have overcome the shame of their relegation to a small raised bed and one tub. Look to the results in September.

The new Raspberry bed has proved a great success, providing a constant, if limited, supply of fruit each day. Strawberries on the new Belvedere raised trough garden are flourishing, also producing a daily supply of fruit from the four different varieties being cultivated (will discard the least profuse plants at the end of the season a concentrate next year on the two ‘Champions’).

Ripe Rspberries

BIG Strawberry

Roses are amazing. The Rambling Rector (White multi flora rambling), is sensational. The Tea roses did well at the very successful and extremely well organised Beira Grass Roots Garden Festival last week and are continuing to bloom as only roses can. Dahlias (back in fashion after this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, never realised they had become 'non U’) are starting to perform in purple, yellow, pink, white, claret and orange etc. With daily watering and weekly feeding should perform well until late October. Fuchsias are super yet again.

A lot of roses

A lot of Dahlias

A few fuchsias

Lemons are rather good just now - the trees produce the basis of a good Gin and Tonic for most of the year. The perpetual (fruit and flowers together all year) is, as usual, full of fruit, and the main crop variety Lisbon will have fruit for at least six months. The other variety grown (in a tub as it is delicate) Meyer, is almost perpetual, having flower and green fruit throughout the year; but in June and July the fruit turn yellow. The flavour is very intense and the zest is often used in perfume.