With Lockdown III coming to a more purposeful conclusion next Wednesday (pub and restaurant terraces and non-essential shops re-open - woohoo), today was the last market at la Flèche under the no fripperies rule. If I wanted to avoid lugging any plants a quarter of a mile to where I had left my car, I needed to buy today! Actually it is quite a good time for buying the tender vegetable plants too, as today or tomorrow (tomorrow I think) is the last of the Saintes Glaces or Ice Saints. From tomorrow, around here at least, you are unlikely to be hit by frost.
As I went round filling my basket with delicious foodstuffs, I also had a good look at the plants on offer, and ended up at the stall I started at, as they had the best looking plants and a queueing area that was covered (it was raining this morning to add to the joy). I got 5 more tomato plants - this time ones with larger fruits suitable for cooking, Pierre and another that I may remember the name of! I also got 4 pepper plants - I was a bit flummoxed by the question of what colour I wanted, but apparently while all would produce green peppers, it was down to the colour after that, so red, black, orange or yellow. I kept it simple and went for red. Finally I asked for 4 aubergine plants - I'm not that keen on shop bought aubergines, but fresh from the garden they are rather yummy.
Now while I have four pots with aubergine plants in, it looks to me as though I actually have 5 aubergine plants - rather pleased with that!
We've got lots of strawberry plants this year as someone decided he needed to do something useful with his collection of used yoghurt pots (don't ask). Most are in a couple of giant tubs, but we still have a few in hanging baskets, as this for me is the ideal way to grow them.
And in other plant news, the tantalising bathroom orchid has successfully opened its third flower - I don't think there will be any more now but it looks rather magnificent.
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