Mulch Ado About Weeding

Storm Brewing

I haven’t posted anything since the end of March – I have been so busy gardening & working there has been no time, it's all systems grow! However today we are having a break from the sunshine with some lovely rain falling, something we have not had enough of recently. Down on the allotment the perpetual battle with the weeds continues. When the plot was rotavated I knew it would be storing up trouble by chopping up the roots of many perennial weeds but the area to be dug was very bit & I didn't feel able to dig it all over by hand. The weeds have duly returned but they come out easily for the most part.

Bean Tunnel

I have two new invaders to deal with this year. Firstly Sycamore seedlings, there is a tree at the edge of the field which has not caused much of a problem before but all the seeds have blown onto the plots and sprouted this year. On worked plots that’s ok because they will just be dealt with like any other weed but where the plots are empty we could have a forest of pesky sycamores spreading more of their seeds until we are overrun! Fortunately most of the vacant land was ploughed up earlier in the year which may have killed some of them, it certainly had no effect on the tough perennial weeds which have returned with vigour.

The other invaders are rogue potatoes – last year the crop was very small (in every way) and I think a lot got left behind and now they are coming up everywhere! I've been growing potatoes with everything!

Brassica Heaven

Looking back to the last picture blog I had just started planting out the broad beans – today I put the last of the crop in the freezer! I had three varieties, Red Karmazyn, Aqua Dulce Claudia and Imperial Green Longpod. I think I'll stick with the Longpod & red ones next year – lovely colours and excellent flavour. I actually managed to grow some peas this year!! A huge harvest resulting in about 12oz of peas! That's 12oz more than previous years. I must find out what I am doing wrong, it's probably not enough water and dreadful soil which are the problems. I am trying to improve things but I think it takes more time & money than I can spare to improve the soil. I'll just keep plodding on – I shall grow green manure again this year to help improve nutrients & soil structure.

This year I have grown far more brassicas than previously, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli and Romanesco Broccoli (or cauliflower if you prefer) that's the green pointy rather alien looking one, I think it is quite beautiful the more you study it. These are all happily living in 'Brassica Heaven' – a cage I constructed using some very fine green mesh & fence posts. It keeps all the nasty beasties out and filters the sun making it a lovely place to go weeding, although the frequency of that job should be lessened by the mulch of straw which I have put in there.

Fruit, Herbs & Tomatillos all mulched

Straw is the latest thing I'm using to combat weeds & drought. It worked very well round the strawberries so I looked online and found it quite acceptable to use liberally on the rest of the allotment. Of course truly Organic gardeners would need to be careful about where it is sourced from but I do not claim to be fully organic so a local farm which was selling bales for £1 each was fine for me. A kind gardening neighbour also got me a couple free of charge so the allotment will be well covered when I'm done.

Special treatment for Blueberries

I've got a lot more fruit in a larger area. I've moved some stray strawberries near to the others and added gooseberries, black currants and red currants. The fruit area is now bordered with some herbs for the bees to enjoy. The Blueberries have never been moved into tubs as planned. I bought a soil testing meter and checked the plants at home which had been replanted into ericacious compost last year. I was dismayed to find that the soil was no longer acidic – that explains why the Camellia was looking so miserable. I checked the soil on the allotment and it read the same (I have some doubts about the accuracy of this tool). I decided to leave them there and give them special feed for acid loving plants and have mulched them with pine needles. Only time will tell how effective this will be.

Tomatillo

Further down the plot there are climbing and dwarf French beans and runner beans growing on the rose arches again; carrots, parsnips, pumpkins, courgettes, butternut squash, celery, onions, shallots and tomatillos. The latter are a totally new crop for me – supposedly very easy to grow and high yielding. Their Latin name is Physalis philadelphica – relatives of Cape Gooseberries they are from the nightshade family. They are used a lot in Mexican cooking rather than tomatoes. So far they have proved very easy to grow, I have several on the allotment and have kept the remainder in the greenhouse. The Squashes not only have a mulch of straw they also have personal irrigation. Ollas are traditional clay pots which are sunk into the ground and filled with water which then seeps out gradually giving a continuous supply of water to crops. I am using milk cartons which I've punctured with a pin – maybe a bit too enthusiastically as they seem to leak too quickly but I can replace them with others if necessary.

