HOT CHILLIS AND NEW PINK ROSE

28th AUGUST 2015 CENTRAL PORTUGAL

Relentless summer continues in Portugal, little damp (with emphasis on ‘Little’) in the last couple of days but still having to water on the flower and ‘veg’ terraces. Now official ‘There is a severe drought in 80% of Portugal and a ‘drought’ in the other 20%’.(May be Water Aid will be available from Brussels?).

Tomatoes still cropping heavily but fruit now becoming smaller. Aubergines back in flower and still full of wonderful Purple Globes. Green, Red and Yellow Sweet Peppers in full production

Lots of chubby aubergines to come!

Yellow pepper and a green one

Green one has finally turned red

Yellow Hungarians, turning red

. Selection of Chillis are about to challenge for attention. Seeded a new variety this year - ‘Hotscotch’, cross between ‘Scorpion’ and ‘Scotch Bonnets’ (Scoville around  One Million) still pale green but already too hot to handle without gloves. (Roll on October when it’s ripe and ready for picking).

Cayenne Chillis

Tabasco Chillies

Picked and ate all of the F1 Sweet Corn - best ever but as ‘F1’ will have to buy new seed again for next year. Have already tried taking seed from a number of ‘F!’Hybrids over the past few years, mostly with disastrous results. the ‘Seed Growers’ must build in a genetic mutation to protect their investment? So maybe ‘Genetic Modification’ not ‘Mutation’ is the answer (just remembered there is the village of Monsanto in Portugal).

The second seed sowing of Courgettes (Eight Ball and Soleil F1) are growing well. Just might get a late crop if the weather forecast for September and October is correct. 

Second seeding of courgettes

Planted more beetroot for December picking, having just lifted the early sown plants have found ,on pickling, that they are, as described on the seed packet and not read on sowing, ‘An attractive Italian heirloom variety with concentric rings of Rose and White’ (which become a very poor ‘Beige’ when pickled). The new plants will be a good solid ‘Claret’ colour and hopefully will look good on the winter table after ‘Pickling’.

Leeks are planted, to be followed by a few red cabbage and possibly a selection of  local cabbages (only if the temperature drops to the mid twenties as they become very coarse if grown in early heat). Two tubs of potatoes about to be planted for Christmas Lunch - impossible to beat small home grown tubers with load of butter and mint - almost makes the turkey worth eating.

Geranium and Fuchsia cuttings still being taken (planted now they will root before ‘winter chill’ descends). Geraniums have been good this year but Fuchsias not as floriferous as usual. Could be the year to ‘split’ and re-pot for a new start.

Roses are back in flower, just to prove Autumn is really on its way. The cuttings planted last year are now in flower and the seedlings from a few years back have actually flowered (flower pink with a ‘Bourbon’ rose shape, have decided to call it ‘Celia’- comes from living with the Head Gardner).

"Celia"

mini roses still pleasing

Sun is out, temperature around thirty, clouds departed to the ‘North’,  am  glowing gently (Gardeners never ‘Sweat’).

 Ah, saved from collapse by the coffee bell from above, 

must dash,

see you soon,

Stuart.


Footnote - Pomegranates 

Pomegranates for the first time!

LONG HOT SUMMER

19^th AUGUST 2015 – CENTRAL PORTUGAL

Still hot – around 35 degrees at 11 O’clock, and very dry, with little more than heavy morning dew for the last ten weeks. This could be the start of a real drought? The heat and lack of water has certainly shortened the cropping season for much on the ‘Veg’ terrace. Cucumbers, courgettes (first seeding),runner beans, French beans and Pati Pans have all given up the ghost and are now becoming (very dry) compost. The first rule of gardening on steep valley side terraces is that ‘what grows on a terrace stays on the terrace’(except the crop of course which usually languishes in the ‘freezer’).

One day's harvest - note from Head Gardener "need second freezer!"

Tomatoes are loving these ‘conditions’ – with a liberal daily supply of piped water and constant feed. The ‘Cristal F1’ is a great success, 50kg. from eight plants already picked, with at least the same to come in the next few weeks. ‘Moneymaker’ just plugs away at a regular one kilo per plant per week and the Cherry varieties (Sweet Baby, Yellow Cherry Bell, String of Beads) are in full production; so good for those on a diet as more energy expended on picking (due to small size and large quantity) than calories gained on consumption!

