What's left of the July garden

Well, dropped round to my plot this evening after a week away.

Strawberries - gone.
3 rows of dwarf beans - just stalks remain.
Climbing beans - 3 plants left.
Carrots - vanished without trace.
Beetroot - about half a row left
Peas - again, about half a row left, of the second planting after the first lot vanished entirely

What remains a are courgettes, and surprisingly, cabbages.  The raspberries look enthusiastic. Maybe apples and pears.

The year has been awful here, worst year I've ever had. Lots did not even germinate, what did has been mostly eaten.  I'm not replanting again, it is a waste of time.  The problem is not a little due to the neighbouring plot, which has teasels taller than me amongst all manner of other undergrowth harbouring slugs.  I've complained twice but the council do nothing.  I'll have my last grumble tomorrow - if they don't act, I'm tempted to quit.

I hope you are having a better year ?

How disheartening, CH.

It's been a difficult year here. I've struggled and struggled with runner beans and have remaining 3 plants that might come to something. And what is it about sparrows and pea plants? My only hope is to net them thoroughly. For next season, I'm going to construct a narrow raised bed inside my fruit cage and grow my peas in there!

Although I will struggle for space, I will be glad to finish with the allotment. Almost every veg bed has extensive mole runs about 6" below the surface. Any of the deeper rooted crops above them just stop growing. Even my sweetcorn, which doesn't have especially deep roots, has been stunted, although the plants look sturdy and healthy.

The greenhouse has been a saviour though as I have had small quantities of early crops in old recycling boxes - good for seed saving too.

That is so disappointing Chilli Head. I'm having a bumper year in the polytunnel but things are rather lacklustre outside. I haven't got a lot outside - mainly brassicas, some runner beans and lettuces. That's largely because of the earlier weather - frost all through April and rain all through May. The fruit cage isn't looking too bad now after being ravaged by various aphids. I've just cut about 50 small apples ( applets?) off one of my year old stepovers. I just left 2.

Well, I dug up the two beetroot that I acquired as seedlings. Managed to let the pan boil dry but the beets were fine. In fact pan was fine after two applications of bicarb. - you have to love stainless steel! Beets were very nice on their own with a bit of goat cheese.
I've spotted a white butterfly landing on my purple sprouting, haven't found any eggs yet.
And I picked some blackcurrants from the community orchard that I now help with. It seems funny that I can see the Ribena factory from the orchard

My GH is due to be erected tomorrow. Decided to pay to have it done as I don't feel that Mr Bear and I are up to lugging triangular panes of safety-type glass up to the roof.

That is definitely a job I would leave to someone else - hope the heat isn't too much of a problem.

It's not happening until Saturday now. Not sure if the heat is the reason. I'd put up the camper's sun awning attached to the washing line instead of the van so they would have some shade and had jugs of water cooling in the fridge. Mr Bear went out last night to buy a big bag of ice. None to be had in either of our supermarkets.
The chickens, who have had sole use of the garden umbrella now have an awning to use as well!