Squashes with mulch and irrigation pots

Left Tomatoes

Cucumbers and Tomatoes

Up in the greenhouse I have the usual tomato plants, this year I am very proud to say that I have grown them all from seed – usually they all fail and I have to but in late replacements. I have Ailsa Craig and Moneymaker for the main crop then a late addition is Red Pear which I got with Grow Your Own magazine. They are all big and healthy and there are plenty of fruits forming. I also have cucumbers – Crystal Lemon. I planted six and all three in one pot failed completely so they have been replaced with Cucamelons – another one new to me. These very vigorous vines bear fruits the size of grapes which look like tiny water melons, they are said to taste of cucumber with a hint of lime and can be eaten fresh or pickled. Although I've kept them in the greenhouse they can also be grown outside but I didn't have a suitable space so left them inside.

Courgettes and first broad beans

On the whole things are going far better than last year, at least I have some broad beans in the freezer and have harvested peas and courgettes. There is still much to be done and much to look forward to.

Beautiful and delicious

A Picture Is Worth.......

I'm saying it all in pictures this week.........

Chilli Necklaces ready to hang and dry

4 Pint milk carton makes a scoop/funnel

Planting has begun - broad bean area

Carrots and Parsnips under tunnels

The Heat is On! 

Tiny Electric Daisy Seedlings

Rudbeckia Seedlings

Extra seedling storage in greenhouse

Brassica Seedlings

Harlequin Buddleia glowing in the sunshine

Calendula Still Flowering!!!

Hard Work

diminutive daffs

We ll spring has sprung at last! Although today today's temperatures have taken a tumble after the highs of yesterday (20C under clear blue skies!) there is great feeling in the air. In the back garden I have lots of Tete-a-tete daffodils (all of 4” high) and crocuses and there are lots more bulbs poking their noses through. The grass has been cut for the first time too!

On Saturday I spent five hours down on the allotment. The raspberries and blueberries were pruned. I mulched the asparagus with some of my home made compost – quite pleased with it and there's plenty left for digging in with the strawberries and some of the beans, I have a lot of beans planned so it will need a lot of compost. I also dug out a very weedy area ready to put in the carrots – that was quite hard work for the start of the season but my back survived! There's similar patch half way up the allotment to do at a later date.

giant crocus

I've realised that I've been doing the allotment all wrong!! I've been working it as a whole plot then walking paths between the beds. This really wastes a lot of time and effort. It also means that I can't spread fertilisers or organic matter to rot down over winter as much will be wasted. So when I planned the allotment this time I plotted out permanent beds roughly 6ft wide with paths about 2ft between each. They will be about 3 metres long purely because thing like cloches and tunnels tend to be made that length. (Yes I know I'm mixing my measurements but it can't be helped!) The trouble is that the allotment is about 15ft wide (it is measured in chains – or some other archaic measurement) so I'll have an odd very long bed running down one side but unless I break it into much smaller pieces and lose even more growing space to paths I think it will work ok.

It's back!

Yesterday I took the plunge and put the cover back on the mini greenhouse and then moved a lot of pots into it. I've not put seeds in it because I've had a similar building blow over before and lost all the seeds which were inside it. Instead I'll be keeping the seed trays in the main greenhouse, which I think is warmer because it is twin walled. The only big plants left in there are the Camellia and two Acers, just in case there are any frosts in the next week or so. I have put in plenty of seeds now – Romanesco, Broccoli, Canadian Wonder Beans, New Zealand Spinach, and Parsnips. Down in the heated propagator are pre-sprouted tomatoes (from the tray on the windowsill) two pots of electric daisies and three pots of tomatillos. The tray of flower seeds are doing well, lots of tiny fragile seedlings. Having emptied one compost dalek I was able to turn the second one into it. A smelly and heavy job but well worth doing because the bottom had become very compacted and slimy, it wasn't composting well so hopefully now that it has been turned over it will compost down a lot better. I need to look at what I put in there – I think it needs more dry matter, perhaps straw or shredded paper and turning over or mixing about more often to keep the air flowing. It had a good start with lots of old compost from Rob's greenhouse clear out.

