August was mostly hot and dry, so any transplanting we did needed watering in using trickle tape but everything else had to wait for rain.
We transplanted the last of the outdoor lettuce a week into September with more planted into a glasshouse. It's always hard to find space in a glasshouse or polytunnel at this time of year but the early cucumbers had almost stopped growing so they were pulled out and the ground prepared ready for the lettuce.
The courgette harvesting keep us busy at this time of year as they need to be picked every couple of days, although they have slowed down now that the cooler autumnal days are here (11 Sep). We are always amazed at how well the courgettes do with so little rain, the plants must be very good at capturing any moisture from the air.
And the polytunnel crops are in full swing now, with round and cherry tomatoes, two types of bell peppers, three types of chilli pepper, basil and cucumbers to harvest, most of which go to markets or in our box scheme.
Our packing shed swallows have successfully reared two broods this year, with the second brood fledging on 7 August. The parents (and possibly another swallow) have been very busy this last week keeping the youngsters fed. It’s been lovely to have their company whilst packing, even if they do get a bit noisy at times!
