Blight has finally hit our end of the allotment, and has reduced the Sarpo Mira potato plants to brown slimy stumps - which is more than a bit annoying as they're hyped as being super blight-resistant, yet turned up their toes at the first whiff of it. The Kestrel potato plants are still standing and green, though not brilliantly healthy, but apparently have a name for tuber blight on the allotment, so we might have to dig up a load of squelchy rotten spuds.
Garlics are looking very sorry for themselves, almost dayglo orange with rust, and looking long and scrawny. Poor things just cannot cope with all the constant rain.
Tomatoes have produced massive crops, and the plants keep toppling over with the weight of the big green fruits. But that's the issue - green. A couple of tomatoes went sort-of orangey, but immediately split open (with all the rainwater) and have become a party venue for hundreds of little flies.
Planted 2 rows of different radish seeds couple of weeks ago, along with carrots and beetroot. Radish seedlings came up almost immediately, but have since vanished without trace (presume wood pigeons).
Chillies are also producing masses of shiny green fruit, that show no interest in changing colour. All varieties have at least flower buds, apart from the Thai Birds Eye, which are still only leaves. I've had a few problems with tiny green caterpillars turning healthy leaves into lace doylies. Spraying water/washing up liquid seems to keep them in check, but I've found it also makes the flowers drop off the plant, so my crop on the worst hit plant is small. (Joe's Long has only 3 fruit, and althought they're impressive in length, there is no sign of any more flowers and therefore further fruit.) We sampled a green jalapeno chilli, but it was virtually tasteless with no heat whatsoever. I guess the sunlight they need to build heat has been too dull and grey.
The only things that seem happy are the courgettes, which are producing well at home and at the allotment. I'm particularly impressed with the Parthenon variety, and the Tricolour ones (ball-shaped fruit in "3 colours" - in other words yellow). The Tricolour have been particularly productive, and I have nice thoughts of courgette jam and courgette chutney in my mind, as well as using them in cooking. (We're especially fond of lasagne with thinly sliced courgettes added, the ball shaped ones are great stuffed and baked, and I've found a recipe for a mean courgette cake!)
