As Autumn stretches towards Winter, I picked my moment to think about what I want to be eating in early Spring...so today, as a Fruit day I sowed Broad Bean Aquadulce Claudia and The Sutton. Both have gone direct sown into the polytunel. I have also tried some early pea sowing in there with Douce Provence and Oskar.
Garlic and onions soon as root day happens to fall on Monday - my birthday.
Saturday 16 November 2013
Sunday 5 May 2013
What A Difference A May Makes
The sun is shining and has been for a few days now. Temperatures are warming up at night and tomatoes and peppers have been moved out to the confines of the greenhouse, albeit with one eye on the weather forecasts. I feel happy to whip out my vulnerable crop seed packets now. This weekend brings an extra day - bank holiday - which means whilst Mr VVG gets on with finishing raised bed number two, I can get on with sowing seeds and potting up plants such as tomatoes and peppers into final position pots.
The last week has seen me move other plants and seedlings around. Beetroot, lettuce, peas, broad beans, brassicas, celery are all out and on the allotment now. This is the Gertrude Franck bed, almost fully planted.
The last week has seen me move other plants and seedlings around. Beetroot, lettuce, peas, broad beans, brassicas, celery are all out and on the allotment now. This is the Gertrude Franck bed, almost fully planted.
Tuesday 23 April 2013
Spring Has Now Sprung...Boing!
Happy St George's Day to one and all. We have some catching up to do as I have been busy. Last weekend we finally saw a warm and sunshine filled two days, so I took the opportunity to move my herbs out of their overwintering home - the polytunnel - top dressed each pot with horticultural grit and placed them on newly graveled steps. I potted up some newly purchased herbs too, which had laid around. Planted other floral pots, such as iris into the garden, so I have none waiting - wahoo!
All of my early brassica plants, cabbage Greyhound and Precocce de Louviers have made it onto the allotment, having been hardened off first, they are now in my triangular beds. I have some White Sprouting Broccoli and Sutherland Kale hardenng off as we speak and they will be going up very soon too. My potato beds, which were mucked, ready and waiting are lonely no more. Potatoes are in - FINALLY! The beds are beginning to fill with "green" and I am happier for it. The Babington Leeks are bulking up and growing strong. I gave Keith two for planting, as I saw him at the plot for the first time this year. He have us parsnips in return, which reminded me to sow mine using the Binley method of planting holes, filled with compost, sow seed and plastic over the top - this I have done. My Egyptian Walking Onions have not been killed off by Mr VVG and are growing lush green stems, although Zazen had prepared me some more in a pot, these too are planted. The Tree Onions from Edulis have gone into the ground and I am hopeful that my perennial allium selection will give us an assortment of differing tastes for future meals. Peas on earth have gone from their guttering shelters to the long narrow bed and alongside I have direct sown also. We shall see which grow the more strongly over the coming months. I have yet to plant my allotment broad beans. All are sitting at home waiting for the others to catch up. Germination for my fruiting plants this year has been sketchy to say the least. I have had pretty much 100% just all at differing rates. Odd!
On my Gertrude Franck experimental bed, the mustard rows are through. This means that the soil should be warm enough for further plantings. I must finish my companion planting plan!
Mr VVG has spent his hours on the plot weeding and mulching the raspberries, putting in fencing posts and wires for the loganberry, which is now trained and no longer untidy. Reweedproofing and woodchipping of the paths. All are complete and at last I feel we are getting somewhere. Today I will be putting in my potato onions as it is a "Root" day and they are ready to leave the confines of the greenhouse, lest I get fried onions. I will take the opportunity to photograph my recent additions and post on here later.
