Winter Planting 03-10-11

As the freak Indian summer comes to a close we've started looking forward past those frosty mornings to next spring! And in preparation we're getting some plants in the ground to make sure they are established before winter and can get a sprint start next year for a really early harvest.

So above we have Rich putting in some onion sets.

And here is Eleanor putting in some Broad Bean, we've only planted 10 broad bean just in case another really hard winter kills them off. The rest will be planted early next year.

Today we also planted some garlic cloves to give us a crop of garlic in late June/July next year.

Garlic need the winter snap to start their life cycle so it's important to get them in now...

In other news, don't buy cheap tools!

Matt

Summer creeps to an end 21-09-2011

So as summer comes to a close (summer, what summer?) our plot is starting to look more and more bare.

Leeks are still coming on a storm, should mean we have something to harvest in the late autumn months

Izzy's shotgun carrot bed still is giving significant thinnings, eventually we might get to the point we can just grow our carrots!

Runner and french beans in abundance

Not a bad haul for today, 1 large courgette (OK marrow), 2 swedes, 2 bitesize beetroot, handful of carrots and a bag of mixed salad leaves! 

Matt

potato harvest 22/08/2011

So here are our onions, coming on a treat, a tad on the small side but they did go in very late so to be expected, in thae background we have Izzy's carrots, more on them later...

So the potato harvest! 

As the leaves turned yellow Pippa began the rooting around, again the bounty is on the small side but that gives us room to improve next year!

The collection from about a third of the total, about 4 plants worth. 

Not bad at all...

A winner of a carrot here, lets just say it didn't make it off the site. 

As everyone says you haven't tasted a carrot until you've grown you're own, just really carroty-tasting!

Matt

Glorious abundance 29/07/2011

I haven't got a lot to say for this post, I just thought some pictures of how great the plot is looking at the moment would be quite enough...

Matt

Pests 26/07/2011

So as nothing is really happening at the plot except everything getting bigger and fatter and more excellent. 

So I thought I'd mention our counter terrorism measures, against the ongoing threat of PIGEONS! 

I have to be honest I thought it was slugs at first causing havoc but I have been assured that this swede  damage is classic pigeon. Notice the leaves stripped leaving only the spine of the leaf, whereas slugs aren't so picky...

We have therefore resorted to a swede tent to keep our lovelies protected. 

A few pea sticks and some net and the pigeons are foiled!

We also harvested some of the smaller (!?!) beetroot to leave space for the others to grow!

All exciting stuff...

Matt

Potato Flowers 06/07/2011

After a slow start the courgettes and beans are finally starting to do something! Although the courgettes have the smallest leaves I've ever seen flowers are emerging. The beans we planted from seed straight into position seem to have done far better than ones raised in pots and transplanted so we now have too many beans on some poles! A good problem to have...

The plot is looking very tidy at the moment, just keep picking away at those salad leaves...

The potatoes are clearly enjoying the sun, rain, sun, rain, sun combination...

Matt

More green than brown! 28/06/2011

Look at all this green! The plot is really getting into its stride now thanks to days of bright sunshine followed by almost tropical afternoon downpours.

Rich supervises the first harvest of baby Swiss chard leaves.

Close up...

And the result... Perfect salad fodder.

Today we had 3 people asking us about the plot, all very impressed with how it's going and how nothing has been knicked or damaged! (Touch wood)

Matt