Kitchen Garden Forum

Back to tending my allotments this morning, after a little break doing other jobs. And how nice it feels to be back on them, i have to say.
Planted out the second lot of pot grown peas and broadbeans.

The first lot of peas i put in about a month ago got going well, but then had an attack of mole, leaving the roots in nothing. By the time i noticed they had stopped growing and gone yellow. I have now trod them back in, and they are starting to grow again. So i suppose both lots of peas will crop about the same time.

It is good to be back proper with you lot.

I was up the plot yesterday and put in the last of the spuds, Pink Fir Apple, and started to weed the asparagus bed so that I stand a chance of seeing the shoots Going into the greenhouse in a minute to prick out a nice tray of Little Gem lettuce. And then I've got to find where my hens are laying...

Well I realised today that we're creeping closer to the magic date of May 1st which is unusually the date on which we aspire to switch off our central heating and stop lining the pockets of the fuel companies.
However, i looked at all the little seedlings still enjoying the warmth on my window sills and am not sure they will appreciate the sudden drop in temperature so will have to play it by ear according to the weather.I still have things waiting to germinate so presumably they particularly may sulk and slow up if the room temperature starts to drop.

Got my Radeo peas sown, so i'm now a happy fellow. Looking forward to another huge and exceptionally tasty crop.

Also got my sweetpeas planted out, but i must admit, not quite the same excitment.

We all seem to be running a month behind and plants are sulking.

Found where some hens are laying and another one has gone broody so it was on with the thick leather gloves and into the last A pen. Mother hen's don't half get protective! Any others try to sit and I'll have to hook them off now as I've run out of pens! This time last year I had a brood already hatched out, first one this year will be middle of May.

MW

I have one row of Radeo sown at work...but have only got the fertiliser on and ground worked for the at home row.

I went in to work today...and had a big reshuffle in the back greenhouse...it is full with things potted and pricked out and put in there as they have progressed. It is now sorted more sensibly with trays of bedding all packed neatly in one end and all a bit more logical...for a while....

Cut a few Cauliflowers and Purple Sprouting Broccoli...and then sowed a few rows of Beetroot.

Sweet Peas planted out today too.

Plums, Gages and Pears in full blossom.



Clive.

Had a big smile on my face all day, managed to find someone to recondition the magneto on big bertha (howard gem) so up and running.
Very pleased indeed, to have the old girl performing again.

Oh - nothing like the pleasure of renewing acquaintance with an old friend.

Dear Primrose, how right you are.

Radeo Peas just popping through at work...and I got the ones sown at home this evening.

Clive.

Planted mangetout Carouby de Mausanne from roottrainers today and the last potatoes (Sarpo Mira). The sun was lovely though, when stopping work to survey the countryside, a sneaky NW wind still cut through my T-shirt.

Chiffchaff, willow warbler and blackcap are now definitely with us now, though we have only seen a few swallows yet. Blackbirds are building their second nest.

Sown some scorzonera and salsify today, haven't grown them for years.
Going to surprise cook with the news another day, as she use to grumble a little bit about the prepaation of them.

OH, did you sow scorzonera and salsify direct? I grew them many years ago (because I do like the taste) but they were not very successful, both very, very thin so, when they were peeled there was hardly anything left to eat!

I planted the next lot of broad beans today (Giant Exhibition Longpod) from roottrainers and celeriac Monarch under fleece. The latter have grown particularly sturdy seedlings this year so I am hoping for great things.

Our 6'x8' greenhouse is now full to bursting with seed trays full of vegetable, herb and flower seeds, roottrainers, tomato, sweet pepper, chilli and fuchsia plants. When more stuff has been planted out, it will be time to sow the runner, climbing and dwarf beans and the marrows and courgettes. A busy time ....

Dear Monika, yes, i did sow them direct, into some decent soil over the allotment. Last time i grew them, they grew fairly big but a little forked.

I was thinking this morning, the K.G Magazine does seem to be giving the forum the cold shoulder just lately, anyone else noticed this.