So, perhaps not surprisingly, June has been very very busy in the garden. And updating my blog has slipped off the agenda…….
In the garden
This month I have laid about 15x9m of black weed suppressant plastic for the squashes and courgettes, and planted them out. The black weed suppressant plastic was laid for the leeks, and it took two of us four hours. The tomatoes are really coming on, and they are supported and pruned. A good half of the cucumbers have been planted out in the polytunnel. The aphids seem to have eventually been knocked back by the soft soap, though not before taking out my lettuces and largely making them unsellable. And I had to build a cage to harden off plants and keep the rabbits off.
In the shops
I have been regularly selling oregano and sage to the Unicorn Grocery in Chorlton and Manchester Veg People (MVP). I have also been selling strawberry plants and tarragon plants to the Unicorn. I have sold some edible flowers to MVP, but have struggled with my supply due to the weather and the rabbits.
The first of my beetroot and garlic was finally ready, and I was thrilled with both of them. In June was asking £7/kg for the fresh garlic and £1.50 for a bunch of three beetroot.
Selling direct
I’m regularly doing 14-15 veg boxes for people weekly, and I have 19 customers at the moment. I had a spate of new people who took a veg box once and not again, which hasn’t happened before and suggests they didn’t like it or think it was good value. I think this was because the prices were high for the new season crops. It was exciting to finally be able to get hold of new potatoes, cucumbers, spring onions etc, but the prices to buy them were high. Shows that if you can get crops early you can ask a good price for them, as those prices soon dropped rapidly in July as other farmers (like me) caught up.
