First sweet peas (373)
by Max Akroyd
No gardening today by order of the family. But a bit of emergency tying-in of sweet peas was permissable this morning, and I harvested the first blooms while I was at it. These sweet pea plants on the field have been pretty dismal-looking of late, somehow managing to get attacked by slugs and withered by drought simultaneously. There are signs, though, that some of the plants are reasserting themselves, which makes these first flowers even more precious.
I gave the mini-bouquet to the ninety-year old lady who is staying in the gite. This is partly because old age is venerable in itself, but also because her son-in-law has very kindly given me some blight-beating Sarpo potato seed. He also appreciated some of our pork for his barbecue, so everyone’s happy!
ruralidiocy.wordpress.com 
Hi Max
Hope you had a good day off. Those sweetpeas look so pretty I can almost smell them! The best ones I ever grew were from the seed that dropped from the previous year that I did not pick up. They were in a bit of a tangle but in the end & a bit of patience they turned out to be the best I have ever grown before & since!
We had the first of the greenhouse potatoes yesterday & they were superb (even if I say so myself).
Suppose it’s back to the grindstone for you tomorrow? We however are going to spend the day in Brighton!
Mary
Morning Mary,
Congratulations on the potatoes. As a big favour, when it’s time to plant them for next year, will you remind me so I can have some too.
Enjoy Brighton! I’ve never been there, but I have caught the Brighton train from Luton a few times. Which is probably the least interesting thing you’ll hear today!
Hope you are feeling slightly revitalised by your day off-and by the good will wishes and gestures coming from the gite guests.
Hi Judith,
Still adjusting my dropped jaw after seeing the pictures on your blog.
I’d like a walled garden for Christmas.
Lovely sweet peas. I planted some in egg cartons to start them off in the polytunnel and the roots have gone so deep in the raised bed I think I am going to have to leave them there!! Some will be transplantable but not this little bunch, it will be interesting to see if they like polytunnel life.
I hope you enjoyed your day off and return fresh as a daisy to work today!!
Sue xx
Morning Sue,
Sweet peas are a favourite here and we’d usually have bunches of them by now from our October sowing. Not this year with all the cold, then dry weather. Just keeping them going has been a struggle. Sweeter the victory though!
I love sweet peas but have never actually grown any, I don’t know why. At the moment we have a bunch of wild flowers and grasses on the table which have lasted for almost two weeks… amazing!