The chillies above are from http://www.realseeds.co.uk/ and aren’t doing too badly.
The whole gang of chillies and bells
Yearly Archives: 2013
Blooming
Human Beans
“I’m watching you, you haven’t covered them properly.”
Mama and I have taken a walk down and planted the following:
Tendergreen
Borlotto
Fagiolo nano brittle wax
Purple queen
In the Wendy house, some of the sunflowers have been deposited as well as the ‘running’ beans.
As of yet, there are germinators amongst the recently sown broad beans. But….
“Eleven!”
mama spotted eleven direct sown broadies and reminded me to put a stick next to them. Had to remind her in turn, that broadies don’t need support. I will not however argue.
Will be back shortly 🙂
Yours in anticipation,
Horticultural Hobbit
Burgeoning
Have made something of a transition, in shuffling things around onto the window sill.
The cucumbers and the squashes have been brought home and placed into the four tier blowaway. I don’t think that in the time that I have had it; it has ever been this full. The contents is getting bigger and bigger; and need hardening off. Am bit fearful actually, for the cucumbers. Might throw a bit of fleece over things tonight as they have been sat in a semi warm classroom. If they don’t make it through the night, that will be a problem.
We almost have a block of sweetcorn. Just waiting on a few more to germinate for security. I witnessed yesterday. The leaves of the sweetcorn transpiring. I have clearly over watered them! It was a wow moment that you had to be there for.
Another batch of runners have been sown. As have loads of petite poise and kelevdon wonder pea. Handful of caulis have been sown too.
Will update further soon!
Yours in anticipation,
Horticultural Hobbit
Waiting in the wings #2
Some of the inhabitants of the classroom windowsills have made the transfer from the sills to the 4TB. The running beans as mama H calls them have come home. These are scarlet emperor and painted lady. I think there were 20 of each sown; and at least that many have come through. Prior to the weekend, these had only just entered the universe; raising their heads they were very alien like. And beyond the warm bank holiday, they have taken off quite a bit.
As well as these, sunflowers for the The big sunflower project have also come home. These too are growing strongly. I’m concerned that perhaps these may get too big and need potting on or planting out soon. I’m hoping that if they harden off nicely in the next couple of weeks, they may make a further transfer to the plot. I’ve never grown sunflowers, never mind giant ones.
Then there are the tomatos. Some rather sadly, sulky looking things that need some love. They weren’t getting very much love and affection in the classroom, or sunlight for that matter. I forget now, exactly when they were sown; but I’ve never seen tomatos so small and need of such a pep talk. I couldn’t tell you what they were either. I didn’t label them!
There is still a lot on the window sills. I made a sowing of kelevdon wonder pea and some petite pois. The ones on the plot haven’t shown up yet. The sweetcorn is an interesting specimen. I have four babies, with another four trying to germinate. The sweetcorn looks likes what the Leeks need to eventually. Fattened up and pencil thick. Will be interesting to see if that comes off.
Squashes and cucumbers are increasingly more more triffid like. Most of which are now onto their first proper leaf. There is a waiting game with these. To harden off and plant out before the end of may with the next bank holiday.
Yours in anticipation,
Horticultural Hobbit
Waiting in the wings
The burgeoning windowsills.
Lots and lots of squashes, sweetcorn, very very very small tomatos, cucumbers that are increasingly more triffid like. Yes, I know that is a lot of squashes. They all require lots of room, lots of feeding. They might find themselves donated to a loving home. Hoping that more sweet corn will germinate. All of four, will not make for a suitable block.
Chillies are there too, I think the one that is the most rampant the moment is purple Beauty from Real seed Catalogue. There is also an early jalepeno from them, as well as Nigel’s outdoor chilli that they used to do. The seed sown was from a lovely Grape. In that squash box, there is a striato de Napoli courgette also from them. There are a couple of seeds, from another heritage seed collection Thomas Etty For the first time ever, sweet mini red has germinated. There are few patio varieties and other purple ones in the mix.
