POTIO APPOTMENT

COURGETTE TEA BREAD/MUFFINS -cups added

2009-07-10T13:07:00.004+02:00

Thought I would share this recipe -it is gorgeous!!!! -if you like carrot/passion cake -these should be a hit ;-) -I used my 2nd courgette last night to make these.... if the courgettes do as well as they seem to have started off -I may well "have" to make some more batches to go in the freezer for later in the year .

Its originally made in the oven in a loaf tin, the ones above were made in the remoska -

1 large egg
125ml sunflower oil 1/2 cup
175g courgette -trimmed and grated 1 cup grated
150g wholewheat flour 1+1/4 cup
1/2tsp baking powder
1tsp bicarb ..........I replaced 4,5 +6 with 150g SR flour
1tsp ground cinnamon
175g soft dark brown sugar 1 cup -packed
75g sultanas 3/4 cup
75g walnuts, chopped 3/4 cup -measured before chopping

preheat the oven to 180c - 350f - gas 4 -
grease and base line a 2lb loaf tin with non-stick paper
beat the oil and egg together in a large bowl
sift in the flour and add all other ingredients and stir to combine
pour into the prepared tin
bake for 1hr, or until a skewer comes out clean
cool in the tin for 10 mins, then remove and cool

If doing in the remoska -it will make about 15 like the ones in the photo (about 2/3 fill the cases)-so you will need to do them in 2 batches -the 1st batch took about 30mins then because it was warm for the 2nd batch they took about 5 mins less

* There you go folks -I made a batch this morning and transfered into cups -hope they work out well*

Mini cauli

2009-07-10T12:14:00.003+02:00

Now it might only be tiny-but it's more than I was starting to expect -"my very first mini cauli"
The plants are looking really healthy, but I was starting to think the curd was never going to appear..so let's see how this one does -and if the rest can do the same

more photos

2009-07-05T21:43:00.003+02:00

My strawberry table -Im getting a few off every day and have had to cut of 40 trailers off so they carry on fruiting -once they are done I will let the rest grow

My 1st courgette

My first attempts at celery -and "so far-so good"

My beetroot and scorzonera -now I normally fail miserably with beetroot -but these seem to be swelling -fingers crossed

more photos

2009-07-05T21:28:00.002+02:00

Some of the aubergines which are flowering -at last !!!!
More tomatoes of varying kinds

tomatoes and courgettes

Maskotka tomato -which has plenty of flowers on, so If they all set I will be growing plenty of these next time ;-)

more photos

2009-07-05T21:13:00.003+02:00

Here we go... todays photos
My sweet potatoes -or triffids as they are now known lol ....here's hoping that there as much happening under the compost

some of the beans.....

oooohhh and more beans lol

The purple peas -which I will grow again -even if just for the gorgeous flowers ;-)

and 1 of my purple peas up close n personal

photo updates -at last

2009-06-27T15:02:00.004+02:00

Sorry for being missing for a while -lots of things going on and at the time, not much happening in the gardening...suddenly everything seems to be going into fast forward -These pics were taken 10 days ago, so I will get some updated ones in the morning as everythng has come on in leaps and bounds.

Some of the peas and squash

more peas and tomatoes

A courgette plant -should be taking the 1st courgette off tomorrow ;-)

I seem to be battling with green/black fly -strangely though they are targeting my tomato plants not the beans as usual.... I am spraying them down with washing up liquid in water as and when needed.... made much easier by having a 5lt bottle with a sprayer attatched -so once I have pumped the air in to get the pressure up I just have to set it off and wave it about lol -the best €5 I have spent....

My sweet potato foliage is turning into Triffids...just hope underneath is doing as well

I am still getting lots of salad leaves, have finished off the raspberries , black/white/red currants for now but still getting several strawberries a day. Quite a few pods on my peas (have "tested" a few) and now waiting for some more to fatten up... had 2 lots of potatoes (only set 3 lots) The peppers are at last starting to get flowers on, as are the aubergines.. so its happening ..slowly...

Hope everyone is getting lots of goodies out of their plots

MORE PHOTOS

2009-06-08T13:57:00.002+02:00

MORE PHOTOS

2009-06-06T12:25:00.003+02:00

2009-06-06T08:26:00.005+02:00

Just thought I would post some more update photos...starting with some of the raspberries and strawberries..

My 1st raspberry cane ever and I was amazed when it flowered lol... so now we have quite a few lovely raspberries on.... but can I get to them as soon as they are ripened and before the many many birds we encourage into the garden spot them ???? I don't mind sharing -but I would like to try a few ;-)

Some of my alpine strawberries -I have some "normal" ones too -can't wait for them to ripen as Im a serious fruit-a-holic

and slowly but surely my strawberrie tabble is covering over -

I can't believe how things are shooting up

2009-06-02T16:54:00.005+02:00

I can't believe how things are suddenly shooting up... the top picture is the same tomato that is in the bottom pic -on the right, taken just 9 days apart...there is a 3"-4" difference !!!!

These are some of the tomatoes that went out last -so they have done really well and seem to have settled in quite nicely...I must be doing something right lol

FIRST TEENY TINY TOMATO HAS APPEARED

2009-06-02T16:38:00.003+02:00

oooohhhhh look what I have found!!!!! my very first teeny tiny tomato of the season ...... its one of the German "fleisch" tomatoes and it's obviously going to look a bit like a beef steak shape.. -how excited can 1 person get over something so small lol
There are flowers appearing on plenty of the other plants too....

RED LEAVES ON BRASSICA PIC

2009-06-01T15:52:00.002+02:00

Here we go -this is the strange happening with my brassicas....it does look pretty but it really shouldn't be happening !!!!
Its strange as i only gave them some fish blood + bone food a few days ago -and Im sure the other plants are starting to lose the red tinge -although it could be my imagination lol -so now I have a picture I will be able to compare and see if lack of phosporus was the problem ..

Brassica leaves turning purple!!!!

2009-05-27T14:54:00.004+02:00

I have decided to do a trouble shooting section as I have just had my own problem and have tracked down the possible cause and solution -so thought it would be a good idea to keep it all together...

Anyway -the title says it all lol - I noticed a while ago that many of my brassicas -particularly the brussels and cauliflowers had started to get a purple/red hue to their leaves. I left them as it didn't look like they were diseased or dying -but as more have started doing it I have trundled through the internet and found that the probable cause is a lack of phosphorus -which is needed for photosynthesis (all sounds very technical lol) .... now I don't want to add too much in case that isn't the problem so I have use a bit of fish blood and bone fertilizer I happen to have in -pinkies crossed it helps

i will try and get a picture later so you can see what I mean and I can compare for any improvement ...

celery seedlings transplanted

2009-05-27T14:47:00.003+02:00

After leaving my itty bitty celery seedling in the cold frame for weeks -and just zapping them with water every day -they have finally made it to "transplant" size!!!
I only have 9 but as its my first attempt I'm amazed that any made it lol -I have now put plenty of cow dung pellets in the compost and soaked it, then topped it up with more compost, so have 2 small troughs with them in and stuck them in the brassica tent. I will be thrilled if they actually form proper sticks, although even if I just end up with loads of leaves I will just dry them and crumble them as I love them in stews ;-)

more sweet potato tips!!!

2009-05-25T16:47:00.003+02:00

Hi all

I'm not sure if anyone else is having a go at sweet potatoes -but just in case I thought I would pass on some more information (kindly passed on by my mum -who heard it on the radio and wrote it down for me, so she wouldn't forget)
Anyway.. they were saying that

it is important not to let the leaves lie on the floor as they will root and you will end up with a spaghetti like bundle when it come time to pull them up! -Which sounds similar to my result last year -very thin and twisted -luckily this year the foliage got off to a much better start so it is allready being trained up canes..
lots of water -obviously to help the tubers swell -last year I had to go away for 3 weeks in the middle of summer and they were totally neglected -so that explains a lot too...
oh and at the end of the season if you can -cover them with black plastic/fabric and take indoors to get them an extra couple of weeks warmth -Shall I tell hubby now that I will want 2 dustbins full dragging into the basement? or wait and spring it on him? lol

Tips for those giving it a go next year included ;-

If you are starting your own slips make sure the sweet potato has heat underneath -so like me -the pot sat on a radiator or on a heated pad
slips need to be twisted off once about 3" tall or the sweet potato will start to rot -which might explain the problem some folks have been having
Start them off in February -so you get a long growing season, which strangely enough is what I did (more by luck than anything)-started off what i thought was "way too early" and then when I twisted them off I set them in pots of compost indoors -so by the time they went out they had got a good root system going!

