Enjoy Summer in the Garden
Come summer (June, July, August), the plants are beginning to reach their full size. The garden looks beautiful. It is now full and overflowing. Navigating paths between borders has become a sensory—almost sensual—experience. The plants caress your body as you walk through them.
We now have our own potatoes, tomatoes, French beans, courgettes, sometimes spinach still, full complement of herbs and all the other things that have temporarily slipped my mind. Depending on the weather, peppers and aubergines in the greenhouse. Time for the garlic harvest, too. Traditionally, garlic is planted on the shortest day of the year and harvested on the longest, 21 June. I like to keep with this tradition. The satisfaction that comes from cooking a meal with own ingredients is indescribable.
The runner bean plants are growing tall. I grow two varieties, one of them Gigantes from Greece. I leave mine to mature and dry on the vine for harvest in autumn. This produces what is sometimes called butter beans. Grown this way, they are great for cooking and storage.
Summer allows the gardener a little time off. This is utter self delusion, of course. We still have to look after the vegetables, there is the daily deadheading and some other maintenance here or there. We keep our watering to a minimum. Most of the plants in the borders are fairly drought tolerant.
There is time, though, for enjoying lazy days in the garden. Time for reading and just taking in the views. Time to spend in the shade of an old tree with a cup of green tea or a glass of wine. I never have my phone on me in the garden. This corner of our world is technology-free. No ringing, no pings, no bleeps. Bliss! The long days tempt us to sit out in the garden until far too late.
Whilst the beginning of June still feels only like a buildup to a promised joyous and carefree time, by the end of August we are already aware that autumn is waiting.