Painted lady and scarlet emperor runners have been sown. They had only just started to germinate. They do not make for pretty babies.
There are also baby sunflowers for the Big Sunflower project 2013.
Everything is waiting for the threat of frost to pass. It is going to a long four weeks!
Yours in anticipation,
Horticultural Hobbit
Weekend Welly
With the heralding of the May Day bank Holiday, you would have been forgiven this morning for being bah humbug as the heavens opened. Everytime I went to even think about putting my wellies on, the heavens opened. It was noon before the threat of rain dissipated. Having spent over a week away, this was an opportune time to see how the land lay as Mama H had been watering in my absence. I have also resisted, in clearing my window sills.
So down we pootled, my mother and I. You go to do one job, mum finds you another 76 to do. The one urgent job to do was to plant out the caulis from
Aunty Tish and net them. There was also a Sunderland Kale that needed to be put out too.So mama H did that as I was charged with watering things. As you can see, lots of fenugreek and various spinach like seedlings are germinating in a carpet of green. Looking good there.
With being charged with the watering, if did so. The potatoes are still asleep, no green shoots there yet. There is still a threat of frost. Frost, that hopefully will leave the blossoming Concorde tree alone. Last year, this was the one tree that stood there sulking; with the apple and plum flowering and fruiting. Something positive to take note of there.
Carrying out a couple of experiment, early direct sow. Dwarf French beans. Varieties sown were purple queen and borlotto dwarf. These are somewhat speculative, as we only just into may. The other experiment, is the laying of shredded paper as a mulch on a potato bed. That one is for further observation.
The Garlic, looks lovely! As do shallots. They in particular seem to have bloomed out of nowhere. Looking fairly sorry for themselves, they have taken on a whole new look for themselves. Some of the spring planted garlic is starting to send out some green shoots as are the onions. These were all mulched today, I really don’t fancy the weeds that have started to pop up.
Finally a few splashes of colour. Not as many as last year, but the tulips are blooming and looking lovely. More anemones were sunk today; whilst racked with pansy envy. There are no survivors on the plot, but at home we have about five or six that were pinched by Ma and put in pots. Providing a burst of red, white and purple.
So much to do. Really would have wanted to plant out a couple of squashes. Might try with a couple later this week. Another experiment….
Have a lovely may bank holiday where ever you find yourselves.
Remember.
Wear Sunscreen.
Yours in anticipation,
Horticultural Hobbit
Germinate, germinate: Triffids arise
This morning I was met with a very green looking unheated propagator. We have germination. Not just your average germination either, but that of would be triffids.
In the prop, the following have risen:
Femspot, marketmore and crystal lemon cucumbers
Yellow scallop
Cobnut
Two Avalon
Patty Pan
Ghostrider and Astia-sort of.
Sunburst and giant sunflowers
They are beautiful and green, standing there all proud. They will be in need of hardening off over time. Though I might send them out under cloches before long.
There are lots of sunflowers, that will also need to feel the sun on their faces.
The race for chillies and bells has ended. No more now to be expected. There are 22 babies, I think, sat on the window sill. That is more than enough to be getting on with; they will be staying there indefinitely and will be potted on accordingly.
I have to say that the purple ones are coming on rather strongly. I will have to identify properly later on which ones are which exactly.
Always nice to see the rise of the a triffids. Unless they keel over before the morning….
Yours on anticipation,
Horticultural Hobbit
Daleks don’t diet
Composting shouldn’t be challenging, but I do find it challenging. Mostly as there is a habit to be started and then maintained. I found it very difficult to maintain last year. This year is about making it work. There is a kitchen caddy as well, so we can continue to compost suitable kitchen waste. Yesterday, as the weather was fine, Pops mowed the lawn. Today, off I trundled to the plot with a wheelbarrow of grass clippings and shredded paper. There are simple rules as to how and what you should put into compost, all predicated on layers of brown and green. The daleks were both filled with grass clippings layered with shredded paper. All being well, the daleks will continued to be fed. It is true what is said about the grass clippings being hot, they were certainly very warm to touch as they were piled into the daleks.
