Another week of sunshine, showers, warm and cold. I dont know how the plants put up with it because I can't. Still picking fresh veg every day, plenty of beans, tomatoes and courgettes to name a few. Below are some 'early nantes 5' carrots. These are a good size and very little sign of carrot fly damage so a great success this year so looking forward to growing many more next year. The tomatoes are 'harginger' variety and have done really well this year no signs of disease and have put up with some neglect but i have been rewarded with some nice tasty tom's. The last picture was collected today (Friday) 'cylindra' beetroot, 'parmex' carrots, courgettes and leeks. The leeks have been picked a bit early but we wanted some to eat right now.

If the weather stays dry tonight i will hopefully get some more veg and tidy up and cut the grass

This weeks weather has been much warmer with some nice sunny spells. Everything is now back on schedule after the hols. As in the previous post not much to do so a nice relaxing weekend just pottering. I got given a little shed so I put that together and tidied up the wood store and started putting together some kind of shelter for it all. Still picking beans, courgettes, potatoes, lettuce, chillies. Wednesday was a nice afternoon with the family. Stayed up til late waiting for the meteor showers but it was too cloudy. Had a nice time round the campfire with millie, kate and the kids.

Sweetcorn cobs are growing well. You can see the runner beans winding their way up the stalks. All the yellow onions have now been dug up and are drying in the sun, a good crop for this year but i need to make sure they are stored well for the next few months.

In the garden plot i still have two greenhouses. One with a grapevine in and the other with tomatoes and chillies. The grapes are black, small and juicy. This year i noticed quite a few ripe grape have been eaten and on furhter investigation i found earwigs have made the grapevine thier home! Not anymore, but i will have to watchout for them in future.

Tha tomatoes have done quite well with no sign of blight and a good mixture of varieties. The main ones are harbinger, subarctic and gardenpearl. The chilies have done especially well, they are 'cayenne' variety. Not sure how hot they are supposed to be but they pack quite a punch.

Friday was another day of rain. Whilst always welcome for watering the plants it is difficult to be motivated. However my first attempt at pak choi was a good success as this picture shows. These went into a nice stir fry with sweet chili sauce.

Saturdays weather was a little better quite sunny in the morning but then the rain came back. I try to work outside in the good weather and inside when it is not so good. It sounds pretty obvious but i try to save jobs for inside when the weather turns. So in between showers i cut some new pieces for the staging from old pallets. This gives me more work space and frees up a section of staging to make a complete section for the back of the greenhouse. The bottom photo shows the salad tray pricked out into respective pots.

The next job was to make a large cloche for one of the salad beds. Both the beds are the same size so the cloche can move from bed to bed depending on requirements. These will be handy for protecting early and late crops. The design is similar to geoff hamiltons from gardeners world. A rectangular frame is made from 4"x1" treated timber. Blue water pipe is then fixed to the insides with screws. A ridge of timber helps hold the pipes and rigid and supports the polythene which is then stretched and stapled to the wood. The cloche can be propped up for ventilation and access. The crops inside really do grow better under protection. Next step a polytunnel i think! The smaller square raised bed has a similar cover made from a timber square with a polythene cover. Finally i planted out some lettuces between to strawberries. It's good not to be tied to certain crops in certain beds, with salad leaves etc they can go anywhere there is a gap without affecting any crop rotation.

Sunday was a good planting out day. I put the green calabrese and dwarf kale in their permanent positions 12" apart and covered them with netting to prevent cabbage white butterflies and other pests. The sprouting broccoli's (Italian, early and late purple) are put into the nursery bed for transplanting later. Apparently the calabrese not good for transplanting. I also started off the compost heap properly. I got a load of fresh manure, grass, cardboard and materials from last years heap and built up in layers so there wasn't too much of one material. The compost heap was filled to the top but a few days later it was starting to heat up and the heap has settled down. in a week or so i will turn the heap over and mix everything up so that oxygen can get in and rot everything down quicker. The heap needs enough heat to kill weed seeds etc but not too hot or it will kill useful bacteria and worms.

On Tuesday i planted out the peas, celebration, alpine strawberries origen improved and the second sowing of delphiniums. The tomatoes in the greenhouse are doing well and the first strawberries. These are aromel which are an everbearing variety. The last picture is the asparagus bed. Most of the crowns have taken and are sprouting. It's just a case of keeping them clear of weeds, a little feed in summer and patiently wait

Seed Sowing

Sunday was nice weather in the afternoon. Brought up spring onions and flower seedlings from home. Delphiniums, sweet peas and asparagus into cold frame to harden off. Built 3 raised beds and covered with fleece to warm up the soil. Finished nursery/seed bed with flag stepping stones and edging. Planted the aqualegias in and moved redcurrants out and into fruit border. Mulched all the fruit bushes and canes with manure to keep weeds down and preserve moisture.

Started sowing seeds in earnest Monday and Tuesday. Hardy annuals, biennials, peas, beans, carrots and onions were all sown in the greenhouse at the allotment. Planted 3 'nicola' tubers in tyres to make use of spare ground and spare potatoes. At home sowed next batch of salad and leaf seeds and potted up courgettes, one of each variety (six varieties inc butternut). Still have
plenty left to pot up. Second sowing of tomatoes are doing well. There is always the tendancy to sow too many seeds and end up with a glut of plants but with slugs, disease etc its always good to have a few in reserve. The problem is i dont like to throw any seedlings!

Grasses and aqualegias in the nursery bed

April

The end of march brings promise of better weather and the sowing season can begin in earnest. Still working on allotment finishing off beds and fencing. Hopefully when all these jobs are done then a little more time for plants and enjoying a more relaxed pace. Picked first crop of forced rhubarb which was a great success, very tender and almost sweet. All the seedlings at home are coming on well and will soon move to the greenhouse in the allotment.

At the allotments the garden plot (49d) was given a good sort out on wednesday, the lighter nights mean longer time to work. The kids came with me and we didn't get home til after 7:30. Planted the 'jacobs ladder' and dug up and moved self seeded 'poached egg' plants. Most of the work is done now with most plants established and not too much preparation work.

Made another cold frame during the week from old pallets and some window openers. This is bigger than the others and can accomodate larger plants. The asparagus are in now ready to harden off along with the sweet peas. To make room for the coldframes i have put down some flags that were given to me to create a hard surface.

Firstfruits of rhubarb!

Windowcill herbs in cans

Salad seedlings coming along nicely

Courgettes and squash seedlings


A full windowcill of tomatoes