All of my early brassica plants, cabbage Greyhound and Precocce de Louviers have made it onto the allotment, having been hardened off first, they are now in my triangular beds. I have some White Sprouting Broccoli and Sutherland Kale hardenng off as we speak and they will be going up very soon too. My potato beds, which were mucked, ready and waiting are lonely no more. Potatoes are in - FINALLY! The beds are beginning to fill with "green" and I am happier for it. The Babington Leeks are bulking up and growing strong. I gave Keith two for planting, as I saw him at the plot for the first time this year. He have us parsnips in return, which reminded me to sow mine using the Binley method of planting holes, filled with compost, sow seed and plastic over the top - this I have done. My Egyptian Walking Onions have not been killed off by Mr VVG and are growing lush green stems, although Zazen had prepared me some more in a pot, these too are planted. The Tree Onions from Edulis have gone into the ground and I am hopeful that my perennial allium selection will give us an assortment of differing tastes for future meals. Peas on earth have gone from their guttering shelters to the long narrow bed and alongside I have direct sown also. We shall see which grow the more strongly over the coming months. I have yet to plant my allotment broad beans. All are sitting at home waiting for the others to catch up. Germination for my fruiting plants this year has been sketchy to say the least. I have had pretty much 100% just all at differing rates. Odd!
On my Gertrude Franck experimental bed, the mustard rows are through. This means that the soil should be warm enough for further plantings. I must finish my companion planting plan!
Mr VVG has spent his hours on the plot weeding and mulching the raspberries, putting in fencing posts and wires for the loganberry, which is now trained and no longer untidy. Reweedproofing and woodchipping of the paths. All are complete and at last I feel we are getting somewhere. Today I will be putting in my potato onions as it is a "Root" day and they are ready to leave the confines of the greenhouse, lest I get fried onions. I will take the opportunity to photograph my recent additions and post on here later.
Thursday 4 April 2013
April Brings Easter-ly Weather
No spring has sprung here. It is still freezing in fact and the potatoes are still chitting on the dining table. Seedlings are slow to emerge and it's just too darned cold to do much at all. We went up to the allotment yesterday and turned over the potato beds, so they are mucked and ready to go. Ditto the squash bed. Everywhere is weeded, fed and ready but nobody thought to tell the sun. Sigh!
Some brown pictures for you.
Some brown pictures for you.
Friday 22 March 2013
Mad March!
Spring is here and with it...snow! As we gardeners started to toy with the idea of our seed packets, plunging temperatures have seen those same said packets get stuffed back into drawers, tins and cupboards. I wouldn't mind, but for the first time ever, we are ready with the allotment. Soil has been weeded, Rockdust added, feed added and muck shifted. I have seedlings shivering in the greenhouse; seed potatoes covering the dining table; additional heat loving seedlings on windowsills. Will we ever see a season that isn't topsy turvy again?
The few warm and dry days that we have had, have seen the garden borders turned over, roses pruned and all surface area mulched. So that again is ready and I have gaps to be filled in the garden, but my seedlings just can't comply when there is no warmth.
Roll on April!
The few warm and dry days that we have had, have seen the garden borders turned over, roses pruned and all surface area mulched. So that again is ready and I have gaps to be filled in the garden, but my seedlings just can't comply when there is no warmth.
Roll on April!
Sunday 17 February 2013
Saturday 16 February 2013
Potting On and Pottering Out
It's a fruit day and the weather was good, so I ventured out into the greenhouse, pepper seedlings in hand. They were module sown back in January and had now got to true leaf stage. So out they came into three inch pots.
Next came my main tomato sowings. Peas in gutters too, plus broad beans.
I am sowing the two latter in successional batches, so that I end up with regular cropping and harvesting.
It was also time to clean up all those dirty pots, trays and trugs that have lain around all Winter. Still only part way through on those.
I threw open the doors on the greenhouse and poly today, as it reached a balmy 8°C.
The last job of the day was to cut back in the garden. Two out of six borders are cleared of decaying leaves and have pruned roses. I feel we are ebbing ever closer towards Spring.
Next came my main tomato sowings. Peas in gutters too, plus broad beans.
I am sowing the two latter in successional batches, so that I end up with regular cropping and harvesting.
It was also time to clean up all those dirty pots, trays and trugs that have lain around all Winter. Still only part way through on those.
I threw open the doors on the greenhouse and poly today, as it reached a balmy 8°C.
The last job of the day was to cut back in the garden. Two out of six borders are cleared of decaying leaves and have pruned roses. I feel we are ebbing ever closer towards Spring.