They were also saying that the sweet potato gives one of the best yields out of all plants.... they set 1 slip in a bucket(not sure what size) and said you could get anything from 5-10lb yield -I have 2 dustbins with about 12 slips between the 2 -so if things go well we could be in for lots of sweetpotato based soups for winter (hubby doesn't like them -but always comments "how nice that soup was" when I have used them in it ;-) -and lots of roasted slices with balsamic for me mmmmm ..and should I end up with way too many I will have to take some back for my mum at xmas as she hasn't done any -but is going to give them a go next year! ..so she can help me with mine ..fingers crossed I get loads

more photo updates

2009-05-24T16:23:00.002+02:00

My strawberries are starting to spread nicely -hopefull those growbags will be covered before much longer! I have only put 2 plants in each hanging bag and they seem to be doing much better than last year-I have 8 bags in total and quite a few flowers now...

This has beetroot around the outside (and those 3 rogue plants), the scorzonera is in the middles as it has a long slow season and the really thin bits -looking like grass -are a few spring onions...

Some of my pepper plants -but they seem much smaller than a lot I keep hearing about.... at the end of this season I'm going to keep 2 or 3 as I have read that they can be kept all year round...

This is what my patio looks like at the moment -although I have a feeling that in a month or 2 it will be virtually impossible to see any actual patio!!!

and finally for now -this is one of my Nikkos tomato plants -named after the owner of the apartments where we stopped in Kefalonia and that my mum saved the seeds from out of a salad!!! He was growing them on a dry patch of earth between the apartments and they were just left to their own devices... I like that idea ;-)

photo updates

2009-05-24T15:48:00.002+02:00

Its a superb sunny day here today, but sooooooo hot -luckily I have very little to do in the garden, everything is pretty much planted out apart from 2 replacement cucumbers I have started off -so I thought I would just update with some pictures I took yesterday..

The "fruit tub" -where I just plonked my raspberry cane, currants ans red gooseberry..and anazingly I have quite a few raspberries on... now will they ripen properly, and if so "will I beat the birds to them?"

Any ideas what the red veined plant is? I have 3 that have appeared in my beetroot -so I'm leaving them in there in the hope they are just a rogue beetroot variety...it does look pretty though.

A few of my beans on their way -yippee

My aubergines.... I did rather well with aubergines last year so I have tried a different variety too this year...

These are 2 of the 2nd lot of tomatoes that went out -so are a little further behind the others -but they are starting to catch up...

SWEET POTATO TRIFFIDS

2009-05-23T14:22:00.002+02:00

I remembered to get a pic of 1 of my dustbins of sweet potatoes yesterday evening -they are growing much better than last year (so far)..I have much more foliage and they are behaving much more like the magazine I read said they should. Last year they didn't seem as invasive, this year I have had to put canes in allready to hopefully encourage them to climb -so I can keep and eye out on the compost for bugs and problems. They have allready started to twist up the canes -so fingers crossed for some good tubers underneath eventually.

MY NEW PEA BOX

2009-05-23T13:20:00.002+02:00

Thanks for all the coments with ideas on what to do with that wooden trough!
In the end Im affraid the peas won ....
I got hubby to line the box and nail the uprights in place and attatch the wires across and then this morning I sat for ages fastening on the down strings -and now it is all set with peas/sugar snaps left from my crop last year -I have 2 rows with enough room to get my hand inbetween for picking! the uprights mean that I can add more wires when they need it....

NOW WHAT CAN I GROW IN THIS???

2009-05-20T13:36:00.004+02:00

Well look what hubby has got from work!!!!

Now Im going to line it with plastic and put drainage holes in the bottom oh and get the lables off -but need to decide what to plant in it ????

Im fighting the urge to plant more peas in it lol... but can't for the life of me think what would make the best use of it..

Its really thick wood so hubby is going to ask about if they have any more coming up as I reckon that broken down -the long boards would be really good for making raised beds when we move back to the uk ;-)

Pea update

2009-05-18T20:33:00.004+02:00

Yes I know its a sad obsession but this evening whilst out with the hose pipe I have counted up my peas n beans -
We now stand at 68 peas -from just peeping out to 3" tall, and 67 beans of varying stages lol..and loads more still to appear ;-) -so I have gained another 20 peas since yesterday and quite a few more beans lol
I also have several more flower buds on my courgettes and on 1 of my cucumbers-which is rather puzzling at this stage!!!

The other day I decide that I wasn't willing to waste the space that was left inside the large round tubs, where I had the string wigwams for beans n peas -the whole middle was vaccant -so I have shove more beetroot seeds in one and 2 kinds of carrot in the other! Now the carrot seeds were 15c a pack -well some german seeds were 10 packs for €1.50 so if they don't work well under there I won't have lost anything ;-)
Those seeds at 10 for €1.50 could include cabbages, celeriac, kholrabi, kale, carrots, salad leaves, beetroot and various other things I forget.. I have sent some of the bigger crop seeds back for my mum as she has raised beds,,and so far it seems that she has had really good germination with them -yipee
I have lost one pepper -the teeny tiny one has been eaten -but I think I can live with that lol, and I have lost 2 cucumbers -but they were the 2 that went out first as a test -well I know now -It didn't work lol -but I still have 4 left out there and have set 2 more "just in case" ...

Can't wait to get out there and get something done -but at the moment Im all up to date ..shock horror

I have just spotted the first flower buds on a few tomatoes!!

2009-05-17T17:17:00.003+02:00

Whilst out checking things over I got a snap of my tomatoes -well three of the 42 ;-).... I know they still don't look very tall -and these are the ones that went outside first , so the others are smaller! but they are really sturdy and suprisingly I have noticed a ouple of them have their first flower buds on ...oohhhh can summer really be on its way???

PEAS

2009-05-17T09:44:00.002+02:00

Its now become an early morning ritual to go out side to check everything is ok..and to count the beans and peas that are appearing lol

I have a serious thing for fresh peas, but never seem able to grow enough -so this year Im doubling the efforts .. so far I have 48 either at the stage of the ones above or just breaking the surface :-)

I had quite a lot rot that were set at the same time as the one above, and quite a few just fail -so I took them out and went round replacing them with what we are calling the "lucky dip peas" -which were a pot I had in the drawer from random pods that were missed from last years crops until I was clearing them out -so they could be sugar snaps, kleinrhinlanderin or anything else... and strangely enough they seem to be germinating better than the packet ones!!!!

Once the ones in the troughs have all made it through Im going to set some more in the other side of the troughs -in an attempt to keep a steady supply coming..

JACK BE LITTLE

2009-05-17T09:26:00.002+02:00

Here are my "jack be little" squash -merrily making their way up the wire, they seem to have coped ok -hiding behind fleece -but now they are on their own -unless, like the other night I end up running round the garden like a woman possesed covering everything up again as I could feel a storm coming lol and I JUST made it back into the house before the heavens opened!!
I have set some peas across the bottom too -you can see them just starting to peep out of their compost!!

MY COURGETTE IS FLOWERING!!!

2009-05-15T13:24:00.003+02:00

Not sure exactly how -but one of the courgettes I planted out 3 days ago has got a flower on -its a male flower, so no courgette butI found last year I got several male flowers first and then the female ones followed! One of the other courgettes has buds on too... hope its a good sign that I willl get plenty off this year as I HAVE to make some courgette teabread lol

oh and as a tip for anyone who hasn't grown them before -don't panic if you get flowers on and then you go out again and it looks like someone has cut them off -its what happens to male flowers!!! When it happened to me last year (my first time of growing them) I was running round the garden in a tizzy wondering what had happened..... a call to my mum who put me straight and I calmed again lol . If they had just dropped off it would have seemed normal but these had come off with a piece of their stem and seriously looked like they had been cut ;-)

PROTECTING WITH FLEECE

2009-05-13T08:43:00.003+02:00

Here you go Leiela

This is how I have things covered at the moment...Looks a little odd but I will soon be taking it all off ;-)
I have made "tents" and "windbreaks" -mainly to keep the cold out -but making the lean-to covers means if we get a lot of rain most of it will run off -but some will still get through. I have also got a big roll of bubble wrap -I put a layer under the bubble wrap around thebrassica tent to protect things from the high winds we sometimes get

COURGETTES HAVE GONE OUT TOO :-)

2009-05-12T16:04:00.004+02:00

Yippee - The courgettes have now gone out too!!!! I managed to snap one -clumsy clod that I am -but that still leaves 6 -which will hopefully be plenty for the pasta sauces and the courgette tea bread -nomnomnom -lol -The one above is a gold courgette.
I have resisted the urge to set a couple more -for now ;-)

They are now hidden behind fleece -along with everything else ;-)

SWEET POTATOES COMING ON NICELY

2009-05-11T21:05:00.003+02:00

This is one of the 2 bins of sweetpotatoes and they seem to be coming on nicely -Im going to put a few canes in soon as the foliage is supposed to be quite vigerous -so by training it up something it should keep it out of the way :-)
We nipped out for the last of the compost after hubby finished work, and I sat today and worked out what containers I have left and what plants still to be potted on -so tomorrow if the weather allows Im planning on getting everything finished off -can't believe I have about done -well except for the things like more carrots etc that will be going on all season. Mind soon we will be onto the frantic nipping out, fastening in and pest control lol

FIRST PRODUCE TO HIT THE PLATE!!!!

