Back from holiday

 

 

   I returned from holiday to find a bumper crop waiting for me at the plot. All my purple French beans had matured, so I picked them to encourage more to grow. My first peas were ready for picking. I had given up any hope of getting a harvest of peas as most of my plants had only got about 3 inches tall and then given up, but amazingly they have had a growth spurt and freshly picked peas are one of the best things from the plot. Needless to say most of them got scoffed there and then. My courgettes had gone mad and made two of the biggest marrows I've ever seen! Not quite sure what to do with the monsters.

 

 

   To my delight my cherry tomatoes at the plot have finally started to ripen. They look like little jewels. Im very pleased with them. The 'Sungold' and 'Sweet baby' plants have produced a bumper crop. Now all I'm waiting for are my main tomato plants to ripen at home. They are still green. I just need the first one to start to turn red and then the rest tend to follow.

The harvests keep coming

 

  This is the time of year where your hard work is really rewarded as the veg is producing bumper crops. Every time I visit the plot I always come away with a trug of lovely edibles. The main problem is trying to find ways of using up all the produce!

 



   This is definitely a bumper year for courgettes. They weren't very good last year because of the poor wet summer, but they are making up for it this time. If I've not been to the plot for a few days I find the courgettes have quickly turned into marrows- good thing I love courgettes!

 

   My broad beans have also made up for their poor performance last year. I sowed these a lot later than I normally would but it has paid off. I've still got plenty to harvest.

 

   Finally my tomatoes are looking glorious. The plants are looking good and healthy and have big fat tomatoes hanging by the trusses. All I need now is for them to start to ripen. I keep checking them every day for the slightest hint of red. It just takes the first one to start to ripen and the rest follow suit.

Redcurrant delight

 

 

   Ive got a bumper crop of Redcurrants this year. The birds have already stared to feast upon them so I decided to start to harvest them before I have non left. The bush looks beautiful laden with red jewels.

 

   I harvested all these and there is still plenty left on the bush. The problem is trying to think of what to do with them all. Ive still got jars of redcurrant jelly left from last time so I decided to give redcurrant jam a go. It basically just a bit sweeter than redcurrant jelly (and because im not too keen on the seeds in redcurrants then I've turned it into a jelly as well!).

 

 

 

Redcurrant Jam:

 

1.2kg redcurrants

1kg caster sugar

 

 

method:

 

Put the redcurrants in a pan with 500ml of water. bring to the boil and simmer till the berries are soft and have begun to release their juice.

Strain the redcurrants. ( I do this through a sieve lined with a jay cloth).

Then add the sugar to the juice and let the sugar dissolve. Then bring to a rolling boil. Try the jam test to know when its done.

Then put into sterilise jars. This made three and a half jars of jam for me But they were large jars so it should make about four jars depending on the size.



 

 



Soaking up the sun

    All the plants are thriving in the glorious sunshine. After having an almost non-existent summer the last two years, it has really made a change to have a decent spell of warm weather.

 

   My sweetcorn plants are looking strong and healthy. They are planted in a grid with a few squash plants at their bases and courgette plants around the edges. I cant wait till the super sweet cobs will be ready for harvesting.

 

   The tomato plants are looking good. The first trusses of fruits are appearing now. These are 'Ferline' and they are always a reliable variety for growing outdoors. 

 

   Ive planted out a row of Swiss Chard. I love the range of colours you can get from 'Bright Lights'. Ive never managed to get a real harvest from Chard plants before so Im hoping things will change this year.

 

   My broad bean plants are further behind than normal due to the cold spring. They are in flower at present with no sign of black fly.

 

   These are my 'Electric Daisy' plants from the home grown revolution by James Wong. The idea of a fizzy numbing sensation from the flowers fascinates me. They are ready to be planted out now and at the moment  small buds are just starting to form.

 

   I've got a mass of brassicas waiting for space to become available. I've just continued to pot them on to keep them healthy. Hopefully they will be able to follow on from my potatoes when they all get dug up.

  This is my edible hanging basket. Ive done this for the last two year but its looking at its best this year. It consists of three tomato plants - 'Fountain' and 'Rambling Gold Stripe', which were started off in a heated propagator towards the end of March. It then has nasturtium plants which provide edible flowers for salads.

 

   This is my first courgette harvest. I've grown 'Best of British', 'Safari' and 'Soleil'. I like to have a variety of colours as they look good in dishes. Courgettes are one of my favourite plants to grow so I say bring on the glut! I just hope the hot dry weather doesn't reduce their productivity. I've already had a few courgettes which have been withered at one end which I think may be due to a lack of water.

Hedgerow Bounty

I've not posted in a while. With starting a new job I've not got round to posting, but that doesn't mean things haven't been growing. Things have had a slow start this year due to the cold almost non-existent spring. However this week the sun seems to have finally made a late appearance and the plants are loving it. The hedgerow is also benefitting from the sun and the elderflowers are in full bloom. There's just masses of flowers which means time for a bit of creative cooking. Normally I make elderflower champagne but I've decided to try making a cordial this year and for the price of a few lemons and a kilo of sugar I've got a lovely drink to keep me refreshed. Its also great added to fruit dishes especially any gooseberry puddings.

