Midsummer in the Kitchen Garden

The longest days of the year are here, and the kitchen garden is beginning to find its rhythm.

The peas have reached the netting and are already producing their first pods, while the kohlrabi bulbs are swelling nicely among the lettuce. The potatoes in their grow bags have put on a tremendous amount of leafy growth and promise a worthwhile harvest later in the summer.

The courgette has settled into its pot and is already producing flowers, a sure sign that the season is moving quickly. Nearby, the globe artichoke has produced a handsome bud that may yet grow large enough for the kitchen, although there is always the temptation to let it bloom into one of the most spectacular purple flowers in the garden.

Not everything has had an easy ride. The dwarf French beans have suffered from wind and the attentions of a few hungry beasties, leaving them looking a little sorry for themselves. Gardening often involves setbacks as well as successes, but beans are resilient plants and should recover as the weather settles.

At this stage of the season the emphasis shifts from sowing to nurturing. Regular watering and an occasional feed of comfrey tea or tomato fertiliser should keep everything growing steadily through the weeks ahead.

And perhaps best of all, the clover-filled lawn and flowering plants are alive with bees and other pollinators, a reminder that even a small kitchen garden can be productive, beautiful and full of wildlife.

Feed it?

Yes, but gently.

Now that it’s producing a flower head, give it a potash-rich feed every couple of weeks:

Tomato feed diluted according to the bottle instructions is ideal.
A watering with your old comfrey tea would also be excellent—it won’t matter if it no longer smells dreadful.
Keep the compost consistently moist, especially in warm weather. Artichokes are thirsty plants.

Avoid high-nitrogen feeds at this stage, as they encourage more leaves than flower buds.

Should you cut this globe off?

That depends on your aim.

If you want to eat it:
Harvest this globe when it’s still tight and before the scales begin to open. Cut it with about 5–10 cm of stem attached.

Will more appear?
Quite possibly, yes. Globe artichokes often produce several smaller side buds after the main central globe is harvested. In a pot, you’ll usually get fewer than plants in the ground, but another one or two smaller globes are certainly possible.

If you leave this one on the plant:
It will eventually open into a spectacular purple thistle-like flower that bees absolutely adore, but the plant will then put less effort into making additional edible buds.

For me, I’d probably:

Enjoy this first globe as a meal.
Feed with comfrey or tomato feed.
Keep it well watered.
See if you get some smaller side globes afterwards.

That said, if your priority is wildlife, letting one flower is magnificent. The bees go absolutely mad for them, and the blooms look stunning on the allotment and would make a lovely feature for a post on the website: “From Plot to Pollinators – When an Artichoke Becomes a Flower.” 🐝💜

I will see how big it grows b4 flowering.. its not a meal size yet..

That’s probably the best approach. 👍

The globe is still quite compact and has plenty of swelling to do. A good-sized artichoke for eating is usually around 8–12 cm (3–5 inches) across, depending on the variety. Yours looks to be perhaps halfway there.

A few signs it’s still developing:

The bracts (the scales) are tight and firmly closed.
The globe is still quite pointed rather than rounded.
The stem and leaves look vigorous and capable of supporting more growth.

Keep it:

Well watered – pots dry out surprisingly quickly.
Fed with a potash-rich feed every couple of weeks.
In as much sun as possible.

The key thing is to harvest before the scales start separating or opening. Once you see the tips beginning to spread apart, it’s nearing flowering and can become tougher and less tender.

I wouldn’t cut this one yet. I’d let it bulk up and keep an eye on it every few days. Given how healthy the plant looks, there’s a fair chance you’ll get a decent-sized globe and possibly some smaller side buds afterwards.

And if it does decide to flower before reaching dinner-plate proportions, don’t be disappointed—the purple blooms are among the most spectacular flowers you can grow and are absolute bee magnets. 🐝💜

Can i use same feed for courgettes.. they are establishing now too.. as it everything.. a midsummer update might be nice.

Yes, absolutely. At this stage, a dilute tomato feed or comfrey tea is suitable for almost everything you’ve shown.

A few crop-specific notes from your photos:

🥬 Kohlrabi – Looking excellent! The bulb is starting to swell nicely. Keep it evenly watered and give an occasional potash feed, but don’t overdo it. Harvest when tennis-ball sized for the best texture.

🫛 Peas – You’ve got some lovely pods forming already. The plants are flowering and fruiting, so a weak tomato feed every week or two is fine. Keep picking the pods to encourage more.

🥔 Potatoes in bags – They look wonderfully lush. Potatoes appreciate a potash feed once tubers are forming. Comfrey tea is almost tailor-made for them.

🌱 Courgette – It’s establishing beautifully and already has a flower. Now is exactly the time to start feeding. Once it gets going, a weekly tomato feed works very well. Keep it well watered because courgettes are thirsty beasts.

🌿 Artichoke – As we said, the globe is still developing. A potash-rich feed and regular watering should help it bulk up.