2009-05-10T17:34:00.003+02:00

Ok -its seriously sad -but as this is the first thing this year to hit the plate I had to add a picture lol... they were lovely and the one with red veins were mustardy and then there were some peppery ones too.... have loads more set... Its silly how nice something soooo simple can taste ...

MINI CAULIFLOWERS

2009-05-10T14:47:00.004+02:00

Mini cauliflowers 21 days later ;-)! I have 2 tubs of these -but I can see I am going to have to transplant some again soon...

PURPLE SPROUTING BROCCOLI PROGRESS

2009-05-10T14:36:00.002+02:00

Here is my early purple sprouting broccoli "before and after" they were taken 3 weeks apart -heck knows how big they will be by early next year lol . I will be moving them on at some point -into their final place ..but they are happy enough there for now...

BRUSSELS COMING ALONG NICELY

2009-05-10T14:20:00.003+02:00

Just thought I would do some updating...
So firstly here is the before and after shot of my brussels ;-) these pics were only taken 16days apart ..so I think they must be quite happy where they are,,, hoping for lots of brussels for winter -I could live on them ...

REST OF THE TOMATOES ARE OUT!!

2009-05-09T12:57:00.004+02:00

I was up at an ungodly hour this morning, so I have been out and planted out the rest of my tomatoes ...Well I have 2 yellow brandywine ones to do but the other 40 are out lol..

The ones above are the ones that went out a couple of weeks ago -they aren't that tall as most of the stem went under the compost but they are nice, healthy and sturdy so far. There are a couple that look a little more "frail" (like the one 4th from the right)but its the variety -will be interesting to see how they come along!

All of them are still tucked up behind fleece to act as a wind break and keep some of the rain off... so far it seems to be doing its job... it was the bush ones that I have set out today -so they are looking a little forlorn for now but they should perk up in a few days!

The only things I still have in the spare room now are the aubergines and the courgettes which will be going out some time this week ..woohoo....

SALAD LEAVES

2009-05-08T20:34:00.003+02:00

Ok -so here are the starts of my salad leaves.....hoorah -I can start to use a few now -will still have to add them to good old iceberg for a bit longer.... but soon it will be just my own we are using :-) -
I use all mine as cut and come again so I will start on these first few this weekend and the 2nd pot has just start to do something although looks a little sad at the moment -they will soon get going ;-)and I have a washing up bowl I have just set with a 3rd lot and they are just starting to break the surface...

2009-05-08T16:35:00.003+02:00

I have take advantage of a warm humid day today and set out 6 of my peppers -but I have put the troughs in the cold frame for the time being -the weather really can't make its mind up what it is going to do -so better safe than sorry...

The outside 2 are Frigatello and the middle one California wonder

Then the outside two on this one are hot sizzle and the middle one is fiesta..

I have more upstairs but I wanted to get these out as they are needing more compost.

I also have 12 I have grown from a fridge pepper that have proper leaves on but are tiny -so I have popped them behind the fleece around one of the squash tubs as its really warm in there..

CUCUMBERS AND MORE TOMATOES OUT

2009-05-07T14:11:00.002+02:00

Hi all,

I forgot to update when I put my other cucumbers out...anyway -all 6 are out now, each in a bucket and at the front I have popped a bush tomato. It seemed a shame not to make the most of the space, plus the tomato will hopefully provide some protection for the base of the cucumber.
Since I set them out we have quite a bit of rain -typical - luckily though I have them protected from the weather with a wind break of bubble wrap and some fleece -so, as of yet they seem to be doing fne -although Im going to set one more of each the minute they show signs of stress ;-)

The squashes seem to be doing ok too and the beans are making their way through!

I have popped out this morning -in between rain showers and popped some blue peas in at the base of the arches where the squashes are set..

I can't wait for the weather to brighten again so I can get out there -mind the combination of rain but warm humid days should bring things on nicely...

BEANS BEANS BEANS !!!!!

2009-05-03T13:33:00.002+02:00

I have just been out setting beans... again I have plonked them straight into the compost... I usually start them off in toilet roll tubes -but the peas I started of this way this time have had a poor germination rate -and its not the seed as the same ones set straight outside seem to be on their way through ;-)

So I have just set :-

9 borlotto lingua di fuoco 2
9 "sultana" french
9 "desiree" runner
5 white lady runner -the last I have so I will save some this year
9 "pea bean" french climbing
9 blue
9 "Kentucky yellow"
8 "rot" runner beans
9 "ustia" soya beans

I have a couple of other varieties to set, so will get them out tomorrow..

I also managed to transplant my mini turnips into a trough this morning....oh and the beetroot my mum sent me has started to come through this morning..its called solo -and you just get one beetroot per seed -so no thinning out required :-)

The squash and melons I set out yesterday don't seem to have suffered at all either -fingers crossed it stays that way...

SQUASH AND MELONS HAVE GONE OUTSIDE!

2009-05-02T16:34:00.002+02:00

It has been gloriously warm here today and having noticed that the crates/tubs with the arches in that are up against the house have managed to keep all the rain out (all the rain the other day stopped about 1" short of them)-I stuck my hand in the compost and it was really warm, so I have decided to be brave (or foolish) and set my squash out...
I have :-

2 melba melons -in the tub tucked up in 1 corner as it has the most shelter
2 festival squash
2 winter festival squash
2 jack be little squash

I have put 2 in each tub as most of the plants will be going upwards (hopefully) I made sure I put plenty of cow dung pellets in there for them....and think I still have room to add a few peas to scramble too.

They were really ready to go out and I figure that if anything happens to them I still have time to set more. They are sheltered by the house and the wall is cream so reflects the light and absorbs the warmth -plus I have shielded them with fleece for the time being too, so fingers crossed they hold up!!!

GARDEN VISITOR

2009-05-02T10:22:00.002+02:00

Here is our new visitor!!!! we have seen them in the trees at the foot of the the gardens across from us before -but yesterday for the first time we saw him sat on the bird table...then this morning hubby got this pic of him searching the pots on my coldframe -before he scuttled off and scampered around in the brassica tent! This answers "who" was hiding sunflower seed shells under my pots -I thought it was the mice -who are now being "dealt with"
I have picked him up a bag of whole almonds to keep him happy...

Anyway -back to gardening.. we have picked up the sheet of wire to finish of the arches -it was only €3.33 so not bad at all and much easier than pea netting..Hubby has secured it for me so now thats another job done.

I planted out some more of the indeterminate tomatoes yesterday and then secured fleece around them just in case... then got up this morning and remembered I had left 3 stood on the step....by some miracle they are fine, not budged at al -so it must be quite mild at night now!

I will probably get out later and get some more pak choi set and possibly pop some of the beans in now the arches are finished...

THE WEEKS EVENTS....

2009-05-01T12:57:00.004+02:00

Thought I had better do a quick update on what has been going on this week ..despite the overcast n drizzly weather !!!!!!
So -I have mannaged to set :-

25 teepee cropper bush beans
20 double white bush beans
30 Polka yellow dwarf bush beans

They have all been poked straight into the ground -I normally set them indoors in toilet roll tubes but as Im "companion" planting it would be a pain sinking the tubes into the tubs ;-) -so straight in the ground they have gone. I have them along the short edges of the big tubs with the arches in... hopefully enough will make it to provide plenty of beans for the freezer.

I have also got some peas in the short troughs -again, poked straight into the compost -I have seen the first one starting to poke its nose out...

Today hubby has been attatching pieces of sheet wire to my arches -I was thinking of using netting -but not only is it a pain to secure but unless its really tight the beans just weigh it down and make it sag! so its sheet wire (that we had anyway)about 1/3 up each side and then string running between the two to cover the top. We need to pick up another piece or wire tomorrow -the other plus point with the wire is that it is a little wider than the arch -so I can pop an extra bean each side of the arch ;-)..and of course I only have to buy it once... netting would get torn and battered when we have to take the arches down to move...so it would be false economy :-)

Despite having a thunder storm last night the tomatoes and cucumber I put out are still looking great ..still hiding behind fleece mind!!!

The scorzonera and beetroots seem to be coming through great guns-Keep your fingers crossed as I have never done very well with beetroot...which is a pain as I love boiled beetroot -so this year I have set it a little deeper and so far its looking good (famous last words)

Im hoping for a coupel of dry days soon -then the rest of the tomatoes n cucumbers can go out...

TYPICAL!!!!!

2009-04-28T13:30:00.004+02:00

After planting out my first cucumber yesterday -I got up this morning and we have had rain in the night!!! first time in about 3 weeks...I could have bet diamonds on it...

