01/09/2026
It’s been trickier to keep on top of the new veg patch at Skymeadow this year than I expected. Mostly because I hurt my hand in April so have had to limit w**ding but also work and travel, the net result is more w**ds than is decent; but a w**d is just a plant in the wrong place!
I am happy with my parsley hedges which are coming on nicely. I decided to go long on potatoes to open up the virgin ground. It has been a bad year for potatoes, but we have a harvest.
I also focused on squashes and courgettes which have done very well. I am now a devotee of the courgette ‘Ronde de Nice’ which is a French heirloom variety that grows round rather than long. It is superb. Pick when the size of a tennis ball. I hadn’t grown it before so I’m happy to have discovered it. There is a pic above.
It has been a good year for my beloved summer squashes ‘patty pan’ which are wonderful to look at just as they are to eat. You cant buy them in Britain so you have to grow them if you want them and I do. Again, pictured above, it is the yellow one with the beautiful scalloped edge.
A tip - if you want your sunflowers to come back better every year save seed only from the very best examples at the end of each season. Over time you will develop your own strain of sunflower perfectly adapted for your garden!
