27th August

As new crops start to be ready for harvesting, some are starting to get near their end for the year.
The courgettes and Cucumbers have the start of powder mildew on some of the leaves and the plants leaves are starting to die off.
It's normal for the end of August for this to start happening as night temperatures are now into single figures, but on both Courgettes and Cucumbers we are still harvesting away, and there is still new growth on the plants.
Usually we do manage to keep harvesting these crops till the first frost arrives although we aren't getting very much of off them by then.
The new crops that we are starting to harvest at this time of the year are Leeks, Turnip and Sweetcorn.
The Sweetcorn we have been a wee bit worried that we wouldn't get a crop, like last year, the summer has been super warm, just what sweetcorn like but the lack of water meant we weren't getting cobs to form, Luckily there is some cobs around one per plant, usually there is two to three.
It has been the same in the Squash and Pumpkin crops they also love the heat and the plants grew arms and legs everywhere, I don't think I have ever seen these plants as huge as they are this year. But the same has happened here they have put all their growth into growing out and up, they forgot that their job was to produce up to three squash per plant, where this year we are getting only one.
The Kohl rabi, Lettuce seeds that we blocked are almost ready to be planted there is ten thousand of them, I gave them a liquid seaweed feed last week and we have rotovated in the tunnels and we might be able to get them planted this week.
Another new seed I am testing out is Giant red Celery these were also blocked along with the Kohl Rabi and lettuce, celery usually takes ages to germinate, but the giant red celery is already up and has two leaves. It's a gamble doing it so late in the year, but if we can keep giving them a seaweed feed and get them in and established before the winter, get the tunnel doors shut and fleece them we might get a nice crop around the end of the year.