hidden gems

One thing which didn't get composted were the chilli plants found by the bin – Rob had emptied his greenhouse and dumped them leaving most of the chillies on the plants so I sat and pulled them off, I will put them on string soon and hang them in the airing cupboard to dry then eventually they will all be ground down to make my own chilli powder.

hot box

This lead me to thinking about the importance of only growing what you intend to eat or maybe sell. Many newcomers to grow your own make the mistake of growing everything that is traditional whether they like it or not. I have seen plots with large amounts of thing like Broad Beans, Brussels Sprouts and Runner Beans going to waste because they were grown out of habit rather than need. With ever spiralling seed prices it really is important to plan carefully what to grow. I always go by what I like most, is hard to get in the shops, is always expensive in the shops and maybe it is a bit unusual. To this end this year I am making the soft fruit area much larger, likewise the area dedicated to hungry veg – beans, spinach and aliums is bigger. I am also not doing potatoes as they take up a lot of room, always stay relatively cheap in the shops and there is wireworm in the soil. Some people grow things which are trendy but then much later discover that they either don't like said plant or have no idea what to do with it. This then has the knock on effect of denting their confidence. It isn't the same as growing something as an experiment, this usually done as a informed choice which may or may not work out well. I did that last year with the salsify, I was curious so I tried it and was not impressed. The Chard was a similar experiment but more successful as I enjoyed it's earthy flavour and will grow it again (if I have room). I also plant to experiment with growing lentils this year too as I love to eat them and can't always get my favourite type. The same rule applies to greenhouses – don't grow tomatoes if you don't really like them – grow something different that you do like, maybe different fruit such as melons, or get some early fruiting strawberries. If you are a veg lover try Aubergines and Peppers instead.  Whether your passion is for tomatoes, carrots or brassicas try some different varieties – either new F1 hybrids or heritage as well as the reliable varieties the choices are amazing especially if you search online.  I think we all need to get more imaginative in our growing.

Looking Forward

Happy days

I have been in a bit of a gardening downer over the past few weeks. The allotment didn't do well last year when others had bumper crops, I cannot find a job in horticulture (Garden centre, nursery or gardening!), I didn't get a place on a gardening course and Norfolk Master Gardeners have been disbanded because there is no further funding! All of which added on to a very wet winter put me into a decline. However it is not terminal and like the most persistent weeds I've started recovering. I ordered a box full of assorted seeds from Seed Parade – excellent value for money – and some James Wong seeds from Suttons, Cucamelons, Callaloo, Tomatillos & Electric Daisies.

Greenhouse

As I said last time I have commandeered part of the middle shed for seed growing – so long as I can stop people dumping junk on the flat surface!!! I started some broad beans off a couple of weeks ago just in cells on the bench not in the new toy and they are just starting to pop their heads up. At the same time I put in some onion and leek seeds which don't seem to have stirred yet. I managed to clear a small space on the greenhouse bench so these have all been put up there as it is lighter and warmer. Also in the greenhouse are pots and hanging pots of strawberries, long overdue for planting up, hopefully I'll get a small early crop.  I rescued some Garlic, destined for the bin, from work & am glad to say that some of it is growing happily in a trough near the greenhouse. 

Garlics

Back in the shed I've changed tack and put some flower seeds into a tray in the propagator. The packets say they should have been planted by last year but I'm hoping that with heat they will all spring into life. There's a mixture of Poppies, Rudbeckia, Asters, Sweet Peas & Shasta Daisies. I've got lots more to try but there isn't much room because I've pre-sprouted some parsnips and they are now in there too. How successful things are remains to be seen – I have bought proper seed compost this year and I am very disappointed. It's Levingtons so I expected it to be good quality fine blended compost but no, this is full of hard woody lumps and fibrous bits, not what seeds need at all. I might as well have used ordinary multi purpose!

