Thyme To Garden - July 2018

[AB Editor]

Hi all! Welcome to your July gardening thread.

The grass is looking rather dry and dismal around here in all this heat. How are you finding gardening in this weather?

Here is last month's thread:
https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Home-and-Garden/Question1609039.html

[woofgang]

Difficult. My 6 waterbutts are almost dry and we are (understandably) being asked to go easy with watering.....but it goes to my heart to see my plants struggle...heigh ho I guess what survives will survive.

[rowanwitch]

Just watered the balcony, picked some carrots, the last of the beets and some broad beans and another cucumber. Noticed peas are nearly ready and sowed some red mustard and coloured pak choi. Even a small space can keep you busy.

[Old_Geezer]

Ah a gardening thread eh. Not much of a gardener myself but I've a query. Started quite a few things off earlier this year, but circumstances meant I couldn't be at home for about the last 2 months (save to odd check visit back) so the seedlings have all died off. Lack of water, excess heat.

My query is about potatoes which also suffered (but I loaded the back of the car with all 6 pails of them to try to revive them where I was staying). Thing is that one pail contained Swift, which are supposed to be earlies. With no opportunity to use the spuds, in the circumstances, assuming there are some under the dirt after their water shortage, what's the best thing to do with them ?

Leave them in the pail ? Take them out and leave them in a pile still dirty ? Take them out and clean them ? Give up on them entirely ?

Cheers

[rowanwitch]

If they are ok I'd dig them up and brush the dirt off and keep them in a box in a dark place check them now and then for any going off. Or find someone in a position to enjoy them... ie a non dieter

[Old_Geezer]

Cheers. I normally allow myself some carbs. Issue is more I'm not home to cook, the person I'm with can't face doing so for now, so we're over-spending on pub meals and getting most annoyed at the summer pub flies everywhere ! Clean & dark it is then.

[Canary42]

Runner beans swarming with blackfly, everything else fine (but need daily watering at present).