The Gooden Life

Keith & Freya are cracking on and digging more of the main crop potatoes this week with mixed results.

 There's an invasion of Tomatoes! With cropping underway and pounds and pounds coming from 15 or 20 plants in total.

And what effect is the changing climate having on our plot? Well, the Jerusalem artichokes are flowering in October, the lettuce and salad seeds we planted six months ago are now growing away, and the summer droughts have hurt the potato crop...... In places...

Keith & Freya are digging just a few main crop potato plants to see what level of crop they can expect this year.  The bugs are still trying to eat our green veg and it's planting time for Italian white endive and spring greens.

If you haven't taken on a plot we've got some tips for you just in case the waiting lists are years long or you've got your eyes on that nice little patch of scrubland around the corner...... (Tip: Plant some seeds)

Keith & Freya are back up the 'lotty this week sowing the salad leaves which will fill our plates this autumn and winter...

An update on the mellow yellow courgette harvest and how have we been doing in the battle against he brassica white fly and plate beetles?

All that and an update on how the plants and crops are reviving after five heatwaves this summer!

Keith and Freya are in the strawberry beds making the most of the free plants nature provides, by planting the runners still attached to their umbilical cords. That's next year's and the year after's delicious strawberries and you've just got to take the trouble to root them. 

We are still cropping our runner beans too, and putting the wigwam they're trained up in partial shade has really paid dividends this year with a bumper crop.

And after cropping our second early spuds it's time to start re-feeding the beds they have come out of... It's poo time!

Keith &Freya are in the August lull, the pause, that gap between the hard work of planting into the start of the harvest. This year that harvest has started early , with the heatwaves we've been having in the Cotswolds .

So it's time to turn our heads and hands to plot-keeping, the little jobs (and not so little), that need doing. Painting, fence mending, general maintenance.

It's also an opportunity to watch the wildlife and make sure they have water and snacks, because this weather is hard on them too!  

Keith & Freya are on the plot this week harvesting blackberries, which are ripe now, very early! Perfect for a summer pudding if they can agree between them on a recipe.....

We update you on our green spray to ward off flea beetles and brassica whitefly, both a huge pest this very hot, dry year.

And what about water? The butts are dry (fnaar fnaar) , the bath is empty and having more water conservation is required if the summers are going to continue to be so dry in southern England.

What do you do? 

Keith & Freya are back on the plot in Marshfield this week, surveying the desert like conditions this UK summer has delivered this year.

Sunshine and drought conditions mean plenty of watering from cans, but it also means seeds are germinating in just a few days in the warm conditions. 

It's time to start fussing over your tomato crop if you're growing them. Water, but not too much. Feed, but not to much. Allow to crop, but not too much. Toms are the divas of the fruit and veg world , but a little fuss never hurt anyone......

But don't over fuss....

Keith & Freya are cropping their French beans as they continue to be abundant, but the pests are gathering around the chilli plants and the brassicas with swarms of white flies that need dealing with if they are not to kill the plants.

Spring greens have to go in about now so we have that vital link between the main crop greens in the Autumn (Fall) and Winter and that fairly crop free early Spring. 

We are still battling to grown lettuce in the high ambient temperature the English Summer has blessed us with in 2026. But never give up! And it's also time to plant the Winter cropping carrots in the Carrot-O-Nator!

Keith & Freya are on the plot this week digging Charlotte spuds and getting a very pleasant surprise, managing the water (it's been very hot in England this year) and cropping French beans and Courgette (Zuchini).

The pumpkins and squah need lots of water , the potatoes, less so. But, how come more plots don't have access to hosepipes? The fact is, it can be a waste of water and cans are more effective at concentrating splosh where you need it!

When a major Royal Horticultural Society comes to your doorstep it'd be rude not to go, wouldn't it?

Keith & Freya have lost the plot and are at the Badminton estate in southern Gloucestershire for RHS Badminton 2026, the first time a major show on the calendar has come to the area.

The weather is great for the show and we are talking with some of the exhibitors who have a stake (geddit) in helping us grow crops, as well as giving us new ideas as to how we can improve our plots and soil.

So wherever you are in the world, here's a little English summertime just for you.