Sprouts

On the kitchen windowsill are the rest of the parsnip seeds and another tray of assorted seeds all pre-sprouting to check their viability. I've got tomatoes, peppers and peas all laid out in organised rows. It is a technique I first discovered on my Master Gardeners induction day. It makes so much sense when you're not sure of the viability of seeds to just try a few on a damp paper towel to see if they come to life.

I haven't done anything on the allotment for ages – it needs digging over, or rotavating to save my back! Although I've not managed to get down to the allotment because of the wet weather I have been planning out the coming growing season. The top half of the plot will be nearly all fruit plus the asparagus with a dividing line of herbs across the middle, these are mainly grown for wildlife as I have plenty at home to use in the kitchen. The rest of the plot is divided up for a normal three crop rotation but fitting in nine different types of beans plus two lots of peas, spinach, chard, squash, onions and leeks means that the 'hungry' area will be much bigger than the brassica or roots areas. Fortunately we are not big brassica eaters – I am doing Romnanesco, Kale & Brussels Sprouts this year for a change. In the roots part I've got four types of carrot (not planned but magazines give things away!) and two types of parsnip. I will need to do some clever planting to get everything in! I am thinking about growing a pumpkin on the 'compost' heap. It isn't really usable compost because it is just the heap where I pile all the weeds I dig out – so more of a mountain than a heap!

I have purchased a soil testing probe – it does moisture, Ph and light. I have tested it out here and there and was shocked to find that the Acers & Camelia which were repotted into ericacious compost last year are now in non acidic compost. It reads Ph6! So I had to purchase some special food for them to try and redress the balance. I shall have to use only rainwater for them to help balance things out. This makes me wonder what to do with the Blueberries. I need to check the Ph of the soil on the allotment before I decide but if Ericacious compost doesn't stay acidic enough is there any point of transferring them into pots?

Alexanders Everywhere!!

In the garden at home there are signs of life with bulbs poking their noses through. However this mild winter has meant that the weeds have already taken over – we are overrun with Alexanders! I dug loads up last year and they are back with vengeance so I'm seriously thinking of using some mega strong wed killer on them. Not organic or good practice but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures! I know that some people like to eat them – leaves in salads & roots later in the year but I'm not one of them! It will be tricky in some places because they are growing close to or in some shrubs.

Ever flowering Calendula

Last time I mentioned I'd dug up the scorzonera – well I did eat some of it & was not impressed. It was very tough and fibrous and the famous 'delicate' flavour left a lot to be desired. Still it was only a curiosity! The Fuchsias have calmed down and although full of buds they aren't opening. The calendua is still flowering!  

New Year Calendula

Calendula

So we have reached the end of 2013 – it is mid winter and I still have Cyclamen, Fuchsias, Primroses and Calendula in flower. It has been a mercifully mild winter so far, which many gardeners have been complaining about because it has thrown some plants into a confusion and caused them to flower in the wrong season. The Fuchsias and Calendula have not stopped flowering since the summer but they probably wont go on much longer as today it has turned colder. There was a frost this morning, the first real one we have had this winter and it's a lovely crisp clear day today but there are more winter storms blowing in from the west next week which will keep the temperatures up – although trees and power lines may come down!

Lady Boothby

My tiny £1.99 Lady Boothby 'climbing' Fuchsia is very happy in the coalshed bed, it was still flowering in November. I have tied it onto it's supporting mesh to stop winter weather damaging it and I discovered a lot of new shoots and even some flower buds! To prevent the new shoots from damage I covered her in fleece and then bubblewrap. Next year should be even better. The small pink fuchsias in front of Lady B. are still flowering well and looking quite happy. I am tempted to add in some other fuchsias next year as they seem to like the conditions there. All I have to do is choose something suitable!

