Chastleton Garden in July 2012.
A very busy month for us in the garden this month. The month started with monsoon like rains in the early part of the month, which made the weeds and the grass grow at a most enormous pace in the temperate climes. The poor roses and blooms around the garden were completely battered and some of the rose buds were even rotting on the the bush before they had a chance to come out. Blackspot and blight have not been good on the roses and quince trees this year too.
Myself and the volunteer team have worked hard to keep on top of the weeds in the red clover green manures in The Kitchen Garden and around the garden and this is an ongoing project. As the jet stream changed course towards the end of the month we finally saw the sun and had weather we were more used to seeing in July. The roses and other flowers perked up and the tomatoes and chillies put on a spurt of growth in the green house with the increase in sunlight.
This month we have also had the start of the restoration and conservation project in The West Garden, NGS day, Midsummer Garden Tours and Jazz in The Garden.
The poor roses on The Rose Terrace after being battered by heavy rain day after day at the beginning of July. We were busy dead heading.
However, the poppies in The Stableyard were looking good - having coped with the weather better than the roses.
The fruit and vegetables have done well though and we have been busy harvesting strawberries, black currants, cabbages, calabese, gooseberries, potatoes, carrots, beetroot, lettuce, fennel and peaches and selling them on our produce and plant stall. We have also been selling plants to visitors.
Vegetables and flowers in The Kitchen Garden.
Fennel in The Kitchen Garden
Strawberries in The Kitchen Garden
Onions in The Kitchen Garden.
Green manure (Red Clover) in the four new beds in The Kitchen Garden.
Other jobs we have been busy working on this month are:
-mowing
-strimming
-edging
-weeding
-harvesting
-dead heading
-treatment of fairy rings on croquet lawn
-catching moles
-foliar feed for roses
-summer clearing and weeding of Wilderness
-hedge cutting
-topiary clipping
-pruning shrubs and Wisteria
-garden tours and visitor engagement
-plant and produce sales
-cutting back ivy
-putting new fencing up in The Wilderness
-watering
-feeding tomatoes and chillies in the green house
-summer pruning fruit trees and tying in
-work on The West Garden project
-care of wormery
-tour for local children's gardening club
-seed sowing in Kitchen Garden of root crops
-etc.
Caroline helping on the plant and produce stall.
Victor doing croquet engagement with visitors.
As ever a big thank you to all the volunteers and visitors who have made it another industrious and lovely month in the garden. Thank you, Anna.
