Garden Blogs

Monday, 15 June 2009

always read the instructions….

As my previously referred to “puny” courgette died off as anticipated, I realised that time was slipping by and to have any produce I had one last chance at getting some new seeds germinated. Frustrated by my incompetence in this area, I rather begrudgingly resorted to re-reading the instructions on the seed packet, and duly covered my last three seeds with a clear plastic bag as directed. Lo and behold, a week later up popped all three with bright green leaves and I now have three courgette seedlings doing exceptionally well. The packet advises that it’s possible to plant the seeds direct into warm soil at this time of year, but I not only needed to give these seeds the best chance, I needed to work out for myself where I was going wrong – sometimes you have to learn your own lessons the hard way don’t you? I’ve not had too much to do in the garden over the past week – the welcome showers have kept it watered and everything is growing on nicely. Lucky really, as I’ve generally been to busy to get out there much. I’ve spent most of my garden time sorting out tomato plants – all 35 of them (and that’s excluding the “naught” ten, who have been sent to the far side of the garden in disgrace). Far too may for one person you may think, but my aim is to have such an excess that I can turn some into sun-dried tomatoes, or relish / sauce. What usually happens is that I end up eating them like sweets or giving them away and never get round to my plans. Stronger resolve this year, I promise. Some more potting on is required, and spacing them out along the short length of South facing wall for maximum morning sunshine requires constant OCD style giggling of pots and trays. I’m a big fan of the look you get from the old style terracotta pots, but I’ve found that plastic pots hold the moisture better, and in this hot weather it’s the plants in the latter that fair better when I don’t have time to water. They are fed once a week, either with a commercially bought solution, or mum’s comfrey and sheep dropping mixture (the plants love it but it smells as bad as it sounds), constantly checked for side shoots, tied to their sticks as they grow, and most importantly not watered too much as this makes the fruits split. I was given a couple of old wicker baskets by a good friend, so these are being used as space is now running out in the beds. With no need to fill the entire basket with expensive compost, and some old bricks lying around, these were put in the bottom with some black plastic from an old compost bag on top, filled and then planted up with some of the 40 or so lettuce seedlings I planted out (couldn’t bear to throw away any – salad anyone??). The larger basket will look far nicer than my current potato bags when I use it for that purpose next year, and the wicker style fits well with my willow trellising that protects the beds. Very satisfyingly, the peas have flowers on, with buds just showing on the French beans peppers are showing a multitude of small green blobs and my forest of purple sprouting broccoli is far more advanced than my one surviving plant last year. I noticed the first strawberry starting to turn pink yesterday, and the leaves on the red onions are starting to yellow (as referred to on the harvest section of the instructions I found and decided I’d better read) so it won’t be long before produce starts. Onion and strawberry salad anyone….? Sounds a bit odd to me, but I bet it’s been done somewhere.

Monday, 8 June 2009

imposters in the garden

Bit of a disaster in the tomato department. I’m relieved to find that it is due to a pack of rogue seeds and not neglect on my part, but I’m rather upset that my favourite sungold cherry tomatoes have turned out to be imposters. I’ve watched the plants over the past two weeks as their leaves gradually turned yellow and curly and the plants growth became stunted, thinking I was missing something – had I fed them enough? Overwatered them? was it too cold outside? Or too windy? Was there something eating their roots? And this morning, with both relief and dismay, I saw the tell-tale sign of feathered leaf growth that rogue plants have (image below). Small comfort, but at least it wasn’t me. I’ve finally managed to get some French beans germinated but courgettes are still proving challenging (oh, how can a courgette be challenging??). Out of about 20 seeds I’ve got four plants so far, and one of those is looking decidedly puny so I don’t hold out much hope for it. The climbing courgettes are doing well and will soon need something to climb up – I’ve not quite worked out where and what though. Should I actually manage to germinate more than one, the “traditional” type will be planted at the edge of one of the beds and, as they can take up a fair bit of space, encouraged to grow out over the stones, away from other plants, leaving more bed space. It’s so pleasing to see flowers turning to fruit and vegetables – miniature green strawberries, tomatoes, courgettes and peppers are showing and whereas previously I was excitedly watching the seedlings progress, I’m now peering at the produce as it slowly turns into the desired harvest. Like something out of Jack & the Beanstalk, runner beans are shooting up their sticks, twisting round and round in helter-skelter fashion. What makes the plants snake round the sticks so determinedly? With a bit of garden envy I find myself asking my gardening friends how far their produce has got this year, and am secretly relieved when I find that they also have only harvested radishes or lettuce so far… speaking of which, my lettuce enthusiasm needs a little tempering – I now have about 30 lettuce seedlings, all of which will be ready at about the same time – even if I give them away I’ll never get through that many, but at least they were easy to germinate. I’m slowly filling the last few bed spaces I have left, but keep finding areas I’ve clearly planted up and forgotten what I put there and when. I have three beautiful straight rows of what I think might be the first sign of carrots, but could equally be beetroot or spinach. My classic error is to think I’ll remember, or recognise the seedlings, and I’m not. Last year whilst planting out lettuce I managed to dig up a row of shallots I’d only put there the week before – you’d have hoped I might have learned from that…. Like a heavily pregnant woman feeling for foot-shaped lumps in her belly, I can be found rubbing the outside of my potato bags as I try to feel if they are ready to dig up – a few are flowering , but I’m not convinced there’s much going on under all the lush foliage yet. You can’t rush these things so I’ll just have to wait a bit longer…..it’ll all be worth the wait though, I’m sure. (Random gratuitous shot of the flower in my garden that is most pleasing to my eye right now – having been totally unsuccessful with Irises to date, I can’t get over how beautiful this one is.)