You will notice from today, and hopefully over the next few weeks too, that I'm making some changes to my blog layout.
The first change is to post a separate list of links to gardeners blogs, the sites that i read the most frequently making up that initial list. The second list of links "Favourite Places" remains, but under the new heading "Sites of Interest".
If you want a link in either section, please let me know - I'd be happy to include you!
More changes to come ! Come back soon and take a look.
TTFN
Tuesday, 22 April 2008
Which mag do you read ? 22.04.08
As an occasional buyer of Gardening Magazines, I often stand in the newsagents and browse the titles on offer.My most recent purchase ( pictured ) was; I have to say, a little disappointing.
I don't buy this too often - mainly because the content can easily be found on line, but the lure of "Free" seeds is sometimes hard to resist!
However, aside from a couple of useful articles ( composting / hanging baskets for veggies) I found the mag to be a tad boring. Approx 75 pages of adverts is not my idea of a good read. If I ever go to China to source some fresh seeds then the relevant article may well be of some use ! In the past I have read various titles - "Amateur Gardening" & "Grow your own" are 2 that spring to mind, but there are too many to list. The worst thing is that they are all lacking in fresh articles relating to my own gardening exploits. Even when you do find something useful, chances are that the same content was printed in the same mag 12 months earlier. The upshot of all this is simple : Stop buying the mags in the first place. After all, I have now amassed a collection of "Free Seeds" and the chances are that I wont get round to growing them!
Think I will stick to using the pc, and regularly checking on the blogs of fellow gardeners, which is a great way to learn and share information.
On a recent visit to the Gardeners World Website, I entered my details in the "BBC GW Seed Trials" slot, expecting to hear no more. How surprised i was then to receive a few weeks later my confirmed entry in the seed trials together with - yup you guessed it - "Free seeds" ! I opted to try the Sunflower Seed trial as I have a plentiful supply of toms on the go already. I'll keep you posted on this, I'm hoping for some good results.
TTFN
Sunday, 6 April 2008
April Snowers ! 6.04.08
Welcome back folks to Reads Retreat, my guide to Growing your own Veg in Raised Beds.
Forgive me the title - it's not a typing error! Having just glanced out over the plot I can tell you it's snowing. Not blizzard-esque conditions, but it looks like we might get a fair covering. The sky looks full of it! A call from the outlaws 30 miles away in Strood informed me they've had a good few inches overnight , and it's still persisting.
Hard to believe really when you consider Thursday peaked at 18C, while i toiled away on the plot:
I started by partially clearing the Raised Bed that was planted with curly kale. Removing the mulch fabric I was pleasantly surprised to find the soil virtually weed free. The Curly Leaf Kale was all uprooted and replanted at one end of the bed. The rest of the space was then raked over, and followed by a dusting of Fish, Blood & Bone, which was then raked into the surface.
I then planted up my onion sets, consisting of 3 rows of Stuttgarter Giant, 1 row of Leeks ( v. Musselburgh grown from seed), and 3 further rows of Red Karmen. There's still room in the bed for a couple more rows of Leeks, which I will be planting later in the week. The transplanted Kale have all seemingly survived being moved, and are all doing great - no drooping leaves! The whole bed was then well watered, and has now been left to settle. It's important to remember over the next few weeks to weed on a daily basis, so that the onions have no competition for moisture. I use a hand hoe for this, taking great care not to disturb the sets.
The strawberries in the hanging basket are flourishing, lots of new shoots and strong growth. Let's hope these are a success!
Rhubarb (v. Timperley Early) is now open to the elements, as I have now removed the forcing bin, and is putting on some strong green growth as it toughens up. I have read elsewhere that you can continue forcing a crop, but i dont want to weaken the crown - it's still only a year old. The second crown I planted a few weeks back (v. Holsteiner ) is not doing much yet! The leaves have not died away so I guess it is putting down roots ? Hope so.
No show on the newly planted spuds yet, a bit soon maybe ! Hope to plant some more up this week, and get my barrel ready to plant the second earlies in.
Next main job was the first cut of the lawn. The nitrogen rich trimmings went straight into the compost bin, together with some compost accelerator. It's full of worms in there - a good sign.