 

Tomatoes after cropping - lots more on the way

Never seen sweet peppers, both green and yellow, produce some many and such large fruit. California Wonder (like the ones on the Uncle Ben’s Rice advert) are already two metres tall and full of ripe and ripening peppers plus loads of flower still coming. The local Portuguese yellow strain is also quite overwhelming in its fecundity and the long reds are actually turning bright red.

Lots of lovely sweet peppers

Although the HG required a greatly reduced crop of chillis this year, the few plants grown have been unaware of the sanction and are about to produce unprecedented results.  Cayenne and Tabasco have mature red pods with serried ranks of green fruit waiting their turn to shine, whilst the white flowers still proliferate on the top of the plants. Cherry Bomb and Paper Lantern are covered in small fruit and a new planting this year of ‘Hop Scotch’, is full of  bonnet- shaped pale green, immature fruit. Trial tasting yesterday produced numbness of tongue instantaneously and numb cheeks today (so would consider the ‘Scoville’ reading of 850,000 possibly on the low side).

THE HOT ONES!

Aubergines have got their ‘second wind’, covered in both swelling dark purple gloriously shiny fruit and lots of mauve flowers - all ready to give more fruit in  September and October. (Just feed, water excessively and crop frequently). The very large Aubergines look spectacular but tend to be full of seed and inedible, so best for photographs only and eat the medium sized production.

Aubergine promising more fruit - lots of flowers

Purple plum tree has done very well with around 50 kilos picked, and very sweet and juicy (winter crumbles here they come – via freezer of course). The large Fuji plums are also starting to look almost ready to pick, so, with the over-supply of yellow plums early last month, this has certainly been plum year.

One again, not an Olive year.  There has been lots of blossom, lots of embryonic fruit in May, lots of sunshine and no water in June, equals no fruit AGAIN! is this the year for the ‘Big Chop’?.

Actually have good crop of apples. the Granny Smith’s and New Zealand Starkings,  have made to the end of August on the tree and are ‘real’ apple size (maybe not Grade One’s but definitely Grade Two plus). Must mention the Quince tree as, after eight years of cultivation, it has three very large  fruits nearly ready for picking (Quince Jelly here they go)

.

The Sweet Corn, grown from the excessively costly packet of twenty four F1 seeds purchased in UK last year, has produced twenty one edible ‘heads of corn’. Half already eaten, absolutely splendid, sweet and very flavoursome - well worth the price, effort and water (will never again be persuaded to plant the local seed which produces corn ears only fit for hen food- Thompson & Morgan have got it ‘right’).

Geraniums are in full bloom again (fed with the ‘Blue Balls’ two weeks ago). Dahlias suffering from the heat and starting to show signs of powdery mildew (spraying having little effect once the leaves succumb to the virus) so they will be leaving the garden very soon. The heat has not helped the Fuchsias so far, but at least they have another three months to go. The Petunias have kept going but are now exhausted and a little sad. The Roses are showing signs of life and new buds ready for the ‘second spring’ in September.

Geraniums still wonderful - roses trying hard

Yellow and Red raspberries are fruiting again in competition with the Strawberries (which are still producing two bowls of fruit per day). Head Gardner very pleased with the new growing arrangement in the raised troughs as no bending required.

Ripe yellow raspberries - full of flavour

Must remember pick a lettuce before the coffee bell.

 Ah! there goes the bell- must dash

see you soon.

 Stuart. 

ORCHESTRAL SUMMER IN THE GARDEN!

1^st AUGUST 2015 CENTRAL PORTUGAL

It actually rained yesterday, first precipitation in six weeks. Having taken shelter under the large olive tree and sitting on the new seat in the orchard, the audible sigh of relief could be heard from the combined garden terraces rising from the valley bottom. 

Seat in the orchestra stalls!

