Here we are at the start of November and things are still alive in the garden! There has been the odd bit of ground frost but not enough to kill off the carrots.
Today is sunny but cold and it seemed about time to do some tidying-up.
I dug up the last of the potatoes (more of that later) and all the remaining carrots. The parsnips are actually starting to fatten now so perhaps there will be a crop after all. The weather forecast for the week goes up to 12°C which seems unlikley but at least indicates that they could grow a bit more yet.
I pulled up the broadbean plants and put them in the compost bin. I used to leave them over the winter because the nitrogen nodules are supposed to release nitrogen into the soil but I just read that by the time they have made beans there is hardly any nitrogen left in the nodules, it has all gone to leaf and pod production, so in the bin with them. A couple of the plants had begun to shoot again from the bottom and I just cut those down a bit, just to see what happens over winter.
The red cabbage are pathetically tiny so I have left them in there for now. Might give them another try next year. I did plant them pretty late.
The big garlic experiment continues. I bought some Chinese garlic, and also single-clove garlic. I planted 9 cloves in one square, 5 single cloves in another, and replanted my own funny looking garlic in another two squares. I will leave them uncovered, except perhaps for acryl sheeting over the worst of the winter.
Will post some photos later.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Carrot time!
Starting to pull some carrots now and although they are not fully grown they are big enough to be worth pulling. The chicken manure did the trick and the leaves greened up nicely and the carrots grew a bit more too. Glad I decided to do that. Next year I will just mix some into each bed in the spring.
Here are pictures of yesterday's and today's pickings. The purple sprouting broccoli had very wooden stems but the other one was fine.
Each bean pod had about 4 or 5 good sized beans in it. These were the Masterpiece beans which lived up to their claim of being fast at growing. The Medes ones need a couple more weeks I think but do have a lot of pods on :-)
This shot is of the two left hand boxes. The potato plants are just beginning to yellow. I'm very happy with the growth this year. I think I could have planted the potatoes a bit deeper - and earlier would have been nice too.
The onions did very little. I don't think I will have onions next year.
The strawberry plants from seed are still small but have afew flowers so it will be interesting to see how they do next year - if they survive the winter.
This is the deep box on the right. You can see how well the beans are doing. The parsnips are coming on slowly as might be expected. One or two may actually be a decent size.
This bed looks a bit of a mess. One of the purple broccoli plants I pulled up as it looked sick. It had white grubs around its roots. Some of the others do not look to great either.
The swede are getting to an edible size but I will leave them longer. The slugs seem to like their leaves though.
The red cabbage is far from hearting-up. These were plants from Hveragerði and may just have been put in too late.
Spinach was disappointing, did not get so many leaves off it this year I think. I may look for a better type.
Here are pictures of yesterday's and today's pickings. The purple sprouting broccoli had very wooden stems but the other one was fine.
Each bean pod had about 4 or 5 good sized beans in it. These were the Masterpiece beans which lived up to their claim of being fast at growing. The Medes ones need a couple more weeks I think but do have a lot of pods on :-)
This shot is of the two left hand boxes. The potato plants are just beginning to yellow. I'm very happy with the growth this year. I think I could have planted the potatoes a bit deeper - and earlier would have been nice too.
The onions did very little. I don't think I will have onions next year.
The strawberry plants from seed are still small but have afew flowers so it will be interesting to see how they do next year - if they survive the winter.
This is the deep box on the right. You can see how well the beans are doing. The parsnips are coming on slowly as might be expected. One or two may actually be a decent size.
This bed looks a bit of a mess. One of the purple broccoli plants I pulled up as it looked sick. It had white grubs around its roots. Some of the others do not look to great either.
The swede are getting to an edible size but I will leave them longer. The slugs seem to like their leaves though.
The red cabbage is far from hearting-up. These were plants from Hveragerði and may just have been put in too late.
Spinach was disappointing, did not get so many leaves off it this year I think. I may look for a better type.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Mid-July
I have mixed news on the garden front. Below is a picture of the whole garden as it is today. It is obvious that the carrots on teh right are all much paler than the ones on the left (which are in fresh mix). I'm guessing that the amount of mushroom compost which I added was not enough to supply the needed nitrogen. The broadbeans seem to be perfectly happy, but I think they bind nitrogen themselves? Anyhow, I've been giving a liquid feed of seaweed fertilizer and that does not seem to have changed much so today I sprinkled on some chicken manure and I am watering it in now.
