Summer in full swing..

Hi everyone,
Growth is in full swing here at River Cottage, and we are kept busy weeding and watering the vegetables and ornamental plants.

Yet again, the raised vegetable beds are proving very succesful, and crops are showing good, steady growth with no signs of disease or pest attack.

We continue to use Bio Fleece, a woven nylon mesh that was designed to stop carrot fly, which we have used exclusively for the past few years now with great success.

We find it stops onion fly, mealy bugs, and many other pests and diseases, simply because they can't get at them.

Of course, for flowering crops, you need to uncover them when they reach that stage of growth so they can be pollinated by insects and set crops.
At present we are enjoying losts of leafy salads - three varieties of organic lettuce that are beautifully fresh and crisp.

Broad beans are flowering profusely and there is a constant buzz as bees visit their quite wonderful flowers in purple and lilac shades.

Radishes are almost too prolific to keep up with, but need to be eaten before they get too big and turn woody. They have a great peppery tang and are crunchy and juicy at present.

We are growing a cylindrical, Italian beetroot this season and it seems to like our organic growing methods.

Eileen is continuing to paint, when she can make time, and Mark is busy with his writing. Summer is in full swing and the birds and bees know it.

Of course, the longest day of the year was yesterday.

Wednesday, Mark is reading his poetry at the local library - It is St. John's night which is traditionally celebrated here with bonfires.

Have a great week. I'm off to to have an egg salad for lunch.