3 hours over at the plot today after trimming the garlic I harvested a couple of weeks ago. The most successful type based on the number and size of the bulbs that emerged seemed to be the Germidour. Don't know about the taste yet. Overall, there were maybe a few more larger bulbs that I have managed in previous years but still too many small ones for my liking.
While at the plot I planted out 4 courgette (One Ball), 3 pumpkin, 20 sugarsnap pea and 20 sweetcorn plants. Better late than never. The cucurbits have gone into the ground vacated by the first early spuds.
I saw some nice fellow plotters over at the site today and I managed to give away 8 artichokes. Result! I was thinking about the dozen sitting in the fridge at home waiting to be deal with. Well, while writing this, they are trimmed and being boiled. I am trying a different trimming method than last year. Last year, I pulled off most of the petals, cut up the heart and removed the choke before cooking. This year, I am trying the, hopefully less wasteful, method of trimming the spiky petal ends with scissors and boiling the hearts whole. I'll cool them and remove the petals and chokes later (having a nibble of the petals while I go). I am a bit sceptical but I'll report back. There are lots of different instructions around. After cutting the 20 chokes so far, there are probably at least another dozen to harvest.
Back to the kitchen...
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
I have mostly been eating Elephant Garlic
Not like me to get writing a blog post this early on a Sunday morning but I am in that kind of mood. I am a bit hungover but can't sleep in cos I am too excited about the plot today. I have purchased a cordless grass strimmer and cannot wait to take it over and to chop down the tall grass and nettles so I can actually see the beds. And possibly where the rabbits are getting through the fence at the bottom. I have been trying to keep on top of the couch grass immediately surrounding the beds with shears but I just can't.
A couple of weeks ago I sowed loads of seeds and pretty much all of them are up and about. These include (from memory): basil, yardlong beans, sugarsnap peas, courgettes, pumpkin, sweetcorn, squash, chervil (from saved seed), hyssop, borage, Swiss chard, pak choi and cucumber. I am late with all of these but perhaps if I get them planted out this week there may be a chance of a good harvest. I thinned out the seedlings a few days ago.
Thursday was all about Elephant Garlic. I worked at home and didn't know what to have for a quick lunch. In the end, I roasted up the garlic I harvested last weekend and mixed half of it with soft cheese and plenty of seasoning. I spread this on crackers and had it with soup. It was brilliant. I had the other half with spagetti and tomatoes in the evening. That was good too. I will definitely grow that again. Out of the 5 bulbs I planted, 4 came good. I guess the other one rotted off. A couple of them had some very small bulbs around the outside of the main cloves. I set them aside in case they were useful. A brief spot of Internet research suggests that these can be planted up. Apparently, in the first year these will form a single bulb, like a single large clove, and in the second year that bulb will divide up into cloves. I wonder if that is how the farms propagate them. I guess it might be because they are sold as large single cloves. Not sure when to plant them up though: now or in the Autumn.
Right. Enough typing. Time to get strimming.
A couple of weeks ago I sowed loads of seeds and pretty much all of them are up and about. These include (from memory): basil, yardlong beans, sugarsnap peas, courgettes, pumpkin, sweetcorn, squash, chervil (from saved seed), hyssop, borage, Swiss chard, pak choi and cucumber. I am late with all of these but perhaps if I get them planted out this week there may be a chance of a good harvest. I thinned out the seedlings a few days ago.
Thursday was all about Elephant Garlic. I worked at home and didn't know what to have for a quick lunch. In the end, I roasted up the garlic I harvested last weekend and mixed half of it with soft cheese and plenty of seasoning. I spread this on crackers and had it with soup. It was brilliant. I had the other half with spagetti and tomatoes in the evening. That was good too. I will definitely grow that again. Out of the 5 bulbs I planted, 4 came good. I guess the other one rotted off. A couple of them had some very small bulbs around the outside of the main cloves. I set them aside in case they were useful. A brief spot of Internet research suggests that these can be planted up. Apparently, in the first year these will form a single bulb, like a single large clove, and in the second year that bulb will divide up into cloves. I wonder if that is how the farms propagate them. I guess it might be because they are sold as large single cloves. Not sure when to plant them up though: now or in the Autumn.