The other small task i completed on the plot was to sow a "thick" row of Marigold seeds next to the Broad Beans. These are planted mainly to deter the blackfly, but as already stated in a previous posting, the flower leaves are edible and brighten up the salad bowl a treat. And as a bonus, there will be a spray of colour amidst the greenery!
Meanwhile indoors:
Still loads to do, and my 12 days holiday finish today. Back to grind 6.00am tomorrow!
Hope your gardens are still going well. Drop me a line or send a comment, it's always nice to hear from you.
Till next time, take care all and enjoy your gardens,
TTFN
Forgive me the title - it's not a typing error! Having just glanced out over the plot I can tell you it's snowing. Not blizzard-esque conditions, but it looks like we might get a fair covering. The sky looks full of it! A call from the outlaws 30 miles away in Strood informed me they've had a good few inches overnight , and it's still persisting.
Hard to believe really when you consider Thursday peaked at 18C, while i toiled away on the plot:
I started by partially clearing the Raised Bed that was planted with curly kale. Removing the mulch fabric I was pleasantly surprised to find the soil virtually weed free. The Curly Leaf Kale was all uprooted and replanted at one end of the bed. The rest of the space was then raked over, and followed by a dusting of Fish, Blood & Bone, which was then raked into the surface.
I then planted up my onion sets, consisting of 3 rows of Stuttgarter Giant, 1 row of Leeks ( v. Musselburgh grown from seed), and 3 further rows of Red Karmen. There's still room in the bed for a couple more rows of Leeks, which I will be planting later in the week. The transplanted Kale have all seemingly survived being moved, and are all doing great - no drooping leaves! The whole bed was then well watered, and has now been left to settle. It's important to remember over the next few weeks to weed on a daily basis, so that the onions have no competition for moisture. I use a hand hoe for this, taking great care not to disturb the sets.
The strawberries in the hanging basket are flourishing, lots of new shoots and strong growth. Let's hope these are a success!
Rhubarb (v. Timperley Early) is now open to the elements, as I have now removed the forcing bin, and is putting on some strong green growth as it toughens up. I have read elsewhere that you can continue forcing a crop, but i dont want to weaken the crown - it's still only a year old. The second crown I planted a few weeks back (v. Holsteiner ) is not doing much yet! The leaves have not died away so I guess it is putting down roots ? Hope so.
No show on the newly planted spuds yet, a bit soon maybe ! Hope to plant some more up this week, and get my barrel ready to plant the second earlies in.
Next main job was the first cut of the lawn. The nitrogen rich trimmings went straight into the compost bin, together with some compost accelerator. It's full of worms in there - a good sign.
The other small task i completed on the plot was to sow a "thick" row of Marigold seeds next to the Broad Beans. These are planted mainly to deter the blackfly, but as already stated in a previous posting, the flower leaves are edible and brighten up the salad bowl a treat. And as a bonus, there will be a spray of colour amidst the greenery!
Meanwhile indoors:
- The Savoy Cabbage seeds have still not germinated, and my hopes for these are dwindling. Very soon I will have to go and buy some "plugs" of cabbage, but i will still sow more seeds.
- My Flat Leaf Parsley seeds are all now germinated, as the propagator was moved to a warmer spot! Putting on good growth now, and the lid is removed daily so that more light reaches the emerging seedlings.
- All potted on seedlings continue to put on good growth, the toms especially will soon be ready for hardening off / planting out.
Still loads to do, and my 12 days holiday finish today. Back to grind 6.00am tomorrow!
Hope your gardens are still going well. Drop me a line or send a comment, it's always nice to hear from you.
Till next time, take care all and enjoy your gardens,
TTFN
Monday, 31 March 2008
Finally it's here - British Summer Time 30.03.08
Welcome back to my weekly update at Reads Retreat, my guide to growing your own veg in Raised Beds.
Awaking to sunshine with a bonus of a dawn chorus - what a great way to start the summer. After changing all the clocks, it was time to crack on in the garden - so much to do and so little time !