Anyway -I went scuttling out and peeped behind the fleece and although the compost is moist -not much rain has got through -thank heavens, and as far as I can see the cucumber is fine -having even wrapped his tendril tighter around the string -yipee ! So I have left his fleece on and having checked the tomatoes -they are all fine too..so the fleece is staying on there too ;-)

If the weather recovers by the weekend and the tomatoes and cumber are still doing ok -I'm going to get the other tomatoes n cucumbers out -I have plenty of fleece I can put in place ready to just drop down when they need it...

Other things to report today are that the first of my beetroot and scorzonera are through .... and there was no sign of them yesterday evening! ...the scorzonera is about 3/4" tall and appears to be growing a bit like spring onions.
I also have the first of my raddishes braking the surface too.

Im planning on moving the peppers I have grown from a pepper in the fridge into individual pots today -think they will be fine in big cottage cheese pots until they are ready to go out..

1ST CUCUMBER IS PLANTED OUT

2009-04-27T19:23:00.002+02:00

Ok -so someone is like an impatient child!!!

I know its early for cucumbers to be going out -but it has been warm here for the last few weeks and so I thought I would test out 1 cucumber (all the tomatoes planted out yesterday were standing to attention this morning -yipee) ... so after sticking my hand into the compost and feeling it was really warm (I think the bucket being black helped) -I decided to bite the bullet and so the "delikatess" cucumber has gone out -as you can see his tendril has allready started to twist around one of the strings. I put plenty of cow dung pellets in the bottom of the compost and then just popped the lid off of the bottom of the gravy tub and dropped it in the hole -the roots were right to the bottom of the pot -so hopefully it will stay strong. I have left the pot proud of the compost as cucumbers don't like their stems getting wet -so I can water into the bucket and not worry about it.... I have now wrapped it up in fleece for the night -so "fingers crossed" it stays ok .... Im planning on setting a replacement the minute he starts to look sad ;-)

Im also going to be popping something like a pepper into the front of the bucket to use up the space...

QUICK TOMATO TIP

2009-04-26T19:08:00.003+02:00

I forgot to mention this earlier -but thought I should share something I read the other day...

When you have tomato seedlings all stood together -especially in the yoghurt sized pot stage -the closer they are together the slower they grow!!!
Now I thought it sounded daft -I just thought they would shove each other out of the way -but "just to see" I spread half of my tomatoes further apart and blow me if they didn't grow quicker than the others.. so I quickly spread the others out too!!!

Just thought I would share that tip as when you have loads of seedlings and space is a premium we all squidge in what we can where we can .... "or is that just me?" lol

oohhh and whilst Im here -the tomatoes I planted out this morning have perked up no end -woohoo -still need to tuck fleece around them later ...

I COULDN'T RESIST -HONEST

2009-04-26T10:51:00.003+02:00

Ok -so I popped into the garden this morning and peeped under the fleece and my tomato hadn't budged :-)
so I have been out this morning and set 1 of each variety of the indeterminate tomatoes .... that still leaves me 1 off each indoors "just in case" plus the determinate ones which will all go out next week if those outside now look ok!!! Just need to attatch the fleece to the canes so I can just drop it down to protect them over night.

FIRST OF THE BEANS BEING SET

2009-04-25T14:39:00.005+02:00

I have also set the first of the bush beans -the 2 German varieties :-

dubble witte - 20 of
cropper teepee 24 of

These have gone straight into some well wartered compost... I have put them along the edges of the big tubs with the arches in as they need no support -they only grew about 8" tall last year, so they will provide some extra veggies in what would otherwise be dead space..

there are going to be sweetcorn along the other edges of the tubs and then the tall beans growing up the arches...

I have also got some raddishes set today.... so I'm getting there slowly

PEAS BEING SET

2009-04-25T14:28:00.004+02:00

Today we have got some more stuff sorted....
Hubby has attatched some left over wire to the 2 arches near the house -so hopefully the squash or melon that will be going there should have plenty to hold onto...

I managed to get the following set:-

8 sugar bon snap peas
8 klein rheinlanderin peas
8 little marvel peas
8 kelvendon wonder peas

I soaked them for about 30 mins before setting to help them along a little then I have put them along one edge of each trough ..then I have decided that once they get going I'm going to set 8 along the other side -by the time the 2nd lot are ready to climb -the 1st lot should be done -then I can just clear them and turn the trough around!! now IF that works Im going to be soooooo happy lol.....

I would just love to be able to grow enough peas to actually freeze some for winter...mind growing enough to actuall get any as far as the kitchen would be a start ;-) .... its gardeners perks -eating the pod peas isn't it ????

FIRST TOMATO HAS GONE OUT!!!

2009-04-25T14:17:00.003+02:00

Well here it is..... the first tomato to brave the outdoors -
It has been glorious weather here for 2 weeks now and the temptation to start running round the garden thrusting plants into their final home is getting too much lol -so I have decided to set one plant out and see how it copes (I do have fleece on standby for bed time ;-) . If this one stands ok I will get the rest out next weekend.
This one is one I got the other day for 50c and even though he has shrunk again -the rest of his stem actually goes all the way to the bottom of the pot and into the compost in the trough below!
I was reading the other day that if the stems are particularly long you can actually bend them gently so that the stem goes down and then sweeps to the side... not sure I would want to have a go at that one -knowing my luck I would snap it -but its worth knowing I guess.

BRUSSEL SPROUT SEEDLINGS

2009-04-24T19:57:00.003+02:00

I have also now sunk a bean cane in ready to support the brussel sprouts -Im amazed at how well they are doing so far -especially as the seeds were set straight outdoors...

BRASSICAS

2009-04-24T19:13:00.002+02:00

Well today I have been out in the brassica tent -and thinned out the mini cauliflowers -so I now have 38 split over 2 tubs, depending on how well they do -I may need to move thin them further at a later date. They should grow to about the size of a tennis ball -so the "might" be able to stay where they are ;-)
I have moved the end pots around -so now I have more room in there -woohoo!!!! The 2 pots at the end and the troughs are still empty -although it's just a case of deciding what to put in there...

MORE GOODIES !!!!

2009-04-24T09:27:00.003+02:00

We have another glorious day starting off here, so later Im going to get out and get some more bits n bobs done -It's mainly just a few more pots to fill up with compost and cow dung pellets. Oh and I need to seperate my mini caulis and pot them up into their final place.

Oh and confession time ....
the other day when we went out to pick up what will hopefully be the last of the compost I need for this year I spotted some plants -oops -I came away with :-

2 x "egg shaped" tomato plants
2 x "fleshy" tomatoes -which I'm thinking will be good for pasta sauces
2 x aubergine plants

Now I know I have set loads of seeds of my own -but these were 50c each ...and so I couldn't resist -although they also had various courgette, pepper, chilli plants too -but I resisted :-)

Then I got an envelope from my mum ..... which has some :-

beetroot -"solo" -which only gives on betroot per seed
cabbage -"pixie"-which are small for my containers and don't need sowing until july-sep -by which time I should have some other crops that have finished and cleared to make room for them
cabbage "first early market" which I sow from july to start harvesting from February -or I can grow it like spring greens all year round

Its a good job we like our greens and a good job I built the brassica tent or I would have all the butterflies moving into the garden! I don't expect for 1 minute to keep all the butterflies out ..but at least I will stand a chance against them lol

SCORZONERA

2009-04-22T11:42:00.002+02:00

I metioned in my last post that I had set some Scorzonera yesterday -well I was really suprised when I tipped out the seeds - never seen seed like this before!!
I have been reading up on line about scorzonera -and it seems that it is best grown in a tub (good job really) -as the roots are quite thin and have a tendancy to snap easily-this way you can tip the whole tub out and rummage ;-)
It seems you can pretty much eat the whole thing:-

smaller leaves in salads
larger leaves steamed
flowers in salads
and then the roots steamed/sauted etc

So if it grows well this may be a good plant for those with limited space as you get quite a lot of return on the space used

2009-04-22T07:44:00.003+02:00

Just thought I would do a quick update on how the brassica tent is coming along -the pic looks a little hazy as I took it through the fabric but as you can see I have got quite a bit in there and still quite a bit more can be got in -1 crate, 1 tub and the troughs empty -but I need to transplant baby turnips and cauliflowers soon -they are in their own tubs at the moment but will need more space soon.
Some of the crates only have seedling in 1 side -so I will be setting the other side soon, Also my mum is sending me some seed for mini cabbages -called pixie I believe and some "spring" greens that can be grown all year round -so I will need to make room for them in there somewhere!

Yesterday I also got one of my big round tubs set .... I have put beetroot around the outside, scorzonera in the middle and then some spring onions between the two -to make use of the compost whilst the other two take their time to grow. The scorzonera is just long thin roots when it is done so hopefully it will be ok in the middle -whilst the beetroot takes up most of the room on the outside....

