Christmas has happened since I last posted and there was an excellent garden related haul. I got a lean-to green plant house (green house) which I am going to install in the garden so I can get seedlings ready for the allotment. It has been too cold recently to put it up, but as soon as the weather warms up a bit, I will do just that. I also got a pair of long handled edging shears so I can keep the grass path tidy, a new pair of gloves, two netting tunnels and the tame photographer got a very handome pitchfork (shit shoveler!).
We ate our own produce for Christmas lunch - along with the turkey (not ours!) we had brussels sprouts, parsnips and butternut squash - all delicious, needless to say!
We haven't done much gardening in the last couple of weeks - Christmas shopping taking up far too much time and then, of course, the festivities themselves. But we did get down there on the day after Boxing Day. The new pitch fork was christened by moving a couple of loads of manure to our holding heap - and, amazingly enough, it really is better for the activity than an ordinary garden fork. We also baptised our new storm kettle. This is a fabulous device that we got for our birthdays. It involves making a small fire with twigs in a dish at the bottom of the kettle, which then heats up some water. It was fun to do and will be perfect for warm drinks and even soup on cold winter sessions. The great thing is that it only uses tiny twigs and the like, which are easy to collect round and about the site. I also used my new edger to great effect, and wore my gloves.
At the allotment the onions are beginning to grow nicely. They have almost all sprouted and the first broad beans are just beginning to show above the ground. The garlic has just started to grow and the spring onions and spring cabbages look good. We are currently harvesting leeks, parsnips, brussels sprouts, January King cabbages, spinach and the sprouting broccoli is just about to start cropping. It's quite something that we are still eating so much from the plot and I haven't had to start up the organic box delivery since I stopped it last spring. I do have to buy potatoes, carrots and the odd veg here and there, and I have just used the last of the onions.
Last week I put in my order for next year's seeds - it will cost about £30 or so and I have chosen a mixture of veg that did well last year and completely new ones for this year. I am still hoping to get another plot, and I really would like to have more space for all the crops I would like to grow. I still haven't done anything about flowers, but I would like some dahlias, sweet peas and sunflowers.
Showing posts with label Purple sprouting broccoli. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Purple sprouting broccoli. Show all posts
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
Thursday, 21 August 2008
Still enjoying the holidays
The holidays continue, and finally, we have had a day of glorious sunshine. I took myself off the allotment for a spot of quiet contemplation and some gardening - both of which I did.
The above is a view of the sweetcorn cage we built a couple of weeks ago in order to protect our crop. The news is that the animals attacking the sweetcorn are badgers. They come down from the common specifically to eat the sweetcorn in the allotments, it being their favourite food. This is not brilliant news as they are so strong I suspect no amount of protection will save the crop. Some suggestions have been to hang something that makes a noise or leave a radio on all night or to put some creosote coated cloths around the area as they don't like the smell. Accordingly, today I hung an old wind chime in the sweetcorn enclosure and made a noise device using two terracotta flower pots. I will post a picture soon showing this (assuming the badgers don't break in tonight and demolish the lot).
I planted out some sprouting broccoli (I dont know if its green or purple - its called rudolf which sort of indicates red to me - but we'll see) and did some weeding. I picked raspberries, runner beans, corn salad, french beans and courgettes today. The raspberries are doing really well - inspite of constant attack by bindweed. I have made 4 jars of jam with them, as well as eating them most days.
We have some albino raspberries in amongst the normal red ones. I don't know if this is a genuine white raspberry cane, or a throw back. I doesn't really matter as they are quite delicious.
The brussels sprouts and cabbages are looking good and we have been enjoying our maincrop potatoes. And , at last, there are two baby butternut squashes!
On a related note, the weather, though not a perfect summer, has lent itself brilliantly to soft fruit and all the local bramble bushes are heavy with fruit. I, and the rest of the family, have picked and picked and I have made blackberry jam, blackberry jelly and blackberry and apple jam, as well as endless blackberry influenced puddings and frozen some for the winter. WOW!
It was about this time last year that we went looking for allotments, and as I look back, I can't help but be pleased we got ourselves into gear and started vegetable gardening.
Finally, just look at our beautiful sunflowers - Moulin Rouge from Unwins Seeds, if you are interested.
