Monday, 30 May 2011
Comments
Previously I think there were some restrictions on who can leave comments on my posts. I have now changed the settings so anyone should be able to leave comments. It would be great to hear other points of view so please do leave any comments you wish, I look forward to reading them.
Rain...at last
Finally we get some rain, unfortunately on the day I get to spend in the garden - bank holiday Monday! I was a very damp and muddy figure by the end of the day, but a valuable day it was. The greenhouse is now completely planted up with tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and chillis (plus a couple of cucumbers).
I grow all my greenhouse vegetables in containers, there are no soil beds. The ground is covered with black membrane and gravel to keep the weeds away and I use fresh multi-purpose compost in good sized containers, which ends up going into the raised beds at the end of the season as a soil improver. After a few years fighting to grow tomatoes in grow bags, including ring culture methods, I came to the conclusion that there is simply not enough soil in a grow bag to satisfy the plants needs for water and nutrients. By planting in good sized containers my tomatoes do not need feeding, and if regular watering is maintained then blossom end rot will be avoided.
I avoid feeding with tomato food as it leads to excessive plant growth which serves no useful purpose, but it also delays cropping so you end up with a huge glut of tomatoes in September. If you don't feed you get less plant growth, and perhaps a smaller overall yield, but you get your tomatoes over a much longer cropping period, which for most people is preferable (and cheaper and less effort). Unfortunately it doesn't stop side-shoots growing, so they still need removing, but the fact that there is less green-growth probably means there is less of this to do.
Things are beginning to get back under control in the garden - at the allotment we now have potatoes, broad beans, runner beans, climbing french beans, tomatoes, sweetcorn, kale, brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, onions, garlic, pumpkins, courgettes, spaghetti squash, cucumbers and gherkins planted in the ground. There's a few more things to plant up at home and a few seeds yet to sow, but if the rain keeps coming then it could still be a good year.
I grow all my greenhouse vegetables in containers, there are no soil beds. The ground is covered with black membrane and gravel to keep the weeds away and I use fresh multi-purpose compost in good sized containers, which ends up going into the raised beds at the end of the season as a soil improver. After a few years fighting to grow tomatoes in grow bags, including ring culture methods, I came to the conclusion that there is simply not enough soil in a grow bag to satisfy the plants needs for water and nutrients. By planting in good sized containers my tomatoes do not need feeding, and if regular watering is maintained then blossom end rot will be avoided.
I avoid feeding with tomato food as it leads to excessive plant growth which serves no useful purpose, but it also delays cropping so you end up with a huge glut of tomatoes in September. If you don't feed you get less plant growth, and perhaps a smaller overall yield, but you get your tomatoes over a much longer cropping period, which for most people is preferable (and cheaper and less effort). Unfortunately it doesn't stop side-shoots growing, so they still need removing, but the fact that there is less green-growth probably means there is less of this to do.
Things are beginning to get back under control in the garden - at the allotment we now have potatoes, broad beans, runner beans, climbing french beans, tomatoes, sweetcorn, kale, brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, onions, garlic, pumpkins, courgettes, spaghetti squash, cucumbers and gherkins planted in the ground. There's a few more things to plant up at home and a few seeds yet to sow, but if the rain keeps coming then it could still be a good year.
Monday, 9 May 2011
Asparagus
Finally planted the last of my new asparagus crowns with Alec at the allotment yesterday. I now have 24 Gijnlim and 24 Stewart's Purple, so in three years time we'll be having asparagus every day! The old bed is still producing well and we have enjoyed some good meals, and so far there is no sign of the asparagus beetle which severely attacked the young plants last year.
For anyone who doesn't have an asparagus patch I strongly recommend you get one going. England has the best growing conditions for asparagus in the world, but wherever you buy it, from a farmers market to a Michelin starred restaurant, it's not going to taste as good as it does picked fresh from your plot. This is because the sugars in the asparagus rapidly turn to starch after picking, similar to sweetcorn and peas, so you should only cut it once the pan of water is already boiling in readiness for the very sweetest asparagus you can get.
Asparagus takes three years to reach a point where it is mature enough to be able to cut regularly, so the sooner you get your bed planted the sooner you can enjoy it. Don't put it off - my father never planted a bed at his previous house because he thought he wouldn't be living there long enough to get to harvest it, in the end he was there for over twenty years! In any case, an asparagus bed must add to the value of your property so what have you got to lose? You don't have to have a large space - my current bed has ten crowns in a space four feet by two feet. That's squeezing it in a bit but it seems to thrive and we have some delicious meals at a time of year when there is very little else to eat from the garden. Apart from a little weeding, and the application of some manure or garden compost once a year, they are basically maintenance free, and will remain productive for ten years or more. Add to that the fact that it's a delicious superfood with a whole range of health benefits - see http://www.british-asparagus.co.uk/superfood.php - the only real drawback is that it makes your wee go green and stinky!