It's been a busy and productive week, and i've loads to tell you about! In no particular order:
Seedlings:
With the weather only just starting to warm up, i am still a bit restricted on indoor space! I did however manage to plant a few bits up for outside:
Wilkinson's has a lot to answer for ! Seriously though, they have some great products at great prices, which i just could not resist :
You may think I'm a bit early to be reporting harvests but i cant resist:
This seems to be growing at a rapid pace, and its hard to know where to start:
Take care all,
TTFN
Awaking to sunshine with a bonus of a dawn chorus - what a great way to start the summer. After changing all the clocks, it was time to crack on in the garden - so much to do and so little time !
It's been a busy and productive week, and i've loads to tell you about! In no particular order:
Seedlings:
- I potted on my Gardeners Delight into 3" square pots. Having sowed the usual 40 or so, i was somewhat surprised when they all germinated ! I guess I can add these to the list of plug plants I will be giving away! Some colleagues at work have already put their orders in!
- The tray of brassica's are nearly all germinated and putting on good growth, the only no shows from the seeds planted last week are the Savoy Cabbage (v. January King) and I'm wondering now whether I have a bad batch of these? This is my second planting to no avail. I may have to opt for buying plugs of these but would rather be growing my own. Let's give them a bit longer, and see how we get on.
- My sowing of Flat Leaf Parsley has failed to germinate. I'm guessing this may be because they are in a cooler location than I would have preferred. I will move these today and see if we can get them going.
- My Pot Marigold's ( another ebay purchase from "Premier Seeds Direct" ) have all germinated and are putting on good early growth, and i'm looking forward to having these out on the plot this year. I will probably sow a few more batches of these, as time and space permits.
With the weather only just starting to warm up, i am still a bit restricted on indoor space! I did however manage to plant a few bits up for outside:
- After a recent visit to S & T's (you know who you are ! ) I decided to plant a hanging basket with some strawberry plants. This seems like an ideal way to grow them, as the fruit will be less prone to ground based pests such as slugs, and I'm hoping the fruit trusses will cascade over the basket for easy pickings. Let's hope the birds don't find them first! I don't eat these myself ( seems I'm allergic to them ? ) but it's a great way to get the kids interested in and into the garden. I chose 3 different varieties ( 1 of each ) to crop at different times throughout the summer. They are: Pegasus ( June ), Hapil ( July ), and Pandora ( Late July - August ). I'll keep you posted on how these go.
- My first batch of spuds were planted up (v. Aaron Pilot FE ) in buckets on the patio. I know that last year I had great success in the raised beds, but this year the space they were going to occupy has now been taken up with onion sets. If you read / hear the news, you will know there is an expected shortfall in supply for onions this year, due to the bad weather, so I've given one of my large raised beds purely to this crop. I've read up on planting spuds in containers, and it seems there's no reason why they wont grow successfully. Therefore, the First Earlies will all be going in buckets, and I'll plant them up with a few days gap between plantings to get a successional crop. Later in the month of April, I'll be planting my second earlies into large tubs formed from an old plastic barrel.
- My stepdaughter has recently indicated a bit of interest in my gardening exploits, and with that in mind we planted some seeds for her. With her pocket money she bought packs of Oregano, Chives, and Curly leaf Parsley. I added to her haul with some Sunflower & Morning Glory seeds. They have all been duly planted, and their germination is eagerly awaited!
Wilkinson's has a lot to answer for ! Seriously though, they have some great products at great prices, which i just could not resist :
- Fruit bushes at just a pound each. I bought one each of Raspberry and Blackcurrant. I had a little chuckle to myself as I noticed the spelling on the packaging - Rasberry & Blackcurrent !!! The plain english lobby would have a field day!
- How about 5 x 6" Pots for £1.29 - How do they do it ?
- Lawnmower Blades for my Qualcast mower - 20 for a quid.
- 15Metres of heavy gauge plastic coated garden wire for 69p
- 100 Plastic coated wire rings ( for plant support ) 99p.
- Aubergine Seeds ( v.Black Beauty )
- Nasturtium seeds (v. Jewel Mixed ) A purchased inspired after reading Matron's blog.
