Tag Archives: dorset naga

Taking stock

Horticultural ‘Obbit at the Edible Garden Show 2015

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Well, I went!

I booked my ticket a fortnight ago, having established that I would be away from work. I would have a few days off, and why not revisit The Edible Garden Show at Alexandra Palace in London. The ticket was reasonably priced, you would pay a lot more than the £16 to visit a tourist attraction in the Capital and especially on the first day.I queued, post full English breakfast, as did a few hundred others, having arrived before the 11 am opening. No one told me, about the steep hill from the Alexandra Palace train station. I huffed and puffed up the hill, to see the view over the city in the very crisp weather. It wasn’t sunny, as the world and his wife had just viewed an eclipse. The other event, that was happening that day.

The plan, was to not spend any money. This was an exercise in window shopping. Perhaps learn something too.

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And that partly went by the way side. I made chilli based purchases, more on this later, but I didn’t come back to Brum laden with goodies. I didn’t fancy carting them all back, for one.

It was a nice day out, and having arrived early, I had a lot of time to walk around. Window shop, at first, what was around, work out what I wanted to see in the Expert’s theatre. As I got there, James Wong was running late and there were people already waiting. I kept walking around. There were a few schools there, kids and teachers, waiting for winners of Lunch growing scheme. I had empathy towards my slightly harassed looking colleagues, and the excitable kids.

I did spend a fair bit of time sitting in the Expert’s theatre, watching and listening.  I heard Pippa Greenwood, talk about veg, another chap talk about the factors that influence the vegetable patch. Last but not least, there was a question and answer session with the contestants of the Big allotment challenge. Was lovely to meet and speak with both Rob and Rekha. No, I didn’t swoon over Rob, and there were no screaming hoards that I had fight off to have a chat with him. Yes, I was surprised by that too.

This is not my first visit to an Edible Garden show. I made a visit to the show when it was at Stoneleigh. The show at Alexandra Palace felt different. It felt smaller for one, as though there was less there. I think I saw two seed companies. As well as a couple of equipment people. There was the experts theatre, and make/eat demos. Had I not left for the train, I would have stayed for the jam making bit.

It did feel very different to Stoneleigh, though I did go on the saturday that year. A lot less to look at, less hustle and bustle. Didn’t see alot on preserving fruit and veg, I think that would have been useful. There wasn’t anything there for me, that would have made me want to spend my money on goodies. Other than the two baby chillies. I feel that the show has lost a certain something. It just didn’t feel like a show, about edible gardens. There were poly tunnel people, greenhouse and shed people. Even furniture people. But something was lacking. A spark of something,

But I went, and even spent a fiver.

Dorset and Bengle Naga, Experimental Chillies and be;;s, Lost label roses, NaBloPoMo, Superhots 2014

#NaBloPoMo: Still there, still going strong

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Ventured down to the plot today. It’s been damp and miserable all week, and with work I haven’t been able to get down to the plot. I wanted to double check the chillies, and was heartened to find that they are still there. All very bushy and green, I don’t have the heart to euthanise them. So much for entering the dorset naga challenge, I have not harvested one chilli from any of them. Seems cruel to let them continue, when there doesn’t seem to be any fruit forthcoming. They all look healthy, burgeoning with blooms. But still nothing. All very disappointing. Even now, we are half way through November. How long further will these things go? I doubt very much that I will get a chilli this Christmas! Not sure now, as to what chillies i will sow next year. Might go back to basic cayenne and see what happens.

At the centre of the plot is William Shakespeare 2000. A beautiful red rose, that when in full bloom, smells of lemons. That too is still going. In fact, I counted eleven blooming roses across the plot. Even the week before last,I had eleven roses that I harvested to fashion a bouquet from. I don’t recall roses being in bloom at this point in the year before. And there are quite a few bushes on the plot. I tinkered with the climbing roses, golden showers and i think the other one is called danse de Feu. These just needed tying in to the metal arch. Which reminded me to prune there roses on the plot. A task made somewhat easier, in having been deadheading blooms over the summer as I went along. The more established posh roses, such as christian dior, Lover’s meeting, silver jubilee, pascali, peace rose, harry wheatcroft, have grown upwards quite a bit. Less so with the width of these. The less established lost label roses are a mixed bag. Still quite small, a handful are quite tall, and still very leaf. No idea what they are, hence the name A lot pink ones, an odd orange one.Was looking at where I might squeeze in another couple of roses bushes. Given how we have Shakespeare all ready, Anne Boleyn might be one to window shop.

The autumn bliss raspberry will also need to be pruned. I’m not entirely sure what to do with those.

Dorset and Bengle Naga, NaBloPoMo, Superhots 2014

#NaBloPoMo: Chilled out Chillies

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The interior of the poly tunnel looks a bit like Miss. Havisham’s boudoir at the moment. All of the chillies are still fleeced over. Good thing too as we had the first frost this week. Today was the first opportunity that I had to check that the chillies were all there, and yes they are. One or two leaves have gone a little black, but the rest remain green. May  have to feed them, but they are all still very green, leafy and there are lots of flower buds.

