A windy day

I spent most of the day working on things inside the house, listening to the wind whistling all around. It was the sort of force bound to dislodge things and so it proved when I did venture out. Nothing grave, just three of my outdoor pots of tomatoes, and righted in a jiffy. My little wigwam of Cherokee Trail of Tears beans survived (fingers crossed, the wind hasn't died down at all), but still no crop from the plants.

I cut three courgettes, two from the plant in the ground and one from a plant in a pot. Decided that now was the time to give up on the three courgette plants in pots and emptied them out. Why is it that they didn't take? The pots were massive, but I only got one courgette from them. Seems it's a plant much happier in the ground.

Code alert red

The Observer Organic Allotment Blog asked a few days ago how everyone's tomatoes were doing and I had to answer then that mine were still green, although getting bigger and bigger. A momentous occasion has arrived since then - one of my Outdoor Girl tomatoes has turned red (and, since I took the photo, another is turning). Wonder what they are going to taste like and how should I serve them? We live in exciting times. No sign of any redness yet on the three other varieties of tomato I have.

I have also cropped a second courgette. Funny how I saw no sign of it the night before, yet there it was all grown next day. Can't appear that fast, can it?

First courgette of 2009

Well, I've picked my first courgette of the year and I feel like a proud, over-age parent. It looks a very healthy specimen and we're hoping the taste lives up to the promise. Perhaps it will go in a curry tonight with some of the spinach from the garden. Fingers crossed that there will be more courgettes.

There are also one or two runner beans ready to pluck before they get any bigger and nice green tomatoes are emerging in the conservatory. I shall have to do my best to nurture them during this critical stage in their growth.

When I look back to starting this enterprise, almost a year ago now, it is amazing to see something that I have grown actually reaching the table.