(A cauliflower on the day I should have picked it!)

It's so long since I last blogged and so much has happened on the growing front that I can't hope to cover it all, but here's a few thoughts...at the Woodberry Down community garden, where we are growing in large bags, my "three sisters" sweetcorn/squash/French bean bag looks impressive, but I'm worried that the tassles on the cobs may not have all been pollinated (each silky thread is attached to a grain of corn, and each one needs to be fertilized by pollen from the flowers at the top). I planted eight but one got destroyed by a squirrel, leaving seven. I planted them in a block as they rely on wind to blow the pollen from the flowers to the tassles...but is there a minimum number that works? Perhaps seven is not enough to ensure full pollination...anyone have experience of this? Or anyone tried doing it with a paint brush?

 (The Three Sisters -- sweetcorn, squash and French beans)

My squash is going mad but although there are loads of female flowers with swollen fruit, the fruit dont seem to be getting any bigger. They may end up a weird hybrid anyway, as I had saved the seed from a squash I had eaten, which could have been pollinated by a cucumber or another winter squash (they are all the same species, cucurbit pepo, so can cross pollinate).

(Parsnips and carrots at the Woodberry Down garden)

In the Lordship North edible garden things are growing well despite the frequent strong winds. My first attempt at growing cauliflower was a modest success...the first one I harvested was small and full of mealy cabbage aphids, which I spent an hour digging out with a toothpick! The other two were bigger (a pound each), but they had turned a bit yellow. Should I have protected them from the sun I wonder, or did I just harvest them a bit late (the day before they looked perfect though)? One also had loads of aphids but this time I decided not to be squeamish -- I just boiled them up and pretended the little black specs were ground pepper!

 (a common frog living between the bags in our edible garden)

That's all for now...I would love to hear other people's growing experiences, advice etc, if you want to comment, or write your own blog...?

(below: a solitary mason bee has layed eggs in our bug hotel, using mud to stop the holes)