It’s miserable outside, and there is a distinct absence of colour. Over the summer and indeed the last few years, the plot roses have come into their own. The bushes are becoming more established, and this has meant that we’ve had an abundance of blooms to sit upon the kitchen window sill.
I have a combination of posh roses, roses that I know the name of; as well as lost label roses that are nameless. In the middle of the plot, I have William Shakespeare 2000. A beautiful bloom that I got for birthday eighteen months ago. At some stage I will add Anne Boleyn to the plot. There is just something about having roses on the plot. The colour and the scent add a great deal of character to the plot that is otherwise used mainly to grow fruit and vegetables.
Lots of blooms being harvested on the plot. Glads and roses are blooming, and the Psychology sunflowers are making the most of what little sunshine we do have.
Had to do an experiment today. THE experiment, the one that was the only reason for growing gooseberries on the plot. The experiment, that is gooseberry pickle. Amlar Achar, as it is know. Now, whilst I have a bollywood ma and pops, that doesn’t mean I know anything about Indian food and preserving. Ordinarily, I grow the produce, Ma then makes it all Indian. Today, I made the produce Indian. Searched a relatively easy to follow recipe, raided her pantry. Mustard oil, onion seeds, even the asafoteda, and that stuff honks half way to hell; it is that potent.
I have never made an indian pickle. I once asked my granny-Mum’s mum- and she gave me a recipe, taught me how to do it, but this was the first time flying solo.
The whole thing was concocted. I have learned to do chutney, and practice for that is straight forward.
I walked away from the saucepan, in something of a strop. I didn’t recognise the substance, it didn’t look like a pickle to me. But I wasn’t looking at it from the Indian perspective.
Still made Dad taste a teaspoon. And Mum tasted it with her dinner.
They are both okay. The Jar is still there.
Having left the jar, and trying to get rid of the sulk; I went to water the plot. It’s a bit hot outside, so bit necessary. Then there is the poly tunnel; the contents need regular watering. Spotted, was a bright red cayenne. I have struggled to get chillies red in the poly. This is only the second time that this has happened. There are also the tiniest of yellow courgettes, which is nice to see.
The next nice part, was the roses.
ruby wedding roses
pretty blooms
Slap bang in the middle, is a rose called Blue moon.
the second summer raspberries, the birdies ate the first
yellow raspberries and red currants
that trug, with the harvest
william shakespeare 2000
Hello, everyone, happy Sunday; I do hope that you have had a nice weekend.
Firstly, an apology. For not having updated properly, the plot is kicking off now and that means watering and harvesting. I have made two batches of ice cream in the last two weeks, with the strawberries from the plot. I have even harvested some tonight. The ice cream was fabulous, the ice cream maker, a good investment and highly recommended. I have been harvesting strawberries daily, and I don’t particularly have a preference for them.
As you can see from the gallery, the plot is coming into it’s own. There is nothing to report yet, as far as squashes and things go. They are just forming large leaves as of yet. In the poly though, the tomatoes are getting leafier, taller, and sending out yellow flowers. I have had to stake them into sentry like positions to prevent them all falling over.
cream sausage tomatos
The stars for the moment, are the chillies.
These are currently sat on a warm window sill. There are also a few more cayennes on the plant. Whilst walking through the poly tunnel with the watering can, I saw the rather chunky, lime green form of the hungarian hot wax. There are about five fruit, I shall leave them there for now.
Soft fruit is coming quick, with the strawberries especially. I have been watching the raspberries carefully. Especially as half canes don’t look to be doing an awful lot. These were canes planted last autumn, all thirty of them in the full season collection. There were an additional 10 yellow ones, The raspberries you see above, all three of them are the harvest of tonight. That yellow one, didn’t make it home, I ate it on the spot.
It was delicious. Get some. These are a variety called Fall Gold.I suspect they are a bit confused, as they are meant to be autumn ones.
I will continue to monitor the growth of the raspberries, to see if any more of them come to life. Also last year, I sank gooseberries and currants. The gooseberries have already yielded one small harvest, the next one, is most likely to be a pickle of some kind. The currants, are still babies, so there is not an awful lot expected.
But they do taste good. I swear, that the berries that I have collected were ready to burst. Beautifully red, they have given the strawberries a good run for their colour money. Not as tart as I would have expected, but a little full of seeds.
I had one black currant berry. May be next year, we can cordial or cassis. Yet to see if I have any white currants, if I can work out whether or not they are ripe. The two blueberry bushes are also laden with fruit, and again, ripeness check needed.
Last but not least, William Shakespeare 2000
william shakespeare 2000
Big, beautiful blooms, this rose bush sits in the middle of the plot. A sprawling mess, we like this sprawling mess, with green foliage and red blooms that burst in a matter of days in the shape of a fuzzy pom pom. This is the rose that I have been waiting for, as the other roses heralded the start of summer.
There are many folks who believe that there is no point having flowers on the plot if you cannot eat them. But I do rather like them. With the chillies and tomatos sown, the growing season seems very far far away. If germination is successful, and the slug and snails don’t eat the babies, I would like to sow summer squashes. These like many other vegatables and fruit benefit from pollination. Pollination can happen by the wind and also by the bumble bees. Bumble bees require pretty flowers.