Right. Enough typing. Time to get strimming.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Garlic, anyone?
Quick note to mention that I harvested the garlic this evening. I have tied the stems up in different sets according to variety so I may do a taste test at some point. At the very least, I'll compare them for size and quantity for future reference.
I also did some weeding, a drop in the ocean, and watered the parsnip bed. It might have been my imagination but I thought I saw a single seedling in one of the stations.
An awful thing happened on Plot 35 earlier in the week. I went over there earlier in the week just to do a quick check and I saw that a snake had got caught up in some of netting and died in the heat. I feel awful about it. I untangled it and then buried it. I mentioned it to one of my fellow plotters and he said that at least it showed that there are those nice snakes around and that our plots provide a habitat of some kind. Not sure what can be done to prevent the same thing happening again though - netting is necessary to keep the rabbits and pigeons of the brassicas.
I did also manage to harvest a single cauliflower (no improvement on last year), 4 globe artichokes, a handful of blackcurrants and some second early spuds.
And I am currently considering the purchase of a cordless strimmer. Ummm...
I also did some weeding, a drop in the ocean, and watered the parsnip bed. It might have been my imagination but I thought I saw a single seedling in one of the stations.
An awful thing happened on Plot 35 earlier in the week. I went over there earlier in the week just to do a quick check and I saw that a snake had got caught up in some of netting and died in the heat. I feel awful about it. I untangled it and then buried it. I mentioned it to one of my fellow plotters and he said that at least it showed that there are those nice snakes around and that our plots provide a habitat of some kind. Not sure what can be done to prevent the same thing happening again though - netting is necessary to keep the rabbits and pigeons of the brassicas.
I did also manage to harvest a single cauliflower (no improvement on last year), 4 globe artichokes, a handful of blackcurrants and some second early spuds.
And I am currently considering the purchase of a cordless strimmer. Ummm...
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Where to start?
Gosh, it has been a while since my last post, hasn't it? Sorry about that. I hope everyone is well. Lots have happened in my life since then: my fiance returned from his posting "down South" in mid-April and then he became my husband at the start of June. Wedding planning got in the way of anything else but it was well worth it as it turned out. We've just returned from our honeymoon (2 lovely weeks in Scotland). I was thinking of the plot while away and we even managed a visit to Inverewe Gardens on the West coast.
Not sure where to start really though it is worth noting how behind I am with everything. Not a surprise. Currently on the plot/jungle, there are globe artichokes producing, Jerusalen artichokes getting taller by the day, broad beans that are short but thinking about podding, fruit ripening (red and blackcurrants, damsons and gooseberries), garlic and onions growing merrily, potatoes flowering, and a couple of tomato plants. The sage has flowered in a stunning blue/purple.
I spent some time in the garden Sunday to reign back the jungle that had grown in our absence. I cannot believe how much it had grown. The fennel plant by the patio door was way over our heads and was starting to put our house in the shade. The best thing was finding some sweet peas that had flowered. They are red though, not the orange I was expecting. They smell amazing.
In the afternoon, I spent 3 hours at the plot. I moved the compost bin up to the top of the plot where it'll get more attention and filled in with material taken from the garden this morning (mainly fennel), paper shreddings and comfrey (which was putting the 2 tomato plants in the shade). After some hoeing and raking, I then planted out 12 tomato plants (6 Legend and 6 Ferline) and sowed some parsnips. Then I planted out some poached egg plants in a row next to the broad beans in an effort to give the invading black fly something else to think about. I finished off by hosing everything down including the black fly on both the broad beans and globe artichokes. After losing the battle of wits with the midges recently, I am in no mood to leave these wee beasties alone.
Photos to come soon when I can find the right lead...