Lets get started

   I got the egg boxes out and put them to good use. I use them to chit my potatoes in as they are the perfect holder for the seed potatoes. This year I'm just growing salad varieties due to the blight that keeps striking at the plot. I'm growing three types this year: 'Belle de Fontenay', 'Kestrel', and 'Arran Pilot'. Chitting potatoes always feels like the start of the new growing season.

   I also decided to plant my shallots into modules. I'm growing 'Longor' variety this year. The bed isn't quite ready for them to go out and be planted directly ( it still needs to be weeded and dug over!) so this way i hope they will get off to a good start.

First harvest

   I finally dug up my Jerusalem Artichokes. I had planted the majority at the plot but also planted  a few tubers into a pot. Well from the pot I got a bumper crop of...... one artichoke! It just looked like the rest of the tubers hadn't developed. So off to the plot I ventured to dig up the rest of the tubers with my fingers crossed they would be more bountiful. It felt good to be digging again and to be harvesting. Luckily the tubers in the ground had done better than the ones in the pot. I had never had Jerusalem Artichokes before so i copied a recipe I saw Alys Fowler do on her series and I made an artichoke gratin. It was very nice and I will certainly be growing them again this year. I just need to find a few more recipes for them.

Happy New Year!

   This is the start to my second full year on the plot. Looking back over the last year I must admit that I didn't spend as much time up there as I wanted to. It was a combination of the awful weather and the daunting task of all the work that needs doing. I inherited my plot and its quite overgrown with pampas grasses, brambles and wild roses and it just seems overwhelming at times. But I'm not letting the same thing happen this year. I just need to get stuck in and crack on with it. And now seems a perfect time while everything is still dormant.

   So after looking at the many seed catalogues my green fingers started itching. I decided to plant my garlic cloves in little pots and put them outside so that they have a chance of getting frosted. ( Normally I would have planted my garlic cloves direct back in November but the ground hasn't been prepared so I'm improvising). It feels good  to know I've got something planted up ready.

Sweet success

 

 

   I've harvested my first cob of sweetcorn today. The plants aren't very tall but all have a nice little cob sitting there waiting to be picked. I didn't have very much success with sweetcorn last year but this year has been a vast improvement. Ive heard other people say that nothing you buy can compare to the sweetness of homegrown sweetcorn and i have to agree. Perfect freshly boiled and then smothered in butter- delish! (My dog seemed impressed with my sweetcorn as well!) 

Elephant garlic

 

 

   I finally harvested my elephant garlic. i didnt know what to expect as i had read mixed reviews about its success. The thing with garlic is that you dont know how well its done untill you dig it up. I have to say that i was pleased with my elephant garlic. Theyve formed large bulbs seperated into cloves. They might not be the biggest but they are bigger than my hang so they seem pretty big to me! Now all thats left to do is to slowly roast one so i know how they taste. Cant wait!

The harvest begins

   After the poor weather this summer i thought this year was going to be a complete disaster. However some crops have managed to recover and have started giving out produce.

 

 

   My courgettes took a battering from the slugs but now they've come back fighting. I love courgettes, they are so productive and you can do so much with the crop.

 

 

 

 

   My second sowing of peas have now begun to make plump pods. This is a pea that ive tried for the first time called 'Desiree'. As pretty as it is the pea actually tastes quite earthy and not very sweet so i wont be growing these again.

 

 

 

 

   My autumn raspberries are now pumping out lovely ripe fruit, along with my blueberrys and a second flush of strawberrys.

 

 

 

 

   Im even getting a harvest of cut flowers every week. I only sowed a few sweetpea seeds but they are producing loads of flowers providing me with a vase full every week.







 

 

The war on slugs!

   With all the recent rain my crops having been sitting targets against the onslaught of the slugs. My squashes and courgettes have been stripped to just leave a stubby stem remaining. Well now its time for them to fight back! Its useless using pellets when its wet as they just dissolve. So the secret weapon in the war is nematodes. I've used them before against vine weevils with great results, so I'm hoping to have the same success against the slugs. the nematodes are microscopic organisms which prey on different pests in the garden. Its completely environmentally friendly and it couldn't be easier to use. It comes as a spongy substance which should be stored in the fridge. You just dissolve it into your watering can and apply to the soil. Luckily with the rain sill pouring it ensures that the nematodes will get down into the soil and do their magic. Nematodes are quite expensive so I'm hoping they'll be worth the cost. It states that the slugs will be dead within a week so  if my plants can hold out a bit longer then the war might be won! I'll keep you posted.

The garlic harvest

   I harvested my garlic yesterday. They were suffering from rust and all the foliage was yellowing and dying. I didnt know what to expect from the bulbs. Its always exciting digging something up and seeing if your hard work has paid off. Its my first harvest of garlic and I will defiantly be growing them again this Winter. I thought they might have suffered after all the bad weather and then from the rust, but they seem to have survived. They arent the biggest bulbs ever but for my first time i am very pleased!