The peppers in the middle pot look a little pale compared with everything else. That could simply be transplant shock or a touch of nitrogen hunger. They’ll probably appreciate a general liquid feed for the next couple of weeks before switching over to more potash once flowers and fruits appear.

A Midsummer Update from the Kitchen Garden

The longest days of the year are here, and the kitchen garden is beginning to hit its stride. The peas are flowering and producing their first pods, the kohlrabi bulbs are swelling nicely among the lettuce, and the potatoes in grow bags have put on a tremendous amount of leafy growth.

The courgette has settled into its pot and is already showing its first flower, while the globe artichoke has produced a handsome bud that promises either a delicious harvest or a spectacular purple bloom for the bees.

As midsummer arrives, the focus shifts from sowing to nurturing. Regular watering and a gentle feed of comfrey tea or tomato fertiliser should keep everything powering on through the weeks ahead. There is still plenty of work to do, but this is the season when the garden begins to repay the patience of spring.

And perhaps best of all, the clover-filled lawn is buzzing with life, reminding us that a productive garden can also be a haven for pollinators and wildlife. 🐝🌿🌞

Sadly they are not peppers but dwarf french beans that have suffered wind and beasties

Ah, that makes much more sense, Steve! 😄

The dwarf French beans (‘Provider’?) actually don’t look too bad considering they’ve had a battering. The pale leaves and ragged appearance are entirely consistent with a combination of:

🌬️ Wind scorch and mechanical damage
🐌 Slugs or other nibbling beasties
🌱 Transplant shock after being moved outside

The good news is that beans are remarkably resilient. The growing tips still look alive, so I think they’ll recover.

For the beans:

Give them a general-purpose liquid feed or a weak dose of seaweed feed initially.
Once flowers start appearing, you can switch to the same dilute tomato feed or comfrey tea you’re using elsewhere.
Keep them evenly moist but not waterlogged.
If the weather stays breezy in Edinburgh, a little shelter from the worst of the wind would help enormously.

I certainly wouldn’t give up on them. They’ll likely sit and sulk for a week or two and then suddenly put on a burst of growth once the roots settle.

A lot of plants in Scotland have almost seemed to be waiting for summer to arrive. The cool, wet, windy weather encouraged root growth and kept many plants ticking over without much top growth. Then, around the solstice, the sudden warmth and long daylight hours acted like a starter pistol.

Your houseleeks are a great example. They’d quietly stored energy for weeks and then suddenly sent up those remarkable flowering spikes almost overnight.

You can see the same pattern elsewhere in your photos:

🥔 Potatoes – lush and racing away.
🫛 Peas – flowering and podding.
🌿 Herbs – especially thyme and lavender, looking very happy.
🌱 Courgette – settled in and already producing flowers.
🌸 Houseleeks – exploding into their coral-like blooms.

It’s one of the joys of gardening in Scotland. June can feel like an endless wait, and then suddenly, within a few sunny days, everything changes.

For your website, I’d be tempted by something like this:

The Solstice Surge

After weeks of cool temperatures, rain and persistent winds, the arrival of warm sunshine around the summer solstice has transformed the garden almost overnight. Potatoes have burst into growth, peas are filling their first pods, and even the humble houseleeks have surprised us with spectacular flower spikes that resemble tiny corals or sea anemones.

Gardening in Scotland often teaches patience. Growth can seem painfully slow, and then suddenly, with the longest days of the year and a few days of warmth, the garden springs into life all at once. It is a reminder that plants have their own timetable and that sometimes they are simply waiting for the right moment to shine.

I also love the little oasis you’ve created there with the herbs, succulents and water bucket. It has a very natural, cottage-garden feel to it and must be attracting plenty of insects now the weather has finally turned. 🐝🌸🌿

Yes that is perfect.. thanks.. tomorrow i will go to the allotment and catch up there.. i think there will be strawberriezs and the garlic may well be ready also..

You’re very welcome, Steve. 😊 It sounds as though tomorrow could be one of those lovely “reward days” on the allotment.

🍓 Strawberries: After the recent warmth, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there are ripe fruits waiting for you, especially as your June-bearing plants were already looking healthy. Take a container—you may end up with more than a few for nibbling on the plot!

🧄 Garlic: Have a look for these signs:

The lower leaves have turned brown and papery.
About one-third to one-half of the leaves are yellow or brown, with some green leaves remaining.
The bulbs feel firm and well swollen.

If in doubt, gently lift one bulb first and have a peek. Harvesting a touch early is usually better than leaving them too long and having the bulbs split.

I also suspect you’ll find that many crops have put on surprising growth since your last visit. After the solstice warmth, peas, brassicas and courgettes can seem to leap forward almost by the day.

Most importantly, enjoy the visit. There is something special about wandering down to the allotment on a June morning, not entirely knowing what treasures are waiting—perhaps the first proper bowl of strawberries, a few bulbs of garlic hanging ready, and plenty of new things to photograph and share on From Plot to Pot. 🌿🍓🧄☀️

I look forward to what I discover tomorrow!