Harvest

 Some gardeners are gifted when it comes to growing fruit and veg. I am not. But this does not mean that I find it any less exciting, in fact, exactly the opposite. There is a genuine thrill to see something grown from seed or tuber develop into a piece of food that is actually edible. I suppose it is that tiny miracle of watching and tending while producing something that is fit for the table that I find fascinating and frustrating in equal measure.

The first of the crops harvested this year are some small salad potatoes (jazzy). The yield was somewhat disappointing but the taste was not. The first onions have been lifted but they are undoubtedly misshapen. The condition is called bull neck and I will need to modify my feeding regime for next year. The tomatoes in the conservatory are also beginning to ripen. This year they are "money maker" and the few that have now been eaten are pleasant but not exactly delicious.

However, none of these will dampen my optimism as there are still the peppers and chilli peppers yet to try in the coming months.

Sadly my biggest disappointment by a country mile is the lack of any sign of flowering on the blackberry bush. Having planted it last year and now having waited for 2 years I was really hoping to see some sign of something to harvest. The crumble might have to be from "Tesco" fruit yet again!