Kitchen Garden Notes - Gone, going and coming

I'll start off with something non-edible for once and it concerns the mystery plant pictured above. “Why, it's pink hydrangea.” I hear you cry. Of course I know that but the mystery is where it has come from. The other two hydrangea in the garden were here when we moved in 12 years ago. This one though has appeared under the white hydrangea and has just two blooms to it. I can't tell if it is a separate plant or a rouge offshoot of the white one. Whatever its origin it is a very welcome addition to the garden.

In the 'gone' category is the rocket. The remaining leaves have become quite tough now. I've been really pleased at how well it has done considering it has been the first time I have grown it. I'll certainly be growing it from seed again next year.

On Gardeners' World a couple of weeks ago Monty Don said the rocket flowers were edible. I can't say I've ever been that enticed by flowers as food so these will be cleared shortly which means more space in the greenhouse...

When it comes the French beans this year it has been a case of 'Ye of little faith'. I was unsure if any of them were going to flower and then if those flowers were going to turn into beans. How wrong could I have been? The 'speedy' beans should be renamed 'slighter quicker than the other variety' but they are now producing a good and tasty crop.

I've got to keep my eye on the courgettes as anybody who has grown courgettes know they can go from mini to marrow overnight. These are first of the crop and I think tomorrow they are destined for the chop. Plenty more from where they came from though.

I've never grown beetroot before so I'm not sure how to tell when it's ready. There's a tiny beetroot peeking through but whether this is as big as it gets I don't know. All the others are still hidden underneath the soil.

One of the things I look forward to every year are the tomatoes. The first fruits have just come through but still need a lot of growing to do. There's a total of nine tomato plants dotted around the garden so I should get tomatoes off at least one of them!

No greedy birds for you this week. There hasn't been many visitors to the garden recently. I think all the broods have fledged and found their own way in life. The favourite food is the mixed seed with a few going for the fat balls. As a weekend treat we put out dried mealworms which the robins and blackbirds love. There is also a feeder with peanuts in but generally there are no takers for it. I've seen a couple of sparrows nibbling on it but otherwise it's not popular. There are blue tits and great tits about but they don't come to the feeders. I'm thinking of replacing it with some niger seed to encourage the local goldfinches into the garden. I hear them signing on the TV aerial but I expect they are just shouting at me, “Buy me some tasty food!”