At last some genuine summer weather; I adore heat, and have felt profoundly cheated so far this summer. Therefore , accompanied by Harry Potter to submerge any feelings of guilt, I have managed to aquire a good tan by sitting out in the garden on every possible occasion over the last week.
Not so Luke, I'm afraid; he has been working round the clock, preparing land for planting, trying to do 2 month's work in 2 weeks. On top of it all, the land has set like concrete now that the rain has stopped, and he has had to irrigate some crops that are struggling to draw moisture from soil that has tightened like a noose around their roots.
But at least crops are starting to grow: pink and yellow leaves are greening up, and stationary transplants have realised there is a reason to go on living. The sweetcorn is in full flower, and we may have finally managed to start lifting our not-so-early potatoes, Maris Bard. Too long in wet ground has given the slugs a great opportunity to share in the bounty, and we are doing our best to spot the damage before it leaves the farm- let us know if we are not successful!