As an aside my latest business website can be found at http://www.c-ca.co.uk/ . This has no relevance to gardening but by linking to it here it helps to get it indexed on google. I hope you will forgive my self-indulgence, please feel free to have a look anyway, you might find it interesting!
For anyone who doesn't have an asparagus patch I strongly recommend you get one going. England has the best growing conditions for asparagus in the world, but wherever you buy it, from a farmers market to a Michelin starred restaurant, it's not going to taste as good as it does picked fresh from your plot. This is because the sugars in the asparagus rapidly turn to starch after picking, similar to sweetcorn and peas, so you should only cut it once the pan of water is already boiling in readiness for the very sweetest asparagus you can get.
Asparagus takes three years to reach a point where it is mature enough to be able to cut regularly, so the sooner you get your bed planted the sooner you can enjoy it. Don't put it off - my father never planted a bed at his previous house because he thought he wouldn't be living there long enough to get to harvest it, in the end he was there for over twenty years! In any case, an asparagus bed must add to the value of your property so what have you got to lose? You don't have to have a large space - my current bed has ten crowns in a space four feet by two feet. That's squeezing it in a bit but it seems to thrive and we have some delicious meals at a time of year when there is very little else to eat from the garden. Apart from a little weeding, and the application of some manure or garden compost once a year, they are basically maintenance free, and will remain productive for ten years or more. Add to that the fact that it's a delicious superfood with a whole range of health benefits - see http://www.british-asparagus.co.uk/superfood.php - the only real drawback is that it makes your wee go green and stinky!
As an aside my latest business website can be found at http://www.c-ca.co.uk/ . This has no relevance to gardening but by linking to it here it helps to get it indexed on google. I hope you will forgive my self-indulgence, please feel free to have a look anyway, you might find it interesting!
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Apologies
Let me begin with a big apology to all for the lack of posts on my blog for the last couple of months. I realise that I have broken the first rule of blogging and failed to put up regular posts, but the last two months have been about the busiest I can remember and when it gets like that unfortunately some things fall by the way side. Things aren't a whole lot easier just know, but I will try to put some short posts up here more regularly if I can.
One of the reasons for being so busy is of course that this is the most frantic part of the year for the vegetable gardener, with sowing and planting in full swing. I haven't managed to get as far ahead as I wanted, but I have been able to get a fair bit done, especially over the last two bank holiday weekends. Too much to catch up on in detail, so I won't try that now, but things will get mentioned individually as they progress.
The big news of the last 24 hours was the sharp frost last night. Given the terrible drought that we have been going through (basically no rain since February) and the warmest April on record, it was easy to think that summer was here and there would be no frost this year. No chance! There's always at least one in May. The old saying of "ne'er cast a clout 'till May be out" may sound a bit weird today but the message is just as valid as ever - don't put tender plants out until June unless you are able and prepared to cover them at night when the temperatures drop. All those people who recklessly put out the runner beans and courgettes they optimistically sowed a month ago have now most likely lost the lot. The eager potato plants throwing up tender green foliage in a rush to produce the very first first earlies now lie limp and blackened on the sides of their beautifully constructed mounds. Not mine though - being busy does have some advantages, my spuds only went in a couple of weeks ago and haven't yet broken the surface. More luck than judgement but still a welcome piece of good fortune. The sweetcorn that I sowed earlier than normal this year had grown on so quickly in the warm weather that I was forced to plant it out on Monday, so I was relieved to see that only a few outer leaves had suffered damage and the plants still look generally healthy.
So now I'm keeping an eagle eye on the night-time weather forecast, and of course praying for a lot of rain in May.
One of the reasons for being so busy is of course that this is the most frantic part of the year for the vegetable gardener, with sowing and planting in full swing. I haven't managed to get as far ahead as I wanted, but I have been able to get a fair bit done, especially over the last two bank holiday weekends. Too much to catch up on in detail, so I won't try that now, but things will get mentioned individually as they progress.
