chillies, Experimental Chillies and be;;s, tomatoes

Potted up tomatoes and chillies

January 22, 2015 horticultural 'Obbit 1 Comment

The first of the tomatoes have germinated and come through. I think I have six surviving germinators, with one keeling over with the cold. These have been transplanted into yogurt pots from their modular compartments. I have to say, that the trick by Allotment Lena works. Where you use a spoon to transplant from one place to another. There appears to be less root disturbance. There are not many that have come through, yet money maker tomato seems at this stage to be the quickest out of the blocks. There were 24 sections in the modules, and so far seven have come through. I think I may have made the compost a little too damp. Going to see how many more come through, and then I will look at sowing some more. Was thinking about where to put these when they grow larger, and the poly tunnel seems to be the best place. I have always grown tomatoes outside, and never had them ripen. Putting them into the polytunnel is probably going to be more useful.

The chillies are starting to get a wriggle on, and these have also been transferred from modules to other pots. I did have a panic as some of them looked a little shrivelled. I had thought thought that I had lost most them. Much hand wringing ensued. However, covering them with a propogater lid, these were a little revived with the heat and light being trapped to warm them up again. The cayenne chillies were the quickest to come through, and with the Aji Limo chillies are the more robust looking. Pumpkin and raindrop chillies are by far the daintiest of the lot. Debating, as to whether I sow some more. Unlike last year, I don’t plan to plant them directly into the ground in the poly. The plan is to plant into pots, based upon previous experience.

There are eight varieties in all, I am still waiting for orange and chocolate habaneros to germinate. In previous experience, these do take a while. I don’t particularly want to pop them into a heated prop, as they end up leggy and wiry.

Allotment Challenge, TV Stuff

Big Allotment Challeneg 2015: Epi Three

January 18, 2015 horticultural 'Obbit 1 Comment

Peas, lilly growing, dips and crisps. That was the order of the day with this particular episode.

You’d think growing peas was simple. I’ve done it myself, I’ve even done it whilst working with young people in school gardening clubs. Yet it all seems a bit more complicated when it comes to the show bench. Loved Lena’s pea sticks, that to me is the traditional way of growing peas. However, if you want proper, show stopping peas, use the corden method. You grow them up, trim off the tendrils. Alot of time was dedicated to the growing technique of show stopping peas. Right down to how many you would expect in the pod per the variety.

There was even pea-gate. The Pesky pheasant was chomping things. I don’t wish a pest on anyone, but how many folks have pheasants running around. Pigeons, maybe.

Haven’t sown peas in years. Might try them soon, I do have seeds some place.

Lillies. Aren’t these toxic to cats? Again, I phased out with the flowers. The growing and cultivation, the decorating of the candelabra. I can see why people would sow flowers, I can see how the logic lies when being Bumble bee friendly. But when am I going to be decorating candelabras?

Then cam eat, and the crisps and dips. That’s logical, things you can make with your produce. But why leave this til the end? Eat is important, it is the very premise of growing. I love Thane, her comments are useful, and she stands by using your produce. Eat and grow should be the collective fulcrum of the show. The make can be part of those two components.

chillies, Experimental Chillies and be;;s

Chillies 2015: Progress so far

January 18, 2015 horticultural 'Obbit 3 Comments

A couple of weeks ago, I set about sowing chillies seeds. You can see the one post here

Positioned in front of a warm window, there have been daily checks as to what might have germinated. Remember, this is unheated propogator. To date, I have had more success germinating this way, rather than using a heated propogator.

I had bought some more fresh cayenne seeds, and these have germinated. The older ones are clearly not viable, as the early experiment hasn’t come through. I intend to sow a couple more fresh ones, that is the unopened pot in the picture above, Was always something of a risk, using older seeds. The second sowings are coming through. Most have cracked through their seed cases. I am just waiting on the orange and chocolate habaneros. Might actually resow those too, but they are probably just taking their time. The danger is, that these are going to become leggy and gangly as they reach for the sunlight. Going to wait a few days, to see if there is few more germinators before I take the lid off. There is a cold snap due, and I don’t them to get a fright and keel over.

