19th May 2015
Sowing for the village plant sale
Every year in the village hall or neuadd as they say in Welsh they hold a plant sale to raise funds for the upkeep and running of the hall. Living only two doors away we often see events happening in there and when possible pop or head in for a look around. At last years sale we had been out for the day and just caught the end of it so there wasn't much left to buy.
We regularly receive a newsletter full of the latest gossip from the surrounding villages, the latest edition was advertising on the front cover for plants to sell. As anyone who grows their own knows you always end up with a surplus of seeds at the end of the year so to pot up a few for a good cause seemed like a great idea.
Rather than go for something plain I've sown some French beans named purple queen and a couple of trays of sugarsnap peas called Sugar bon. On top of this every year my herb garden is taken over with wild strawberries. The plants in the sun are already flowering however a lot of the runners have spread into shady areas so these won't do so well. So far I've potted up twelve plants, they are shallow rooted and pull up easily. I think I could pot up at least another fifty without effecting my harvest, by midsummer I'm sure they'll be carpeting the floor again.
23rd November 2014
Turning the compost heap
At any one time I always try to have at least two separate compost heaps on the go. This enables me to alternate between them, giving one a chance to break down while I use the other for a few weeks.
My compost is made up of all vegetable kitchen waste, plenty of green and brown material from the garden and also, perhaps most importantly, all the bedding from the chicken and duck coops. The manure from the chickens and ducks really enriches the compost and also helps to speed up the break down of any tougher material that get mixed in.
Every so often it's good practice to turn the compost heap. This not only speeds up the process giving you useable compost in a shorter time, it also helps to ensure that there are no lumps or layers of material that hasn't broken down in amongst the good compost. I find that particularly with grass clippings and straw bedding that this can be the case.
Supporting raspberry canes
With my Summer fruiting raspberries the fruit will come on canes that have grown this year, as opposed to Autumn fruiting ones that will fruit on new shoots.
This means that the canes that are there now will be exposed to the worst of the Winter weather that we have up here. To protect them I'll be supporting them with wire or twine tied to a few poles and stretched along the length of the bed about half way up the canes. This should prevent them being blown about too much and give me a better chance of maximising my harvest, which I must say was a bit disappointing this year.
Harvesting Watercress
Back in September when the crops in the raised beds had been harvested I decided that I would completely fill one with salad seeds on the off chance that some would germinate and give me a meal or two further down the line. That is exactly what's happened. The watercress is prolific and I've even had a few little gem lettuce come through. This is a real result and testament to just how easy growing your own can be. Since sowing the seeds I have done nothing else to this bed and am now getting to enjoy the rewards from it.
21st October 2014
Harvesting Pumpkins
Like many people this week I have harvested my pumpkins. I was a little disappointed with the fact that I only got three from three whole plants but will wait to taste them before I give my final verdict. They have been harvested with the stalk as long as possible, this will enable them to be stored for longer. It'll soon be time to break out the famous pumpkin soup recipe.
Harvesting Borlotti beans
Whilst most of the runner beans have been harvested leaving only a few to dry for next years seed the borlotti beans have been left largely to their own devices. they can either be eaten fresh from the pod when still fairly young and brightly coloured or as I have done they can be left outside, on the plant to dry naturally. Once the pod has become light brown and papery the beans can simply be podded and put somewhere warm and dry for a couple of days to dry completely before being stored in a jar to add to all those winter stews ahead.
Protecting my brassicas
All sorts of wildlife have been taking a fancy to my young brassica plants recently, including one of my chickens. If they're going to make any progress they're going to need some protection. This will come in the form of half plastic bottles and chicken wire. Hopefully this should give them a chance to recover. As a back up I have transplanted some to the now empty polytunnel bed giving them complete protection and an optimum environment to grow in.
18th August 2014
Thinning out the tomato plants
Enough leaves need to be left on to allow the plant to continue to photosynthesise, so I'll leave the healthier ones and remove any that are directly shadowing fruit or are bit past their prime.
Picking Runner beans
It seems this year as soon as one crop comes to an end another begins to flourish. This is partly due to poor planning on my part, but every vegetable is worth the wait when it does arrive. Mid way through my courgette glut I now have a bounty of runner beans to consume. Each time I pick there's a batch for the kitchen and a batch for the freezer. I had been leaving one to grow as long as possible with the hope of entering it into the village show. The chickens must have thought it looked good too as they pecked the end off, putting an end to any ambitions of silverware I had this year.