There are already dozens of rose bushes on the plot. William Shakespeare 2000 is slap bang in the middle of the plot beneath an arch around which two roses bushes are growing. As usual, I do plan to sow sunflowers and also gladiolus. Sunflowers as they are a burst of colour. Also bumble bees rather like them and appear to be quite doped and drunk having flown onto one. Gladiolus were a surprise success last year, these were not only pretty but the bumbles appeared to like them too.
This year mum has requested chrysthanamums. These seeds are waiting to be sown. I doubt very much I will be sowing them yet, due to it still being a little cold. Plus I will rapidly running out of window sill space. I am not very good at sowing flower seeds. I tend to lose them to slugs and snails as well in the four tier blowaway.
Hawwww, I have very cold feet. Really should have worn two pairs of socks in the red wellington boots.
The last of the currants and gooseberries have arrived. I pootled down to the plot with versaille currants and invicta gooseberry plants. All of which are bareroot and in need of plugging in. When I first arrived the whole of the plot was entirely white with the frost. I have seen it snowed upon, but never so chalky white and somewhat sparkly. There was something quite eerie about it. Despite only one pair of socks I was layered up with thermals, hoody and heavy coat.
Walking down to the plot and trying not to slip over in the mud, there were roses on other plots.All looking a bit cold and frost kissed. Same was on mine, william shakespeare 2000 and lovers meeeting roses looked rather sweet in being iced over. In the last two days, we have had some rather harsh frosts.
Opened up the plant box and tried not to cut my fingers off. I am slowly running out of space to plug things into. Will have to consider carefully where exactly I plant to sink potatoes. There were three plants of Versailles currants and three of invicta gooseberry. Giving me a a very varied selection of both on the plot. I already have two redcurrant plants from poundland, but in the two years that I have had them, they have never fruited. Lots of bare rooted fruit has been plugged in now, I am still hoping to plug in some yellow autumnal raspberries that I will share with my aunty. There is a vague idea where these will go. Most likely by the autumn bliss raspberries so they are all together. At the moment though, it all looks like a field of twigs haphazardly plugged into the clay.
It’s all very gloom and doom outside as the rain comes down in sheets. At this time of the year, the plot is probably at it’s greyest and gloomiest.The abundance of summer seems such a long time ago. As the plot rests, we can cast our mind back to the splashes of colour that have filled the plot.
There are lots of roses on the plot. some established others less so. The lost label roses were new last year, and need another year or so to get going. Previous to that there were the posher roses, and these have really come into their own this year. Newcomer William Shakespeare 2000 sits slap bang in the middle of the plot, a sprawling mess of fuzzy red roses with lots of petals.
With the Big Sunflower Project sunflowers are planted on the plot. Some do not survive the slimers, but those that do, are a beautiful drop of sunshine. Are huge great big hyrdas in some cases, and you always end up with slighty dopey bumble bees floating around.
With the growing season over, the plot takes on a whole new appearance. The colour and foliage has all but gone. What does remain, is the hardier spinach and chard like creatures, and of course the weeds that were missed from the first time they were spotted.
The plan was therefore to go down to the plot and start weeding and digging. I did the weeding, and some digging but not as much digging as I would like. The plot is clay, or in this weather, heavy clay. It is solid, sticky, and squelchy. The red wellington boots were covered and caked in the stuff.
I concentrated on the one bed on project othello, the second half of the plot.There are seven beds on project othello, two of which are currently occupied by cabbages. The aim is to fill a few of the others with soft fruit.
Welcome to Hobbitland
Project othello is on the right hand side of this diagram, and the bed in question has already got mint and a rochester peach tree in it. This particular bed had been full of gladiolus, tomatoes and courgettes, so was in need of a tidy up. There were quite a few clumps of grass that had sprouted across it. These were all pulled up, which was made easier by the soil being wet.
The chard is still going, as is the perpetual spinach. Neither of these likes the warmth or direct. The chard in question is bright lights and vulcan chard. Bright lights does as it suggests, lots of yellow stalks. Vulcan chard, is the red one,and always reminds me of Spock. It doesn’t bleed green, I checked. It does however make nice pasta sauce and onion bhajis.
Over the summer, the roses were in full bloom. And they are still going, some of them at least. Even those hacked down and dead headed, have new blooms coming through.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my roses. They are beautiful, and mine have been really productive. A real pleasure.
Except this one.
This bloom, the blue moon hybrid rose. This has to be the most miserable rose I have had the misfortune of cultivating. It grows rather spindly and slowly, throwing up only a handful of blooms. Compared to the rest of the plot, this is a fairly bottom set rose.
Lovers meeting has to be one of the most productive roses on the plot. With it’s beautiful bright orange blooms that stand upright. These have now bloomed and are about to blow away at with the wind. So before the petals float away and leave the sad look deadheads; I have chopped them off to be enjoyed with a second wind in the kitchen.
horticultural 'obbit 