As they look so leafy, and full of buds, I don’t really want to euthanise them. I would just like to have one chilli!

chillies, NaBloPoMo, Superhots 2014

#NaBloPoMO: Chilli check-in

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These are the chillies plants earlier this week. We have since had a frost, but these were all fleeced. This in the vain hope that they wouldn’t be hurt, but you never know. They might look a bit robust, but so far, they’ve been very leafy but not provided any fruit.

There are a number of chillies in the poly tunnel:

  • serrano
  • chocolate habanero
  • orange habanero
  • jamaican jerk
  • bengle and Dorset naga
  • hot thai
  • hot patio sizzle
  • tobasco

The tobasco is actually nearly five foot tall, and only just starting to send out tiny little white flowers. The others are still leafy. As you can see , I have been finding some of the white flowers and tickling them. it’s too cold to keep the poly open, and there are not many flying insects around to help pollinate.

I didn’t plan to over winter these plants, but I am now debating as to how long I can keep them. I do need to check, actually, if they are still alive. It may well be that Mother Nature has already given me an answer to that question. Would be disappointing if they have all ceased to exist. This year we have had the grand sum of three chillies.

Superhots 2014

chillies…taking their time, I tell you

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thai_two thai_one serrano dorset_flowers

It’s been a wet and windy week in blighty, the nights are drawing in and the temperatures are dropping. With work, I’ve not been able to pop down to the plot during the week. I wandered down today in the vain hope that some of the superhots might have started to fruit, There is has been nothing in terms of habaneros yet, which is disappointing. What I do have, is quite a lot of foliage and white flowers dotted around. The number of flowers is certainly greater than during the summer, and to be frank, I have been ignoring the chilli plants.

What I have done, is walked into the poly, and done the shake shake. Shaken the plants from side, in the same way a breeze might. Hoping that this may help the self pollination. There are not many insects around, and touching the flowers risks them falling off. Even the serrano chilli plant is full of flowers now, Though these are slightly rusty looking, which doesn’t bode well.

Checked the aubergines, with their lilac floo’ers. There are quite a few now, so you never know if we are going to have more of those.

Did the hokey cokey with the hot thai chilli plant, and thought why is there a bit of red ribbon down there. It was not a red ribbon, it was a ripe fruit. There were exclamations of oh em gee.  And it’s hot, as i had a rather itchy palm just from holding it.

chillies, Dorset and Bengle Naga, Taking stock

Miserable year for chillies

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This has to be the least successful year for me regarding chillies. Not a single one has been borne to fruitition, even with the poly tunnel. I had more success last year with out one! The orange and chocolate habaneros, bengle and Dorset nagas, serrano, jamaican jerk are lovely and green. There are clutches of where flowers. But not even a smudge of fruit. They are warm, mostly with the mild temperatures we have been experiencing; watered too. But this year I have experienced a complete and abject failure.

chillies, Dorset and Bengle Naga, Experimental Chillies and be;;s

Disappointment with chillies

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I have all of two chilli fruit. One jalepeno and one hot Thai. And that’s it. Nothing else had fruited, there is lots of foliage but nothing else. As the summer ends, and we enter the twilight of autumn; I am becoming disillusioned with the likelihood that anything is actually going to crop in there. Not really the success that I was hoping for in the poly tunnel.

chillies, Dorset and Bengle Naga, Experimental Chillies and be;;s

Naga flowers

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The Dorset and bengle nagas are still leafy, no taller but starting to form flower buds. Just like the Tabasco flowers; these are very delicate and I’m loathe to even touch them. It’s nice to see the buds, but I’m not going to get my hopes up.

chillies, Dorset and Bengle Naga, Experimental Chillies and be;;s

Chatting about chillies

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There is varying levels of progress with the chillies in the poly tunnel.

The dorset nagas are in my view, still quite diminutive. I had expected them to be a little bigger by now. Especially as they are now starting to form flower buds. The bengle naga is also starting to flower.

The tabasco plant has the most daintiest of little flowers. I am rather scared to touch them! Early jalapeno has a cluster of little flowers, suggesting that it is moderately happy as is the hot thai pepper plant sat next to it. The tallest of the plants are definitely the orange habaneros, there are four of the things it that corner. As is the serrano pepper plant. This plant looks nothing like a chilli plant, the leaves are almost velveteen. But the tell tale white flowers are there. All in all, good to see the progress, especially after the trauma of getting them all to germinate, and then keeping them alive for transplanting.

Dorset and Bengle Naga, Experimental Chillies and be;;s

Dorset Naga update

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These are the four competition Dorset Naga plants. They are Sybil, El macho, stevie and a big Didgy. El macho is the tallest, with all but Sybil now forming flower buds.

Still quite small, I’m not sure if they are going to be six foot tall by autumn. Though I do keep willing them all on to grow!