- A new trowel for £1.50 - cant remember last time i bought one !
- 8' Canes - 8@40p each. These were 30p each last year ?
You may think I'm a bit early to be reporting harvests but i cant resist:
- We had a second cutting of Forced Rhubarb, made a lovely crumble! I've removed the plant cover now, as I dont want to weaken it too much.
- We have a nearly red chili (v. Winter warmer) to pick one day soon.
This seems to be growing at a rapid pace, and its hard to know where to start:
- Plant out Seed potato's, French & Runner Beans, Build wigwam supports for beans, plant aubergine seeds......
Take care all,
TTFN
Friday, 21 March 2008
Snow ? We'll see 21.03.08
Welcome back to Reads Retreat, my guide to growing your own veg in Raised Beds.
I hope that wherever you are, the weather is being kind to you. As i write this update today, there are forecasts of Snow and Sleet for the majority of the country, though going by the current Met Office forecast, we should miss the worst of the wet and just suffer the cold instead. Either way, I'm glad I opted to leave my outdoor sowings for another week!
I've had a fairly busy, and productive week, and will have to wait 4 days to carry on, as I'm working over the holiday weekend.
My week got underway on Wednesday this week, with the planting out of my newly acquired Gooseberry bushes. These were a total of £5.00, from Wilkinson's DIY, and I'm hopeful they will grow well in their new homes. They were planted with generous layers of sieved compost together with some granular growmore fertilizer mixed in. The location on the plot was the area where I tried to grow new potato's for Christmas day. Whilst the spuds were none too successful - the tops wilted and died in the autumn frosts - i did decide to fork over the bed before planting the fruit bushes. Lucky for me that I did, as I managed to harvest about a dozen new potato's, which I'm glad to say had overwintered well, and went straight to the table for tea ! Therefore, thats either very late earlies, or very early earlies !! I'll let you decide. The main thing was, it's my first harvest of the year, and it was delicious.
Elsewhere on the plot, there's not a great deal happening, due mainly to the inclement weather of late. My overwintered Broad Beans are still putting on healthy spring growth, and are looking good. Fingers crossed that the blackfly stay well away! This year has panned out very different to last, as most of my gardening seems to be indoors. Its an old adage i know, but "Good things come to those who wait", and I'm hopeful of the weather improving in the next couple of weeks. Indeed, i have some time off work at the beginning of April, and hope to be busy gardening.
These 4 little gems were acquired on a recent trip to the local Garden Centre. I'm hoping these box cuttings (that were 50p each) will grow sufficiently to make a nice hedge in the front garden. Not sure how long they will take to grow - if they do grow that is ( another rescue from the hospital rack ! ) - but they have a nice tinge of yellow to the leaves, and I think the growth will be worth waiting for. As i stated above, they were 50p each. Originally they were in 3" pots, were completely pot bound, and the roots were waterlogged. I've transferred them now to 6" pots, together with more growmore and fresh compost. They're only about a foot tall at the moment, but if they put on some good growth, maybe I can plant them out in the late summer / early autumn. That delay will give me time to prepare the ground and get some manure in. I love these longterm projects!
The next activity for the day was more seed sowing, and potting on of my seedlings. I planted a seed tray of Pot Marigold ( Calendula ). These will be planted around the plot, not only for decoration, but also because the flower petals are edible and will add some fresh colour to salads. They are also great companion plants to Tomato's, helping to keep the whitefly away. Plant these with Basil , near the toms, and you should be ok.
I also planted a seed tray of Flat Leaf Parsley ( sometimes known as French Parsley), for its many and varied uses in the kitchen. I've still to plant many more herbs, and will keep you posted on mine and their progress.
The other job of the day was to pot on the 40 or so seedlings of Sweet / Chili Peppers into individual pots. A task made more time consuming as I always sieve the compost. It takes longer at this stage, but the results are usually worth the effort.
So that was a busy Wednesday ! and today was pretty busy too.I sowed trays of the following:
And that's about it for this weeks update, as I said earlier - I'm working all weekend - so thought I'd get in early on the blog front.
