Tomatoes tomorrow

Tomato time is drawing closer. Don't think I'm going to be able to wait much longer.

Tantalising

New on the menu this week are carrots (Early Nantes - delicious) and garlic. Our neighbour gave us 400 onion setts that he didn't manage to plant this spring so I've used up the remaining space in the vegetable garden to plant all of them that still looked good. Not sure how big they'll grow, but we can always have them as salad onions.

The raspberry fortress

We've decided to extend the chicken wire fence around the ailing summer raspberries to save what can be saved. I've just ordered some more windbreak fabric to attach to the chicken wire fence to minimise future wind damage. The middle paddock has also been chicken-wired on one side to keep the hens from the rest of the blueberries and from starting on the Tay berries, the first of which has just ripened. It may not be pretty, but it's necessary.

The first peppers are appearing

Inside things are growing apace. The aubergine has finally reached a decent size, think I'll pinch the growing tip this week, and the first couple of melon fruitlets have appeared. Hope my Q tip pollination works out.

Little cantaloupe alert on the right

My one aubergine. What a spiky plant

Watermelon

The watermelon has grown a lot, but I haven't been able to find out much about growing them in the UK. Has anybody got any experience with them? Are they the same as other melons, with male and female flowers? Presumably one plant can only support one fruit?