PEA FENCE

2009-04-21T17:41:00.005+02:00

Taken advantage of another gorgeous day today and set hubby on -between us, I have wild n wonderfull ideas and then hubby gets to try and transfer my thoughts into something practical lol.............

well today he has done just that .... I was pondering just where I was going to put all my shorter peas to grow then low and behold I had the idea above ;-) .... its basically some of the poles left over from the arches (as I didn't want the to be 7ft high) -so he has sunk them into the ground and then attatched some wire I had from last year -that I couldn't see a use for this year.... and look -we now have a "pea fence"

Im growing 5 shorter varieties -so once they are out in the troughs I am going to set some more -so that once the first lot have about finished I can replace them.

California wonder pepper

2009-04-19T14:56:00.004+02:00

One of my California peppers ... I also have 15 bell pepper seedlings I seperated out yesterday(amongst others)... I just dropped 18 seeds from a pepper in the fridge into compost and low and behold -they all germinated!! when I was moving them on though there were 3 that looked a little weak so I left lost those ones -can't wait to see how well their first true leaves come on. To be honest even if I only get 1 or 2 fruits from each plant I will be thrilled as they have cost me nothing ;-)

SPINACH

2009-04-19T14:44:00.002+02:00

Spinach -just got its first true leaves!
A lot of this will get used as cut n come again baby leaves in salads once it gets going, I will set more as I made some cream of spinach and goats cheese soup (using abox of the frozen chopped stuff) and it was really nice -so I'm planning on making some using nice fresh stuff and freezing for winter, when hubby takes lots of home made soups and home made bread for lunches at work

CELERY

2009-04-19T14:38:00.004+02:00

These tiddly little things are my first attempt at celery!!
I transplanted them yesterday and for someone with "pork sausage fingers" I did quite well lol -mind after transplanting leeks the other day it had to be easier....
This is another crop I have never tried before -so it could be a disaster -but I guess that if I don't try I will never know, fingers crossed for some kind of success as we both love it!

BRUSSEL SPROUTS

2009-04-19T14:17:00.003+02:00

My little brussel sprout -I have 6 of these -although if I had room I would have a garden full as they are one of my favourite veg! these are shorter than a lot of brussels (about 3-4ft)-so hopefully will do ok where they are in the brassica tent. Once they are big enough I will be spiking a cane into the bottle and wiring it to the arch to support the plant and stop me from getting loose brussels

GRUN KHOL

2009-04-19T14:13:00.003+02:00

grun khol seedlings -yet more things to be transplanted soon -again they are perpetual ..so I shouldn't need to set any more seeds , but I have plenty if need be

EARLY PURPLE SPROUTING BROCCOLI

2009-04-19T14:06:00.003+02:00

I have got 8 of these out of 10 seeds set-although my mum reckons that it will be plenty as they "cut n come again" to a certain extent -so I will save the other seeds for next year... I will move these on in a few weeks and then they can always be put ito final individual settings about june time when other things are finishing and making room

BROCCOLI RAAB

2009-04-19T13:57:00.002+02:00

My first broccoli raab -I have never grown or eaten this before so I hope we like it!!! if not it will no doubt get blitzed in soup ;-)

MINI TURNIPS

2009-04-19T13:44:00.002+02:00

Turnip seedlings -again, soon to be transplanted

MINI CAULIFLOWERS

2009-04-19T13:27:00.007+02:00

Mini cauli seedlings that will need spliting up and potting on once they get a bit sturdier...

STRAWBERRY TABLE

2009-04-19T11:58:00.003+02:00

Here is my strange creation "strawberry table" -Its 2 benches that got damaged tops after someone left them out over winter -oops!!!
Hubby has wired the two together and then just plonked 2 bags of compost on top. There are 12 plants in there and hopefully once they all get going it will be covered and not look quite so unsightly. It was only planted up yesterday so looks a little sparse ...I added a bit of potash to each hole to give them a good start...
I also have 8 hanging bags up on the fence posts with 2 strawberries in each -so hopefully the slugs won't be getting a single munch ...and hopefully 28 plants will keep me happily supplied with strawbs -as hubby doesn't like them ;-)

CUCUMBERS

2009-04-19T11:10:00.004+02:00

My cucumber seem much happier since I moved them up into the gravy tubs...at least I know I didn't disturb their roots -or I'm sure they would have let me know by now ;-)
out of the 6 varieties Im growing (1 of each) these are :-

The German variety -Delikatasse

Crystal apple :-

Fingers crossed that we keep the good weather so these can go out in a couple of weeks...

COURGETTES

2009-04-19T10:03:00.004+02:00

I seem to be getting some nice strong courgette plants.. I staggered the setting of them "just in case" -I had visions of triffid like creatures needing potting out before the weather was ready for them!
As it is I have some nice and sturdy and as you can see -some just having broken the surface.... there are more in the window bottom (covered with plastic) that are just starting to disturb the compost. Once thay have made it through I will move them into the open (somewhere on the tables-if I can make room) so that they don't rot.

This is one of the gold courgettes:-

It's strange as I have never been a fan of courgettes -but last year I thought I would give them a go and I LOVE home grown ones they seem much meatier... and I also found a recipe for courgette teabread -which is out of this world ;-) along similar lines of carrot/passion cake, so even if you don't like them any other way..they are worth growing for that alone!!!

TOMATOES HAVE BEEN POTTED ON -AGAIN

2009-04-19T09:40:00.005+02:00

Yesterday was quite a busy one but I thought I would break down what got done into individual posts -so I can try and keep all the information on each vegetable/fruit in its own section...

Starting with the tomatoes I had to move 20 of them on into bigger containers (cut down 1lt milk cartons to be precise )....
So my tomatoes look shorter -again -but the actual plants go almost all the way to the bottom of the cartons. I was amazed at how sturdy the plants are -the part of the stem that I planted under ground last time has become really strong and not at all tender. Hopefully I won't have to move them again until its time to set them out into their final spot (at which point they will shrink again as I will try and set them so that the first "true leaves" sit just above the compost) although I have another 18 still in smaller pots but they are the determinate ones -so smaller anyway...will hopefully get time to empty another 18 milk cartons before they need them lol

Anyway -this one is a Yellow pear :-

And this one is a Brandywine -which is a "potato leaf" variety -I was most confused when I set these last year and this strang looking thing appeared, I was wondering what was going to grow on it..but now I know what it is

MY SPACE

2009-04-16T13:32:00.006+02:00

We are still getting glorious weather so have managed to get the lawn done for the first time this year and at last I have got some snaps of the garden -so you can see what space I am working with.
I have most of the pots n tubs in place now -no doubt some of the smaller ones will get shuffled around as I fill them -but all the biggies should be staying where they are -afterall I don't want to give hubby a nervous breakdown do I !!!
I have used the space in a much different way to last year... so fingers crossed it works....

As you can just about see I have the arches and tubs running along the "soak away" so have plenty of beans to go in there and I have set out my first 8 sweetcorn plants -so now I need to get another 12 set -today!!
Up in the top right corner is a bit tub where I have basically "plonked" a red/white/black currant, red guzgog and a raspberry -I don't expect them to do much until I move home and can set them in the ground -but they have started to get loads of flower buds on -so fingers crossed -I might get something this year!
I have also got one of those hanging tubular bags on each fence post -9 in total... I set 6 of them yesterday with 2 strawberry plants each... I need to get 6 more for the other bags and also I have 2 damaged platform seats that Im going to put side by side and get hubby to put 2 grow bags on to make a strawberry table -the plants are only 50c each so they are well worth it -we should get that done this weekend, along with the last strings and wires in place on the arches etc...

All of the round pots in the troughs will have Indeterminate tomatoes in -and the same on the other side of the patio. The troughs in front are for a mixture of the determinate tomatoes and peppers. The buckets against the tent are for the 6 cucumbers to go in -with strings attatched for climbing, and the troughs in between will have "something" in once I have decided lol.

Those dustbins have my sweet potatoes in -have some more slips to put in now too, and the arch over them is for a couple of squashes, and there is a bigger arch along side it (over the doors) for either melons or beans...

Then my tent has lots of brassica seedlings in -with room for more so I can have a steady supply -well thats the idea

So there is my space -for now.... lets see what we can get out of it ;-)

BEEN BUSY

2009-04-13T18:43:00.004+02:00

Another glorious day, and more has got done today!!

Hubby has wired the canes that I have through the pots and down ino the troughs for the tomatoes to the fence and addes strings for extra supprts for them once they are big enough to go out -as you can see above they are far from that stage lol .... they are only wee -but really sturdy, the rest are in the other room enjoying the window .

I have also transplanted lots of leeks -took an age... they are nothing more than blades of grass -but they will stay in that tub indoors until they are about as thick as pencils and then I will set them out in their final spot.

Also transplanted the cucumbers -they don't like being disturbed -so I have got some gravy granule tubs, cut the bottoms out and stabbed holes in the lids and then turned them upside down -filled half way with compost and sprayed with water then the original compost and cucumber just dropped on top. So now once they are ready to go out I can just pop the lids off and drop the whole thing into the hole.

