25th April, 2012

I did some more sowing, some of it successional such as more beetroot, radish, spring onion and kohlrabi.  I also potted up the tomatoes, aubergines and peppers.  These are all in the greenhouse although the weather has turned cold and growth appears to have slowed down.

Outside the fruit trees continue to flower.   I have a nice crab apple tree as a bonsai which is looking lovely now with flowers.

The plum and greengage have been attacked by pigeons I think. I've spotted them on the branches which they have snapped and the fruit buds and leaf buds have been removed.

But there are some left, let's hope it's enough. For the moment the apple and pear tree are untouched.

The tulips are looking great too.

20th March, 2012

I managed to get some seed sowing underway at last.

So I have sown some aubergine (moneymaker), tomato (cristal and tigerella), pepper (gypsy) and sweet basil which are on a windowsill indoors.

In the greenhouse I have got spring onions, radish and lettuce.

The leeks I sowed three weeks ago are starting to germinate.

There will be more sowing next weekend when I have can dedicate two days to the garden.

At long last I fitted the louvre window and its automatic opener to my greenhouse. It's warm enough to be working outside without having to wrap up. I really enjoy being outside on mild days and observing what is starting to grow, such as daffodils, snowdrops (in flower) and bluebells. Marvellous.

Anyway, back to the louvre window. It took longer than planned because I thought it would have to rest on a pane of glass rather than it sitting at the bottom of the greenhouse where I wanted it. I think this would provide better ventilation. First mistake, and not the first time I've done this, is to measure the size of the pane wrong. It was 2cm to tall. Second when I fitted the window at the top it wouldn't allow the louvres to move as it was fouling the frame of the greenhouse. I was about to chuck it all in the bin when I returned to my original plan. As it turns out the louvre does allow a pane to rest on top of it and with several glazing clips in place the glass is held firmly.





I had to have new louvres cut as the ones provided were not wide enough (but I knew this might be a problem despite the information provided with the window stating that it would fit most greenhouses; mine is not in the most category). I fitted those eventually after getting confused which way up they go. Then I find I need 5 glass louvres whereas I ordered only 4; second mistake. So suitably frustrated, I was in the mood to cut my own glass. I have several panes lying around with broken corners from when I moved the greenhouse but enough to cut a louvre from. I laid a layer of dust sheets on the patio table and cut the glass on this with a long piece of heavy wood as a guide. To my surprise it cut easily. Then I cut the 2cm of the new pane that sits above the louvre and I was successful at that too although it wasn't a clean cut. It all fitted together finally and the day was saved. It could have turned out so differently and if so I would have been too embarrassed to blog it.

Finally, I put up the temporary shelving ready for the seed trays that fit in them, but I need to buy some new seed trays. Notice also my trays of loo rolls ready for the parsnips. Those trays are what Sainsbury's sell their mushrooms in.



I have been inspired to start sowing now. The temperature has reached ~20°C in the greenhouse. So I took the plunge and have sown aubergines and chillis in 3" pots which are on the windowsill indoors. In the greenhouse I have sown some broad beans in individual pots (only to use up last year's seeds), leeks in two 5" pots about 100 seeds in each and some more spring onion (white Lisbon) in a 5" pot. Those I sowed last October had grown to about 4-5" and I planted these outside. I've read on David and Karen's blog (Evington Hilltop Adventures) that this is their method for success, although I have planted mine out individually rather than in blocks.



Finally, a work colleague provided me with a strasberry plant which she grew from a seed from the fruit she bought at a supermarket. They are a cross between a strawberry and raspberry; it looks like a normal strawberry plant (so no picture). I've not heard of them before.

28th April, 2008

My parents visited at the weekend. They like to keep busy so obviously I engaged their help in the garden. Whilst my dad mowed the lawn, mum and I did some therapeutic pricking out of a lot of snapdragons which I hope will make a splash of colour in the front garden.

Sowings

I gave up on my early sowing of carrots under cloches and will try again next weekend, I think it has been too cold even with the cloches. I did sow some Autumn King carrots in the bucket though which I have high hopes for this year.

I also sowed some more beetroot, cucumber and some more chilli peppers. I seem to have a slug in the greenhouse since only one chilli pepper and two melon seedlings remain. I also put some early pots in two buckets which I hope will produce some nice salad potatoes.

I pricked out the tomatoes into individual pots and what with all the sowing, the greenhouse is looking quite full now and that is how it should be of course.





The recent warm weather has at last got the plants growing. Both the apple and peach blossom are looking good.

Apple blossom



Peach blossom



The broad beans are making lots of flowers, but the plants themselves are a bit small so I'm not sure how big the pods will get.



Even my onion sets I planted at the end of March are showing now.



The close up above really shows how stony my soil is, and this is a bucket I collected earlier with help of my kids; still plenty more to go.