Allotment Challenge, TV Stuff

‘Big Allotment Challenge 2015: epi two

January 11, 2015 horticultural 'Obbit

Caught up with this last night, after the Hampton Court Documentary. I didn’t want to get behind.

The one striking thing with this series is that the contestants are different compared to last years. They are more competitive, and there is clear indicators of how good they are at both growing and cooking.

First came the growing challenge of cucumbers. I was glad, actually, that there were growing tips. Such as sowing seeds on their sides and also pinching out. That was a good educational component, I actually learned things that would help me. So far, I have not had much success with cucumbers. And respect to Rob, for a heritage cucumber, when everyone else went with standard yellow ones. Plus. I think Rob is the eye candy that all the girls on the plot are cooing over.

Cut flowers, I zoned out for, and hugged. I have no idea about larkspur flowers, I did see the seeds. Can’t say I would try them. Currently looking at chrysanthemums for mama.

Last was the eat challenge. There has been alot said about Thane being negative. I disagree, her feedback this week was good. It was constructive, and expert. I listen really carefully to what she has to say, so that I can incorporate it into what I do when I am preserving. Thane Prince is a like a good, effective, considerate OFSTED inspector. The lollies and syrup was a good idea, something that I wouldn’t have otherwise thought about.

What I will say, is that the feedback is indicative of the quality of the contestants. In terms of how skilled they are, how resourceful they are. The extent to which they use their products.

tomatoes

Early-I know-Tomatoes 2015

January 7, 2015 horticultural 'Obbit 6 Comments

Since we are sowing seeds. Why leave the tomatoes out? I have sown them at time of the year before. Only to have wiry, gangly leggy creatures that I didn’t pot up quickly enough. I’m not very good at both potting on, or pricking out for that matter. I stood in Dad’s loft, it was cold up there, rooted in the seed stasher to pull out the seeds. I didn’t have as many as I had thought, but that didn’t make the selection of seeds any easier. Laying out the packets, it was a cross between laying out solitaire cards and X factor selection. You might think, that a tomato is a tomato. Not quite. Trust me, there are people out there who will have strong views on that matter. There are quite a few heritage/heirloom varieties in this particular experiment. Last year, I had a few that were shop brought plants. Wiry and tall to begin with, with slightly odd leaves. These did actually take sometime to get growing. The plants did grow large well, but were slower to produce the bigger, beefsteak fruit.

The varieties are:

Yellow stuffer-This made the lovely yellow chutney last year, so same again, please.
Marmande-big beefy beefsteak. Very productive last year, knobbly decent sized tomato.
Cream sausage-hilarious name, but actually yellow.
True black brandywine-another beefy beefsteak. But what looks likes like a Gothic fruit. Did have a shop brought Brandywine last year, the name escapes me.
Moneymaker-I have to have one bog standard red tomato, so mum doesn’t protest. It was toss up between this variety and Gardener’s delight.
Cherokee purple. I brought one of these last year as a plant, from a local greengrocer. Big plant, big fruit, but not bad.

I do have a sense of trepidation about sowing this early. Not least of all because they all might germinate like triffids and become leggy.Must keep an eye on them, make sure that they get potted up as soon as possible. Seeds were modularised, twenty four modules. But not a lot of seeds, at this stage. Plus, I have to consider window sill space. If they all do come off, then there is the small matter of them ripening.

Experimental Chillies and be;;s

Experimental chillies 2015: Part two

January 6, 2015 horticultural 'Obbit 1 Comment

With one seedling from the first batch making an emergence, and the poly tunnel being tidied up. A second batch of experimental chillies have been sown today.

