carrots
Spring is coming
27/03/10 11:11
I planted some peas (a nice long row in the bed behind the garage), more carrots and, as I forgot them last week, some radishes. I'll do more work tomorrow, but I've been thinking about how to grow cabbages etc without them being eaten. The picture is of the winter cabbages. Those protected by netting survived, everything else (the cauliflower) has been eaten by birds (I suspect the pheasants).
I think that I need a frame!
Bugger, the peppers have gone now!
13/03/10 15:44
Aaaarrrrgggghhhh! Lost more plants to
damping off, this time it's the chilli peppers. I've sown some more
(Ring of Fire). Luckily I collected loads of seeds. I also popped
in another row of carrots.
damped off!
06/03/10 15:34
My tomatoes and peppers had come up
and so I removed them from the propagator because I've killed them
in the past by leaving them in too long. Despite the greenhouse
being heated, the tomatoes (all but one) died on me. Looks like
'damping off'. Given that I used a mist sprayer to keep them damp,
it's probably my own fault. I've sown some more.
In a fit of enthusiasm, I sowed pak choi (Colour and Crunch F1) and some Rocket.
In the garden I sowed some carrots (Early Nantes 5). I've accidentally bought the sort that come in a paper strip. A little strange, but were very easy to put into the ground. I'll sow a row a week for a while.
In a fit of enthusiasm, I sowed pak choi (Colour and Crunch F1) and some Rocket.
In the garden I sowed some carrots (Early Nantes 5). I've accidentally bought the sort that come in a paper strip. A little strange, but were very easy to put into the ground. I'll sow a row a week for a while.
garden looking good
31/08/09 12:33
I've caught up a bit in the garden; it's all looking pretty neat. My aim is to have some crops through winter. I planted some chard a while back, that's growing well and should crop through winter. Meanwhile, there's the last of the root vegetables (carrots, beetroot and parsnips). I've planted another row of carrots (autumn king) and cauliflowers (all year round). Unfortunately, the cabbages that I planted all got eaten by catapillers (butterflies can get through fruit netting, apparently). I bought some from the garden center and I'm keeping them in the greenhouse for a while.
Meanwhile, I've taken a load of cutings from curry plants, lavander and box. Let's hope that they take.
eating my garden
21/06/09 07:29
We’ve started on the potatoes and
beetroot. We’ve been eating the broad beans and onions for a couple
of weeks now. I’ve taken to planting up the gaps as I pull stuff
out. So, yesterday, I sewed more carrot and beetroot and a row of
chard. I’m hoping that the chard will keep me going through the
winter.
The weather continues to be warm and sunny with the occasional heavy showers keeping the water butts pretty full.
The weather continues to be warm and sunny with the occasional heavy showers keeping the water butts pretty full.
everything is growing
17/05/09 08:58
Everything is growing nicely (and the beds are all neat and tidy). I’ve potted on all of my chilies and sweet red peppers. I managed to give away three tomato plants to Jane and Mike, but I’ll still have a problem finding places to put them. At last carrots have started coming up in the bed to the side of the garage. I thought that I was jinxed. Speaking of jinxed; waiting until May to try and propagate green beans is a good idea, I’m having a lot more success.
Gill and I had a lovely time at the Barton open gardens afternoon (which is advertised under the National Gardens Scheme).
watering
10/05/09 08:56
Gill and I went to the Hatfield Show
yesterday and Ashwell at home (where I picked up a marjoram plant
for 50p) today. Not much time for gardening; I’ve mostly been
watering things. It’s been really dry lately and the water butts
are running dry. Everything is growing nicely and I’m seeing carrot
and parsnip seedlings. I have now potted on all my tomatoes. I got
brave and pruned the vine ones. I tend to let them get out of
control and this year I’m trying to keep more of them neater and
smaller.
infilling
02/05/09 13:54
I’ve spent today tidying up ready for
the plant swap afternoon tomorrow. Where I’ve sown seeds and they
haven’t germinated, I’ve been sowing new seeds. That’s for spinach,
beetroot, carrot and parsnip. The parsnip is coming up in the big
bed; they’re just a bit gappy. There’s no sign of carrots or
parnsips in the bed at the side of the garage. I probably sewed
them too early.
A tip that I read is to line the trench or hole with potting compost as that’s a nicer medium for the seeds to sprout in and it makes them easy to find and water.
A tip that I read is to line the trench or hole with potting compost as that’s a nicer medium for the seeds to sprout in and it makes them easy to find and water.
carrots, carrots, carrots
27/04/09 13:44
Everything is growing away except the
seeds that I’d sown in the plot to the side of the garage. Not a
sign of any parsnips or carrots. I planted out the carrots that I
grew from seeds in the greenhouse (Paris Market). They don’t like
being disturbed but they will grow eventually, we’ll see. I also
planted up another row in the bed next to the greenhouse, along
with another row of beetroot (good old Detroit). The other beetroot
is doing fine and I’m looking forward to some.
