| We think we must have brought some of the sun | | | | Needless to say to keep hoeing around the garden |
| and good weather back with us from Cuba which is | | | | areas, maintaining soil aeration and weeds at bay. |
| what the gardens need, as we have had a couple of | | | | Dead head as you walk around the garden as this is |
| really good days since we have been back. | | | | the easiest way to keep plants producing flowers, |
| We all agreed that our holiday in Cuba has been one | | | | Sandra usually does a fair bit of dead heading when |
| of the best we have had and that we will go back at | | | | she goes back and forth to the washing line using |
| sometime. The people are friendly and hard working, | | | | just her fingers, although tough stemmed plants do |
| especially when you find out that their average day | | | | need secateurs or scissors. This is especially |
| pay rate is the equivalent of about seventy pence! | | | | important for your roses to give you a great autumn |
| Yes seventy pence a day, yes you did read it | | | | show of colour. |
| correctly the first time. | | | | The tomatoes are still struggling to ripen, and even |
| This is one of the reasons we would recommend | | | | though we always plant early the green house |
| you also take a holiday there, as this is one of the | | | | tomatoes have hardly turned at all yet, and the |
| ways you can help the locals by bringing money | | | | outside ones are a very good size but are still green. |
| through tourism to the country. | | | | Generally we leave the peppers until they have |
| We always tipped even though they did not expect | | | | turned orange or yellow, but it looks like they will be |
| it, unlike some other places we have visited, and | | | | picked mainly green this year due to the lack of sun. |
| people who had been before took along baby | | | | The lettuce crop has been very good, and so has |
| clothes, good second hand clothes, and old football | | | | the runner beans as they really enjoy the wet |
| shirts as they absolutely adore these, does not | | | | weather. Another surprise this year is the raspberries, |
| matter what club or country. | | | | there has been an overwhelming amount of fruit that |
| The rain has been very helpful for the gardens and | | | | have been really sweet, and there is still plenty to |
| crops and for the amount of fruit and vegetables, | | | | come on over the next week or two. |
| but the sun is needed for the ripening factor. | | | | The figs are ripening really well, we have two trees in |
| Our greenhouse is full of squash, courgettes, | | | | the garden. One is a 'Brown Turkey Fig and is so |
| cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes, and they have | | | | heavily laden that the branches are drooping. I really |
| grown to a really good size, but the peppers and | | | | like this tree as the fruit start off the year before, |
| tomatoes are still very green, so it looks like Sandra | | | | although some of them do rot off and drop during |
| will have to make some green tomato chutney, you | | | | winter, they mature right through the year and you |
| can bet they will all ripen together and we will have a | | | | can still pick them in the late autumn. On our other |
| glut even though we share them with other | | | | tree the figs grow and mature the same season, |
| members of the family. All these vegetables and fruit | | | | they are very nice but do not come quite up to the |
| can be grown outside in the gardens but tend to do | | | | same standard as the 'Brown Turkey'. |
| better in a greenhouse. | | | | Lawns |
| Rusty, our dog is now back to his good old self after | | | | Do not forget to keep the grass cut to keep them |
| all the sulking he had been doing since being left | | | | looking lush and green now the fine weather has |
| behind during our holiday, although it seems he has | | | | arrived. Keep the blades at a good height on the |
| had one bit of defiance since then, as a tassel from | | | | mower and do not be tempted to lower them, cut |
| one of our cushions had miraculously fallen off and | | | | the grass more frequently so that if we do get a |
| was soggy, although he has never done anything like | | | | really dry hot period, there is enough length and |
| this before. | | | | moisture to stop the grass from searing off. Of |
| We did reprimand him for this, but you just can not | | | | course with the grass growing well the pesky weeds |
| stay cross with him for very long because the looks | | | | seem to grow even quicker, so if you find any clover |
| he gives you soon melts away any anger you had | | | | just use a lawn rake if it is in a small area. If the |
| and actually has you smiling at him, and he really does | | | | clover or other weed has become widespread then |
| look good in that Cuban bandana. | | | | use a good herbicide to maintain your pride and joy. |
| Gardens | | | | |