Kitchen Garden Forum

My first Winter salad sowings are week 24, w/c 8th June - chicory, endive, radicchio
Then lots of stuff week 32, w/c 3rd August - lettuce (barcelona, soleison, winter density, winter imperial, rougette du midi, vailan), cress
Then much the same week 36, w/c 31st August - lettuce, mizuna / mustard, rocket.

Certainly everything is coming on a treat. But my goodness some rain would be welcome.

I think that's the joy of being a gardener. One is able to be surprised and delighted by such small happenings in your garden or plot.
Just the first big poppy bursting its bud or the picking of the first pea. And the strange thing about it is that the following year the same small miracles happen all over again yet the pleasure of the excitement never fades because of the annual repetition. We're lucky to be able to find our satisfactions in such small events, especially in difficult times like this.

How wonderfully put, Primrose....

All the allotment holders, including me, have a big problem with cabbage root fly on the brassicas, at the momment!

OH. Makes you wonder how the commercial growers cope with all these pests on such a monumental scale, doesn,t it? Spraying ai presume?

Some of the farms round here grow carrots and brassicas under fleece for the organic sales, but some do just spray sadly, herbicides and insecticides. Some where complaining that some of the chemicals had been banned, they have forgotten how to grow plants properly it seems.

If the farmers are going to feed a nation (well provide 40<50% of what we eat), they are not going to go for organic, low intensive methods.

Sadly I suspect Stephen is right. Those wanting to eat organic should try and grow their own if they have the means to do so.

Perhaps if the buyers were not so particular with the shape of the product (example straight carrots) the farmes could could concentrate on growing better tasting product.

A neighbour wonders what this is, comes in various colours, hardy perennial.

I think it's about time to build a second greenhouse and hire a few square miles of soil

That looks fantastic, Elmigo...what you have achieved in a few months is quite amazing...

You'll have to rent next door to have space to eat it all!

Looks fabulous! I was going to say use next door's garden too!!