The above is a view of the sweetcorn cage we built a couple of weeks ago in order to protect our crop. The news is that the animals attacking the sweetcorn are badgers. They come down from the common specifically to eat the sweetcorn in the allotments, it being their favourite food. This is not brilliant news as they are so strong I suspect no amount of protection will save the crop. Some suggestions have been to hang something that makes a noise or leave a radio on all night or to put some creosote coated cloths around the area as they don't like the smell. Accordingly, today I hung an old wind chime in the sweetcorn enclosure and made a noise device using two terracotta flower pots. I will post a picture soon showing this (assuming the badgers don't break in tonight and demolish the lot).I planted out some sprouting broccoli (I dont know if its green or purple - its called rudolf which sort of indicates red to me - but we'll see) and did some weeding. I picked raspberries, runner beans, corn salad, french beans and courgettes today. The raspberries are doing really well - inspite of constant attack by bindweed. I have made 4 jars of jam with them, as well as eating them most days.
We have some albino raspberries in amongst the normal red ones. I don't know if this is a genuine white raspberry cane, or a throw back. I doesn't really matter as they are quite delicious.
The brussels sprouts and cabbages are looking good and we have been enjoying our maincrop potatoes. And , at last, there are two baby butternut squashes!
On a related note, the weather, though not a perfect summer, has lent itself brilliantly to soft fruit and all the local bramble bushes are heavy with fruit. I, and the rest of the family, have picked and picked and I have made blackberry jam, blackberry jelly and blackberry and apple jam, as well as endless blackberry influenced puddings and frozen some for the winter. WOW!
It was about this time last year that we went looking for allotments, and as I look back, I can't help but be pleased we got ourselves into gear and started vegetable gardening.Finally, just look at our beautiful sunflowers - Moulin Rouge from Unwins Seeds, if you are interested.
Saturday, 19 July 2008
Strike Day
I was on strike this week and that meant that on one of the days I managed to spend a morning at the allotment. I started clearing the strawberry beds of weeds and straw, but it was back breaking work. I managed about a third of the area, and will continue over the course of the next couple of weeks. Next I dug up one row of broad bean plants. The rest I will leave in a bit longer so that the nitrogen in their roots can get nicely fixed into the ground. I then attacked the bindweed in the onion patch with a vigour. I really don't know what I can do to keep on top of it, but I may have to resort to weed killer to attack certain plants where I simply cannot dig. All the plants are doing really well and we continue to eat spinach, broad beans, french beans radishes and potatoes. The runner beans will be ready soon and the sweet corn looks very good. Only the courgettes are not doing as well as I had expected.
Finally the last month's worth of pictures arrived from the tame photographer so I shall post them all here, with assorted captions, rather than try to insert them into old posts.
First, from several weeks ago: the peas (now almost over)
The spinach (still going strong)
The onions we planted last winter, dug up and drying (now hanging in strings and being used)
The last of the strawberries
Me picking a Tom Thumb lettuce (now we only have two left - but there is plenty of salad bowl lettuce)
Now a picture of the purple sprouting broccoli - which I sowed myself, and you can just see the sweet corn in the foreground
and below is a snap of the sweetcorn seedlings in their own private greenhouses!
The kohlrabi which were brilliant, and very easy to grow - I will certainly grow more of them next year.
Potatoes (Accent, I think)
and finally the splendid dwarf green beans.
And the whole lot together!
Finally the last month's worth of pictures arrived from the tame photographer so I shall post them all here, with assorted captions, rather than try to insert them into old posts.
First, from several weeks ago: the peas (now almost over)
The spinach (still going strong)
The onions we planted last winter, dug up and drying (now hanging in strings and being used)
The last of the strawberries
Me picking a Tom Thumb lettuce (now we only have two left - but there is plenty of salad bowl lettuce)
Now a picture of the purple sprouting broccoli - which I sowed myself, and you can just see the sweet corn in the foreground
and below is a snap of the sweetcorn seedlings in their own private greenhouses!
The kohlrabi which were brilliant, and very easy to grow - I will certainly grow more of them next year.
Potatoes (Accent, I think)
and finally the splendid dwarf green beans.
And the whole lot together!
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