Still watering

Everywhere seedlings are popping up in happy optimism at the moment, salad and weed together. The lack of rainfall (other than occasional fine drizzle) is making me feel I need to water them. So every other day they are getting a good soaking. I'm never sure if that's a good policy. Maria Thun warns against over pampering your plants, and to try and refrain from watering. I'm in general agreement with her on that, but it's been so dry and devoid of any meaningful rainfall that the hosepipe has stepped in to the apparent rescue. At the weekend when we did the silica spray, we noticed one of the tall sunflowers tops had drooped right over. I thought its roots had been damaged by something or perhaps a possible virus. But gave it a good watering just in case it was drought (which didn't seem that likely considering our watering, but...) Whether it was the watering or the silica spray or something else we'll never know, but it is upright again stretching to the passing clouds, undeterred by the grasping tendrils of the beans, happy to leave the confines of the wigwams and hitch a ride ever closer to the sun. The sun is making everything grow so quickly, most thing germinating in a week or less. The kohl rabi planted a couple of weeks ago 10cm high and developing its characteristic blue leaves. The flowers too are opening everywhere. The second batch of sweet peas (cupanii and others) are climbing up the poles between the beans unfurling their first sweet flowers. We seem to have an incredible mix of calendula, Not so sure where they all came from or indeed which ones we actually sowed this year. First up were the single clear yellow and orange ones with matching centres (which I think might be my favourites), then came those with darker centres (not so keen on them), followed by doubles and pom poms, flashbacks and variegated petals. It's our aim to tie string round the stems of the better blooms to save seed for next year. I have no idea whether they will come 'true' from seed, I suppose it's unlikely given their promiscuity and unconformity, that and the fact the soil is already encrusted with thousands of prehistoric looking calendula seed from last year waiting for their moment. I'll try and make a selection of portraits of them at the weekend, and post them up here next week.