Not sure where to start really though it is worth noting how behind I am with everything. Not a surprise. Currently on the plot/jungle, there are globe artichokes producing, Jerusalen artichokes getting taller by the day, broad beans that are short but thinking about podding, fruit ripening (red and blackcurrants, damsons and gooseberries), garlic and onions growing merrily, potatoes flowering, and a couple of tomato plants. The sage has flowered in a stunning blue/purple.
I spent some time in the garden Sunday to reign back the jungle that had grown in our absence. I cannot believe how much it had grown. The fennel plant by the patio door was way over our heads and was starting to put our house in the shade. The best thing was finding some sweet peas that had flowered. They are red though, not the orange I was expecting. They smell amazing.
In the afternoon, I spent 3 hours at the plot. I moved the compost bin up to the top of the plot where it'll get more attention and filled in with material taken from the garden this morning (mainly fennel), paper shreddings and comfrey (which was putting the 2 tomato plants in the shade). After some hoeing and raking, I then planted out 12 tomato plants (6 Legend and 6 Ferline) and sowed some parsnips. Then I planted out some poached egg plants in a row next to the broad beans in an effort to give the invading black fly something else to think about. I finished off by hosing everything down including the black fly on both the broad beans and globe artichokes. After losing the battle of wits with the midges recently, I am in no mood to leave these wee beasties alone.
Photos to come soon when I can find the right lead...
Monday, April 5, 2010
Twisted firestarter
Well I finally got round to a bonfire last Sunday. I finally caught up with Bramble Man (first time this year!) and we inspected both our plots. I casually mentioned my plans to have a bonfire one day and he said there was no time like the present. He carefully built up the foundations on the bottom of Plot 35, me watching as his apprentice (I clearly remember being taught to make a bed and lay a table in the Brownies but have no recollection of learning anything to do with setting fire to things). Then we both forked loads of bramble cuttings and other plant debris onto the medium-size bonfire over the course of an hour and the way was soon cleared. Now I have little excuse not to start digging up the bramble roots.
I've not done much gardening at all this Bank Holiday weekend. Have been focusing on indoor stuff. I am pleased to report that the germination of the seeds sown last weekend has been very good. All but two of the crops (sunflowers and nasturtiums I think) have sprouted and when sprouting has taken place, it has moreorless been 100%. I used Sainsburys peat-free compost for the first time. It seems good. I'll wait to see if thrips start to appear though (a problem I have had with peat-free in the past).
I've not done much gardening at all this Bank Holiday weekend. Have been focusing on indoor stuff. I am pleased to report that the germination of the seeds sown last weekend has been very good. All but two of the crops (sunflowers and nasturtiums I think) have sprouted and when sprouting has taken place, it has moreorless been 100%. I used Sainsburys peat-free compost for the first time. It seems good. I'll wait to see if thrips start to appear though (a problem I have had with peat-free in the past).
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Back on track
The last couple of weeks have been light on the gardening front with lovely visitors coming to stay and a cold knocking me a little bit. I'm now back onto it though. I have managed to get the spuds in (8 rows of 10 or so) where Beds 5 and 7 have been combined. Today, I planted out some sweet peas in the garden, potted up chillies, tomatoes and rhubarb (the aubergine and peppers which finally made an appearance need another week methinks) and sowed some kale, cauliflower, perpetual spinach, oregano, cabbages, Brussels sprouts, nasturtiums, poached egg plants and sunflowers. The flower seeds area bit out-of-date so they may not come to anything. Still, you've got to be in it to win it.
Over to Plot 35 tomorrow...
Over to Plot 35 tomorrow...
