By mid July harvesting of crops was in full swing and our kitchen was filled with the scents of midsummer from bowls of large strawberries and vases of sweet peas. The rain of previous weeks had done wonders so that the growth of both vegetables and weeds was amazing.

We were able to pick peas from our four rows of Hurst Green Shaft every 3-4 days. Most of these went in the freezer. The Carouby De Maussane mangetout and Purple Magnolia Snap both grew to about 6 feet providing abundant pods for salads and stir fries over a period of four weeks.

Haulms were removed from Foremost, Charlotte and Elfe potatoes during the first week and then dug about ten days later. All three varieties gave good yields. On the 19th the first blighted leaves were seen on the remaining rows of maincrop varieties (Picasso and Rooster). Neither of these varieties have high scores for blight resistance. As  rain and thunderstorms were forecast we decided to remove the haulms as conditions were perfect for the disease to spread rapidly. On surrounding plots most varieties had the beginnings of the disease while Cara and Carolus were quite free of blight.

With the exceptional growth experienced during the month we had to remove the net cloches from all the Brassicas as the rows had become very weedy. We were pleased that only two plants had succumbed to the dreaded Swede Midge (Contarinia nasturtii). These were destroyed and replaced with spare plants. Normally we lose more plants to this insect pest. Was it because the very weedy rows had made it difficult for the flying midge to detect the plants on which to lay its eggs ?

Our broad beans had all been harvested by the 11th and the plants removed. Two rows of Musselburgh leek were planted in their place. More leeks (Tadorna) were planted on the 25th on ground where the early potatoes had been lifted.

During the month we picked our first French beans and gherkins and lifted carrots and beetroot as required.

Our Moonlight runner beans are a mass of flowers and are setting well.

The first tassels have appeared on the sweetcorn and the squashes have a lot of flowers.

All our fruit bushes are giving good yields and go to making jam and wine.

By: Barry Cuff

Sponsored by Thorngrove Garden Centre

What does a Summer garden mean to you? Is it about just seeing the fruits of your labour? Vibrant flowers, beautiful smelling roses, and lush shrubbery, all coming to life and filling the gaps from Winter and those seeds you planted in previous months? Is it about showing this off and sharing your photos on social media? Do you enter competitions? Maybe you’re planting in memory of a loved one. Or is it about creating a welcoming space for friends and family – or a mix of all of the above. Summer in our gardens really does feel like the peak of the year and we at Thorngrove understand the importance of this. It goes beyond a nice bit of summer bedding, or a lily on our kitchen window. There’s meaning, and purpose to the effort we make, with this time of year feeling like the time we get to breathe it all in, and reflect.

Whether our space is a few acres, or a few pots on a balcony, nobody’s reason for planting is less important than anyone else’s. Our subjective experiences with plants, and the different reasons we all have for planting something are what make us interesting. One of the best parts about working at Thorngrove is hearing those stories. It’s seeing the smiles on faces when we’re told about plants flowering each year, and how even the small potted plant brings life to a corner of their home. We hear this during Summer more than any other time of the year and there’s a huge sense of pride that we take in knowing we serve such a diverse group of people who look to us not only for advice and gratitude, but as a place they can express their own sense of pride when they’ve seen success from their own gardening.

Gardening is a universal language, and one of the many things that can bring people together in spite of the divineness we can often see in the world. Our humble approach at bringing people some little bit of happiness, and as a place to share their thoughts is something we take much value from, and with some Summer still left to go, we really would love to hear more from you all. We look forward to seeing you at Thorngrove soon.

We would also like to wish the Blackmore Vale a Happy Birthday, and express our own gratitude towards the staff, and all readers for continuing to support us, and this joint effort in producing a marvellous community magazine. Here’s to more years ahead!

By: Kelsi Dean Buck

Thorngrove Garden Centre