A tip given to me today by an allotment neighbour, was that if you are growing runner beans; mulch them with grass clippings to nitrogenise the soil. Not sure if this works, so answers on a post card for that please.
Some peas were sown out today, but not many. A handful of petite pois and kelvedon wonder pea were sown directly by way of experimentation. There is a possibility that I might soak some peas and then perhaps plant out once they have chitted. I would like to see however, if these come. These were sown by the netting that bisects the plot and also by the bean/pea netting. I will leave it a week or so perhaps, before I sow runner beans in modules. After this, there are always Dwarf French Beans to be sown as well.
Summer flowering bulbs were also sank today. I had last year thought about these, but perhaps didn’t action them as well as I could have. Especially as last year all that was cultivated was weeds and super slugs. The logic behind this was, that since squashes and others require pollinators, summer flowering bulbs would facilitate. Seeing as they were now appearing in the shops, off I pootled to a poundshop and found quite a few. There are a number below that were sown today, before I got brain freeze with sheer number. A second batch will be sunk at a later date. If you have any ideas about the lis below, that would be lovely hear. A handful of the winter pansies and primulas that were planted last autumn have been spotted, so not an entirely lost cause.
- Freesias double
- Acidanthera
- Mixed Liatris Spicala
- Oxalis Seppel
- Gladioli Mixed
- Purple Gladioli
- Anemone Mr.Fokker
- Gladioli Plum Tart
- Iris Purple sensation
- Mixed Sparaxis
- Anemone Hollandia
- Freesia Red Single
- Gladioli Tradehorn
- Gladioli Pink
….think I have enough gladioli….
Last year, I had also planted some dahlias. Sadly, with the rain and general misery last year, the tubers met their make and were eaten by the clay. A very demoralising event, and an expensive folly. The jury is out as to whether I would like to plant them again, I rather like the pom pom flower. I know that they are available in Wilkos, as well as a 99p shop!
In other news, Incredible sweetcorn has come through the surface of module dirt as have Crystal lemon and Femspot Cucumbers There are baby sunflowers also coming up.
On the subject of of sunflowers. May I introduce you to:
http://centronuclear.org.uk/theinformationpoint/pages/ways_to_help/the_big_sunflower_project.html
I heard about this from a fellow gardener and was rather intrigued. My seeds have just come through, and I will sowing very soon. All being well, I shall post what happens, so watch this space for that.
All to play for.
Yours in anticipation,
Horticultural Hobbit
Atten-shun
The slightest bit of sun; and you know about it.
Mama H and I took an evening walk down to the plot to water the newly broadcast sown seeds. And in doing so, I observed just how sentry like the various bits of Garlic and onions were doing. Even the leeks sown in classroom, appear to have taken on a new vigorous approach in basking in the sunshine. The baby leeks have fattened up quite a bit in a matter of a few days. They are yet to be pencil thick, but they are not as wiry as they were.
It is the allieums on the plot that make me feel more positive. No longer stood as though they are sulking, but all very sentry like; garlic, onions and shallots that have been looking very miserable, look all very green and resplendent. A touch windburned perhaps, but after all the miserable moodiness of autumn and winter there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Remains to be seen how big a crop it will be, but it does look nice.
On the window sill, germination is happening at a remarkable pace. Three cucumber babies have appeared. Perhaps more. But femspot and crystal lemon have raised their heads from the modular cells. A yellow scallop squash is threatening to break out, as is a Avalon squash seed. The last of chilli seeds are being closely monitored; it will have been a month since sowing, and over a third of the seeds sown have come through. That is a lot of chillies.
The sun came out, there is all to play for,
Yours in anticipation,
Hortcultural Hobbit
horticultural 'obbit 