The veggies. Or lack of.

Things are not going so well on the veggie plot this year.  Three-quarters of my carrot seed sthat I diligently sowed one row per week over eight weeks, have not come up.  I think it's because the beds are too shaded.  There is an enormous weeping willow tree casting a great deal of shade over the plot.  We have been meaning to cut it down for a few years now (I like them, but this one is too near the house and would also provide some wood to burn) but we've still not got around to it, and now my seeds are suffering.  I've re-sown some more rows, and some in a different part of the beds, so fingers crossed, bu I'm not hopeful.  It's a shame because the home-grown carrots were one of my favourite things from the garden last year and lasted us into the new year.  Also, the moles haven't been so active because of the very wet and cold winter we had, so I've only got two of the four new raised beds full and now I'm desperately searching for mole hills everyday (never thought I'd say that) in order to earth up the potatoes.  The leeks I had from a friend haven't done so well in the greenhouses so I've planted them, although they weren't really big enough to be planted out, but I'm hoping they'll be happier there.  Then there's the sweetcorn.  Not had good crops the last couple of years, so this year I've planted the seeds in cardboard tubes and kept them in the greenhouse.  Now, these guys have been doing very well and are more thatn ready to be planted out.  Unfortunately, however, I have not yet had time to prepare the bed for them - that'll be in a week or two's time, in the meantime I'm just hoping that they don't expire before I can get them there.

However, on the positive side, the potatoes seem to be coming on well, the garlic is looking good, the tomatoes and strawbs seem to be ok and so do the peas and mangetout.  Oh yes, that reminds me, the french beans have failed.  Twice.  I have replanted again and also tried a few seeds in cardboard tubes in the greenhouse.  If they still don't come to anything, then well do more peas and mangetout.  Mind you, I am using last year's seeds, so that might be the problem, but I'm not spending a lot of money on a new packet this year, just to use a few beans.  Bought three pepper plants and an aubergine on Saturday.  Have got some pepper seedlings on the go, but they're a bit slow, so I thought I'd get some small plants in case the seedlings don't come to anything, and if they do, all well and good - we eat lots of peppers.  The courgettes seem to be ok as well, they're in the garden under plastic bottles, although come to think of it, it's been so hot of late, I should have removed them.  They could all be dead from heat exhaustion for all I know.  I'll check tomorrow.