Sowing brassicas
I may have left it a bit late but the polytunnel should help me to catch up. With many crops of the veg patch reaching their peak I already have a good idea of what is going to go in their place. Brassicas sown now should get a couple of months good growth before winter really sets in. I have no intention of having a bare veg patch this winter so any work done now will repay me throughout the months to come.
16th June 2014
Thinning the raised beds
The raised beds have really started to thrive in this hot weather. My rows of little gem lettuces were intentionally sown with more than I would need, now they have reached a good size the thinnings make a great salad of their own. The carrots also need thinning which I will do in the evening hopefully deterring the dreaded carrot root fly.
Creating a new bed in the polytunnel
The tomato plants in the polytunnel are now rampant, I have had to tie the tops to the polytunnel frame for support. Also the courgette plants are now huge and I even had my first harvest last week.
With the original bed now full I still have a few tomato and chilli plants remaining so I plan to create a new bed to put these in. The space was previously taken up with seed trays and pots but the majority of these have now made their way into the veg patch. I still have the table in there to continue sowing throughout the summer but with regards to the rest of the space I intend to get the most out of it well the weather is fine.
Direct sowing
With some space now available, where early sowing of radishes and lettuces have been previously and where a failed sowing of garlic failed to materialise, I plan to sow some seed direct. These will be fairly quick to mature crops such as spring onions, beetroot and carrots that can be harvested whatever the size and some more salad leaves. Regular sowings all in different areas of the garden should mean I won't have to buy any of these for months.
22nd May 2014
Building a chicken coop
A couple of weeks ago I went to my local poultry auction with the hope of buying some chickens. After arriving late and missing the lots that I had wanted we left empty handed. I resisted the thrill of the auction and decided in the knowledge that it is held monthly I will return on time next month. The plan is to get half a dozen chicks that will be raised purely for meat. Currently we grow our own veg and get our own eggs from the ducks, meat is next on the agenda, so some free range chickens for the table is the next logical step for me. This warrants a post of it's own so I'm sure they'll be plenty more to come on this.
Planting out.
On an almost weekly basis now plants in the polytunnel are ready to go outside into the plot. This week it will be butternut squash, courgette and peas all now out growing their pots and trays.
Finding space for runner beans
So I went a bit over the top when sowing the runner and borlotti beans. I now have nowhere to put them. I've already fitted all I can into the veg patch and I'm still left with twenty five or so plants. There is no way I would let these go to waste so some imaginative thinking on my part is going to be required to get the most out of this crop.
Creating a strawberry patch
Not far from me is a great 'Pick your own' farm which I intend to make full use of this in the coming months. I'm sure however that I can fit a few plants in somewhere for some instant satisfaction. It may mean losing even more of the lawn or building some more raised beds but so be it, after all I can't eat grass so growing it is of no interest to me.
29th April 2014
Earthing up potatoes
My first early potatoes were planted out at the end of February, the shoots have now emerged sufficiently to be earthed up. This involves covering over the shoots with earth to form a mound, just leaving the top couple of leaves showing. This will ensure that any tubers that form near the surface are not spoilt by light getting to them.
Planting out cabbages
The red and green cabbages sown inside at the beginning of March are now ready to be planted out. They have been in the polytunnel for the past couple of weeks and are now getting too big for their pots. To protect them further once planted out I will cover them over with cloches (Used plastic bottles cut in half) for a couple of weeks until the roots establish.
Mulching
Having had the ducks a year this month my composted manure from this time last year is well rotted and ready to use. I'll use this to mulch around any of the bigger more established plants that I already have in the garden such as the rhubarb and the gooseberry bushes; The rest will be mixed into any areas of the veg patch that haven't yet been planted to give any vegetables a boost once they go in. This will improve the soil structure and add much needed nutrients to the soil. Now that I have started to use the first of the manure I should always have a continuous supply with more being added every week. This can be expensive to buy and is invaluable when growing veg.
5th April 2014
Erecting a polytunnel
This week I have taken the plunge and invested in a polytunnel; This will enable me to grow some more exotic plants such as peppers and tomatoes as well as extending the growing season of what I already planned to grow. The sunniest spot unfortunately is where the garden shed is at the moment so there's going to have to be a bit of a reshuffle.
Sowing seeds to sell
Now that I have a polytunnel I'm going to sow any excess seed and hopefully sell on the plants once they are a few weeks old. The plan is to sell them at a car boot sale first and see how I get on. If I make enough back to reimburse me for the polytunnel I'll be happy, plus I always have excess seeds left over at the end of summer that will eventually be thrown out a year or so later.
