First seeds of 2012

Yesterday I planted some seeds, which I’m keeping in the kitchen for now.  Planted a whole tray of tomatoes, and then just a handful of brassicas (cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts and cabbage).  I need more space in the garden for growing.  Last year (my first attempt), the bed got a little overcramped.  Yeah, I just shoved loads of seeds in.  OK, at least I didn’t need to do much weeding.  Also, this year I really ought to keep the brassicas protected with some fine netting.  Those darn bugs got on the brassicas last year, I was spending ages each day going through each plant picking them off.

Photos once the seeds start germinating!

First post of 2012!

Well I am here again.  Second year of growing my own veg.  Overall I think last year was successful.  Apart from the sweetcorn, which did not produce fruit.  And the aubergines didn’t either – but apparently they are perrenial so I have wrapped them in fleece for the winter along with my chilli peppers and bell peppers.

Today was exceptionally mild for February (17C).  So I planted out garlic, onions and potatoes, and tidied the veg plots.  I also got up what was remaining of the brussel sprouts – and put them into the kitchen larder.

I am itching now to start growing my seeds indoors

 

 

Harvesting

Well harvesting is well under way.  I have now dug up the remaining potatoes, and that bed is ready now to plant garlic and onions for next year.  The tomatoes have cropped heavily, and aside from a couple being eaten by bugs, they have done really well.  The aubergines were a little disappointing.  A couple were eaten by slugs, and the remaining 4 pots have not fruited at all.  The peppers have fruited a whole, small, pepper.  I am hoping the peppers will fare better next year.  I will cover them in fleece soon, ready for the winter.  The sprouts are… um…. sprouting!  I picked some and made a lovely soup.  There will be lots for Yule and Christmas.  The onions and garlic are harvested and stored in a dark cupboard.  I haven’t been impressed with the carrots, perhaps the soil was too lumpy or not deep enough.  They tasted good but are small.  I planted a few beetroot which were a revelation, and I made a couple of jars of picked beetroot.  But I need to grow more!

Blog catch-up

I realised I haven’t blogged here since May, but thankfully I have still been taking lots of photos of my garden, and all the fruit and veg.  Things are going well.  The tomatoes were looking a little shabby, possibly overwatered.  I transplanted them into grow bags and they seem to have settled.  They are growing tomatoes now, and one has turned red.

We harvested some stuff the other week.  Some beetroot, which I plan to pickle, some baby carrots, broccoli and potatoes.  I made the mistake with the broccoli of letting some flower.  It didn’t say on the packet I needed to pick it before it flowered!  All it said was ready to harvest in autumn and we are nowhere near autumn.  Lucky I have the internet when I get stuck!

The photos on here are a bit random, but if you hover it should say what they are; if you click on it you will hopefully see the date on the bottom right hand side.  I know they aren’t in a date order but wordpress can be a bit confusing for me at times, and they took ages to load as it was, without me filtering through and sorting them in order.

The brassicas are now huge; probably planted too close together, but at least there’s less room for weeds.  The onions were looking a little shocking, but they have perked up now.  I wasn’t giving them enough water.  And the potatoes leaves are looking a dit yellow.  But when I compared them online, it looks like the plants are dying ready for them to be harvested, and not potato blight, which is a relief.

I read the other day that bell peppers and cayenne peppers are perennials and I can keep them all through the winter as long as I wrap them warm and don’t water them.  Next year they should be bigger and even better.  Bonus!

I had saved some pumpkin seeds from the supermarket last October, hoping to grow my own for hallowe’en this year.  But I only remembered to plant them the other day.  And we’re already into July.  But they are germinating already (after 3 days).  I hope that at least one will grow and be big enough for Hallowe’en.  Perhaps I need a spell to speed things up?

I found a friend in the flowers…

Seems I accidently caught something on my camera when I was taking some flower pictures.

These aren’t doctored as I don’t know anything technical, other than zooming the photo and cropping )))))

Getting bigger all the time…

Above, some bread pudding I made yesterday.  My bread had hardly been eaten over the Bank Holiday weekend and I didn’t want it to go to waste.  If you hover over the pictures it will say what plant it is, or click for a larger picture.  The garden is coming along nicely but because we’ve had a really hot and dry April I’ve been having to water the vegetables a lot.  Some rain would be appreciated right about now.  The picture of the spider is my greenhouse buddy.  He’s quite small at the moment and doesn’t freak me out too much.  When he’s bigger I’ll be squealing if he comes near me, but at least he keeps the flies off my greenhouse.  I have named him Bert

First Gardening Challenge

I went into the greenhouse today, like I do most days, to check on the tomatoes, bell peppers, hot cayenne peppers and aubergines.  Well well well if I hadn’t had a little visitor.  There was a few mouse droppings around the aubergines, and one of the leaves had been nibbled.

Mouse obviously prefers the greenhouse as he hasn’t touched the outdoor vegetables (yet).  I guess I will have to peruse the internet to find the best solution of keeping old Mickey away.

Above, brassicas.

Mixed lettuce leaves, not long sown

Onions, garlic, a few carrots, etc

Carrots, beetroom & parsnips.  I was running out of room so just planted a few.

Hope the mice stay away from the strawberries.

Bell peppers.

Hot Cayenne Peppers

Aubergines.  Mickey’s favourite.

Tomatoes

Above, the stuff growing in the greenhouse.

Above, my second attempt at making bagels