The original courgettes and squashes I set have germinated into sturdy little things so today I have set the other varities too! and finally out of the 18 bell pepper seeds I dropped from a pepper in my fridge into a tray of compost the other day -17 are now through lol.

So thats me for today -tomorrow its all the peas turn to get set.... Im getting there slowly

SWEET POTATOES HAVE MADE IT OUTDOORS

2009-04-12T10:34:00.005+02:00

Another stunning day for us again!!!!
I have just been out and set the first 8 slips...the other 4 will join them in a few days.
I have left one bin covered in black plastic -but removed it from the other one as I thought I could see if it makes much difference to the result ;-)

I was going to sink a pop bottle into the middle to make sure I could water them easily -then I remembered my garden tea light holders -so I have sunk one of those in ...so now I can get water deep down into the middle. ...just a pea cane poked down the middle and I have a "dipstick" to check if they need any more water.
I just need to make a plastic showercap for each one and then just wait ..they need 150 days of warmth -so its going to be a long one lol

More bits n pieces have been done

2009-04-11T12:22:00.002+02:00

I have taken advantage of another glorious day and got hubby out in the garden!!!!
I decided that in my attempt to make the most of every bit of space possible to get hubby to bore holes into the round tubs and run me strings up to the top of the arches -hopefully it will also help to anchor down the arches. "We" got 2 done and then run out of the string -so hubby will do the third when he gets some more string from work.
Im planning on putting 2 different varieties in each tub and a different variety up each side of the arch -so 4 varieties to each arch..plus a couple of sweetcorn along 1 narrow edge -using the beans as a wind break and the arch to secure them to! and the short french beans along the other short edge as they don't need any support -can't say I waste space ;-)

Just need a couple more days of sun to dry out the lawn -so I can get the lawn mower out and everything nice and tidy

SWEET POTATO UPDATE -AGAIN

2009-04-09T21:45:00.003+02:00

Here are the latest pics of the sweet potato slips -I now have 12 taken off the potato and as you can see in the background the sweet potato is still throwing off more!!!

The first 2 pots now have plenty of healthy roots and leaves and the last pot is rooting too now. Hopefully a few more warm days and I will be able to get them into the dustbins to grow -fingers crossed that I get lots of sweet potatoes off them.

I seem to find the slips really easy to grow -so when i move back to the UK and start growing there -I will end up passing my spares off to those of you that I "know" from other sites lol

LAST YEARS POTIO

2009-04-09T21:13:00.007+02:00

Someone -"you know who you are!" -suggested that I put up some pictures of last years potio -to hopefully show how much you can be achieved in tubs and pots.... so here are a few to be going on with :-

As you will eventually see -this years layout will be much different ..somehow with more pots n tubs -and more varieties too......OK its addictive....

TOMATO SEEDLINGS

2009-04-09T18:43:00.005+02:00

Well here are my tomato seedlings so far -now it might look like they are smaller than they were before lol

But I have sunk them lower into the compost -so now all of the stem is underground and hopefully making lots more lovely roots. I did this last year and when it was warm enough to put them out -mine were only 2-3" tall !!!! but they grew into seriously sturdy and healthy plants that gave me loads of fruits. As you can see the first true leaves are appearing -I now have 38 seedlings -I had to set 3 again as they failed to germinate, but I don't think that is bad out of 38....

BRASSICA TENT SEEDLINGS

2009-04-09T18:30:00.002+02:00

I thought I would add a few more photos so I can see what is happening and hopefully next year it will help with what to plant when...rather than guessing!

The far crate has the first of the broccoli raab seedlings and the second is the spinach -Im doing half tubs at a time, then in a couple of weeks I will set some more in the other half -by the time we have eaten the first half the second will be ready and then I can re-set the first half ....I think that makes sense lol

Oh and in the pop bottle -is a teeny tiny brussle seedling -I have 6 of those and they all germinated :-) ... they like to be kept in really firm compost -so this way Im not wasting the rest of the crate!

I will get some pictures of the chard, purple sprouting broccoli, mini turnips, mini caulis and scarlet chard tomorrow

ANOTHER DAY

2009-04-06T19:44:00.002+02:00

Another day done and a bit more sorted...

The mini cauliflowers, turnips and the kholrabi I set outside are starting to appear already..

Inside today I have -

set some more salad leaves -I usually treat all of mine as cut and come again, but I have decided to set some individual ones too in a shuttle tray so they can be allowed to heart up.
set 8 pak choi in the shuttle tray -I will set some more in a couple of weeks.
set 12 broad beans -I had already set some out over winter ..but the bloomin mice got them -we now have a battle on to "remove" the mice ...they are NOT having my beans n peas....I wasn't going to bother replacing them ..but changed my mind ;-)

Hubby has humped another bag of compost upstairs for me -so I can get on with some more setting tomorrow.

I will try and get some more pictures taken tomorrow..so much better with pictures to look at

Hazy and humid

2009-04-05T11:37:00.003+02:00

Morning all...

Its a hazy overcast day so far, so i took advantage and went set some scarlet curly Kale in a crate in the brassica tent, oh and also some carrots -not a brassica I know but there was a crate just begging to be used (plus it will deter the carrot fly, not that I have ever had a problem with them -but you never can tell)

I have also been in the spare room and set :-

2 melba melons
2 Jack be little squash
2 gold rush courgettes
2 sunny delight patty pan

I have also tidied up the seeds -all those that I shouldn't need such as tomatoes etc have gone into one box -but I still seem to have an awful lot to set that are in the other box. I will get a bit more done later -but I need hubby to hump me another bag of compost upstairs when he gets home ;-)

I need to update my book so I know what has been set when ....

I think tomorrow (weather permitting) I will get the scorzenza set and some more sweet corn and then I think I need to wait a little longer before I do anything else... if I can be patient enough!!!

Getting closer

2009-04-04T19:55:00.003+02:00

We have had 5 days of glorious sunshine and no rain in a row now....

So today we have been and collected more compost -hopefully I shouldn't need much, if any more.

So an update on the bits n bobs that are happening at the moment...
out in the brassica tent :-

all 6 brussels are through properly now
the spinach, chard, broccoli raab, purple sprouting broccoli and kale have quite a little carpet through now
I have set the baby caulis, some of the kholrabi and turnips

Inside today I have :-

sunk the tomatoes a little deeper -so they are now are tiny little things -but it means they should grow stronger and sturdier...
seperated the aubergines into their own pots for now
taken 4 more slips of the sweet potato and set them in another tub -that sweet potato doesn't seem to want to stop sprutting, and I just can't stand to throw them away...so heck knows how many I might end up with lol
transplanted some of the tiny salad seedlings into a trough -but it is staying indoors for now

Failures to germinate

I have had some failures -mainly some seeds that I thought were past their best -but I tried anyway.... so I have taken the following off of my list as I figure its not worth faffing about with them if they are probably going to make weak plants

black beauty aubergines
purple beauty pepper
mixed mini peppers
marconi rossa

So tomorrow I will set more of the other aubergines and I have also set quite a few seeds from a lovely red pepper we had a few weeks ago-even if I only get 1-2 peppers off each it will be worth it.

I also broke up the compost in the 2 dustbins again and got hubby to top them up with new compost for me, and they are now tucked up under black plastic to warm the compost.

PARSNIPS SEEDS SET

2009-04-01T16:48:00.003+02:00

I have just got my parsnips sorted -Im growing 2 varieties..

I start of by putting a layer of kitchen or toilet roll into a lidded tomato tray, give it a spay of water to dampen. Then simply place your seeds on, cover with another layer of damp paper and seal and place in a warm place -mine have gone onto the warm window bottom. Just check every day to make sure the paper stays damp -give it a quick spray if its drying out. In a few days you should get small white spurs sticking out of one end -these can be set, just carry on keeping the others damp -any that fail to do this can be thrown away as they have obviously failed to germinate. This way saves getting rows of parsnips with big gaps where they have failed.

If your eyesight isn't great you can used a dark serviette as they will show up better on there.

Last year I transplanted the seeds from this stage straight into their final place, but this year I'm going to set them into trays to start with and then transplant -a bit more work and faff -but hopefully the end results will be worth it. I may well end up setting all the seeds as its not worth keeping any for the following year as their germination rate really drops -so I may as well set them and use some as baby sized and the rest bigger -unless anyone is short of some parsnip seeds of course ;-)

SWEET POTATO SLIPS POTTED ON

2009-04-01T14:25:00.002+02:00

Here is a quick update on the sweet potato slips, I now have 8 and the roots are really coming on -I put them in clear tubs so I could check without disturbing them ;-)

There are more on the potato -not sure if I'm going to need them -but no doubt I will stick them in the tubs "just in case" lol.