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Photo meme
I was asked by fellow plotter mangocheeks, of Allotment2Kitchen, to pick a photo meme. This was a while ago and I have been struggling to find one ever since. Sorry about that. Nice idea though. Ideally, I'd have found one of me as a kid with my paternal Grandfather which whom I spent many a happy hour in his greenhouse taking in the scent of the tomatoes and making mud pies. He grew amazing leeks which were cooked in lashings of butter. The scents of tomato plants and freshly cut leeks are probably my two favourites and I think I always knew even from very young that I'd have an allotment, just like my Grandad did, when I grew up. Unfortunately, I don't think I have any photos of all that. I found the following photo which I like:
This is me a few years ago pottering around in our back garden. Our two cats were always "helping" me whenever I was pottering. I just like the fact that this photo captures them looking a bit like trouble. Sadly, the one on the left is no longer with us. The one on the right still likes to "help" though. I think this just captures how chaotic my gardening normally is.
This is me a few years ago pottering around in our back garden. Our two cats were always "helping" me whenever I was pottering. I just like the fact that this photo captures them looking a bit like trouble. Sadly, the one on the left is no longer with us. The one on the right still likes to "help" though. I think this just captures how chaotic my gardening normally is.
Back to work
Sorry for the lack of photos in recent blogs - I really need to get a new camera.
I spent a couple of hours over at the plot yesterday and cut down the rest of the brambles. Result! Now I can start digging the roots up and plotting a nice bonfire to get rid of all heaps of debris from previous seasons.
Today, the sun was shining so I spent longer over at the plot. Still chilly mind. I dug over Bed 4 and part of Bed 6, removing the grass path between them. I dug up the Jerusalem artichokes and gave some of the best looking tubers to my neighbour to grow. My back certainly feels like it has had some exercise. I removed a barrow-load of stones from the beds as I went along.
My main task next week is to plant out some spuds. I've got visitors coming the weekend after so it is next weekend or the last weekend in March. Either way is fine but I'd like to get them in asap. I plan to dig over Beds 5 and 7, removing the grass between them as well, to make 1 larger bed for the potatoes. It has been 3 years I think since I last grew spuds in that spot so this should be fine, although blight is still to be expected.
And I've got some sweet peas to plant out. It is due to dip below 0C tonight so I'll wait a few more days before setting those out to catch the sun. However, today has been so nice and sunny that someone went up in a hot air balloon.
I spent a couple of hours over at the plot yesterday and cut down the rest of the brambles. Result! Now I can start digging the roots up and plotting a nice bonfire to get rid of all heaps of debris from previous seasons.
Today, the sun was shining so I spent longer over at the plot. Still chilly mind. I dug over Bed 4 and part of Bed 6, removing the grass path between them. I dug up the Jerusalem artichokes and gave some of the best looking tubers to my neighbour to grow. My back certainly feels like it has had some exercise. I removed a barrow-load of stones from the beds as I went along.
My main task next week is to plant out some spuds. I've got visitors coming the weekend after so it is next weekend or the last weekend in March. Either way is fine but I'd like to get them in asap. I plan to dig over Beds 5 and 7, removing the grass between them as well, to make 1 larger bed for the potatoes. It has been 3 years I think since I last grew spuds in that spot so this should be fine, although blight is still to be expected.
And I've got some sweet peas to plant out. It is due to dip below 0C tonight so I'll wait a few more days before setting those out to catch the sun. However, today has been so nice and sunny that someone went up in a hot air balloon.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Drier than expected
Today was not half as wet as it was forecast though it was grey for most of the day. Yesterday had sunny intervals and was quite mild at 7-8C. I nipped over to the plot yesterday to cut down some of the brambles at the bottom of the plot. It was amazing how much I managed to cut down in 2 hours. Another session should do it and then I can start digging some roots out.
While I was over there I met my new next door neighbours - 2 couples who seem to be sharing their plot. They seem very nice and I look forward to talking more to them over there.
I came home with a bag of leeks and turned them into soup along with some potatoes from last year.
At home, the sweet peas need planting out but there is no sign of the broad beans. 1 of each of the chilli varities has germinated and the onion seedlings are getting longer (poor germination rate of the white onions). No sign of the sweet peppers or aubergine. 1 rhubarb seedling beginning to sprout. I am putting the poor germination rates down to the light and me sowing too early.
If next weekend is dry then I can cut down the rest of the brambles and dig over one of the beds. Quite frankly, I need the exercise.
