Veg progress
26 July 2025 05:32 pmI pricked out three pots of assorted kale seedlings, and redistributed the remainder a little in the freed space in the pot; they are of course all horribly leggy due to having started life on the kitchen windowsill. The beetroot that I planted at the same time failed to germinate anything but poppies and chickweed, so I emptied the last of the matter remaining in the paper bag into the tub a few days ago, and think I *may* now have something with a reddish stem developing (even if the first thing that came up from the second attempt was undoubtedly a double-fronded California poppy!)

I picked the first batch of Roma tomatoes and cooked with them. The plant is still looking healthy and has in fact put out a few fresh flowers; the catch-up tomato is flourishing and covered in flowers and small green fruit. It is indeed bigger than any of the others, and I wish it were possible to swap it for one of those which never really grew to fill their extra-large pots! But they do still have ripening fruit on, although they seem to have stopped flowering and are all afflicted with some kind of leaf-curl -- I had hoped this was heat-related and that they would resume normal growth, but they just seem to have stopped growing altogether, although that may be because they have set a full crop of fruit and reached the end of their life cycle.
I also repotted the larger chilli, which needed it. Both chillies are now flowering nicely.
I picked the first batch of Roma tomatoes and cooked with them. The plant is still looking healthy and has in fact put out a few fresh flowers; the catch-up tomato is flourishing and covered in flowers and small green fruit. It is indeed bigger than any of the others, and I wish it were possible to swap it for one of those which never really grew to fill their extra-large pots! But they do still have ripening fruit on, although they seem to have stopped flowering and are all afflicted with some kind of leaf-curl -- I had hoped this was heat-related and that they would resume normal growth, but they just seem to have stopped growing altogether, although that may be because they have set a full crop of fruit and reached the end of their life cycle.
I also repotted the larger chilli, which needed it. Both chillies are now flowering nicely.