It’s August already. This year we are short of rainwater, there is always some weather related problem in this country. We have had mixed results in the vegetable garden. The sweet corn which I planted too early didn’t get enough water so was a rather short crop, the cobs were sweet enough but were dried up, they did plump up on cooking but were not what I had hoped for. The broad beans suffered from having had black fly so the crop was much smaller than usual. The runner and French beans are marvellous, the courgettes are running away from us and turning into vegetable marrows. I shall supply the church with some for Harvest Festival decorations.  The winter squashes are doing well. The indoor tomatoes are not as good as the outdoor ones, I shall be making the surplus into tomato sauce and freezing it. The old favourites are Mixed Dels, Black Krim and I have grown the Marmandes again for outside, these are great if the weather is dry but so easily get blight if wet. I wasn’t going to grow them again after the last two years but I’m very glad I did. The indoor cucumbers are good too, a tried and tested small variety La Diva. Our shallots and garlic harvests were good with no waste. In fact the garlic gained a third prize at the Spetchley and District Gardeners’ annual show, my husband felt they were worthy of a first. We have had some lovely plums this year and are waiting for the Victorias and the Greengages to crop now. The quince crop will be huge!!
 
Keep picking beans and courgettes, freeze the bounty if you have too much or give it to friends and neighbours. If you are going away arrange for a neighbour to water the greenhouse, hanging baskets and tubs. These will need feeding before you go and when you return home. Ask the neighbour to pick the beans and courgettes and sweet peas or they will either run to seed or in the case of the courgettes turn into big marrows.
 
It is time to order the bulbs now I have had the catalogues for a few weeks trying to make up my mind. The spring bulbs will soon be for sale in the garden centres, buy these early as the conditions under which they are kept is not really good for them. Always choose the biggest and the best. Plant as soon as you can but the tulips can be left until November.
 
Keep picking sweet peas and snap off any seedpods that have formed. The Matucana I grow have been very good, they are an old fashioned variety smaller but more perfumed than the present sort. I also grew some maroon ones and scarlet flowered ones these made a pleasing display on the wigwams.  I need to pick them every other day. I shall be collecting seeds from my irises this week and poppies. I will also be taking the penstemon cuttings, I had a good success rate this year. As these plants can succumb to a cold wet winter I like to have a large ‘back up’ supply. If they are not needed they make easy plants to sell at our Flower Show as they are still blooming in August.  
 
Best of all just sit and enjoy your garden and share it with friends.