I dug up all of the garlic today because the grass had dried. Each clove only made one round bulb so not sure what is happening there. It is juicy enough but just doesn't look like garlic!
We have eaten most of the spinach, I've pulled half of it up as it had begun to flower. The broccoli is just coming on, had 4 tiny heads last night. And the strawberries are very good now.
I dug up all of the garlic today because the grass had dried. Each clove only made one round bulb so not sure what is happening there. It is juicy enough but just doesn't look like garlic!
We have eaten most of the spinach, I've pulled half of it up as it had begun to flower. The broccoli is just coming on, had 4 tiny heads last night. And the strawberries are very good now.
Friday, June 24, 2011
June update
Finally the weather has picked up a bit. It has been very dry and I think it is time to give the beds a good soaking so I'll be doing that later. These photos were taken on the 20th.
Since then I have transplanted the strawberry plants which I grew from seed. Today I staked the broadbeans better. The two types are completely different, one is in full flower and the other has no flowers at all yet.
There have been a lot of green insects on the onions. I sprayed with some soap solution and they have at least reduced in number. The carrots are growing rather slowly, but perhaps no worse than last year, hard to be sure.
Since then I have transplanted the strawberry plants which I grew from seed. Today I staked the broadbeans better. The two types are completely different, one is in full flower and the other has no flowers at all yet.
There have been a lot of green insects on the onions. I sprayed with some soap solution and they have at least reduced in number. The carrots are growing rather slowly, but perhaps no worse than last year, hard to be sure.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
End of May
I am still adding things to the new shallow box. The two squares of spinach are up now, still only with seed-leaves. I sowed another two squares today, that should be more than enough! I think I am the only person to actual like it in salads.
I sprinkled some very old English mixed salad leaves over one square too. No loss if they do nothing.
Most of the carrots are up now, and the parsnip too.
Three empty squares left in the shallow box, plus what looks like space in the centre of the purple sprouting broccoli squares. Those plants are very small and it might be good to put a beetroot or something in the middle of each square.
I sprinkled some very old English mixed salad leaves over one square too. No loss if they do nothing.
Most of the carrots are up now, and the parsnip too.
Three empty squares left in the shallow box, plus what looks like space in the centre of the purple sprouting broccoli squares. Those plants are very small and it might be good to put a beetroot or something in the middle of each square.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Potatoes in
It is stupidly cold here now. The potatoes were barely sprouting but I put them in anyway (on the 24th) because the forecast is for rain later in the week.
I used the back two rows of the new deep box, so now it is full of potatoes and carrots - though they have not come up yet.
The kalibroc which I had grown indoors was hardened off a bit at least, and then put in the back row of the new shallow box. In front of that I put the purple sprouting broccoli which I grew in the winter sowing experiment. It is not as big as the indoor plants so I doubt if this will be a way to get things growing quickly. It will be interesting to see if it produces anything edible at all.
I now have three full boxes, space only in the new shallow box. If I get to Hveragerði next week then I will buy some plants to put in there, have to see what is available but perhaps some cabbage.
With temperatures well under 10°C and dropping to 3°C often over night, things are just hanging on rather than actually growing :-( We did have a very small amount of rhubarb though, mixed in some apple and made a crumble!
I used the back two rows of the new deep box, so now it is full of potatoes and carrots - though they have not come up yet.
The kalibroc which I had grown indoors was hardened off a bit at least, and then put in the back row of the new shallow box. In front of that I put the purple sprouting broccoli which I grew in the winter sowing experiment. It is not as big as the indoor plants so I doubt if this will be a way to get things growing quickly. It will be interesting to see if it produces anything edible at all.
I now have three full boxes, space only in the new shallow box. If I get to Hveragerði next week then I will buy some plants to put in there, have to see what is available but perhaps some cabbage.
With temperatures well under 10°C and dropping to 3°C often over night, things are just hanging on rather than actually growing :-( We did have a very small amount of rhubarb though, mixed in some apple and made a crumble!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Quickie
Just ran out and added some seed to the new shallow box.
Sowed two squares of spinach, same sort as last year, and one square of coriander.
Plan to sow another square or two of spinach in two weeks time, perhaps more coriander then too, depends on how much space I have.
Most of the carrots which I sowed May 6th are up now.
Sowed two squares of spinach, same sort as last year, and one square of coriander.
