Nick and Emilia's 1st wedding anniversary. It seems such a short time ago that we were in Kiruna and at Jukkasjarvi Ice Hotel for the big day - and had amazing views of the Northern Lights when we had least expected.
Meanwhile back to horticultural matters - I planted more seeds in pots for the greenhouse today: 4 Romanesco and 4 yellow courgettes, and 4 F1 Burpless Tasty cucumber seeds.
We'll have a look at the allotment later on and see what might go straight into the plot. This might include chard and beetroot as a minimum. Mick planted all his potato sets yesterday and with no imminent signs of frost I plan to plant all of ours before Thursday this coming week.
Linda took a lot of geranium cuttings yesterday. All being well, once they start to grow, they will replace most of the original and now very leggy parent plants in the conservatory.
Sunday, 5 April 2015
Wednesday, 1 April 2015
April 1st!
Here's a quick update on what's happening right now:
The chilli seeds germinated well in the propagator and are growing on the front room window sill - 2 varieties, each looking good so far. The resemble, but definitely need more heat than, tomato seedlings.
In the greenhouse we have: around 20 broad bean plants growing nicely in pots, ready soon for the cold frame and then into the allotment plot.
Two varieties of tomato seeds have germinated and are growing in the unheated greenhouse, but which by day has started to warm up nicely. Frosts don't seem imminent, so hopefully they'll be OK until they need potting on into larger pots.
The sweet pea seeds haven't germinated yet so I've got my fingers crossed that something appears soon.
The plug plants that Linda chose a while ago are all thriving in 3" pots so can be hardened off shortly in the cold frame and then planted out in the garden.
The Sturon onion sets are also starting to show green shoots of growth. Last year I think they were planted out too early in the season. For whatever reason they all suffered and eventually had to be dug up and thrown away, so I'm hoping there won't be the same problem this year.
The nasturtium seeds have germinated, as have the two seed trays of mixed salad leaf seeds, so I'm hoping that they'll get a bit of a move on soon.
Today I planted two variety of cabbage seed: Dutchman F1 and Hispi F1 so I hope they'll germinate in the greenhouse in not too long.
Now that we've reached April it's definitely time to make sure that any early seeds are sown, either in the greenhouse or in the propagator, and then look forward to open ground sowing or planting out as the month progresses.
The potatoes are all now sprouting well in the conservatory so I'm looking forward to having them all planted soon, certainly before 10th April.
The chilli seeds germinated well in the propagator and are growing on the front room window sill - 2 varieties, each looking good so far. The resemble, but definitely need more heat than, tomato seedlings.
In the greenhouse we have: around 20 broad bean plants growing nicely in pots, ready soon for the cold frame and then into the allotment plot.
Two varieties of tomato seeds have germinated and are growing in the unheated greenhouse, but which by day has started to warm up nicely. Frosts don't seem imminent, so hopefully they'll be OK until they need potting on into larger pots.
The sweet pea seeds haven't germinated yet so I've got my fingers crossed that something appears soon.
The plug plants that Linda chose a while ago are all thriving in 3" pots so can be hardened off shortly in the cold frame and then planted out in the garden.
The Sturon onion sets are also starting to show green shoots of growth. Last year I think they were planted out too early in the season. For whatever reason they all suffered and eventually had to be dug up and thrown away, so I'm hoping there won't be the same problem this year.
The nasturtium seeds have germinated, as have the two seed trays of mixed salad leaf seeds, so I'm hoping that they'll get a bit of a move on soon.
Today I planted two variety of cabbage seed: Dutchman F1 and Hispi F1 so I hope they'll germinate in the greenhouse in not too long.
Now that we've reached April it's definitely time to make sure that any early seeds are sown, either in the greenhouse or in the propagator, and then look forward to open ground sowing or planting out as the month progresses.
The potatoes are all now sprouting well in the conservatory so I'm looking forward to having them all planted soon, certainly before 10th April.