The risk of frost has passed

    Its mid June so all the tender veg is now planted out in their final positions.

   My Tomatoes have been planted out into pots, these include Ferline, Amish Gold and Black Krim. I always plant my tomatoes deep up to the first true leaves, this ensures good anchorage and encourages it to develop feeder roots. I just need to sun to start shining and the rain to stop.

    Up at the allotment Ive planted out my final bed. Its a take on the three sister bed, but mine just consists of two of the sisters. My sweetcorn is in a grid with my squashes planted among that grid. The plan is that as the sweetcorn grows up nice and tall the squashes will spread around the bottom covering the ground which suppresses weeds and keeps in the moisture. (The third sister is runner beans which normally grow up the sweetcorn, but my beans are in a seperate bed.) I dug in a couple of bags of manure because the squashes are greedy plants. I've also planted courgettes and gherkins

out. I think they all might sulk for a little bit as they they sat in their pots a little bit too long as they had started to yellow, but they should soon pick up and get growing.

Squashes, Courgettes and Cucumbers

    Since the weathers been so rubbish I thought I best get on with some sowing from the comfort of home. The start of May means it is time to sow the cucurbita family for me. Last year my squashes and courgettes were a disaster. It was just too dry for them. This year I'm hoping it will be different ( well if it stays like this it certainly wont be too dry for them!) So that means I need to prepare their bed well with lots of manure. I've sown a variety of squashes, courgettes and I'm even trying 'Crystal Apple' for something a bit different. They've gone into pots which are now in my heated propagator. Hopefully a bumper harvest awaits later in the summer.

Tulips

    I bought some reduced tulip bulbs last winter which i planted at the end of November. They were a bit of a gamble whether it was too late to plant them or if the bulbs were a bit past it. However as you can tell by the picture above the gamble paid off. I planted them in a row at the end of the bed that the tenders will be going into, so that the bed would be free till June. Perfect for my first attempt at growing cut flowers. Tulips are my favourite flower, i just love the simple shape and bold colours of them, a truly elegant flower. The thought of growing some extra ones to enjoy in the house as well as the garden seemed a good idea. So i currently have two bunches of homegrown tulips providing my house with glorious colour and all it cost me was a few pounds back in November- bargain!

One Sunny Day

    Well I couldn't believe my eyes this morning when I woke up to find the sun shining through the window after yesterdays torrential downpour. It was just in time for my first day off work. I headed up to the plot to take advantage of the sudden sunshine. I did the usual weeding to try and stay on top of it. Then I started digging a bit more of one of the beds and raked it over ready for sowing some seeds direct. I also planted out my parsley plants that overwintered in my blow-away greenhouse. I hadn't really thought about growing parsley till I saw Monty with his healthy looking plants on 'Gardeners World'. Hopefully I'll have nice big plants ready for when my new potatoes are due to be dug up.

April Showers!

   Well this last week has been a right wash out! So much for the drought! The rain has stopped me from doing anything at the plot. Whenever i was about to venture up there the heavens opened. All I've managed to do is pot on my tomato plants and sow some more broad beans. My fingers are itching to get things planted out at the plot. Hopefully it'll stop raining long enough for me to get a bit done now that I've got three days off from work, fingers crossed!
    I have been enjoying my first rhubarb pickings, turning them into a good old fashioned crumble. I've managed to get some more today after the gale force winds have blown over the stems and broken some. Well we cant have them going to waste, so Im thinking i might try making a rhubarb fool tonight.

Tomato Time!

  
    All my tomato seeds that I sowed last week have emerged. I always wait till April to sow mine because they'll be grown outside which means they need to be ready for June.  I think tomatoes are the vegetable that I most enjoy to grow. I love to grow lots of different varieties. This year I've chosen to grow 'Ferline' (my good old faithful), 'Black Krim', and 'Amish Gold'. Then 'Black Cherry', 'Green Grape' and 'Gardener's Delight' for gorgeous cherry toms and I'll be trying to grow 'Rambling Gold Stripe' and 'Fountain' in a hanging basket. Ive grown tomatoes once before in a basket with great success but that was with shop brought Tumbling Tom plants.  The seedlings seem so tiny at the moment, but I'm looking forward to a late summer harvest of tasty juicy toms! What tomatoes are you growing this year? have you got a favourite tom?

Planting Potatoes

  

   After a long time chitting it was finally time to get my potatoes into the ground. I planted some in grow bags in the garden and also planted a row up at the plot. This way I can compare the yields of growing them in different ways. Im only growing salad potatoes as main crop take up too much space and are easily available in the shops. All my chitted potatoes had good strong shoots appearing which should help get a successful crop slightly earlier than non-chitted.

    I've also planted Jerusalem Artichokes for the first time this year. I planted them in two short rows at the plot. After seeing Alys Fowler harvest them and turn them into a tasty looking gratin, I've been intrigued to try them. She stated they were a crop that need little attention and provide a bumper crop for little effort. So I look forward to trying them this winter.