I hope you and your gardens manage to escape the worst of the elements. If you would like to receive my updates in your email inbox, simply enter your email address in the subscribe box on the right hand side of the blog. As and when I update my blog, the update will be emailed directly to you. Simple ! Alternatively - just bookmark this page, and I hope you will come back soon.
Take care all.
TTFN
I hope that wherever you are, the weather is being kind to you. As i write this update today, there are forecasts of Snow and Sleet for the majority of the country, though going by the current Met Office forecast, we should miss the worst of the wet and just suffer the cold instead. Either way, I'm glad I opted to leave my outdoor sowings for another week!
I've had a fairly busy, and productive week, and will have to wait 4 days to carry on, as I'm working over the holiday weekend.
My week got underway on Wednesday this week, with the planting out of my newly acquired Gooseberry bushes. These were a total of £5.00, from Wilkinson's DIY, and I'm hopeful they will grow well in their new homes. They were planted with generous layers of sieved compost together with some granular growmore fertilizer mixed in. The location on the plot was the area where I tried to grow new potato's for Christmas day. Whilst the spuds were none too successful - the tops wilted and died in the autumn frosts - i did decide to fork over the bed before planting the fruit bushes. Lucky for me that I did, as I managed to harvest about a dozen new potato's, which I'm glad to say had overwintered well, and went straight to the table for tea ! Therefore, thats either very late earlies, or very early earlies !! I'll let you decide. The main thing was, it's my first harvest of the year, and it was delicious.
Elsewhere on the plot, there's not a great deal happening, due mainly to the inclement weather of late. My overwintered Broad Beans are still putting on healthy spring growth, and are looking good. Fingers crossed that the blackfly stay well away! This year has panned out very different to last, as most of my gardening seems to be indoors. Its an old adage i know, but "Good things come to those who wait", and I'm hopeful of the weather improving in the next couple of weeks. Indeed, i have some time off work at the beginning of April, and hope to be busy gardening.
These 4 little gems were acquired on a recent trip to the local Garden Centre. I'm hoping these box cuttings (that were 50p each) will grow sufficiently to make a nice hedge in the front garden. Not sure how long they will take to grow - if they do grow that is ( another rescue from the hospital rack ! ) - but they have a nice tinge of yellow to the leaves, and I think the growth will be worth waiting for. As i stated above, they were 50p each. Originally they were in 3" pots, were completely pot bound, and the roots were waterlogged. I've transferred them now to 6" pots, together with more growmore and fresh compost. They're only about a foot tall at the moment, but if they put on some good growth, maybe I can plant them out in the late summer / early autumn. That delay will give me time to prepare the ground and get some manure in. I love these longterm projects!The next activity for the day was more seed sowing, and potting on of my seedlings. I planted a seed tray of Pot Marigold ( Calendula ). These will be planted around the plot, not only for decoration, but also because the flower petals are edible and will add some fresh colour to salads. They are also great companion plants to Tomato's, helping to keep the whitefly away. Plant these with Basil , near the toms, and you should be ok.
I also planted a seed tray of Flat Leaf Parsley ( sometimes known as French Parsley), for its many and varied uses in the kitchen. I've still to plant many more herbs, and will keep you posted on mine and their progress.
The other job of the day was to pot on the 40 or so seedlings of Sweet / Chili Peppers into individual pots. A task made more time consuming as I always sieve the compost. It takes longer at this stage, but the results are usually worth the effort.
So that was a busy Wednesday ! and today was pretty busy too.I sowed trays of the following:
- Savoy Cabbage (v. January King )
- Brussel Sprouts (v. Red Delicious )
- Cauliflower (v. All year Round)
- Cabbage (Green Acre / Primo 2 )
And that's about it for this weeks update, as I said earlier - I'm working all weekend - so thought I'd get in early on the blog front.
I hope you and your gardens manage to escape the worst of the elements. If you would like to receive my updates in your email inbox, simply enter your email address in the subscribe box on the right hand side of the blog. As and when I update my blog, the update will be emailed directly to you. Simple ! Alternatively - just bookmark this page, and I hope you will come back soon.
Take care all.
TTFN
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