Saturday, 14 March 2015
Looking good
I've had a few days on the allotment recently and managed to prepare a good proportion of it already for the new season.
The three varieties of potatoes are chitting in the conservatory and the plan is to plant them by the first week in April. Broad beans are growing in pots in the greenhouse, and I planted sweet peas and nasturtiums in pots today, with various vegetable seeds to be planted tomorrow - for the greenhouse and also the propagator (chillis and tomatoes first there).
Garlic is already growing in the plot, and I'll plant some Sturon onion sets tomorrow in pots and hope they survive better than last year's sowings. Maybe don't plant them out too soon into the ground. Need to research on the internet.
Wilko has some great value chicken manure (£4.50 for 7kg) so that should help general fertility and growth. I'll also be able to distribute some 'new' soil from the broken down sods dug up well over a year ago and covered to prevent weed growth.
The three varieties of potatoes are chitting in the conservatory and the plan is to plant them by the first week in April. Broad beans are growing in pots in the greenhouse, and I planted sweet peas and nasturtiums in pots today, with various vegetable seeds to be planted tomorrow - for the greenhouse and also the propagator (chillis and tomatoes first there).
Garlic is already growing in the plot, and I'll plant some Sturon onion sets tomorrow in pots and hope they survive better than last year's sowings. Maybe don't plant them out too soon into the ground. Need to research on the internet.
Wilko has some great value chicken manure (£4.50 for 7kg) so that should help general fertility and growth. I'll also be able to distribute some 'new' soil from the broken down sods dug up well over a year ago and covered to prevent weed growth.
Tuesday, 17 February 2015
2015 here we come!
Although we're still in Winter, a few sunny and dry days make it easier to imagine that Spring is not so far off now.
On Saturday we visited our new caravan storage site near to Swindon after going to the Sandiacre Garden Centre and Farm Shop to get our seed potatoes.
This year we shall be growing Swift (first early), Arran Pilot (first early) and Charlotte (second early) which will be same as last year minus the Estima which were a little bit disappointing.
This morning (after reading Which? reviews of composts and growing bags) Mick and I went to B&G to stock up with recommended all-purpose compost (4 bags each), seed and posting compost (1 bag each).
I also got 2 growing bags, following the Gardeners World trials of growing bags versus pots versus outdoor grown, and varying amounts and frequency of watering. Time will tell, but the heaviest crops of tomatoes should come from growing bags only watered once a week. I'll also grow some tomatoes on the allotment. Chillis will all be grown in pots again.
I planted 20 Sutton broad beans in pots this afternoon and they will remain in the greenhouse until large enough to plant out in the allotment. They are very hardy so should be able to get off to an early start.
On Saturday we visited our new caravan storage site near to Swindon after going to the Sandiacre Garden Centre and Farm Shop to get our seed potatoes.
This year we shall be growing Swift (first early), Arran Pilot (first early) and Charlotte (second early) which will be same as last year minus the Estima which were a little bit disappointing.
This morning (after reading Which? reviews of composts and growing bags) Mick and I went to B&G to stock up with recommended all-purpose compost (4 bags each), seed and posting compost (1 bag each).
I also got 2 growing bags, following the Gardeners World trials of growing bags versus pots versus outdoor grown, and varying amounts and frequency of watering. Time will tell, but the heaviest crops of tomatoes should come from growing bags only watered once a week. I'll also grow some tomatoes on the allotment. Chillis will all be grown in pots again.
I planted 20 Sutton broad beans in pots this afternoon and they will remain in the greenhouse until large enough to plant out in the allotment. They are very hardy so should be able to get off to an early start.
Tuesday, 26 August 2014
One meal sums it up!
After a few days at the Shrewsbury Folk Festival, and very heavy rain this morning, it was good finally to get down to the allotment again in the afternoon.
A further half mini row of Charlotte potatoes produced a really good quantity of lovely potatoes, and the nearby outdoor grown Gardeners Delight had ten more ripe juicy tomatoes for picking.
