Waiting for the rain

It's getting rather dry down at the patch !
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We are spending most of our spare time watering our very thirsty fruit and vegetable beds.

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The brassicas (savoy cabbage, red cabbage, broccoli, calabrese, sprouts, kale & cauliflower) have all been transplanted from their nursery beds into their permanent beds.  They were looking extremely sad at first, sulking about being uprooted, but they now seem to have established themselves nicely.

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Everything seems to be almost a month ahead of what was happening last year. We have just about finished cropping our early peas and beans and have planted squash and tomato plants in with the garlic and onions so that they will be flourishing when these are lifted in mid-June.  We have taken a gamble with 'Early Crookneck' squash, planting these out early in the hope that they will escape any late frosts and they are already flowering... so will not be cross-pollinated with any other squashes, so we will be able to save their seeds and use these next year.  The courgettes we planted do not seem to have survived their move and we will have to use some of the spare plants we kept by for 'emergency'.

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Our order of 'Violet Globe' artichokes arrived last week and these were planted down at the bottom of the main bed alongside the wire fence. In front of these we are growing nasturtiums and a mixed row of flat-leaf parsley and bunching onions.

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We are growing many more herbs this year, for kitchen use and as a companion planting : Dill, chervil, carroway and marjoram have just been sown. The earlier-sown Summer savory, coriander, basil and curly-leaf parsley are all flourishing. 

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