While I was over there I met my new next door neighbours - 2 couples who seem to be sharing their plot. They seem very nice and I look forward to talking more to them over there.
I came home with a bag of leeks and turned them into soup along with some potatoes from last year.
At home, the sweet peas need planting out but there is no sign of the broad beans. 1 of each of the chilli varities has germinated and the onion seedlings are getting longer (poor germination rate of the white onions). No sign of the sweet peppers or aubergine. 1 rhubarb seedling beginning to sprout. I am putting the poor germination rates down to the light and me sowing too early.
If next weekend is dry then I can cut down the rest of the brambles and dig over one of the beds. Quite frankly, I need the exercise.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy Valentines Day
It was much milder today than it has been of late. About 7 degrees Centigrade. Oooo. The sun came out too.
Yesterday, I tidied up some of the pots on the patio at home. They had got into a right mess. Now I have more room for new plants.
Today, I started slowly by sowing some seeds: rhubarb, aubergine, peppers and chillies. I have put the chillies into the airing cupboard to keep them warm. I also sowed some salad leaves and Paris Market carrots in pots on the patio. I covered these with a pane of glass lent by a neighbour. It's good to get an early start.
After that, I headed over to the plot. The soil was almost perfect for digging. I dug over and weeded the bed where the parsnips were - about 4x2m. I found some small parsnips as I went along. It seems that the ones I chiseled out before Christmas were the largest there were. I also dug up some Jerusalem artichokes from the neighbouring patch of soil.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Sunny but cold
It was deceptively chilly today as the sun was shining and there wasn't much cloud in the sky. It must have been noticably sunny because our cat spent a while catching some rays.
I started the weekend's gardening by resowing some onions. I sowed some a few weeks ago and most germinated but perhaps the light levels weren't quite enough for them to really get going. Then I sowed half a packet of Aquadulce Claudia broad beans into seed trays and put them in the mini greenhouse on the patio. I'll sow the rest of the packet in a few weeks so the beans don't all arrive at once.
Bit of a nice surprise in the post this week - some Santero onion sets. I think they must have been a free offer as part of a seed order I placed back in October. Nice. It'll be interesting to see how these compare to any seed-sown ones that get planted out.
Finally headed over to the plot and it was a lot wetter on the ground than I expected so digging wasn't really an option. I found some cauliflower plants growing well under some tunnel cloches. A few of them had bent stems, probably because their growth had been restricted by the low cloches. I decided to remove the cloches, replant the caulis a bit deeper and cover them with netting.
In the piccie above, they've got that sad-sack look that just-moved plants have. Fingers crossed that they'll perk up. I decided not to water them in as the soil was wet and I didn't want it to freeze around them.
I had 5 elephant garlic cloves at home which I had potted up with the rest of the garlic just before Christmas. 4 of them had developed roots so I planted them all out next to the other cloves planted out 2 weeks ago.
Before leaving the plot (my fingers were getting frozen with all the cold mud on my gloves), I put the sodden brassica plants from Bed 7 (from which I removed the netting to use for the caulis) onto the compost heap. They were joined by some of the rotten leaves around the base of the globe artichokes.
I started the weekend's gardening by resowing some onions. I sowed some a few weeks ago and most germinated but perhaps the light levels weren't quite enough for them to really get going. Then I sowed half a packet of Aquadulce Claudia broad beans into seed trays and put them in the mini greenhouse on the patio. I'll sow the rest of the packet in a few weeks so the beans don't all arrive at once.
Bit of a nice surprise in the post this week - some Santero onion sets. I think they must have been a free offer as part of a seed order I placed back in October. Nice. It'll be interesting to see how these compare to any seed-sown ones that get planted out.
Finally headed over to the plot and it was a lot wetter on the ground than I expected so digging wasn't really an option. I found some cauliflower plants growing well under some tunnel cloches. A few of them had bent stems, probably because their growth had been restricted by the low cloches. I decided to remove the cloches, replant the caulis a bit deeper and cover them with netting.
