I love watching our vegetables grow, hopefully without too many pests and diseases.  It is nice at this time of the year, everything is vibrant and green, there is enough water hitting the ground, especially this year, at regular intervals not to be overly concerned and the bugs that do create problems haven’t reached epidemic proportions.  It is in fact the illusion of a bountiful harvest and a garden full of promise before the pests and diseases remind you that there probably was a good reason why DDT was invented.

Our beans are fast climbing their poles.  Beans love poles and before hubby put the poles in the beans were simply not moving, but as soon as they found the poles, helped twice a day by hubby or I gently wrapping their tendrils around the bamboo canes they have shot up. If we can keep the slugs away from nibbling through their juicy fleshy stalks all will be good and runner beans will be gracing our dinner table in a few weeks. The cucumber continues to thrive.  Well it has some sort of problem, probably fungus or mites, I must pick the worst of the leaves off, I am not overly concerned as yet, the top looks healthy and we have had cucumbers survive with this problem.  (fingers crossed it doesn’t curl up and die during the night) I love the flowers and the delicate tendrils. And last but not least our tomatoes are doing well.  Although I do wish that the humid conditions would ease up, my mobile is bleeping me at regular intervals to tell me that their is a blight watch in my area and we are in a full Smith period.  The last thing we need is a greenhouse full of tomatoes with blight.But oh the joy when you spy the first of the toms, no bigger than a thumb nail, full of the promise of a hot summer.