Plan to sow another square or two of spinach in two weeks time, perhaps more coriander then too, depends on how much space I have.
Most of the carrots which I sowed May 6th are up now.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
More boxes!
Yesterday we bought the pumice and mushroom compost to put in the boxes. Bought 200l of each and already had the fortified moss, but still it was nowhere near enough!
Never mind,I sowed eight squares of carrots: four of Early Nantes 5 and four of Royal Chanteney which is an heirloom variety and supposed to be good for winter casseroles - I thought I could leave them in the ground longer. Just noticed that they are a short variety so probably a mistake to put them in the deep box!
Plan is to finish filling the second shallow box, and sow some spinach and salad leaves in there, perhaps buy the odd plant ready to put in, and I have the broccoli seedlings too which are almost big enough to harden off.
The weather forecast is for frost the night after this one, after that it should stay frost-free I think.
Never mind,I sowed eight squares of carrots: four of Early Nantes 5 and four of Royal Chanteney which is an heirloom variety and supposed to be good for winter casseroles - I thought I could leave them in the ground longer. Just noticed that they are a short variety so probably a mistake to put them in the deep box!
Plan is to finish filling the second shallow box, and sow some spinach and salad leaves in there, perhaps buy the odd plant ready to put in, and I have the broccoli seedlings too which are almost big enough to harden off.
The weather forecast is for frost the night after this one, after that it should stay frost-free I think.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Carrots!
Finally!
I sowed Early Nantes 5 on April 14th and now I have some signs of life Very Happy One lone seedling has been there for a few days, but now they are popping up nicely. It was very very windy when I did the sowing so they are not at regular intervals and I put in more than I needed in case germination was poor.
I sowed one square, at the same time, in a box covered with a plastic lid. Those carrots seem to be a couple of days behind these ones, which were covered only by fleece. The ones in the box may not have been wet enough?
I dragged my long-suffering husband out today, and bought more wood and screws to make another two boxes. We got them put together in record time, and more or less in place. Now I just need the stuff to fill them :-)
I sowed Early Nantes 5 on April 14th and now I have some signs of life Very Happy One lone seedling has been there for a few days, but now they are popping up nicely. It was very very windy when I did the sowing so they are not at regular intervals and I put in more than I needed in case germination was poor.
I sowed one square, at the same time, in a box covered with a plastic lid. Those carrots seem to be a couple of days behind these ones, which were covered only by fleece. The ones in the box may not have been wet enough?
I dragged my long-suffering husband out today, and bought more wood and screws to make another two boxes. We got them put together in record time, and more or less in place. Now I just need the stuff to fill them :-)
Friday, May 6, 2011
First planting!
Getting some warm weather at last! The home thermometer says 15°C and it certainly feels like it.
Some of the carrots in the deep box, sown on April 14th for Carrot Week, look as though they may be germinating finally so I left that square alone for now. The carrots in the cold frame are not showing at all, possibly they got too dry?
Here is the plan for this deep bed:
The broad bean plants were all raised inside. I sowed them in cardboard tubes, filled with compost, and seated on a layer of vermiculite. They made great root systems, out into the vermiculite. I hope that they will transplant OK. The Masterpiece beans are very tall, they certainly grow quickly - and claim to be the fastest growing broad bean. Both types should grow to 90cm. I've staked them now, and will have to stake them better later.
The sweet pea plants were also started off indoors in an eggbox - did not work so well as the roots must have been disturbed when planted out. May need to replace them with something else later.
I sowed one square of the Javelin parsnip which I tried last year. Also three squares of The Student. I grew that some years ago and thought it did very well so it will be interesting to compare a heritage type with an F1. Not sure if 16 seeds per square is too many, so did one square of 9 seeds.
The box had one square of Early Nantes 5, sown in Carrot Week. I put another squeare next to it, this is three weeks later and if the first lot do anything at all then I want to know if there is any overall advantage of early sowing. The final two squares are Amsterdam 3 Sprint. Grew these last year and they did seem to be a tad faster than the Nantes.
I watered everything and covered the whole box with fleece.
The shallow box still has the coldframes over it. The strawberry plants look good and the garlic is mostly doing fine. Some cloves had rotted so I pulled those out. there were three squares unplanted in there, so I planted those up with onions: Centurian, a white onion, 16 to each square.
Next thing to do is get another box (or two) made, and buy potatoes to chit.
