Tag Archives: radishes

Preparation, Uncategorized

Sowing Seeds on a Saturday

Today is the first day of my Easter Holidays, and that means starting to think about what is to do on the allotment. In particular, inside the polytunnel.

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The youtube version can be found here.

Whilst I have tried plants and potatoes in the poly tunnel, this is the first for seeds. I have scattered an assortment of radishes, beetroot and different types of lettuces. There were all year round butter head lettuces, as red yugoslavian, lollo rosso, little gem and one called rouge D’Hiver. With radishes, we have a mixture. In terms of beetroot we have have the usual boltardy and Chioggia.

It was very cold in there! Less warmer than it was the other day when the shelving was built.

 

I hid in the poly tunnel, whilst Mum did some digging outside. Whilst it was cold, the plot has started to dry out a little bit more. I think the worse thing that might happen in terms of the weather might be a deluge of April showers. No news yet on the beans sown the other day, I suspect the poly tunnel needs to be a little warmer.

 

Allotment Challenge, TV Stuff

Argh, allotment challenge Epi one

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Oh, I’m not convinced.

As a rule. I don’t watch gardening shows. I have yet to watch a single episode of Gardener’s world; but have listened to the odd episode of gardeners question Time. There is never enough allotmenteering or GYO’ing, and there is always something grandiose and airy fairy about it.

So we started with Radishes. Simple to grow, a kid could do it. I’ve tried, and sort of succeeded; but also failed and faffed. A radish is a radish, how complex and lofty could be they be? Trimmed, blemish free. Was glad to see the moolis, that is good growing and good experimenting. But really a radish is a radish.

Then there were Floo’ers. I don’t mind floo’ers. I can even deal with singing to the floo’ers. ‘Om’ing at them was interesting. Sweet peas are not my bag; but there was a fair bit of faffage. The Hand tied bouquet was not what I would have used as a test.

I’ve seen those ladies before. Ladies from allotment wars?

There were lovely allotment sites, a lot of hard work has even put in. But we didn’t see it, did we? Not much, at least. Where were the weeds, the cabbage whites, all the real dirt beneath the finger nails?

It really was very pretty. But where was the punch?

Don’t think the challenges were valid, or a real testament with the show bench. Not all veg makes it that far, it gets eaten; isn’t that the real verdict?

My verdict?

No proof in the pudding; and has some what lost the plot a bit.

success

Aloos, gobi’s and shalgums

The hour spent on the plot this morning. Is best described as seminal. A success.

You can find the photographic evidence on the Facebook page. But success is hard to express.

Yesterday, mama h was positively bouncing. There were caulis in the plot. She told that that there was two. One as big as her hand. Today. We found three, the one really was as big as her hand. They’ve been left today. To get bigger still.

Then there was those tiddler tomatoes. These were sunk into the areas cleared of Bolted radishes. There are also some bolted moolis, which I think are going to be left to form spicy seed pods that hark back to my childhood.

As June departs, it’s time to furtle for potatoes. New potatoes at least. And furtling was done. Retrieved a dozen or so new potatoes. Most were orla, and few of kestral. The floo’ers are deceptive. In most cases, the tubers are only the size of a pea or a marble. Alas. We have potatoes. Making that experiment a qualified success.

Will be leaving those for a while though. To see we move beyond all leaf. Ma has plans for the harvest. It’s called dad’s dinner. Curried turnips and swedes. With the spuds boiled and put into aloo paneer.

And my lunch today? Fenugreek chapatti. Not bad that.

Yours in anticipation,

Horticultural Hobbit

classroom experimentation, success

Captivated

I swear that the sweet peppers in my classroom and be chillies in fact, are getting bigger by the day. There really is a tangible difference; in the height. Leaves are fanned out, basking in the day light. I don’t think it matters so much about the heat. The sweet peppers are standing to attention. Their stems becoming thicker and more robust. On both the Spanish mammoth and the purple beauty, there are small, tight flower buds forming. Loaded with promise. To think that they can get to a meter high. That would be as big the the window, then.

The purple rainbow chilli is equally illustrious looking. It is also fanned out. Compared to the pepper, the plants are some what dainty. But the number of flower buds is far greater than the majesty of the sweet peppers great broad leaves. The leaves are smaller, neater. Tinged with a shade or two, smudged purple. Little white fluffy flowers are just waiting.

We go from little fluffy, to big fluffy. The lipstick in the Wendy is blooming. The one flower, is larger than the dainty ones on the purple rainbow. Bigger, fluffier and you can’t miss it.

The chillies that were sat outside, have been brought back into the Wendy. Attacked savagely by slimers- I has to pick one up and lob it from the pot-they are going to be looked after. Cue blue pellets of doom. The chillies in the Wendy all need feeding, some form of acceleration. Compared to the ones in the classroom- the classroom ones are the top set-the contents of the Wendy are very, very, diminutive. The ones in the classroom do, however, get fed with the tomato feed almost religiously.

Moving again, from white fluffy, to bright, beautiful yellow. A bright, splash, of quilled yellow. That is the one single solitary flower, from the astia courgette. The courgette itself is no bigger than say my finger or thumb. But the flower is beautiful. Already, compared to last year, a courgette success.

Yesterday, mama H took a knife to the mustard and harvested it as saag. Harvested and frozen for dad’s
Dinner. Talking of radishes, he is being supplied with radishes as they come. I don’t personally like them; but he’s not complaining.

There is broccoli and also some white excel cauliflowers. The cauliflowers have been netted; but alas some stupid birdy has chomped on bits of the broccoli. So these were covered today.

Not bad for the moment.

Yours in anticipation,

Horticultural Hobbit

success

All sorts of scrapes

Dammit can’t upload pics…

Garlic might need taking up soon; came home this morning with garlic scrapes. Crop is on its ways to bolting. So these have been snapped off.

And they reek! Very, very potent.

Ma has rummaged for more radishes. We are leaving the leaves for pops this time.

In other news, first early potatoes are flowering. These are orla potatoes I think. Mama already had designs on the leaves. Pathra. Stuffed potatoes leaves.

We’ll see!

Astia courgette has a baby, as does striato di Napoli.

Yours in anticipation,

Horticultural hobbit