Restoring the lawn
I wouldn't normally be too concerned by the fact that my lawn isn't perfectly manicured but through the winter a combination of the weather, the ducks and me carrying out alot of work it's looking a bit bare. I'll rake out all of the dead grass and sow some fresh seed sparingly all over it.
24th March 2014
Mulching raspberries
Having inherited a mature raspberry bed when I moved in I'm not too sure how long it has been there. I've already established that they are summer fruiting, as opposed to autumn. This means the raspberries will grow on last years growth rather than the new shoots that the plant sends up.
I'm getting a bit of an excess of hay from cleaning the ducks out at the moment, the compost heap is about eighty percent hay and with not many greens about that's not going to change anytime soon. So this hay will be ideal along with the muck that comes with it. Following a bit of weeding I'll spread the hay around the base of the plants and look forward to a bumper harvest.
This will benefit the plant by retaining moisture in the soil, keeping any weed growth to a minimum and over time it will rot down and be incorporated into the soil.
Potting on plants inside
The weather is still a bit inclement to take the plunge and start planting everything outside. Meanwhile inside I have tomatoes, courgettes and leeks that are getting a bit big for their current pots. As soon as strong root growth can be seen through the bottom of the pot they should be potted on. This will ensure that the plant remains strong and healthy and continues to grow. Tomatoes will go into individual larger pots but there will be no harm done by putting all of the leeks in one large pot.
Protecting early shoots
Having directly sown peas, broad beans and shallots amongst others outside over the past few weeks it is important these are protected. The main pests at this time are birds and emerging slugs. The latter should be taken care of by the ducks on their daily slug patrols however beer traps could be deployed as an extra measure . To stop the birds chickens wire will be placed loosely over any sowing hopefully preventing the bids from getting to them.
6th March 2014
Planting out chard
I started off some chard around six weeks ago inside, despite a slow start it has now reached a decent size and is ready to be planted out. I am a bit cautious about this as the broad beans I put out a couple of weeks ago are looking ragged at best due to the severe weather lately. However the plan with these is that if the weather gets too bad again I will protect them with a cloche made from an old plastic bottle.
Chard is capable of growing all year round so once these first two plants go in with a bit of planning I should never be without it again.
Clearing the front garden
The front garden is fairly small in size measuring about 3ft by 4ft. At the moment it is covered in patchy yellow grass and piles of stones making it look altogether uninspiring. The plan for this is to clear it back and sow wild flower seed all over. This spot benefits from sun most of the day so I’m hoping it will create something really eye-catching as we walk in and out of the house. Again weather dependant I may not sow the seeds this weekend but I can make a good start on the clearing.
23rd February 2014
Planting potatoes
My first early seed potatoes have been chitting on the windowsill for the past few weeks and are now ready to be planted out. The sprouts are about 2cm long which should give them a good start once in the ground. They will go into the veg patch in a spot that has been well dug over to avoid any hindrance to the development of the tubers. Once the leaves start showing through I'll earth them up but that's a couple of weeks away yet.
Directly sowing peas
On a dry day this week I'll be sowing the first of my peas into the already prepared part of the veg patch. The aim is to successionally sow a few every week until I end up with a bush about two metres long. This will give me the longest growing season and provide me with fresh peas all summer. The variety I'll be using is called Early onward, it is high yielding and doesn't grow too high so a few sticks spread throughout should provide plenty of support.
Directly sowing garlic
When I bought my seed potatoes I ordered three bulbs of garlic too. The variety is called Pink germidour which I have never grown before. I have tried to grow garlic in the past from sprouting cloves that were bought from the supermarket which had gone past their best. This wasn't too successful, mainly I think because I planted them too late. To give the garlic a chance to form proper bulbs it needs a long growing season. It's also also quite hardy so I have no hesitation in planting it out now despite the weather. garlic is good for planting alongside carrots to deter the dreaded carrot root fly so some will go in the veg patch and some will go in the raised beds next in rows wide enough to fit some Chanternay carrots in between.
14th February 2014
Sowing leeks
Leeks have a fairly long growing season so I'm going to be sowing a few this weekend to start harvesting in late August. One of the advantages leeks have over other vegetables is that if the right variety is chosen they can be grown all year round. For a steady harvest right through winter I'll sow a few every couple of weeks from now until the end of April. You can be fairly relaxed about this as leeks will quite happily sit in the ground until needed with no adverse effects.