We have:

Cayenne: fresh seeds, as the previous ones were old, and not necessarily viable
Pumpkin
Aji Limo
Raindrop
Pettie Belle
Hungarian hot wax
Chocolate and orange habanero

Compost was placed into the modules, moistened and kept at room temperature for a while to warm up. There are five seeds per module compartment for most of the above seeds. This was all then placed into an unheated propogator, secured with elastic bands so nothing escapes. Placed then in a warm place.

Have been reflecting a lot on what went wrong with last years crop. I suspect I was too kind. In the past, I have grown chillies, and been cruel to them. Constrained their roots, and kept them in pots. We had lots of lovely leafy plants, last year, but no fruit. With constrained roots, I had fruit, and happy healthy plants. This will translate to the transition to the poly, will keep the plants in pots for as long as possible. I am trying again with the chocolate and orange habanero. The cayenne chilli was the first I ever grew, so I am hoping to replicate some of that success that I had many years ago. Chillies can take a while, and that is something of a test of patience. No super hot dorset and bengle naga as of yet. Might give that a rest for a bit.

In a bit of pickle

Jam, jellied: the kit

January 4, 2015 horticultural 'Obbit

When you too many courgettes, and you don’t want to so much as curry one. You have to think of alternatives. Last year was the first time that I made a foray into jams and chutneys. I had wibbly ones, spicy ones, one that set like Concrete. There was a lot of experiments. Especially when I had tomatoes by the tonne.

I soon realised that if I had a proper pan-nothing wrong with mum’s big Dahl pot, except When you might burn it and have to scrub it-the whole process might be easier. I found the maslin jam pan, funnel and spoon as a bargain special buy. It’s a big pan, and at times I do struggle with getting a “rollicking boil’. I also has a jam thermometer as I can never get the cold plate Wrinkle test right. I tend to panic when I don’t get the setting point of 104 degrees c. That is a deliberate figure, the setting point of jam.

Santa Claus did also deliver me jelly straining kit. Have yet to use it,

So no photo yet. You could always use suspended clean. Sterilised muslin. The same as the one I use for home brew.

I am far from being an expert preserver. I nearly cried when I burned the bottom of the pan with blackberry jam. Thought the pan was a goner.

Allotment Challenge, TV Stuff

Big Allotment Challenge 2015: Epi one

January 3, 2015 horticultural 'Obbit 4 Comments

9pm, a Friday. And the Big Allotment Challenge was back. With baited breath, Britain’s allotmenteering community flicked on BBC2 to see what changes had been made since last years first series.

So I commandeered the family tv, complete with Mama and her knitting needles. I would watch this, on the larger screen, rather than on a portable device on catch up.

Credits rolled, and I could feel myself slipping into observation mode, It’s hard not to be a teacher. There was even my notebook and a pen, I was going to make very close observations.

Plots have changed since the end of the last series, back down to blank canvasses. We saw the series 2 contestants plot and plan out what they wanted to do. One of the opening statements was that these were amateur gardeners. Significant, as a large proportion of other horticultural shows will involve professionals. Important, as amateurs can get things wrong and not necessarily get huffy about it.

Spuds. Spuds, were the first challenge. Can’t say these featured directly in the first series. But with the show being short, the focus was on new potatoes. These would also feature with the eat challenge later with Thane Prince. Okay, so they all grew spuds. What I took umbrage with, was Jim’s dismissive remarks about spuds being the basics of the allotment. why did I get cheesed off? I have issues with my spuds. I plant them, monitor them, and still end up with holey spuds, with the occasional green one. I am clearly failing, with the basics.

What was nice, was there was focus on growing. Advice, techniques and strategies on how to do it. What to expect, and how to do things. There was also experimentation, by Lena one of the contestants. There is nothing wrong with experiments, and if you don’t try, you don’t know. Something Matt was also interested in. Testing the acidity of his soil. I have yet to do that. I am happy knowing I have clay.

