The snow has been playing havoc with my planting of seeds. My greenhouse is unheated at the moment and nothing seems to want to grow. I have loads of seeds that are ready and waiting to be planted, but to be quite honest until the weather perks up a bit I think it is a bit pointless planting them. I don't want them to rot so that they are wasted, so I'm playing the waiting game at the moment. I don't think I'm going to be too adventurous this year, I'm just going to grow some old favourites - potatoes, onions (red & white), courgette, runner beans, peas, sweetcorn, sprouts, parsnips, beetroot, carrot, leek, tomato and cucumber. Add to that the strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, rhubarb and Bramley apples I don't think I'm doing too badly!
Let's hope the temperature increases a bit soon.
Friday, 19 February 2010
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Orange Squash
This year I have grown some squash plants for the first time. My neighbour above me gave me the seeds when he kindly rotivated my plot. They were planted in a line along the edge of the path and next to the potatoes. My neighbour even planted them for me, spacing them about 12" apart, and the idea is that they grow up and over the potatoes, thus using the space to its full potential.
They were quite slow growing at first and I lost most of them to the ever-present slugs and snails, but 2 plants survived and I have been nurturing them throughout the summer and autumn with the idea of having one of them at Christmas.
Well, here it is...
I used it in a very simple recipe, and it tasted delicious.
Peel and chop the squash and place on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and roast for about 30 mins until it is nicely glazed. 10 mins before the squash is ready, chop up 1 red onion and add to the baking tray.
Meanwhile, cook some rice, drain it and place in bowl together with the roasted squash and onion. Add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and you're done. Easy isn't it?
There were so many seeds inside the first squash that I have done an experiment. I have washed and dried most of the seeds and I shall plant them in the early spring in individual pots and see what happens. Will keep you posted as to their (hopeful) success!!
They were quite slow growing at first and I lost most of them to the ever-present slugs and snails, but 2 plants survived and I have been nurturing them throughout the summer and autumn with the idea of having one of them at Christmas.
Well, here it is...
I used it in a very simple recipe, and it tasted delicious.
Peel and chop the squash and place on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and roast for about 30 mins until it is nicely glazed. 10 mins before the squash is ready, chop up 1 red onion and add to the baking tray.
Meanwhile, cook some rice, drain it and place in bowl together with the roasted squash and onion. Add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and you're done. Easy isn't it?
There were so many seeds inside the first squash that I have done an experiment. I have washed and dried most of the seeds and I shall plant them in the early spring in individual pots and see what happens. Will keep you posted as to their (hopeful) success!!
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Leaf it at that
Last year my mum gave me half a dozen bags full of leaves that she had collected from her garden. I have left these rotting away in their bags in the hope that it will make nice leaf mould to spread on the raspberry bed this winter.
To be honest I had completely forgotten about these bags until yesterday and to my surprise inside all the bags is the most lovely rich moist leaf mould that I have ever been able to achieve. Normally it is just a horrible sludge and is a bit smelly.
The raspberry bed has been weeded and it now has a 3" thick coat of leaf mould to see it through the winter. This will nourish the ground and give the raspberries a good start for (hopefully) a bumper crop next year.
To be honest I had completely forgotten about these bags until yesterday and to my surprise inside all the bags is the most lovely rich moist leaf mould that I have ever been able to achieve. Normally it is just a horrible sludge and is a bit smelly.
The raspberry bed has been weeded and it now has a 3" thick coat of leaf mould to see it through the winter. This will nourish the ground and give the raspberries a good start for (hopefully) a bumper crop next year.
Monday, 16 November 2009
Chilli Success
This is the first year that we have grown chillies from seed successfully. In the past we only managed to get one or two plants with some sad looking chillies on them, but this year we have had a lot of success.
I think the trick is to start them off as early as you can so they have as long a growing season as possible, and if you have a sunny summer (!) then so much the better. We grew various varieties, Pinocchio's Nose, Cherry Bomb, Heatwave and Hungarian. They were started off in January and nurtured in the greenhouse until May when they were hardened off for about 2 weeks before planting out in the allotment. For extra protection against the wind, we stapled some plastic sheeting onto bean poles and secured them in the ground. It seems to have done the trick because as you can see from the photo we have had a good harvest from just 4 plants, and there are more chillies yet to pick.
I think the trick is to start them off as early as you can so they have as long a growing season as possible, and if you have a sunny summer (!) then so much the better. We grew various varieties, Pinocchio's Nose, Cherry Bomb, Heatwave and Hungarian. They were started off in January and nurtured in the greenhouse until May when they were hardened off for about 2 weeks before planting out in the allotment. For extra protection against the wind, we stapled some plastic sheeting onto bean poles and secured them in the ground. It seems to have done the trick because as you can see from the photo we have had a good harvest from just 4 plants, and there are more chillies yet to pick.
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
One Potato, Two Potato...Seven Potato, MORE
On 13th July I posted a blog (with photo) about the Desiree potatoes that I planted with the help of my neighbour above me at the allotment.
When I went to dig up the potatoes yesterday I had such a lovely surprise. There are masses of them from each potato plant. They are so easy to dig up and my son and I managed to fill 2 crates full very quickly. Here's a photo of them.
We were getting so many potatoes per plant that we only dug up about one-third of the crop and have left the rest of them in the ground until they are needed. This evening we had some of them mashed for supper and they taste absolutely delicious - definitely repeating that order for next year.
Leek at That
Thought I'd show a photo of my son holding the first leek of this season that we have lifted. It is huge! Smells gorgeous too. There are plenty more (about 50) waiting to be lifted when they are ready, so this year's crop is a bumper one. Good job I have lots of receipes using leeks.
Monday, 10 August 2009
Summer Fayre
The allotment is teaming with fruit and vegetables. The runner beans are producing at least 80-100 beans every few days and almost seem to grow before your eyes, the peas are so sweet that when the children pick them they always seem to make their way into their mouths instead of the basket!
The courgettes are growing rapidly and seem to mature in a matter of days, and the cucumbers are so sweet and crisp. The tomatoes have at least 6-7 fruits per truss and are ripening nicely - not much sign of blight this year thank goodness.
The red and white onions have been more successful than last year, the shallots have been picked and are ready to be made into pickle. The garlic is ready to be lifted and then dried off, it hasn't produced as much as I thought it would and the cloves are relatively small, but they smell very strong and size isn't everything!
Each time I go to the allotment (every few days at this time of year) I stagger up the hill to the car with 1 or 2 crates full of home grown produce that I have picked that day, and I always get a wonderful feeling of great satisfaction that all this has come from a few packets of seed (and a bit of hard work as well of course).
The courgettes are growing rapidly and seem to mature in a matter of days, and the cucumbers are so sweet and crisp. The tomatoes have at least 6-7 fruits per truss and are ripening nicely - not much sign of blight this year thank goodness.
The red and white onions have been more successful than last year, the shallots have been picked and are ready to be made into pickle. The garlic is ready to be lifted and then dried off, it hasn't produced as much as I thought it would and the cloves are relatively small, but they smell very strong and size isn't everything!
Each time I go to the allotment (every few days at this time of year) I stagger up the hill to the car with 1 or 2 crates full of home grown produce that I have picked that day, and I always get a wonderful feeling of great satisfaction that all this has come from a few packets of seed (and a bit of hard work as well of course).
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