Harvesting
to harvest… yes! I dug up the garlic, it has been much more successful this year so planting in November seems to work for me. The Arran Pilot potatoes are just fabulous, as are the carrots (from the tubs and planters) and the lettuce that we sowed in August last year over wintered and is now at its very best. I have grown some spinach in a box as an experiment because every time we try to grow it in the garden it bolts but in its little box it has been fine. [Translate] … Read entire article »
Filed under: Gardening, Veggie Plot
Potatoes Grown in a Container, the Grand Reveal!
This weekend we had the grand reveal of the potatoes which we had grown in a container. It was really exciting to see how well or maybe not… they had done. In early April we planted five Charlotte seed potatoes in a yellow tub using our own compost as it was there and available and apart from watering just left them on their own. NB when planting the potatoes fill the container half full to start, then when the green shoots show add more compost to fill the container. On Fathers Day, (21st June in UK) so that would be about 11/12 weeks of growing time and the potatoes were beginning to surface so the waiting stopped and the weighing began. To our surprise they weighed in at … Read entire article »
Filed under: Gardening, Veggie Plot
May Bank Holiday
Where did the sunshine go? Why is it on bank holidays the sun wont put it’s hat on and come out to play! Never mind we soldiered on and have managed to get a lot of the little jobs done. We have opened a new bed, yes another one, we needed a bit more space to put the runner beans in so thought we would experiment with an visually pretty vegetable bed in which we will grow some runner beans , swiss chard and red lettuce. The Victorians grew runner beans as ornamentals and so will we but we will also enjoy the produce they will bring too. The ground which was grass had not been dug in many years, so we have added some compost to help with conditioning it … Read entire article »
Filed under: Gardening, Veggie Plot
A few photos from the garden in Spring.
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Filed under: Gardening, Uncategorized
Recycling and Potting on.
I potted on some of the tomatoes, as they had outgrown the seedling paper pots and seedling trays. To pot on I have been using recycled coffee vending machine cups that I have washed and cut three holes in the bottom. They are big enough to let out any surplus water and will take most plants up to the planting out stage. Of the tomato seeds planted most have done well, without too many losses. The Alicante and Black Russian in particular have done well but also the smaller varieties such as Tiny Tim. The potatoes planted early this month are starting to break through the earth, and are being banked up to encourage them further. The carrots are now up and flourishing in the planters that we have used again this … Read entire article »
Filed under: Gardening, Veggie Plot
Planting the Sugar Cane.
Its been a week of new things; I have planted my first sugar cane. It arrive fresh from a site on Ebay, a length of about 2 1/2 feet or 75cm. I cut it into three pieces leaving plenty of room for the shield like buds to sprout. It has to be kept warm and moist to shoot, so the radiator that wont turn down seems to have found a use. I am hoping it will live happily in the garden through the summer months once it is established along with the lemon grass which continues to grow and now has side shoots too! It’s all so exciting when new trials see success. We have also trialled many varieties of potatoes which are new to us, we would usually go … Read entire article »
Filed under: Gardening, Uncategorized, Veggie Plot
Seedlings progress
The seedlings that were set in March are all growing on strongly, and have all been potted on to give them a little more room to grow, although the house is now looking something like a greenhouse as every window ledge seems to have some seedlings growing on it. The first photo’ show my Lemon grass, this was grown from a piece bought at the local supermarket and I can’t tell you how pleased I am to see it grow. The second shows some of the squashes in their recycled coffee cups, I just wash them and snip a few holes in the bottom and hey presto they are ready to use to pot up! The third show various tomatoes, some more lemon grass that’s not quite taken off yet, and some lovage, … Read entire article »
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Sunny Spring Sunday
Sunday we spent the day in the garden, it was a beautiful warm and sunny day. I have taken some photographs to keep you up to date on what we have been doing. The ‘veggie’ patch has now been extended into the garden having taken over what were two rose beds some long while back. One now contains the Jerusalem Artichokes and the other dug over on Sunday, now has early potatoes in it. The plan is now to use another side flower bed as a further bed for the runner or pole beans. It already has some rhubarb in so it is half way there. The flowers are going have some vegetables for company, I sure it will work out fine in the end. In the Autumn or Fall I … Read entire article »
Filed under: Gardening, Veggie Plot
Out in the Garden
We have been busy most of the day outside. The sun has been shining and it was just lovely to be able to get out and do some the little jobs that have been on the back boiler for a while. I have planted out lots of the perennial geraniums that were grown by my late father-in-law, it gives me so much pleasure to have them in our garden, it brings him close and I’m sure he would be pleased to see them too. He, of course would have known all their names and the Latin too, where as I, I’m afraid to say only know them as perenial geraniums. There were also other things that the geraniums had growing with them, like violets (the scented one) these too went out … Read entire article »
Filed under: Gardening