Some of the runner beans, the Enorma Elite, are mostly up and growing but I’m still waiting for Prince, the dwarf green beans. The woman in the shop tells me that she doesn’t sow beans until May as they really like to be warm.
The tomatoes are all doing well and I’ve potted a few up into larger pots. I plan to keep these in the greenhouse in a bid to get tomatoes earlier in the year. I planted a couple of the Garden Pearl into a hanging basket. They’ve already got blossoms. I’m having a plant swap next week, so I’m trying not to pot on the rest as I plan to swap them. They’re getting a bit pot bound.
Some of the runner beans, the Enorma Elite, are mostly up and growing but I’m still waiting for Prince, the dwarf green beans. The woman in the shop tells me that she doesn’t sow beans until May as they really like to be warm.
The tomatoes are all doing well and I’ve potted a few up into larger pots. I plan to keep these in the greenhouse in a bid to get tomatoes earlier in the year. I planted a couple of the Garden Pearl into a hanging basket. They’ve already got blossoms. I’m having a plant swap next week, so I’m trying not to pot on the rest as I plan to swap them. They’re getting a bit pot bound.
Easter weekend (2)
13/04/09 13:42
I sowed more lettuce (Blonde Maraicheri) and the American land cress (which Gill loves) in the herb and salad bed. I made a row of carrots (Nantes 2) and planted some dwarf green beans (Sonesta) directly into the ground. A little early, but let’s see how they go.
The salad and herb plot looks nice with its little box hedge, but I wish that I’d made a separate herb bed. Still I can always modify it sometime.
frosts on the way
29/03/09 17:16
The row of spinach that I planted on the 2nd March was a bit thin (about 4 plants poked their way out of the ground), so I’ve sown some more to bridge the gaps. I sowed a row of carrots (Paris Market) in the plot to the side of the garage. The books disagreed on when to sow, so no idea what results I’ll get. Finally, I put the last of the potatoes (Anya) into the same plot as the carrots and sowed the last few in plant pots in the greenhouse so that I get an early crop. The others that I sowed like that have started to sprout and I’m filling up the pot with earth.
Meanwhile, the cold frame is turning into a real investment (and a good present). I had my first salad leaves and a tiny radish today from there and the cabbages waiting to go into the ground are doing really well. It’s forecasting frosts this week, so I’ll wait.
We ate some of the cabbage (which is bolting) and the spinach with Sunday lunch.
catching up in the garden
22/03/09 17:55
I took a day off in lieu of my last
Saturday last weekend and I spent a good part of it in the garden.
Outside, I planted potatoes (Swift and Anya), beetroot (including
transplants), leek, radish (French Breakfast), lettuce (Tin Tin)
and parsnip. I also planted out the carrots that I grown in half
toilet rolls into the ground inside the cold frame.
digging and planting
02/03/09 08:09
It has been very mild with little
rain. This meant that digging chicken waste into the new potato
plot was hot work. That bed is now ready and I thought about
planting some potatoes in it, but decided against it because
they’re predicting frosts next week. Instead I planted 3 ‘Swift’
potatoes into a bucket in the greenhouse so that I can have some
early potatoes. I also tidied up the small bed and covered it with
netting to keep the cats out. Last year’s spinach is growing nicely
and looked better for a bit of a tidy up.
I did plant some spinach (‘American Giant’) in the bed outside. The propagator got more pepper (‘Sweet Romano’), lettuce (‘Blonde Maraicheri’) and dwarf french bean (‘The Prince’). I moved out the carrots (‘Paris Market’) because nothing seemed to be happening with them and I want to get as much of a throughput as I can through the propagator.
I also bought another gooseberry plant to go with the other one behind the greenhouse. I picked a red one (‘Hinnomaki Red’) which had a lot of shoots showing.
I did plant some spinach (‘American Giant’) in the bed outside. The propagator got more pepper (‘Sweet Romano’), lettuce (‘Blonde Maraicheri’) and dwarf french bean (‘The Prince’). I moved out the carrots (‘Paris Market’) because nothing seemed to be happening with them and I want to get as much of a throughput as I can through the propagator.
I also bought another gooseberry plant to go with the other one behind the greenhouse. I picked a red one (‘Hinnomaki Red’) which had a lot of shoots showing.
sowing after snowing
15/02/09 16:12
The snow has almost gone now and the
weather is warming up. This year I want to grow as much from seed
as I can so I want to treat the propagator as a bit of a conveyer
belt, getting stuff out of it and new seed in as fast as I can.
