Kitchen Garden Forum

Does anyone else find all sorts of interesting things have grown up from where they dug in compost? Over the years I have found all sorts of things. I discovered peaches when I pulled up what I thought was a weed and came up complete with stone on the end. Then I identifried about 5 more growing around the garden. I've potted up two little hazelnut trees, and have a full grown walnut in the garden from when I threw away some mouldy walnuts brought home but forgotten about in a carrier.

It helps to learn to identify some plants as very small seedlings. Any that I don't know I tend to let grow on now just in case.

This year I have quite a lot of celery growing and am wondering whether it may be worth blanching some although as it it isn't in rows or evely spaced this may be difficult for some plants. And thank heavens for the self sown tomatoes as I managed to frazzle all mine earlier in the year when the weather was good.

I have also discovered a whole host of flowers (snapdragons, violas, foxgloves, geraniums, evening primrose and others) many of which have been moved to other areas of the garden.

I know I should be more careful with what I put in the compost but seeing what comes up is just another of those fascinating things in the garden for me.

Can't wait for my free walnuts to be ready again. Last year we had a big carrier full!

Jennifer

My mum has a splendid peach tree in the greenhouse, which fruits prolificly most years, this grew in the compost from a discarded stone! I have a 4ft tall hazelnut tree, which has nuts for the first time this year. My friend grew this from a nut (or found it sprouted) and gave it to me to plant. Also, this year I have random tomato plants in my garden, from where I spread the compost from the small bin in the garden! So, all in all, quite a few lovely surprises! (also a smattering of self sown snap dragons and other annual flowers accross the plot!

Our oldest plotholder recounts the tale of when the site was set up.

It had been used as a yard by the builder who built most of the local streets, his habit was to strip and sell the topsoil off any land he bought. Hed had also dug gravel from one part and backfilled with the subsoil from foundations.

So soil and sewage farm residue was imported.


Lo all recipients of the residue grew tomatoes without sowing them.

Yes, Peter, tomatoes was what I was going to respond to Jennnifer. But you are very lucky, Jennifer, to get so much. I don't; I did get a couple of peaches, which I tried to grow on, but they got the leaf curl the following year and didn't make much of themselves.

I've had several self-sown courgettes this year(completely different shape & much creamier texture) than the original plants, and one self-down winter squash which has produced two enormous marrow-shape fruits, (neither of which bear any resemblance to original varieties of squash seeds thrown onto the heap.

I regularly get little healthy tomato plants springing up which unfortunately germinate too late in the season for me to grow them and the frustrating thing is that they always seem to look much healthier than the original plants I grow from seed in commercial compost.