Tag Archives: GYO

cabbages and brassicas

cabbage carnage and connundrum

December 28, 2013 horticultural 'Obbit 3 Comments

cabbages under the fleece

first half a bed

cabbages under the tunnel

half a bed of cabbages

I have tried to sow and grow cabbages. It simply doesn’t happen. This year, I had sown some from seed and also had some plugs. Plugs as the home made sown ones got munched on and I therefore, got very cross. Ma loves cabbages and greens. There is nothing better for home made saag, or for onion bhajis. Brassicas such as kale, go wonderfully with dinner when shredded and happen to be something of a superfood. Meaning that I want to sow them, I want them to be successful. They have their uses, but the costs of cultivating them are a whasit in the derrière.

The plugs were plugged in, in various places. Two raised beds and some open ground. Those in the raised beds, were covered in veggie mesh. All of the plugs, and the few that were home sown, all had cabbage collars. One line of preventative measure. All, were dusted with blue pellets of doom. The veggie mesh, was actually weighed down with bricks. I fully concede that was not done well, and something has still got in. Something to consider in depth and detail should I actually want to sow cabbages and brassicas with attention to detail. Definitely my own fault, you could say; most folks build a brassica cage. Now I know why.

I wandered down there today, aware that there was something green under the veggie mesh. Also aware, that most of it was gnarled and gnawed upon to pieces and resembled filligreed net curtains. I made the journey down to the plot, thinking that I have to put various cabbages and things out of their misery. And to be fair, I did. Those that had been reduced to nothing more than stalks. But I was stopped in my tracks, secateurs in hand from further snipping. There are many that have been chomped on. But there are others, that are starting to heart up, and don’t look so close to meeting their maker.

As you can see from the pictures, it is a very big green mess. A melee of cabbages-I don’t tend to follow the planting distances, though, i should-and at first sight it’s not pretty. I am inclined therefore, to leave them alone. Wait a while, to see what actually comes off. Thing is, they might get munched on even more…..

Preparation, project othello, Taking stock

Tidy up time at the winter solstice

December 21, 2013 horticultural 'Obbit

Today is the winter solstice, and the darkness will soon descend as the afternoon draws to a close. The shortest day of the year, means you have to move a bit sharpish if you plan to do anything useful.

The inside of the poly tunnel has been on my mind for some time. All very untidy, and with grass sprouting up. This morning, on the second day of the Christmas holidays, I donned my red wellingtons and coat and wandered down to the plot. I had also, in rummaging in pop’s shed, found some bulbs that I forgotten about. A few crocus, alliuem and daffodils. Managed to dib in a few crocus before mama H arrived and told me to get home. Her reasoning being that I was the only there and no one was faffing on their plots.

Anyway, the purpose of today’s visit was tidy the polytunnel. The green edifice of all year growing. Sprouting grass is not all that attractive. Thankfully, most of the sprouting grass could be pulled and plunked up without taking clumps of earth up. The rest was decapitated by a three edged ‘oe, Also helped aerate the soil a bit. Still looked a bit weary inside. The morrison’s buckets that had once held the chillies and bells were emptied out on top. Spent compost by way of refreshing it. The polytunnel now looks like a blank canvass. if i think about it, and have a root around in the seed stasher. There are has to be something that can be scattered into soil.

Taking stock

What for thou, Wendy?

December 20, 2013 horticultural 'Obbit

This is the view of the greenhouse, also known as the wendy house, from late this summer. The foreground has been tidied up since, and that rampant dandelion cut down a little.

At the moment, the wendy houses some baby lyon prize winner leeks as well as some aisla craig onion seedlings. To be perfectly frank, I have only looked into the greenhouse once or twice recently. My main concern has been that it remains standing. There has been a lot turbulent weather of late, and it is due to get worse with the coming festivities.

I really must make more use of it over the new growing season. Especially as it had a face lift with a new cover. A more robust cover in comparison to the one that it came with. This is the third one, since the previous two were torn to ribbons due to inclement weather. Such covers should really have reinforced zipped covers. Hopefully, this third one will be last a lot longer. My problem is that I have the best of intentions. Seeds to be sown, in modules and then I don’t follow things up or have a distinct process. In not having any window sills, it is further important that I use the wendyhouse for germination and cultivation. Have never had much luck with brassicas in the wendy house, that was for certain. Especially with the process of potting things on. There is actually limited space in the wendy, four shelves, and it takes some jigglying around to get things positioned properly. As was observed when it housed the Chilli plants over the summer.

What I need to think about, is what can be sown in the wendy house that doesn’t particularly need warmth? Lettuce and brassicas are what comes to mind immediately. Though lettuce doesn’t transplant all that well. I have never actually managed to transplant lettuce easily anyway. I did have a vague thought to modularise parsnip this year. Another vegetable, that I have never had any success with.

Preparation, project othello

plotting for the poly

December 20, 2013 horticultural 'Obbit

2013_summer

Evening all, the first day of the Christmas holidays has me in a reflective mood; trying to figure out what to do next on the plot. The weatherman has just forecast a very wet, windy and turbulent festive period. Leading me to think about making plans without venturing outside and getting soaked to the skin.

The whole plot does required tidying. Winds and rain has tossed around bits and pieces as though they were flotsam and jetsam. That can be easily remedied in just walking around and putting things back in their places. The nature of the wind, the buffeting on the windows always makes feel ill at unease. It would sad, if either the wendy house or poly took flight as though some farmhouse in kansas. The allotment site is windy, and things have been known to take flight before. So always unsettling to hear the wind whistle and then moan.