The big news of the last 24 hours was the sharp frost last night. Given the terrible drought that we have been going through (basically no rain since February) and the warmest April on record, it was easy to think that summer was here and there would be no frost this year. No chance! There's always at least one in May. The old saying of "ne'er cast a clout 'till May be out" may sound a bit weird today but the message is just as valid as ever - don't put tender plants out until June unless you are able and prepared to cover them at night when the temperatures drop. All those people who recklessly put out the runner beans and courgettes they optimistically sowed a month ago have now most likely lost the lot. The eager potato plants throwing up tender green foliage in a rush to produce the very first first earlies now lie limp and blackened on the sides of their beautifully constructed mounds. Not mine though - being busy does have some advantages, my spuds only went in a couple of weeks ago and haven't yet broken the surface. More luck than judgement but still a welcome piece of good fortune. The sweetcorn that I sowed earlier than normal this year had grown on so quickly in the warm weather that I was forced to plant it out on Monday, so I was relieved to see that only a few outer leaves had suffered damage and the plants still look generally healthy.
So now I'm keeping an eagle eye on the night-time weather forecast, and of course praying for a lot of rain in May.
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
First up
Just spotted the first of the seeds to germinate in the propagator! Ailsa Craig tomato in 3 days flat - not bad going at all.
Sunday, 6 March 2011
Sowing
Managed to grab a couple of hours yesterday, and of the many tasks that need attending to the most tempting was sowing the first major batch of seeds of the year (not including the early broad beans I sowed out in the allotment last month - which I was pleased to see this week have now all come up). So I gave the ground inside the cold frame a quick clear up and hoe, and a good watering as it had got rather dry, before sowing leeks, brussels sprouts, cabbage and kale in shallow drills. It's important not to bury these small brassica seeds (and the leeks) too deeply or they will struggle to make it through to the surface. I've had perfectly good results before just sowing cabbage seeds on the top of moist compost in pots in the greenhouse without covering them at all. These plants all benefit from being transplanted once they have reached a good sized, so this is currently just a seed bed to get them off to a good start under the cold frame.
My general philosophy with regard to sowing is to sow early and sparingly. I don't mean so early that they are out of season, but as early as is indicated on the packets and with regard to your local climate (i.e. earlier in warmer areas, later in colder areas). Although people often say that later sowings will catch up with early ones anyway so there is no rush, I am not convinced by this. It is true that given warm and moist favourable conditions later sowings will thrive and may well catch up with earlier ones, but in my experience this is a rare occurrence. Given the very free draining soil that we have here in Cambridgeshire, and the dry spells we have been experiencing in recent years, it is my belief that earlier sowings will benefit from getting their roots down into moist soil, which will then be able to follow the moisture down when the top soil begins to dry up as the season progresses. Later sowings will be struggling to establish their roots in dry soil, and no amount of watering is ever going to make up for the difference. Water is everything for vegetables, and if you can get the roots established early enough you will save yourself hours with a hose or watering cans, and you will have healthier crops to boot. Plants suffering from water stress will be more susceptible to attack from pests and diseases as well, so getting them in early can make a real difference. Of course if you live in an area where your soil stays moist all year then this is less of an issue, and then later sowings make more sense.
However, by sowing early and, as I mentioned before, sparingly, then if your first sowing fails you still have time and spare seed to make a second sowing without it being too late. Sowing the whole packet of seed in one row is rarely a good idea unless you have very few seeds in the packet. Firstly, you will probably sow them too thickly and are then just creating work for yourself in thinning them out at a later date. Secondly, if conditions are bad for germination you have put all your eggs in one basket and may therefore have wasted all your seed in one go. Thirdly, successional sowings every few weeks will mean that your crops will mature in stages, meaning that you will be picking perfectly ripe crops over a longer period, instead of having a glut all at once that will probably end up going to waste, or at least being eaten when they are past their best. So early and sparingly means that you are increasing your chances of success, while reducing the amount of work you will have to put in and ensuring the longest cropping period.
I also sowed celeriac in rootrainers (more on these another time) in the greenhouse and aubergines, two types of tomatoes, chillis and sweet peppers into heated propagator trays covered with plastic lids with the vents fully closed.
The vents are closed in order to preserve the moisture in the trays to aid germination and to prevent the warmth causing the compost to dry out. If the compost dries out then water will have to be added, which will disturb the seeds which are just covered with a fine layer of vermiculite, so it's best to avoid having to do this if at all possible. However this does mean you have to check the trays for germination day and night as it is essential to open the vents as soon as the seedlings appear, otherwise they will be prone to attack from a fungal disease called "damping off" which will destroy the stems of all your seedlings where they meet the compost. The best bet is probably to remove the lid altogether to ensure good air circulation if your propagator is in the house, as it is unlikely to get cold enough to damage the seedlings and the increased amount of light getting through will help to prevent the seedlings getting tall and leggy. In fact the tray can be removed from the heated propagator altogether and placed in the sunniest position you can find, otherwise the seedlings will almost certainly end up looking very straggly.