Some of the carrots in the deep box, sown on April 14th for Carrot Week, look as though they may be germinating finally so I left that square alone for now. The carrots in the cold frame are not showing at all, possibly they got too dry?
Here is the plan for this deep bed:
The broad bean plants were all raised inside. I sowed them in cardboard tubes, filled with compost, and seated on a layer of vermiculite. They made great root systems, out into the vermiculite. I hope that they will transplant OK. The Masterpiece beans are very tall, they certainly grow quickly - and claim to be the fastest growing broad bean. Both types should grow to 90cm. I've staked them now, and will have to stake them better later.
The sweet pea plants were also started off indoors in an eggbox - did not work so well as the roots must have been disturbed when planted out. May need to replace them with something else later.
I sowed one square of the Javelin parsnip which I tried last year. Also three squares of The Student. I grew that some years ago and thought it did very well so it will be interesting to compare a heritage type with an F1. Not sure if 16 seeds per square is too many, so did one square of 9 seeds.
The box had one square of Early Nantes 5, sown in Carrot Week. I put another squeare next to it, this is three weeks later and if the first lot do anything at all then I want to know if there is any overall advantage of early sowing. The final two squares are Amsterdam 3 Sprint. Grew these last year and they did seem to be a tad faster than the Nantes.
I watered everything and covered the whole box with fleece.
The shallow box still has the coldframes over it. The strawberry plants look good and the garlic is mostly doing fine. Some cloves had rotted so I pulled those out. there were three squares unplanted in there, so I planted those up with onions: Centurian, a white onion, 16 to each square.
Next thing to do is get another box (or two) made, and buy potatoes to chit.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
It is 4°C (39°F) at the moment. The forecast is for around 2°C (36°F) through til Tuesday next week so not much point waiting for it to improve! And on the plus side it isn't actually raining/snowing right now, though it is pretty windy.
Last year I sowed my carrots on April 29th, and even that was early, so I reckon that if this lot don't show I can resow in the first half of May and still get a crop.
I sowed Early Nantes 5 in two squares. One square is in a 12" deep box, under agricultural fleece, and the other square is in a 6" box which at the moment has a cold frame over it so it should be a bit warmer in there. I can lift the frame off later when it gets warmer.
I'm aiming for 25 carrots per square because I use string for the grid and 16 carrots looked too few last year. I thought I should put three seeds at each station since germination may be poorer than normal - in practice my fingers were so cold and the wind so strong (the tears in my eyes did not help either) that the spacing was very erratic!
The squares I used are the back-right square of the strawberry box, and the front-left square of the deep box which I just moved.
Last year I sowed my carrots on April 29th, and even that was early, so I reckon that if this lot don't show I can resow in the first half of May and still get a crop.
I sowed Early Nantes 5 in two squares. One square is in a 12" deep box, under agricultural fleece, and the other square is in a 6" box which at the moment has a cold frame over it so it should be a bit warmer in there. I can lift the frame off later when it gets warmer.
I'm aiming for 25 carrots per square because I use string for the grid and 16 carrots looked too few last year. I thought I should put three seeds at each station since germination may be poorer than normal - in practice my fingers were so cold and the wind so strong (the tears in my eyes did not help either) that the spacing was very erratic!
The squares I used are the back-right square of the strawberry box, and the front-left square of the deep box which I just moved.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Stupid weather!
I made the most of a mild spell, and moved the deep box further back in the garden (behind where it was). Before I moved it, I put a layer of weed barrier down in the new patch, covered that with a thick layer of newspapers, and covered that with more weed barrier. I hope that will keep the fruit tree roots out for longer.
I plan two make two new boxes, a shallow one to put where the deep box was, and another deep box to put at the back. That will give me two shallow and two deep 4x4 boxes, and a small box in the centre with rhubarb in it (the rhubarb is coming up nicely, clearly much happier than where it used to be).
Meanwhile, I weighted down the exposed weed barrier with paving stones, and covered the box with garden fleece so that the grow mix will warm up faster. It was all looking good...
...then on Sunday we had the worst storm of the winter! I went out twice to add more rocks to various things (just saved the newspapers from blowing away) and still the gas grill blew over! I don't think that I actually lost anything but it was a close thing with the cold frame and the wheel barrow.
Today I decided it was time to sow some seeds indoors.