In the piccie above, they've got that sad-sack look that just-moved plants have. Fingers crossed that they'll perk up. I decided not to water them in as the soil was wet and I didn't want it to freeze around them.
I had 5 elephant garlic cloves at home which I had potted up with the rest of the garlic just before Christmas. 4 of them had developed roots so I planted them all out next to the other cloves planted out 2 weeks ago.
Before leaving the plot (my fingers were getting frozen with all the cold mud on my gloves), I put the sodden brassica plants from Bed 7 (from which I removed the netting to use for the caulis) onto the compost heap. They were joined by some of the rotten leaves around the base of the globe artichokes.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Worth the wait
Today was a lovely day for gardening on Plot 35. At last! The sun was shining and it got up to 10C at one point. Barmy!
A couple of days after Christmas, I covered over Bed 1 with some clear plastic to keep it snow free with the idea of planting the garlic some time in the New Year. Since then I have been waiting for the opportunity and today was the day. It was lovely to do a spot of digging after so long and the revealed soil was damp but nice and crumbly. After digging and raking, in went the 9x9 cloves of garlic that had been in the lean-to in seed modules since a few days before Christmas. Some of the cloves had started to sprout while almost all of them had developed roots.
So in order of transplanting, there are:
Albigensian Wight
Wight Cristo
Early Purple Wight
Iberian Wight
Lautrec Wight
Messidrome
Germidour
Picardy Wight
Chesnok Red
The Picardy cloves had rooted the least and are tiny cloves. It'll be interesting to see if they catch up, and indeed if any of them survive the move. I also have 5 cloves of Elephant Garlic in pots at home so I'll plant them out another time.
On the way home, I nipped over the garden centre to check out the spuds on offer. I have always ordered these from catalogues but this is relatively expensive and you never quite know when to expect their delivery. The garden centre had a great range so I bought loads and I'll put them in the lean-to to chit now that there is space. I purchased the following:
1st early - Swift
2nd early - Wilja
Main crop - Cara
Late main crop - Pink Fir Apple
Just before I left the plot today, one of my fellow plotters came to say hello. We got onto the subject of potatoes and he mentioned that he had been recommended Wilja by a farmer as they are not so readily attacked by slugs. I have grown Cara before and they worked well. I was a bit disappointed by last year's harvest so fingers crossed for a good one this year.
I hope everyone else has had a good day gardening.
A couple of days after Christmas, I covered over Bed 1 with some clear plastic to keep it snow free with the idea of planting the garlic some time in the New Year. Since then I have been waiting for the opportunity and today was the day. It was lovely to do a spot of digging after so long and the revealed soil was damp but nice and crumbly. After digging and raking, in went the 9x9 cloves of garlic that had been in the lean-to in seed modules since a few days before Christmas. Some of the cloves had started to sprout while almost all of them had developed roots.
So in order of transplanting, there are:
Albigensian Wight
Wight Cristo
Early Purple Wight
Iberian Wight
Lautrec Wight
Messidrome
Germidour
Picardy Wight
Chesnok Red
The Picardy cloves had rooted the least and are tiny cloves. It'll be interesting to see if they catch up, and indeed if any of them survive the move. I also have 5 cloves of Elephant Garlic in pots at home so I'll plant them out another time.
On the way home, I nipped over the garden centre to check out the spuds on offer. I have always ordered these from catalogues but this is relatively expensive and you never quite know when to expect their delivery. The garden centre had a great range so I bought loads and I'll put them in the lean-to to chit now that there is space. I purchased the following:
1st early - Swift
2nd early - Wilja
Main crop - Cara
Late main crop - Pink Fir Apple
Just before I left the plot today, one of my fellow plotters came to say hello. We got onto the subject of potatoes and he mentioned that he had been recommended Wilja by a farmer as they are not so readily attacked by slugs. I have grown Cara before and they worked well. I was a bit disappointed by last year's harvest so fingers crossed for a good one this year.
I hope everyone else has had a good day gardening.
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