The varieties I sowed were: leek musselburgh (reliable proven favourite), cabbage Brunswick (huge, for the show), kale Red Russian (supposedly something of a gourmet selection), brussels sprout Trafalgar (very sweet flavour), celeriac Giant Prague (good size), aubergine Moneymaker (well suited for British climate), tomato Ailsa Craig (good flavour), tomato Stonor's Exhibition (for the show), chilli Prairie Fire (seed gathered from last years crop, small bushy plants ideal for a windowsill with lots of small fiery chillis great for cooking), chilli Cayenne (seed gathered from last years crop, excellent general purpose culinary chilli), sweet pepper Marconi Rosso (reliable, tasty, long red pepper).
My general philosophy with regard to sowing is to sow early and sparingly. I don't mean so early that they are out of season, but as early as is indicated on the packets and with regard to your local climate (i.e. earlier in warmer areas, later in colder areas). Although people often say that later sowings will catch up with early ones anyway so there is no rush, I am not convinced by this. It is true that given warm and moist favourable conditions later sowings will thrive and may well catch up with earlier ones, but in my experience this is a rare occurrence. Given the very free draining soil that we have here in Cambridgeshire, and the dry spells we have been experiencing in recent years, it is my belief that earlier sowings will benefit from getting their roots down into moist soil, which will then be able to follow the moisture down when the top soil begins to dry up as the season progresses. Later sowings will be struggling to establish their roots in dry soil, and no amount of watering is ever going to make up for the difference. Water is everything for vegetables, and if you can get the roots established early enough you will save yourself hours with a hose or watering cans, and you will have healthier crops to boot. Plants suffering from water stress will be more susceptible to attack from pests and diseases as well, so getting them in early can make a real difference. Of course if you live in an area where your soil stays moist all year then this is less of an issue, and then later sowings make more sense.
However, by sowing early and, as I mentioned before, sparingly, then if your first sowing fails you still have time and spare seed to make a second sowing without it being too late. Sowing the whole packet of seed in one row is rarely a good idea unless you have very few seeds in the packet. Firstly, you will probably sow them too thickly and are then just creating work for yourself in thinning them out at a later date. Secondly, if conditions are bad for germination you have put all your eggs in one basket and may therefore have wasted all your seed in one go. Thirdly, successional sowings every few weeks will mean that your crops will mature in stages, meaning that you will be picking perfectly ripe crops over a longer period, instead of having a glut all at once that will probably end up going to waste, or at least being eaten when they are past their best. So early and sparingly means that you are increasing your chances of success, while reducing the amount of work you will have to put in and ensuring the longest cropping period.
I also sowed celeriac in rootrainers (more on these another time) in the greenhouse and aubergines, two types of tomatoes, chillis and sweet peppers into heated propagator trays covered with plastic lids with the vents fully closed.
The vents are closed in order to preserve the moisture in the trays to aid germination and to prevent the warmth causing the compost to dry out. If the compost dries out then water will have to be added, which will disturb the seeds which are just covered with a fine layer of vermiculite, so it's best to avoid having to do this if at all possible. However this does mean you have to check the trays for germination day and night as it is essential to open the vents as soon as the seedlings appear, otherwise they will be prone to attack from a fungal disease called "damping off" which will destroy the stems of all your seedlings where they meet the compost. The best bet is probably to remove the lid altogether to ensure good air circulation if your propagator is in the house, as it is unlikely to get cold enough to damage the seedlings and the increased amount of light getting through will help to prevent the seedlings getting tall and leggy. In fact the tray can be removed from the heated propagator altogether and placed in the sunniest position you can find, otherwise the seedlings will almost certainly end up looking very straggly.
The varieties I sowed were: leek musselburgh (reliable proven favourite), cabbage Brunswick (huge, for the show), kale Red Russian (supposedly something of a gourmet selection), brussels sprout Trafalgar (very sweet flavour), celeriac Giant Prague (good size), aubergine Moneymaker (well suited for British climate), tomato Ailsa Craig (good flavour), tomato Stonor's Exhibition (for the show), chilli Prairie Fire (seed gathered from last years crop, small bushy plants ideal for a windowsill with lots of small fiery chillis great for cooking), chilli Cayenne (seed gathered from last years crop, excellent general purpose culinary chilli), sweet pepper Marconi Rosso (reliable, tasty, long red pepper).
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