View from my Tuscan window

Slightly cooler conditions moving in from north east with a chance of rain. Had first outdoor cucumbers from garden and have been recently eating preserved gherkins from garden.

The polytunnel l is strange at the moment. Had great toms and aubs last year. Then planted up for winter - salads and garlic (see extra for part of crop) and broadbeansmainly - then spring planting - peas, French beans , potatoes, courgettes - then added in toms, pepper, aubergine but never turned the ground over and maybe with drip irrigation the soil at growing points is now a bit knackered while roots won’t move outwards because irrigation is so focussed. I’m flood irrigating as I can and need to apply some top dressing and compost. Lesson learnt. It’s amazing how many defunct polytunnels there are.

Still, the first daterini toms are ripe.

PS Italy had its first national phone emergency alert test. Was driving at time and thought it was car telling me it had had enough. Almost immediately after Florence experienced a 3.4 - 4.0 mag earthquake and real earthquake alarms at the Boss’ place of work went off. Talk about buses coming at the same time. Damage does not seem to have occurred.

Update: was 3.7 at Poggibonsi in province of Siena and felt in Florence


Another extra as I attended to polytunnel and spread compost. A self seeded potato hIdden in a corner had this little row of the dreaded Colorado Beetle grubs that I’d missed. They were soon dispatched. Thankfully I seem to have the situation under control.