It was reminiscent of the opening cords of a well tuned and carefully conducted Philharmonia, the sections of the orchestra being well represented; peppers and chillis being the String  section, from the California Wonder’s acting as the cellos, through the Italian Long Red as the violas, to the Piri Piri  high notes of the violins. Cucumbers, courgettes and runner beans are the bassoons, oboes, clarinets and piccolos of the Wood Wind, the horn shaped flowers of the Brugmansia, Gloxinias, Lilies and Fuchsias the full range of the Brass, ranged from tuba and trombone to the clear effervescence of the strident trumpet. Melons, aubergines, pears, peaches and plums are the bedrock of the Timpani and Percussion division. The opposing slope of the valley facing these rhapsodic terraces is the linear conformity of the serried rows of almost ripe grapes on the vines with the gentle rain drops whispering their appreciation on the leaves as only a well trained audience can do.

Some members of the Orchestra below:

Aubergines

Plums

Gloximias

Brugmansia (aka Angels' trumpets)

Red Hot chilli peppers

The audience

Apples waiting for a curtain call

This long awaited thirst quenching episode did not last long, dawn this morning heralded a return to temperatures in the high thirties, with little respite from the glories of a relentless sun and cloudless clear blue sky (so back to Hosepipe duty with a vengeance – sunshine and inflated temperatures forecast on all three  Internet Oracles for another two months). The use of  Grey Water (from the bathroom showers) gives the Head Gardener the necessary Ecological credentials as it recycles around 250 litres each day. That, together with the strategically placed soakaways from kitchen and laundry (another 250 litres per day) helps to reduce the water bill. (Water is metered and expensive in Portugal, rising to €3.30 per 1000 litres after use of first ten litres each month). However, the pleasure of gardening, the taste of really fresh produce and the appreciation of the Head Gardener, make any water cost irrelevant. (said with tongue placed well into cheek).

Just picked 30 kilos of Portuguese Pears (always very hard even when ripe and have a very short picking window as, if not caught on the ‘best’ day, they rot on the tree). It’s the peeling which takes the effort, as they are destined for the freezer and winter-pudding use. They are truly dessert pears as they are  not pleasant to eat ‘au natural’. (So, you ask, why are they still cultivated? Pure sentiment – this was the only tree in the orchard on arrival here eight years ago).

Some of today's crop of pears

Cucumber production is now in decline (no longer looking for export opportunities, think the last consignment still stuck at Calais). Aubergines at their peak, peppers in amazing quantities (in all colours), initial Tabasco chillis are red and Jalapenos are green but coming along well. Piri Piri must try harder (but don’t usually do much until September). 

Tomatoes are tremendous - Cristal F1 are very heavy croppers, Gardener’s Delight really do ‘delight’(fan trained two plants into the Catalpa trees at the front of ‘veg.’ terrace and they now sport at least twenty trusses of large firm fruit each (and are still flowering). Sweet Baby are very ‘Sweet’ and are ‘Babies’(around seventy five fruit to the kilo) and take a lot of picking. 

Just a few tomatoes

Courgettes are producing just enough to justify their watering,  but Patty Pans abandoned to the heat. 

Particularly proud of the green and yellow bell peppers

Okra (Ladies Fingers) has first pods with lots of flower (somewhat more pleasant than the fruit some say?). Understand they come into their own at the end of the monsoon season (in India).

Dahlias, Begonias, Petunias, Fuchsias, Geraniums, Roses have been joined by Canna Lilies, Hydrangeas, Plumbago and Solanum in full summer glory.  Cuttings of Geraniums, Fuchsias and Clematis now being taken (after all it is August) so they can root and start growing well before the start of winter.

Cuttings taken of Hagley Hybrid - just giving a second flowering

Most of the Flowers are grown in tubs or containers. The growing compost is now mostly exhausted (particularly with all the watering) so now is the time to feed with your favourite potion (mainly rely on the blue balls and sea weed based liquid feed, plus a generous top up of compost in each pot due to the erosion of constant watering). This will keep everything flowering and fruiting through the next couple of months.

Olives are very sparse (again) after their early flowering promise. Last year the villagers put the blame on ‘Cold winds in May’; this year the  suggestion is ‘Hot winds in May’ - a bit like ‘Goldilocks, Three Bears and Porridge? Have tried threatening the trees with severe pruning (as per the Italian practice) but to no avail. Maybe this year it has to be the ‘Chop’.

Late afternoon now, and temperature well over thirty five degrees, so back to the beloved hosepipe and more watering before the HG notices any wilting.

Must dash

See you soon,

Stuart.