And we saw pests! yes, slugs, snails, things that eat your crop before you do. Growing, is not perfect. Things go wrong. Both potatoes, and the zinnia flowers were afflicted by pests. I could have done a small whoop whoop cheer, for the critters that finally got shown to the unsuspecting public. There were twenty minutes of new potatoes, as they went to the show bench. One of the contestants tickled her spuds, I have furtled, but never tickled.

I get that people do grow for show. But the fact that veg has to be perfect, that annoys me. You can see Jamie Oliver’s campaign for ugly veg hit the news here. Perfectly good veg, but not pretty. Is avoided by both supermarkets and consumers. There is nothing wrong with it!

Flower growing, I shall gloss over. I glazed over with that bit. I am not a bouquet or floral basket maker. Glazing and glossing over. I wanted to fast forward to the eat, but couldn’t zap the tv.

Eat. Mustard and another sauce. You can make your own mustard, who knew. Sauces, to accompany a roast dinner. A sacrosanct meal, I tell you.

I wanted to see the reactions of Thane Prince. I like Thane, no nonsense in her approach. There was definitely no nonsense. Holding no punches, Thane gave her verdicts on the sauces. The contestants did appear to have fun in the kitchen, but that didn’t improve the matter. Thane wasn’t overly impressed by some of the sauces. Neither was I, to be fair. Was holding out for jams, jellies, chutney’s and cordials. Think there is syrup next week, insert your own toupee joke there.

Overall, I am not sure what I think. I even had to sleep on it. I may have even dreamt about it. Whilst there are changes. More growing advice, individual contestants who actually get irked with one another. Of course I will watch the next episode. But this still requires improvement.

success, Taking stock

So long 2014, you’ve been interesting

December 31, 2014 horticultural 'Obbit 1 Comment

On the last day of 2014, that is what the plot looks like. A bit dreary, eh? Wasn’t always like that though.

But the plot has been through a fair bit. Least of all the elements of Great Britain.

Seeds were sown, never at the right time, or in the right amounts. Seedlings germinated, some made it, some gave up the ghost and keeled over. There were slugs and snails, puddles and problem cabbages. The heavy clay was unrelenting. Arid and angry in the sun, it didn’t hold much water. Damp and rained upon, it was soggy and sulky. There were tomatos by the ton, three chillies, just three. Despite a whole poly tunnel of leafy plants. One whopper aubergine, the rest were all tiddly. Courgettes by the dozen. Marrows, that you cuddled to carry.

There was a Baby Bruno. His seeds have now dried, and all being well, will go to good home. This was the year of the Hobbit trug, and boy did it earn it’s keep. So much so, one was donated to Gardening Leave to give them a hand. A case of share the love with that trug. Was made by the fab Loldeantimber you can find them here and tell them I sent you.

2014 has not been an easy year. That’s not to say others have been. It has been different, and has presented it’s own challenges. After all, no one plot is the same. And mine, is the worst on the site according to the secretary, in terms of the soil and slope. I have been told several times to move down the site and have a better chance. In my mind though, I think I have a fighting chance. It has taken me this long to the plot this far.

I would like to thank everyone who had read the blog over the last year. Thank you, for all the comments. Than you, for just reading. I don’t call myself an expert, but I do like to share what I learn and experience. If that is of any use to any one, then than that is one happy bonus.

Thank you, and a very happy new year to you all ^_^

Allotment Challenge, TV Stuff

Big Allotment Challenge: It’s Back! 2015

December 31, 2014 horticultural 'Obbit 10 Comments

It’s back! The Big Allotment Challenge is back!

I watched this earlier this year, with a mix of curiosity and excitement. Of all the things to base a reality television game show. An allotment. Remember, we had already allotment wars, showing just the sort of Machiavellian mischief that could happen with mud, manure and marrows.

For the whole series, I was hooked. A bit cynical throughout, huffing and puffing a little, as to how it didn’t necessarily reflect my experience of allotmenteering. My little 200sq metres, isn’t for example, in the back yard of what looks like a very posh country house. So my viewing, was a bit mud splattered, and fairly closed minded.