Just before Christmas I went down to the allotment to dig up the last of the root vegetables;

Winter Leeks

Mutant Parsnips

 Leeks, Parsnips and Scorzonera. Remember the mutant carrots from the summer? Well the Parsnips were little better – I have looked it up on the internet and it could be erratic watering, too much fertilizer, too close together, too many weeds too many stones or root knot nematodes. Talk about being up against it!! The leeks were better although many were pencil slim, this is probably due to a combination of planting out late and not enough water. The Scorzonera have done remarkably well despite the difficult growing conditions – again a variety of sizes but not bad for a first try. We had some of the Parsnips and Leeks with Christmas dinner and they were good but have yet to try the Scorzonera.

Scorzonera

The allotment is looking a little unkempt to say the least but not much worse than many of the other plots. I have some caged brassicas which are looking quite happy. The seedlings were given to me and I can't remember what they are!

Iced Calendula

Up in the greenhouse it is an oasis of calm, the roof is still in place and the temperature is just right inside. I still haven’t sorted out and made room for next years seeds but I have a cunning plan....... I am now the proud owner of an electric propagator! There is no electricity up in the greenhouse and no cat free safe place indoors so I have cleared a space by the windows in the middle shed, which does have electricity so I will be able to get a lot of things germinating which I haven't managed to grow before. There should be enough room to start some other seeds off out there too. Now all I have to do is order the new seeds.........

Finally I'd like to wish all of you a Happy and productive New Year

Primroses

In the Cells.....

The Old Roof

Last time I wrote I was hoping to get the greenhouse refurbished. Well I'm glad to say that the roof has been done! Not a full make over yet but we ran out of time, roofing bolts and sheeting. The roof was the most important part because the old sheets are getting quite brittle and one or two broke when it snowed. At least I will not have snow inside the greenhouse this year! With the roof done we put the remaining bits of sheeting inside the greenhouse to provide extra insulation. Where there were any gaps I put bubble wrap up again. I know it sounds a bit Heath Robinson but when I went in there yesterday it was quite warm so It will do for now. It was a hasty job to put everything back inside before

New Solid Roof

darkness fell so I did all the plants then the pots etc had to wait until the next day. Having put in all the overwintering plants I have discovered a problem – not enough room for planting seeds!! This is a real nuisance to say the least. The problem is caused by the mini greenhouse not being sturdy enough for the winter so I can't use it as I'd intended. I'll have to do some serious sorting out and shifting around to make enough room to do the seeds for next year. What is taking up all the room? Why do they all need to go inside? I hear you ask (imagining voices again!).

Standing Room Only

I have a lot of plants in pots which would freeze solid if we have another really cold winter so they need protecting. Back in February I mentioned that there is nothing but open seas between the North Norfolk Coast and the North Pole so when the North wind blows we really feel the cold. Well it isn't much better if you head east. We are on almost the same latitude as Berlin and Minsk with only the low lands of Holland to protect us from those biting easterlies! Brrrrrrrrrr!

It's Not Rubbish!!

When I was emptying the greenhouse I found sacks full of pots and trays for seed planting. The pots are fine as they stack together quite happily and don't take up too much room. The same goes for traditional seed trays. Then there are the cells – they are very useful but an absolute nightmare because there are so many different shapes and sizes! I have got cells in sixes, nines, twelves but each is different in size and shape – small square sixes – big rectangular sixes. Hardly any of them will stack together so they are a an unruly bunch to store. I make my own cells by using toilet roll tubes and stand them in seed trays which is great for bigger seeds but rather overkill for smaller ones so I resort to reusing the plastic cells for them.

The Cells

Lastly there are the polystyrene ones – totally unstackable!! I think it's time to cut down on the variety!! Is it really necessary to have so many different sizes, shapes and numbers of cells? Surely more uniformity would be better for commercial growers and gardeners? Oh what was that? – We're not meant to store and reuse them? They are meant to be thrown away?! But we are gardeners – past masters at recycling – it is in our blood. Well if we are not meant to reuse them why not make them Biodegradable instead! (I need to go and calm down now)

