Tales from the kitchen garden - episode 4 - starting to harvest plus a surprise

Welcome to the fourth week of Tales from the Kitchen Garden. We grow all year round in zone 9a (we're right on the border with 8b but can get temperatures down to -10 or 12c (10F) in the winter) in the North East of England.
Join me this week as I show you what I've purchased in the ongoing battle of the lambs/pigeons/rats and other predators. The big planting area starts to look like it should after the Spring set back, the harvests start to come in and I get rained off showing you around the top plot!
Every week, I (Tracy) will be vlogging from the farmhouse Kitchen Garden, covering what we are sowing and growing, harvesting and preserving. These episodes will run 52 weeks of the year, showing all year round growing from the North East of England (zone 9a) and will be released on a Tuesday at 6pm GMT+1 (BST).
We grow for our family of 4 (not as a business) and the aim is to provide nutritious, seasonal food for the cook (also Tracy) all year round. Whether it is greenhouse, polytunnel, raised bed or in ground growing, I have it covered.
There will also be the usual smallholding content which we don't yet have us a schedule for, so let us know what you would like to see!
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AFFILIATE STATEMENT:
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[@BloosSelfReliance]

It's looking great :D You'll get there hun I think we all have had a buggar of a season so far honestly lamb attacks aside. Have an awesome rest of your week xox

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

Thank you lovely! It really has been a strange one! Appreciate you stopping by as always. Enjoy your week too xx

[@kimbradley1292]

Hi Tracy, great video! Do you compost everything or save some for the chickens? How sweet of your mam to get you those plants. Dispite the weird 'summer weather' everything is looking great. Stay safe x

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

Thank you Kim. Our compost bins are where the chickens are so they tend to fly in and eat what they fancy 😂 but they do get extra greens when I’m weeding and clearing out too. Thank you for your kind comments x

[@joejames8797]

Hi Tracy I got the same covers, only mistake I made was planting sprouts, as they soon outgrow the height of the netting. Works great protecting cabbages. I've had to move netting now to allow sprouts to grow higher and take their chances with butterflies etc. The thing I like about your vlog is being in same region, I know if you grow something then I know it will grow for me

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

That’s a great tip! Thank you for that. I made a similar error with climbing beans between brassicas 🙄 Wow, so good to hear from someone around here too, appreciate you taking the time to comment and stop by.

[@nenemaria-cornfieldsgarden]

I pulled off some onion flowers thinking they were like garlic ones but the middle flower stalk just kept growing inside the onion. After some googling I found out that if you see them flower you need to harvest them right away so pulled up the flowering ones, the ones with tiny flower stalks were fine but the ones that I'd taken the flowers off a few weeks back were all hard and stalky in the middle. Got the good bits frozen though and kept the tops to make pesto (after watching the same video as you 😊). The new tunnel looks fab, hopefully that'll keep all kinds of critters off! Lovely of your Mam to purchase the new plants for you :) We've had the thunder and rain all week too, looking forward to a bit of sunshine now as half my garden is flat and a bit sad looking 🤣

[@OurSmallholdingAdventure]

It’s all learning isn’t it? Glad you managed to salvage some. The poor onions don’t know where they’re at do they! Mind you, I can relate weather wise 😂 love Becky’s videos and the onion top pesto is just the start - I’ve so many ideas now, she’s brilliant. Would love to know how the pesto turns out for you. I’m super lucky to have my Mam get them for me, I’ll be sure to share the harvest. We’re due a few more unsettled days I think. Take care x

[@nenemaria-cornfieldsgarden]

@@OurSmallholdingAdventure I'll add you on Instagram and let you know how the pesto goes. Just made a similar recipe using garlic scapes which we had for tea last night, it was really good!