12 calendula
12 gazania Gazelle
1 tray of antirrhinum
4 pepper sweet minimix
4 pepper California Wonder
16 kalibroc
12 broad bean Masterpiece
10 broad bean Medes
10 sweet pea
15 strawberry Sarian F1 Hybrid
Most of these are seeds from last year or the year before. The broad beans I bought in the UK. Masterpiece is supposed to be very fast, and Medes is a heavy cropper so it will be interesting to see which does best. I sowed them in cut down cardboard tubes as peat pots are so expensive.
I still need to sow a tomato plant or two. And it is only three days to CARROT DAY! The SFG website is having an organised carrot sowing on or around April 15th so I need to sow some Nates carrots then. Given the weather they will have to go in the cold frame I think. I'll try a square in the deep box too but I suspect the germination rate will be very poor.
I'll post again when I have done some more :-)
I plan two make two new boxes, a shallow one to put where the deep box was, and another deep box to put at the back. That will give me two shallow and two deep 4x4 boxes, and a small box in the centre with rhubarb in it (the rhubarb is coming up nicely, clearly much happier than where it used to be).
Meanwhile, I weighted down the exposed weed barrier with paving stones, and covered the box with garden fleece so that the grow mix will warm up faster. It was all looking good...
...then on Sunday we had the worst storm of the winter! I went out twice to add more rocks to various things (just saved the newspapers from blowing away) and still the gas grill blew over! I don't think that I actually lost anything but it was a close thing with the cold frame and the wheel barrow.
Today I decided it was time to sow some seeds indoors.
12 calendula
12 gazania Gazelle
1 tray of antirrhinum
4 pepper sweet minimix
4 pepper California Wonder
16 kalibroc
12 broad bean Masterpiece
10 broad bean Medes
10 sweet pea
15 strawberry Sarian F1 Hybrid
Most of these are seeds from last year or the year before. The broad beans I bought in the UK. Masterpiece is supposed to be very fast, and Medes is a heavy cropper so it will be interesting to see which does best. I sowed them in cut down cardboard tubes as peat pots are so expensive.
I still need to sow a tomato plant or two. And it is only three days to CARROT DAY! The SFG website is having an organised carrot sowing on or around April 15th so I need to sow some Nates carrots then. Given the weather they will have to go in the cold frame I think. I'll try a square in the deep box too but I suspect the germination rate will be very poor.
I'll post again when I have done some more :-)
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Spring is not quite here!
Can't wait for the new growing season, I have so many plans!
I read somewhere about winter sowing in plastic containers. The idea is that you sow seeds in the late autumn and just leave them in the containers, outside. Come spring, the seeds start to grow and you get an early set of seedlings.
I wa sa bit later but decided to try with some seeds. I sowed: the broccoli which I got free with some other seed purchase last year, purple extra early sprouting Rudolph; last year's spinach Picasso F1; Calendula, fiesta shades; and a few of a packet of blue columbine which Omar brought me back from New Mexico where it is the state flower.
I cut down 2 litre bottles and sowed the seeds in the bottom (made drainage holes), and taped the top half back on top. There are some pictures below.
The wind blew two bottles over and I had to re-sow seeds in them. So the sowing date was around the 14th February.
While I was out resowing the bottles which fell over, I decided to look at the squares where I planted the garlic last year.
I was amazed to see green shoots in there! Some of them have multiple shoots so I hope that indicates that there will be a proper bulb growing later.
I also sowed some caster oil seeds inside. Plan on having them on the balcony if they grow.
I read somewhere about winter sowing in plastic containers. The idea is that you sow seeds in the late autumn and just leave them in the containers, outside. Come spring, the seeds start to grow and you get an early set of seedlings.
I wa sa bit later but decided to try with some seeds. I sowed: the broccoli which I got free with some other seed purchase last year, purple extra early sprouting Rudolph; last year's spinach Picasso F1; Calendula, fiesta shades; and a few of a packet of blue columbine which Omar brought me back from New Mexico where it is the state flower.
I cut down 2 litre bottles and sowed the seeds in the bottom (made drainage holes), and taped the top half back on top. There are some pictures below.
The wind blew two bottles over and I had to re-sow seeds in them. So the sowing date was around the 14th February.
While I was out resowing the bottles which fell over, I decided to look at the squares where I planted the garlic last year.
I was amazed to see green shoots in there! Some of them have multiple shoots so I hope that indicates that there will be a proper bulb growing later.
I also sowed some caster oil seeds inside. Plan on having them on the balcony if they grow.
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