I have the 2 dustbins covered to warm up the soil -once they are nice and warm I will transplant them . Im thinking of covering the compost with a black bag and planting through them so they keep nice and warm, I'm going to cut the bottom off a pop bottle and use it like a giant funnel -sticking a bean cane through to the bottom to help keep it secure and I can also use it like a giant dip stick to make sure they stay damp.

SWEETCORN

2009-04-01T13:17:00.003+02:00

Well ... here are my sweet corn so far -at least now they are starting to unfurl I can see how they will grow. I was baffled before as they just looked like when an old onion spruts.

I think Im going to set some more -I WILL find room for them somewhere!!!

I have stuck a plant lable in each to help keep them straight, they germinated much quicker than I expected too.

SEEDLINGS APPEARING

2009-03-29T19:04:00.002+02:00

Well, Hubby managed to nip out (inbetween the rain) and get the compost into the big tubs for me... and I got the fruit shrubs shoved in -Im not expecting them to do much this year as I have stuck them all one big tub -about the size of a baby bath but much deeper, but they will be okay for now. Im hoping to pick up a rhubarb next weekend when I go for more compost, they have them advertised for €1.49 and that will be going in a large tub on its own until we move back to our permenat address then I can put it in the garden.

Today the first leek and celery seeds have started to break the surface -another experiment as I haven't tried these before, more tomatoes have been re-set so that they are further down in the compost and the peppers are oh so slowly popping through ...
ohhh and the sweetcorn are coming on nicely -now I realise that they don't germinate like most other seedlings..... guess who was expecting seed leaves?*insert embarassed face* lol -well I haven't grown them before

A LITTLE MORE UNDERWAY

2009-03-28T21:25:00.003+01:00

So, today I have :-

taken 4 more slips of my sweet potato and set in another tub, there are more slips growing -so I will let them carry on and see how they go.
set 1 of each of my 6 cucumber varieties -I'm a bit early but at least I will have time to set some more if anything goes wrong or fails to germinate
some of my tomato seedlings were getting too tall -so I have sunk them deeper into the same pots -hopefully they will end up stronger

Tomorrow Im hoping hubby will get some more of the compost put into the big tubs and then this week if the weather allows -I can get out and get more strings atatched to the arches and tubs ready for all the beans.

I aso want to get some plastic on the dustbins as I think Im going to end up setting sweet potatoes in both. Then I might get a few more seeds set...

SNOW!!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-25T17:48:00.004+01:00

Well, i threw back the curtains this morning to find it was snowing!! It made feel so glad that I hadn't started setting loads of seeds any earlier. The only things outdoors are some brassica seeds I set at the weekend and they are in the net tent and under fleece -so they will be fine.

Here is a quick pic of the seeds I have set so far and they are just a fraction of what I have planned.

You might just be able to see the tiny tomato seedlings that appeared yesterday -and also now some salad leaves are just making it into the light...

Last night I also set some leeks and some celery Im going to have a go at -more an experiment ..so fingers crossed ;-)

tomatoes

2009-03-24T18:35:00.002+01:00

So far I have now set 2 of each of the following tomatoes :-

The ones in red have germinated today...not bad as they were only set on the 18th March

seedlings appearing

2009-03-24T15:45:00.005+01:00

Today has been a strange one-flipping from bright blue skies, to rain, hail and even snow !!!!

Amazingly I have just popped upstairs to spray the seed pots and by heck the tomatoes I set on the 18th are now through -they weren't there this morning lol...

I have drawn up a diagram of my patio area and where all the pots/tubs are so I can list everything as its planted out - hopefully it will help if plant lables go missing and so nextseason I can see what grew where and if anything needs moving around to make the most of the shelter, sun etc.

X-STITCH XMAS DESIGNS

2009-03-24T12:31:00.011+01:00

My biggest past time (when not veggie growing) is x-stitching. I generally do big pictures, but this year I have decided to do some smaller ones in between the bigger projects ... these are the first few -which should be made into cards -but the stocking and tree are on fabric that is about 7.5"x6.5" s0 I'm thinking of turning them into small scented cushions for folks to hang on door handles etc. There are 4 more in the set -a snowman, reindeer, bauble and mittens and hat. They have lots of metallic threads in and I reckon there are enough left over from each kit to make a second one ;-)...

The smaller pictures Im thinking of backing with some xmassy coloured fabric and putting a layer of wadding in the middle to make xmas decorations.

Sweet potato slips being set

2009-03-23T14:13:00.009+01:00

Well, since its so miserable and windy outside -I decided to start potting the sweet potato slips that are ready -or in the case of that 1 very large "over ready" ....

So all you have to do is twist the slip off at the bottom -then I have sunk them about 1 1/2" deep in the damp compost.

Don't worry if the flag a little to start with as they need to grow roots -although as you can see 1 of mine has grown some whilst still on the potato -it grew near the bottom -so had access to water..

I have put 4 in the clear tub and will keep in and warm unitl it warms up outside -so they should get a good start..They are in a clear tub as I figured I would be able to keep an eye on the root growth

The sweet potato with the smaller slips on is now back on the radiator and I will twist and set them as and when they are ready !

We are off for more compost on Wednesday -then I will fill the dustbin up and make a clear plastic "showercap" for it o I can warm the compost and then use it to keep them covered once set as they need 150days of warmth plus ones grown "indoors" store better ...

MY GUILTY SECRET !!!!

2009-03-22T13:47:00.003+01:00

OK -I thought I would show you my guilty secret....

This is our spare bedroom -which has now been adopted as a temporary potting shed lol... The room is rarely used, so I have collapsed the bed for the spring as that room gets so much sun in the mornings...

As you can see I have everything to hand and once set the pots go to the left in front of the window. That pile of plastic is only part of what I have (guess who eats a lot of yoghurts and cottage cheese)-the bigger stuff and loo rolls etc are all out of the way until I need them, I got a waterproof potting mat to go under the bag of compost -having everything up there makes it so easy to get organised....

all my seeds live in the wooden boxes and this year Im using a big diary to track what i set, the germination rate, yield and the likes so i can see what things to miss out next year -Im becoming quite a nerd !!!

Inside my brassica tent

2009-03-22T10:04:00.004+01:00

Yesterday, after all the building, moving and organising -(I now have 7 crates, 5 tubs and 5 troughs in my brassica tent and room for a bit more if I need) I actually got to sew a few seeds in there!!!!!
I wanted to try brussel sprouts this year -my fave veggie -
Now I know (thankyou mum) that brussels need to be in really packed down compost otherwise you won't get properly formed firm brussels, they will be all loose! I didn't want to waste a whole crate, but didn't want to plant around them in case I disturbed them when picking the other crops -so I have got some big pop bottles as you can se, cut the bottoms off and then left the lids on whilst I packed them tight with compost, taken the lid off and sunk them into the crates- -once the brussels are about 3" tall I will pop a cane down in to the bottle and secure with wire to the arch and they should stay nice and secure..
Oh and you can keep the bottoms of the bottles and pop back on over night like cloches whilst you wait for the seed to germinate !!!!
So I have 6 brussels set -they are "clodius" which are shorter than a lot of brussels -a max of 4ft -or so Im told

Also in there yesterday I set :-

spinach
grun khol
chard
broccoli raab
early purple sprouting broccoli -that will be for early next year when a lot of other crops are done.

I have only set one half of a crate for each and once they are through and a couple of inches tall I will set some more in the other side and by the time that is up and useable we should have eaten the first side and can set some more -well that is the theory

somewhere for my cucumbers to climb

2009-03-22T09:53:00.003+01:00

After quite a bit of head scratching about where to put my cucumbers -(initially I was going to grow them inside this tent, up the arches -but then I realised I would be using up space and pots I needed for my brassicas) I have come up with the solution of attatching strings to a bucket -running them over the arch and down to another bucket on the other side. There are only 2 strings on each bucket at the moment, but before I plant anything in there I will add more zig zag ropes to train them up. Plus I will sink a smaller pot into the bucket to plant the cucumber in, so that I can water into the bucket part as cucumber stems don't like getting too wet ..

So I have room for 6 cucumbers there if need be -the troughs inbetween haven't been decide on yet -but they won't stay empty long..

more building and utilising every space I can

2009-03-22T09:39:00.004+01:00

Here is another arch -again its utilising another awward space -right over the tap... I was going to put my coldframe here, but then thought I will either drop a watering can on it or the hose/tap will spring a leak and drowned my seedlings...

Luckily the whole Kitchen window opens into the kitchen so I can still get to clean it easily .

I just need to find somewhere for the 2 dustbins to live -Im planning on putting sweet potatoes in one and the scorsenza in the other -so I need the sunniest spot possible for the sweet potatoes -so i might see if they can stay under that arch -as that wall gets full sun for most of the morning.

Making the most of my space

2009-03-22T09:25:00.004+01:00

Here is one of the arches hubby put together yesterday -he used some of the spare sections to extend it so it would reach over the doors -without having to sit the pots on the step...well Im in desperate need of space -so that would normally be a dead space ....