The inside of the poly does require tidying as well, Since it was raised, it has merely house pots of chillies. There wasn’t, sadly, a plan to start filling it over the winter. There was, a hope that it would actually survive the winter, and I could then focus in the growing season in terms of planting and growing. A notion, that set about when sorting out the seed stasher. Established that I have lots of cress and basil seeds, not likely to sow them. All freebies, actually. Perhaps suited to a loving home. As well as lots of black cherry tomato seeds. Enough to cultivate a small forest. Didn’t have a vast variety of them, as I had thought. This year, the tomato crop was prolific. Fruit didn’t go red on the vine, but it was bumper crop. Good use was made of them all. I didn’t label any, so that makes it difficult to consider what I should or shouldn’t think about sowing. Since I didn’t have a poly when these were being cultivated,all of the tomato plants were planted without cover and in raised beds. The question then being, what shall I plant in the poly. I am not likely to sow seed directly. There is a mistrust here, of slugs and such like. Critters knibbled on the potted chillies, which rather brassed me off to be entirely honest. I have no sympathy for the creature that gnarled through the jalapeños. That, my friends, is called karma.

Mother has had word with me, about the number of plants I sow. Don’t sow so many, being the long and short of it. The only concession that I make, is that I tend to get carried away, and not all seeds might germinate.

With the polytunnel, I am hamstrung by the size. It is not massive. A nice neat size of 3m x 2m. Inside, there is a wooden plank down the middle-the one pops constructed, remember-leaving a horseshoe shaped space to sow things into. I would like to cultivate plants so that they are at least 8-10 inches high, whatever they might be, before sinking them into the ground of the poly tunnel. There might have to be the blue pellets of doom, by way of preventative measure.

Must get the inside of the polytunnel weeded though. Being warm and light inside, there is a fair bit of grass that needs to be removed. A process that might involve the inside actually being dug over once more, and each offending blade being painstakingly removed. That plays on my mind, in making sure that I have an adequate canvas to play with. It’s also a bit grubby on the inside, watery tidemarks that need to be wiped down.

Other than tomatoes, I have a list of things that I would like to dabble with. As observed in a previous post, I would like to grow some superhot chillies. So chillies and peppers will feature, hopefully. Again, despite what Mama H has said. A re-match with Aubergines too, having failed to get a single fruit last year. We had lots pretty lilac flowers, but not a lot else. Cucumbers are a potential, though I only have the outdoor variety at the moment. May have to look into that. And melon. Something that may require a structural investigation, as they require a bit of support.

And all in the confines of 3m x 2m. Defying the laws of physics, and turning the poly into the tardis. The inside, being bigger than the outside.

Yours in anticipation,

Horticultural Hobbit

chillies

hangin’ in for the ‘ot stuff

December 18, 2013 horticultural 'Obbit

I have had many adventures to date when it comes to growing chilli peppers. This year was by far the most productive and therefore successful experience. Many different varieties were sown, from long yellow ones, round purple ones and small, stumpy ones with a hell of a kick. Now, I would like to step things up a little. Just a little.

And make a foray into super hot chillies. One of the reasons why was of the course the production this year of chilli jelly. A happy bonus from the crop. A learning point from this, was to wear gloves when chopping up jalapeños. That was painful. So with the agony, there has to be a balance of ecstasy.

In shuffling through the seedstasher, I was able to audit the chillies that I have. I had thought that there were dozens of seed packets. Not so, so I have gone a little seed crazy. Today, the post man and santa claus-one these exists-brought me envelopes of seeds. I have settled on the Dorset naga amongst others, and some habaneros. Now, these things are only available from http://www.seaspringseeds.co.uk/. They know what they are talking about!

I have opted for a vast array of superhots, and must mention that there also quite a few habaneros from http://www.seedparade.co.uk/. So credit it to both of these lovely people.

Cast your eyes over this http://www.seaspringseeds.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=38&vmcchk=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53

I have heard lots about this, and the dorset naga has something of a cult following. A search on the interweb yields lots of interesting stories of it being cultivated.

I’m all set, but I have my worries. I have experimented with germination. Having sown them in the heated prop, and also in an unheated prop or yoghurt pots on a warm window sill. The unheated ones have always come up quicker and then done well. Superhots are something of an experiment. 27 degrees C is required, and light. Ardent growers, fashion grow lamps. i am not that clever!

(As I write this, there is a proper gale blowing and blustering outside….hope the poly and wendy are all right….)

I will be happier, once they have germinated and look like small baby chilli plants. At least a couple of leaves, with a stalk. This seems a very delicate, and detailed process. And for some chilli heads, this is the norm!

And to think mama H told me not to sow too many seeds…..

overwintering alliums, project othello

Garlic coming through

December 14, 2013 horticultural 'Obbit 3 Comments

It’s nice to see the over wintering garlic coming through. The onions have yet to start coming through; but the garlic is all on track.

broad beans, project othello

Broad beans are sleeping in a blankety bed

December 14, 2013 horticultural 'Obbit

Finally, after a delay; have managed to sink broadbeans. About four weeks later then normal. Have been desperately trying to shoehorn the time in to do so. Lo and behold, mama H has taken umbrage at broadbeans; and pleaded with me not sink them. I can sink runner beans, that’s fine. But she has a personal disdain for them, and didn’t want them to be grown.

I don’t mind them, and the double podded they don’t taste too bad. That was an Trial and error finding, I tell you. This years I am sowing three digest varieties. Bunyards exhibition, suttons dwarf and some form aquadulce. You may also read of them being term field beans or fava beans. Minus the lecter, I assure you.

A whole bed on project othello has been dedicated to them. One of two beds that had yet to be filled. Each bean has been sunk through cardboard with a dibber. That’s a lot of beans, certainly. And we shall see if anyone of them comes off.