There were lessons to be learned though. Or at least nuggets to be taken from it. You’ll have to look through the assorted blogs, for the whole picture. The show inspired me to try aubergines again. I did. And I still don’t know how the contestants managed to grow them. I had diddly ones. Nothing from the seed’s I’d sown. but a few oddments from the shop brought one’s. In a poly tunnel, my crops, didn’t compare. So I am at loss, as to how those lovely people got those whopping big aubergines. I might just sow a couple of them, leave them in pots this time. Then there was the melon. Sown, planted, I didn’t get one of those either. It just snaked itself around the polytunnel.

The growing, seemed absent of wonky veg. Okay, the showbench is about pretty and perfect. Thing is, I don’t have perfect veg on the plot. I have beautifully ugly, a bit bruised, slightly worn around the edges, but still home made and mine, because of it. Don’t necessarily have pretty perfect ones. After all, if it’s edible, it’s going to be chemically and mechanically digested, and possibly taste good with it. If I can grow a perfect cabbage, then yes, I shall concede. That was the ‘Grow’, primarily for the show bench.

The two things, that I took away from the make section. How to tie a handmade bouquet, when the roses have have thorns. I was glad to see the show have roses, there is something quintessentially English about them being in an garden. I have quite a few, including one that is supposed to be blue. It’s a funny shade of lilac, actually. As far as the flowers were concerned, I became aware of Gladiolus. And planted dozens and dozens on the plot, of all different sizes. High summer came, and the plot looked as though fireworks were going off in assorted directions. As for growing one that was perfect. Nah, it was pretty, that I can live with. And bumblie bees seemed to like them.

Then there was the eat section. And the world was re-introduced to the wonder that is Thane Prince. Prior the show, I have dabbled in the odd chilli jam, the odd chutney. But watching the show, the world of preserves became that bit broader and a bit more colourful. Makes sense really, you do have to eat the stuff you grow. Yet, there is only so many curried courgettes and aubergines that you can take. In watching the show, I learned how you make sure that a chutney was cooked, If you can part the mixture with a wooden spoon, and it stays parted. Then the job’s done. The Thane Prince torch test with Jelly, passing a beam through. Was also a nugget. Though I do intent to make a jelly-santa brought me a jelly straining kit-with edible glitter to see if the beam will bounce. I brought a jam pan, I wanted one anyway, having window shopped it throughout the series. I ended up making a lot courgette chutney, a lot of jam. My second batch of blackberry jam, set rock hard, I didn’t have a thermometer at that stage. I had faffed with the cold plate test. I found a jam thermometer. My mama was all very excited at first. We had discovered how to make jam. So of course she was going to pick a pound of blackberries, and were going to make jam. But then came the rest. The chutneys. And lots of them. Mama’s enthusiasm has since waned. The assorted handful, yes, a handful -I gave away my experiments- in the pantry are a few too many and clutter the pantry.

Then there was the homebrew. A case of, now I realise that I can do something with that.

The show did have good aspects. Allotmenteering was having a renaissance. The illusion that it was an old man’s game, was being shattered. Women could do it too, and it wasn’t as sedentary as you might think. In my own allotmenteering experience, I’m quite happy to bust those myths. Happy, to spread it’s assorted messages.

All being well, I shall be tuning in again. Apparently there have been some format changes. It will be interesting to see what these are, and what impact these will have.

horticultural 'obbit

Potted up tomatoes and chillies

Big Allotment Challeneg 2015: Epi Three

Chillies 2015: Progress so far

‘Big Allotment Challenge 2015: epi two

Early-I know-Tomatoes 2015

Experimental chillies 2015: Part two

Jam, jellied: the kit

Big Allotment Challenge 2015: Epi one

So long 2014, you’ve been interesting

Big Allotment Challenge: It’s Back! 2015

'obbitry of the horticultural kind

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