18th April, 2008

I've listed the vegetables being grown outside in the previous post. I try and get plants established beforehand either indoors on a windowsill or in the greenhouse. At the moment there are:

Leeks: last year I sowed these in modules, but they took up a lot of shelf space in the greenhouse, so this time I'm trying two 7" pots with about 50 seeds in them (that'll be a lot of leeks!). The variety is Porvite and I sowed them in early February. They are very slow to grow and are about 4" tall at the moment.

Notice the labels? I use cut up plastic milk bottles.

Tomatoes: I'm growing my favourite variety (Gardener's Delight) for the greenhouse and Sub Arctic Plenty for outside. Last year blight killed off most outdoor tomatoes but my greenhouse toms survived and I had lots of fruit. I don't grow too many plants and sow just enough to fit in the greenhouse, so I put 6 or 7 seeds indoors to start with in 5" pots and then once the first leaves appear they go in the greenhouse otherwise they get too leggy.

Tomatoes in the greenhouse with basil, their perfect cooking companion, behind. I don't bother to sow basil, I buy a growing plant from the supermarket and then split it into several bigger pots which normally provides enough for the year.

This year I am sowing in my home made compost. I dug up a large area of lawn to provide new beds last year and stacked the turf to make some loam. So I'm using this loam now which I am mixing 50/50 with some peat-free compost as the loam is still a bit too heavy with clay. So far germination is good so this experiment seems to be working.

Sweet peppers, chilli peppers and aubergines: I grow these the same way as the tomatoes. Sown late March/early April. Varieties: pepper - Gourmet; chilli - de Cayenne; aubergine -Florida high bush.

Kohl rabi: I grew these last year for the first time and they were very nice with a good cabbagey flavour. I prefer these to cabbages as they are more compact plants and they can be easily covered with mesh to keep the dreaded Cabbage White butterfly off. I'm growing them in modules. The variety is Kolibri F1 hybrid.

Coriander: fresh coriander is so aromatic and tasty, it transforms a meal. I grow these in modules and the big seeds let me sow one per module although germination is poor this year. Maybe it's because it is last year's seed. I will sow some more later in the year as it doesn't appear to last very long before bolting.

Broad beans: you'd think I have enough of these when I grow overwintering beans already! I grow these (Jubilee Hysor variety) in individual pots for planting out later. It's not essential to do this I suppose but I think the beans get some help in germinating and also protection from any rodents. I have sown a lot, maybe too many but I can always give some to my friends and work colleagues. There is quite a large vegetable growing community where I work.

Melon: I sow individual seeds in 3" pots on the windowsill as they need the warmth to get them going. I still haven't perfected growing melons in the greenhouse. I don't prune or support them properly I think and they are usually last to go in bigger pots so I just try and squeeze them in rather than allocate them their own space. Must try harder. The variety is Edonis F1 hybrid.

Peas: I don't normally grow peas as the pea moth caterpillar inevitably ends up on the plate, which is not very appetising. But I had a packet that came with a birthday card so I'm giving them a go and I'll try and protect them with mesh. I'm starting them off in modules and the variety is called Celebration, let's hope we do.

Lettuce: I'm growing the Little Gem variety in modules, 6 at a time. Is that too little? I will sow successionally through the year, maybe even through the winter if I can. My family like the crispy lettuce, so we'll see how these are liked as I have not grown lettuce in earnest before. Slugs will be the biggest problem.

Parsley: last year I grew the curly leaved stuff. But I think the flat leafed variety is preferred by chefs, so I'm giving that a try this year. I soak the seeds in water overnight first (to help germination which can be slow) and then sow onto a tray of compost. That worked last year anyway.

Beetroot: mmm, I love beetroot. I grew enough to eat fresh but not enough for pickling which I'd like to try, it must be sweet vinegar though. So I've sown some now in modules and I'll sow some later and depending on how they grow use the small ones for pickling. This variety is the common and popular Boltardy.

Sweetcorn: you can't beat fresh sweetcorn! Last year we had a lovely crop. I chit the seeds by placing them on a wet kitchen towel in a plastic container with lid and then leave them in the airing cupboard until the roots and shoots appear. Then I plant them into 3" pots, I've got 48 plants this year and I want to grow them all! The variety is Ovation F1 hybrid.

Sweetcorn seeds sprouting.

Dwarf bean: I sow the seed in pots or modules. I grew a flat podded variety last year which was a bit stringy. This year it's the round pod variety called Nomad, sown a few days ago.

Courgette: last year I grew 4 plants and we had a glut which we made into soups/meals and froze, or we gave some to the neighbours. So it's the same this year! I grow about 5 or 6 seeds in a large pot indoors and then transplant them into their own pots later for the greenhouse and then finally planted outdoors. This year it's a variety called Venus and they were sown a few days ago.