The courgette continue growing well, and this time I managed to pick three or four on the small side - Gold Rush and Romanesco. All the varieties mentioned so far today will definitely be grown again next year, as will the sensational, sweet F1 Lark sweetcorn.
The meal which summed up the whole season - simple but so tasty and fresh - sausages with potatoes, sweet corn, courgette and tomatoes sautéed. Sensational.
I also brought back another 8 Victoria plums and tried my very first Lord Lambourne apple. It had been damaged by a bug on the tree but I cut off anything that wasn't sound. The flavour was lovely and I should say that the fruit was 90% ripe. The other 5 or so apples will benefit from ripening on the tree a little longer but I'll also make sure I pick them right away if there's any sign of them falling to the ground.
A further half mini row of Charlotte potatoes produced a really good quantity of lovely potatoes, and the nearby outdoor grown Gardeners Delight had ten more ripe juicy tomatoes for picking.
The courgette continue growing well, and this time I managed to pick three or four on the small side - Gold Rush and Romanesco. All the varieties mentioned so far today will definitely be grown again next year, as will the sensational, sweet F1 Lark sweetcorn.
The meal which summed up the whole season - simple but so tasty and fresh - sausages with potatoes, sweet corn, courgette and tomatoes sautéed. Sensational.
I also brought back another 8 Victoria plums and tried my very first Lord Lambourne apple. It had been damaged by a bug on the tree but I cut off anything that wasn't sound. The flavour was lovely and I should say that the fruit was 90% ripe. The other 5 or so apples will benefit from ripening on the tree a little longer but I'll also make sure I pick them right away if there's any sign of them falling to the ground.
Monday, 18 August 2014
Best season yet?
The excellent season continues, with crops going really well.
Most recently, we've been eating plums off the tree which we moved from the previous site. We shall also have apples in the near future.
The Worcester berries have been unbelievable and we have frozen lots as well.
Also very productive are:
The potatoes, courgettes, climbing French beans, climbing and conventional peas, cucumbers. This weekend we also had some cavalo nero and other cabbage for the first time. They were both delicious and it looks like we shall have plenty more to come.
With luck, the sprouts will survive an early attack by caterpillars which somehow, despite netting, seem to have got through.
The squash plants are starting to really get a move on and hopefully we'll have plenty of mature fruits to eat and to store.
The beetroot continue to be delicious and the leeks will be good when they've had a longer period to grown in.
All in all things are looking (and tasting) really good this year!
Most recently, we've been eating plums off the tree which we moved from the previous site. We shall also have apples in the near future.
The Worcester berries have been unbelievable and we have frozen lots as well.
Also very productive are:
The potatoes, courgettes, climbing French beans, climbing and conventional peas, cucumbers. This weekend we also had some cavalo nero and other cabbage for the first time. They were both delicious and it looks like we shall have plenty more to come.
With luck, the sprouts will survive an early attack by caterpillars which somehow, despite netting, seem to have got through.
The squash plants are starting to really get a move on and hopefully we'll have plenty of mature fruits to eat and to store.
The beetroot continue to be delicious and the leeks will be good when they've had a longer period to grown in.
All in all things are looking (and tasting) really good this year!
Friday, 27 June 2014
From ground to table ........
After some really heavy rain it finally cleared up this afternoon meaning I could dig up some more potatoes. We have now finished the mini row of Arran Pilot - which we'll definitely be planting more of next year - and started on another First Early called Swift. Hopefully it will taste and cook as well as we'll be trying them with a bbq later. Our appetiser consisted of still warm beetroot F1 Action. It tasted delicious and there will be plenty more to come in due course.
Tomorrow we'll be picking more broad beans and chard so it really feels like we're in to pick and eat mode.
Tomorrow we'll be picking more broad beans and chard so it really feels like we're in to pick and eat mode.
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