Abundance

 With the warm summer weather, the potager is thriving. It's such a joy to pop out there in the evening, pick something, and cook it for dinner. In the front right bed I've planted some sweet corn seedlings. They were an impulse buy - I'm not sure if it's too late for corn - but I put them all in, in a block because I seem to remember it grows best that way. We had some strong winds after I planted them and half the plants were bent in half. Happily most of them have now come right, so I'll keep hoping for their survival!

In the front bed on the left are carrots that have gone to seed. I like their soft, billowy flower heads so I've let them be. Behind them are some spuds ready to be dug, so the whole bed can be cleared when the spuds come up. After that I'll plant some brassicas for autumn harvesting.

 The beans are looking lovely with their salmon pink flowers. They are covering the arch in a most pleasing way. I like it when plants do what they're told.

 Borlotti beans are tumbling gracefully at the front, with a few cosmos just because I like them. In the back is a little tent I made from a scrap of net curtain and some bird netting. It's to keep butterflies off the cauliflowers. I'm not expecting it to work, really, but I have a few test subjects which didn't fit under the net, so we'll see.

 These are the outdoor tomatoes, planted companionably with some basil and chilli peppers. I'll put some lettuce seedlings in the front. Then all the salad ingredients will be together.

This is all I've been harvesting in the last month! I must say I'm most pleased. The garlic haul was the most disappointing, as some of the bulbs were tiny. I think they got crowded out by some rogue phacelia. The gherkins have been steadily producing, and I bottle a jarful every week. We've had broccoli for stir fry, cabbages for coleslaw and boysenberries for fruit salads. (Actually, after the Christmas glutton-fest of trifle and fruit salad, I haven't been in the mood for more berries. So these have gone in the freezer for a rainy day.)

Life is so so good at the moment. For me, warm weather makes everything easier. I've got my lounge chair and my umbrella, and I'm going out to sit and look upon my little kingdom. I hope you're having a good start to the new year, and enjoying the summer weather if you're lucky enough to be experiencing it. (Keep warm, my northern hemisphere friends!)