I have brought in the seed box and sorted it out and found that many packs are out of date but still half full. So now I have a quandary – do I buy in new ones or give these a try? Well if I can make enough room I'll give them a try a bit earlier than usual so I can see what is still viable seed. It has occurred to me that my idea of growing different and interesting foods has rather fallen by the way. I have a few different varieties of the same old thing. Thinking about what I really like to eat made me explore some different sites on the internet and I have decided to revolutionise what I grow with a bit of help from James Wong. On his website http://www.jameswong.co.uk/#/homegrown-revolution/4572077593 I have found some really different thing to grow such as Cucamelons, Goji Berries, Callaloo, Quinoa, Chick Peas, Tomatillos and Electric Daisies. Many of them are available from Suttons Seeds (look for James Wong Homegrown Revolution) and for the rest his website has links to suppliers. Some of these need a really sunny site so I may keep some at home and put them on the edge of the deck instead of tubs of annuals. Added to the James Wong selection I shall be trying out climbing Borlotti Beans because the climbing French beans and dwarf Borlotti did badly, Dutch Brown Beans and Red Kidney Beans. For the less unusual vegetables I shall try heritage varieties such as Laxton Fillabucket Peas, Spanish Black (purple) carrots, Norfolk Giant Carrots and Lemon Cucumbers. I'm going to ditch the traditional tomatoes in favour of unusual varieties such as Green Zebra, Yellow Pear, Orange Russian and White Beauty – these come in a variety pack for £5.95 from http://www.jungleseeds.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d48.html. A bit pricey but so much more exciting than the usual suspects.

Lady Boothby

Not quite standard

Finally I've included a couple more pics of lovely fuchsias still flowering in the garden just to brighten up the day.  

Late Lobelia

Winter Drawers on!!

A Little Squashed

The storms of autumn are rapidly blowing us towards winter but the temperatures are still quite mild. I managed to nip down the allotment last week and harvested the Butternut Squashes and Pumpkin. Not exactly a bumper crop but the Butternuts have done well considering how late they went in and how dry it was at first. I don't think I'll make any further mention of the pumpkin.

Wind Tunnel

When I went down I discovered that the bean tunnel had succumbed to the strong winds and was looking decidedly worse for wear. Today I managed to get back down there to dismantle it and harvest the beans I'd left for seeds. It turned out only two legs were damaged beyond repair so I hope to be able to use it next year. When I opened the shed I was greeted with a lot of insects flying out – at first I thought they were mosquitoes but I think they'll all be dead by now – they turned out to be lacewings, I've seen so few this year so it was a pleasant surprise! I rather wish I hadn't disturbed them but I needed to open the shed and anyway it wasn't too cold so they should be able to find somewhere safe to shelter again. It didn't take long to clear the beans, then I loaded the car up with old bean pods and bags of parsley stalks to be deseeded. Back home I discovered more lacewings lurking in the parsley stalks so I've put them up in the greenhouse for a later date. I also had a smaller tub with more parsley heads in which I have stripped and already have far more parsley seeds than I need for the net few years. Added to this I have a tub of pumpkin seeds and loads of runner bean seeds. I think I'll go into the seed business!

A small fortune!

Ready for next year

Back in the home garden the small greenhouse has been stripped of all plants and its cover because I don't think it will survive the rigours of a Norfolk winter if it is complete. The bigger greenhouse has been stripped of its tomatoes and cucumbers and filled with overwintering plants. I hope we will get the new covering on it during the coming week then I can start planting up some seeds for next year. I need to go through the seed box to see what is needed. I have already been looking at prices and have found a small independent company who are much cheaper than the big boys and do seed in reasonable quantities so I plan to buy anything I need from them.

With the weather being so mild many of the summer flowers are still doing well. I have found lobelia, marigolds, primroses and even cosmos flowering in the garden. Of course the fuchsias are still going well. I know that many people dislike them but I love them! Not only do they have an astonishing array of colours and types but they are the best value for money of any plant I know! The non standard one in a pot which I pictured a few weeks ago is still going well, as are the trio in the coalshed bed. My small Lady Boothby ('climbing' fuchsia) has grown about two and a half feet this year – not the most prolific flowering but very vigorous. I still hope to get many more hardy ones in the front garden, as and when money allows. 




Hopefully next time I write I'll have pictures of the refurbished greenhouse and all its happy winter inhabitants! For now just enjoy the flowers.........