Sunday 13 January 2013
A Day In Which I Find Black Gold!
Wow! We have had two compost bins out of three cooking away with a combination of kitchen scraps/peelings, newspaper, coffee grinds, brown cardboard, newspaper, hen's bedding, last year's grass clippings and chicken poo. We turn the compost regularly with a pitchfork to maintain heat and even cooking. Keeping your mixture fairly even of greens to brown seems to aid effective composting. Keeping it not too wet, but not too dry either is key.
Today, we riddled out this...
There's half a bin full and that should more than cover my home veg patch, once it's finished
Today, we riddled out this...
There's half a bin full and that should more than cover my home veg patch, once it's finished
Friday 4 January 2013
Fruits, Roots and Leaves
The New Year arrived with a bang and so did my sowing. Back to the biodynamic schedule means I am sowing something every couple of days. So far in 2013 I have the following
FRUITS
- Early Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Broad Beans
ROOTS
- Carrots
- Radish
- Onions
- Leeks
- Celeriac
- Spring Onions
- Shallots (for sets)
LEAVES
- Lettuce
- Mustard and Cress
- Celery
FRUITS
- Early Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Broad Beans
ROOTS
- Carrots
- Radish
- Onions
- Leeks
- Celeriac
- Spring Onions
- Shallots (for sets)
LEAVES
- Lettuce
- Mustard and Cress
- Celery
Tuesday 1 January 2013
New Year, New Plans
Hurrah for sunshine! At last the sky had blue patches and the sun's rays reached to earth, despite a biting wind. We have spent a good six hours outside today as we set to on the field hedge. We have hacked back to the wire fence and in places, beyond, so that we may hedge lay and chicken wire along that portion of the garden. It has given us two foot by 40 foot of ground back. The hedge width itself is about four foot so time to reclaim a little more methinks. I am hoping that Mr VVG sets about laying a bit each weekend and then posts and wires straight in. It will mean the girls have security along the open edge.
Today was also time to notice the bulbs starting to spring through at the base of the big old lime trees. Crocus I assume or maybe the scillas. As the girls dust bathed in the sun, my next task was to set to on the polytunnel. The celeriac needed some outer leaf pulling. It received a comfrey feed as indeed did the alliums. Their patch needed hoeing to remove green algae growth, a byproduct of a winter polytunnel. Rockdust has been added to the beds in there, so I'm hoping it will condition a poor soil, although I have added more mulch compost for enrichment. Mr VVG has taken the remaining garden leaves, dutifully raked into piles by me and put them into our wire cage. This should rot down nicely now over the course of the year. The composters are filling too as the girls add newspaper and chicken poop every day. Must find more greens to add!
I intended cleaning the greenhouse out today, although as you can see, it was not my first job. This I completed so pots are scrubbed and ready, benches are cleared and awaiting seed trays. As 2013 starts I am hopeful of a decent GYO year. Tomorrow is a fruit day, which sees me start off my tomatoes, peppers, broad beans and peas.
Today was also time to notice the bulbs starting to spring through at the base of the big old lime trees. Crocus I assume or maybe the scillas. As the girls dust bathed in the sun, my next task was to set to on the polytunnel. The celeriac needed some outer leaf pulling. It received a comfrey feed as indeed did the alliums. Their patch needed hoeing to remove green algae growth, a byproduct of a winter polytunnel. Rockdust has been added to the beds in there, so I'm hoping it will condition a poor soil, although I have added more mulch compost for enrichment. Mr VVG has taken the remaining garden leaves, dutifully raked into piles by me and put them into our wire cage. This should rot down nicely now over the course of the year. The composters are filling too as the girls add newspaper and chicken poop every day. Must find more greens to add!
I intended cleaning the greenhouse out today, although as you can see, it was not my first job. This I completed so pots are scrubbed and ready, benches are cleared and awaiting seed trays. As 2013 starts I am hopeful of a decent GYO year. Tomorrow is a fruit day, which sees me start off my tomatoes, peppers, broad beans and peas.
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