Sowing a 'cut and come again' salad crop
It's still a bit cold to be sowing salad directly outside, although a lot of lettuces will grow outside all year round they need a bit of warmth to get started. I'll be sowing a whole tray of salad leaves inside that can be harvested as a cut and come again crop. This means I won't let the plants reach full maturity instead I'll harvest them as baby leaf salad from as little as four weeks from now. This way they are fresh and available whenever I want them. By the time I have had want I can get from these there should be another salad crop reaching maturity outside in the raised beds.
Clearing the paths and patio
Before any of the weeds really start to grow I'm going to get out and remove them. With not much happening in the way of growth all around the garden now is a good time to get the jobs done that I won't have the time or the inclination to do when the sun is out. For me this is weeding and hopefully by doing a little bit now I am avoiding a bigger job further down the line.
7th February 2014
Hedge pruning
Now is a good time to prune hedges. It gives you the chance to get the desired shape before any real growth has started and also avoids disturbance to any migratory birds which will not yet have started to nest. With my ducks escaping nearly every day this week it's given me good reason to look at the state of the hedges. There are bare areas growing alongside overgrown patches and it could all do with a good going over. i may even try a bit of hedge laying, quite a difficult skill that takes a long time to master but worth a try for a novice like me.
Sowing seeds
Now we are into February I can confidently sow seeds knowing that by the time they are ready to go into the plot we will be well into March. I'll be sowing cabbage, red and green, lettuce, my second lot of broad beans and tomatoes.
If you have warmed your soil or live in a milder area you could even grow broad beans direct this week.
Drinking ginger beer
Last night I made ginger beer using the River cottage recipe. It only takes around forty eight hours to ferment so tomorrow I'll be having one or two of these. By all accounts it tastes fantastic so I'm looking forward to trying it.
31st January 2014
Planting out broad beans
The time has come to plant out the broad beans that I have had on the windowsill for the past few weeks. They have reached about twelve inches tall and the roots are starting to show out of the bottom of the pots. I have managed to get them outside to harden off on a couple of days this week so it shouldn't be too much of a shock to them. I think they may have grown a bit to tall due to the low light levels but only time will tell and I'm certainly not wasting them. So this weekend I'll dig over the spot I intend to plant them in and put them in.
Sowing lettuce and cabbage
With the broad bean going outside this frees up some space on my windowsill. Cabbages and lettuce can both go in fairly early so if sown now should be ready to go out around the beginning of March. With successional sowing in mind I'll probably sow three of each in separate pots and plant out the strongest two. this will be repeated in another couple of weeks
Sowing shallot sets
Shallots can be grown from seed or sets, seeds are cheaper as you get a lot more quantity for your money. Sets will be ready a bit sooner and are a little bit easier to sow and grow. mine will go in my raised beds in rows well enough spaced to get some carrots in between. Companion planting like this should ward off any potential carrot fly.
23rd January 2014
Hardening off Broad beans
I planted two broad beans around three weeks ago and so far they are making great progress. Germination took about ten days as stated on the packet and they have really pushed on from there. Another week and they will be ready to go out as the first residents of my veg patch this year. There will be more to follow successionally but for now these are the only two. between now and then they need a bit of toughening up, this process is called hardening off. it involves placing the plants outside during the day and bringing them back in again overnight. The time spent inside gets shorter and shorter as the week goes on until eventually they are ready to go outside. this avoids a sudden shock to the plant which would be likely to impair its growth.
Clearing last years Raspberry canes
On moving ti the new house I have inherited a well established raspberry bush. Last years canes now need to be cut down and the perennial weeds in between need to come out. this should ensure good new growth and plenty of raspberries this year
18th January 2014
Preparing raised beds
I've decided to have a small 'kitchen garden' close to the back door in addition to the other plots around the garden where I can plant a few herbs and some of the more delicate varieties of veg that may need a bit more attention.For this i have managed to get hold of a few old planks of wood that will be perfect for the job.
Ordering seeds
Having narrowed down what I plan to grow to a list of about twenty or so it's time to get them ordered.I'm sure I'll pick up plenty more on various visits to garden centres and shows throughout the year but I always find it's good to have a rough idea to start with.
Clearing the future veg patch
The soil is still a bit wet for digging so for now I'll be clearing the old flower beds and adding more to an ever growing compost heap.
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