At the moment Im considering putting some purple beans up one side and yellow beans up the other -so at least it will look a bit decorative ;-)

2009-03-22T09:01:00.003+01:00

Well I'm getting there !!!!

Hubby was kept busy yesterday -firstly putting my coldframe together -which is much bigger than I thought....so I was restricted as to where I could fit it -still it's anchored down well and once the summer is over and I have cleared away a lot of tomatoes and the like I can move it to a more sheltered spot and line with bubble wrap so i can keep some late leaves etc going...

PEPPERS, CHILIS AND AUBERGINES SET

2009-03-15T12:07:00.007+01:00

Well I have at last made a start.... the first seeds are under way !!!!!!

So I have set 2 of each of my 7 peppers/chilis and 4 of each 2 of the aubergines... I have set those first as they are often unreliable and slow to germinate. Once they peep through I will get the tomatoes set..

ok -I have now set the first of my scarlet curly kale and 12 mini cauliflower seeds too ...lets see how they get on ....

THE COVER IS UNDERWAY

2009-03-13T16:57:00.006+01:00

At last we have had a day with no rain -although its threatening now!!!
Anyhow I have taken advantage of the "dry" spell and started to cover the brassica cage. It needs a bit more securing and tidying (oh and a couple of small holes need darning)-but by heck I think it might work!!!!!
As you can see see -I have 8 crates in there and 4 pots and Im going to be wedging in a few troughs -so I should get a fair few veggies in there. Once the troughs around the outside have been filled they will help keep it weighted down too .

Initially I was going to grow cucumber in the crates inside -but now I'm thinking of growing them in the troughs outside -giving them some ropes to climb -that way I will have more room for brassicas inside -and the cucumbers will provide them with shade..

Now I just need the weather to brighten a bit so I can get the patio and other pots cleaned and in place so i will be ready to go.... who knows -I might get around to setting some seeds one day soon lol

Another sweet potato update

2009-03-07T20:11:00.007+01:00

Thought I would pop back and show how the sweet potato slips are coming on .. I have over a dozen buds so far and 1 that has got off to a head start... once they have leaves on I'm going to twist them off and set them in small plastic tubs so they can get going until its warm enough for them to go outside....

Hubby has been out strengthening the frame for my brassicas today -it now has 3 crates to each side and 2 tubs inbetween -so it is even longer ... just need to get the netting over now....

Tomorrow I WILL be getting some seeds set -think i will start off with the peppers etc as they are sometimes a bit iffy with germination...
Hope everyone is getting ready for the warm weather lol

one step closer

2009-02-26T15:59:00.005+01:00

well, despite the grotty weather my hubby has got the final arch put up for my very own "Blue Peter style" brassica tunnel .... you will have to excuse the mess in the corner -i have been fetching pots out of the basement ready for a wash (if it ever stops raining)
I don't know where the idea came from... it just popped into my head (although trying to explain to hubby what i meant was a whole different thing)
so this is the start of it -Its pretty much 3 arches linking 6 crates, We are going to move them into the centre of the patio -then he is going to bridge the arches using spare poles from the arches to strengthen the whole thing. I have 4 mosquito net pannels from an old gazebo which I'm going to use to cover it -leaving one end to open and close -then I'm going to set a cucumber in each crate to climb the arch, and plant peppers and aubergines around the bottom -then I will have all that floor space to put the tubs with my brassicas in -the butterflies won't get me this year....
I'm hoping this works... the arches were only €2 each so its a nice MSE way of protecting my things ....
Ohhh and whilst I'm here -my sweet potato now has 9 spruts on -woohoo.....

Sweet potato update

2009-02-21T22:50:00.003+01:00

Well, I am thrilled to say that my sweet potato has the first signs of slips appearing -tiny litte pink buds are making an appearance ..... only a couple so far -but its a good sign!!!!

We keep getting snow and frosts in spurts -so I haven't even started any of my other seeds yet...
I think I will have to give it another couple of weeks and then take the risk and make a start

SWEET POTATO

2009-02-07T19:21:00.008+01:00

I have finally managed to get hold of a supermarket sweet potato!!! When I wasn't on the look out for them -there were loads, the minute I wanted one they vanished!!!
Anyway I have now started the process of growing the slips for planting later .... I will try and add step by step photos as I go along (starting in the morning )....

So -here is what you need to do:-

Scrub the sweet potato with a nailbrush -they are sprayed to stop them from sprutting (so i have read)
get a shallow tray with holes in the bottom-I'm using a grape tub
half fill with compost with a little gravel mixed in
nestle the sweetpotato in the compost mix -so its half burried
stand in a shallow tray with a litle water in the bottom
then they like quite a bit of heat -so luckily I have radiators that are about 2" wide and flat on top -so I sit mine on there with the radiator on low. I would think that a warm window sill should be fine, they may just take a little longer to get going
I just keep checking on them daily and adding a drop more water to the bottom -or misting the top of the compost
You will find that after a while you will get lots of fine roots on the bottom and then tiny pink buds should start to appear
eventually they will grow quite tall and sprout leaves
when they are about 2" tall you simply twist them off -they leave a hole like you have used a potato peeler to take an eye out
you then set them into your pot/tub -the bottom leaves may wilt -but it doesn't matter... roots will eventually grow out of ther bottom and away you go

I grew mine in a crate last year -they didn't swell very well (they went without water for 3 weeks when I had to go home)...but there were loads of them -so fingers crossed for this year.

Im going to try them in a dustbin this year so they can go deeper -be warned they are invasive so if you set them in the ground -you may get more than you bargained for..

they need 150 days of warmth... so Im going to make a giant plastic shower cap for the dustbin to help keep the warmth in on colder days, and I will put them in the corner that catches the sun !

I'm also starting them now -then when I have the slips Im going to set them in small tubs indoors to get them going before moving them outdoors -Im Hoping it will give them a head start.

Sorry for the waffle.... I will add pics and go through each stage as I come to it ...hopefully it will make more sense then ....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

11th february

Just an update to say that I have the 1st root on my sweet potato...Quicker than I expected,,so Im thrilled, I just wish the weather would warm up so I could make a start on my seeds ..

I will get photos in the morning -its really strange light here at the moment -

POTIO APPOTMENT

COURGETTE TEA BREAD/MUFFINS -cups added

Mini cauli

more photos

more photos

more photos

photo updates -at last

MORE PHOTOS

MORE PHOTOS

I can't believe how things are shooting up

FIRST TEENY TINY TOMATO HAS APPEARED

RED LEAVES ON BRASSICA PIC

Brassica leaves turning purple!!!!

celery seedlings transplanted

more sweet potato tips!!!

more photo updates

photo updates

SWEET POTATO TRIFFIDS

MY NEW PEA BOX

NOW WHAT CAN I GROW IN THIS???

Pea update

I have just spotted the first flower buds on a few tomatoes!!

PEAS

JACK BE LITTLE

MY COURGETTE IS FLOWERING!!!

PROTECTING WITH FLEECE

COURGETTES HAVE GONE OUT TOO :-)

SWEET POTATOES COMING ON NICELY

FIRST PRODUCE TO HIT THE PLATE!!!!

MINI CAULIFLOWERS

PURPLE SPROUTING BROCCOLI PROGRESS

BRUSSELS COMING ALONG NICELY

REST OF THE TOMATOES ARE OUT!!

SALAD LEAVES

CUCUMBERS AND MORE TOMATOES OUT

BEANS BEANS BEANS !!!!!

SQUASH AND MELONS HAVE GONE OUTSIDE!

GARDEN VISITOR

THE WEEKS EVENTS....

TYPICAL!!!!!

1ST CUCUMBER IS PLANTED OUT

QUICK TOMATO TIP

I COULDN'T RESIST -HONEST

FIRST OF THE BEANS BEING SET

PEAS BEING SET

FIRST TOMATO HAS GONE OUT!!!

BRUSSEL SPROUT SEEDLINGS

BRASSICAS

MORE GOODIES !!!!

SCORZONERA

MORE POTS READY FOR TOMATOES

PEA FENCE

California wonder pepper

SPINACH

CELERY

BRUSSEL SPROUTS

GRUN KHOL

EARLY PURPLE SPROUTING BROCCOLI

BROCCOLI RAAB

MINI TURNIPS

MINI CAULIFLOWERS

STRAWBERRY TABLE

CUCUMBERS

COURGETTES

TOMATOES HAVE BEEN POTTED ON -AGAIN

MY SPACE

BEEN BUSY

SWEET POTATOES HAVE MADE IT OUTDOORS

More bits n pieces have been done

SWEET POTATO UPDATE -AGAIN

LAST YEARS POTIO

TOMATO SEEDLINGS

BRASSICA TENT SEEDLINGS

ANOTHER DAY

Hazy and humid

Getting closer

PARSNIPS SEEDS SET

SWEET POTATO SLIPS POTTED ON

SWEETCORN

SEEDLINGS APPEARING