Somewhere I read that when 75% of your seeds have germinated, take
the containers out.
Tomatoes
I’ve taken most of the tomatoes out of the propagator. Both types, Alicante and Gardener’s Delight have sprouted. I sowed a batch of the ‘Garden Pearl’ (which I got from a magazine) into pots (three to a pot) and put those into the propagator. You can grow these in pots or in hanging baskets.
Carrots
I’ve taken the ‘Nante’s 2’ from the propagator as pretty much all of them have come up. I planted these in toilet rolls and, when the weather is warm enough, I plan to put them into the ground as is. I need to sow some more, but the propagator is now full.
Leeks and Beetroot
These have gone into the propagator.
Radish
I’ve sown ‘French Breakfast’ in the cold frame (where mixed salad leaves are starting to sprout. No sign of the carrots in the cold frame yet, but there has been a lot of snow and freezing temperatures.
Cabbage and Cauliflower
Despite last year’s doing really badly (the cauliflowers came late and rotted, caterpillars decimated the cabbage, only Savoy cabbages are left) I bought some more seeds and sowed them today. Cabbages were ‘Primo’ which are apparently ideal for small gardens and the cauliflowers are ‘All Year Round’ (Britain’s most popular). I want summer ones, these grow quickly and you can eat them in June / July. These will be grown under netting!
Tomato ‘Garden Pearl’
An outdoor tomato with big crops of very tasty sweet cherry tomatoes with pink-red fruit. It s (determinate) bush habit makes it ideal for pots tubs window boxes or borders.
Radish ‘French Breakfast’
Elongated, rosy scarlet with a white tip. The crunchy flesh has a pleasant flavour.
Tomatoes
I’ve taken most of the tomatoes out of the propagator. Both types, Alicante and Gardener’s Delight have sprouted. I sowed a batch of the ‘Garden Pearl’ (which I got from a magazine) into pots (three to a pot) and put those into the propagator. You can grow these in pots or in hanging baskets.
Carrots
I’ve taken the ‘Nante’s 2’ from the propagator as pretty much all of them have come up. I planted these in toilet rolls and, when the weather is warm enough, I plan to put them into the ground as is. I need to sow some more, but the propagator is now full.
Leeks and Beetroot
These have gone into the propagator.
Radish
I’ve sown ‘French Breakfast’ in the cold frame (where mixed salad leaves are starting to sprout. No sign of the carrots in the cold frame yet, but there has been a lot of snow and freezing temperatures.
Cabbage and Cauliflower
Despite last year’s doing really badly (the cauliflowers came late and rotted, caterpillars decimated the cabbage, only Savoy cabbages are left) I bought some more seeds and sowed them today. Cabbages were ‘Primo’ which are apparently ideal for small gardens and the cauliflowers are ‘All Year Round’ (Britain’s most popular). I want summer ones, these grow quickly and you can eat them in June / July. These will be grown under netting!
Tomato ‘Garden Pearl’
An outdoor tomato with big crops of very tasty sweet cherry tomatoes with pink-red fruit. It s (determinate) bush habit makes it ideal for pots tubs window boxes or borders.
Radish ‘French Breakfast’
Elongated, rosy scarlet with a white tip. The crunchy flesh has a pleasant flavour.
optimism
06/02/09 13:32
How’s this for optimism? Deep in the snow, these carrots are starting to sprout in my propagator.
[The next day the tomatoes (Alicante) had started to sprout]
first seeds sown
25/01/09 12:27
I heard about sowing carrots and
lettuce early under a cold frame from the Alternative Kitchen
Garden blog (akg).
Apparently, you can eat them by the end of March. Worth a try, so
I’ve sited my new cold frame on the south wall of the garage (where
I’ve grown tomatoes for the last two years). The carrots came with
the Grow Your Own magazine.
I’ve also sown carrots, chili pepper and tomatoes in the propagator. Good old Gardener’s Delight which was really good last year. The other type were ‘Alicante’. The peppers are ‘Ring of Fire’ (wonder what that means?).
Carrot ‘Paris Market’
One of the best all rounders, as the sphericall ‘baby’ carrots are unlikely to grow more than an inch in length.
Tomatoes Alicante
Cordon (Indeterminate). Ideal variety for beginners. A superior variety possessing all the things we look for in a tomato. Alicante produces a heavy crop of greenback free fruit early in the season and the flavour is excellent.
Chili Pepper Ring of Fire (Heat Level 6)
Cayenne type chilli this is ideal for drying and grinding into powder. 4 inch long thin chillies, red when ripe after 80 days. Very abundant 2 foot plants form a perfect shape. (Capsicum annuum)
The carrots were Nantes 2. I’ve grown these for a couple of years and they grow really well and cook well too.
I’ve also sown carrots, chili pepper and tomatoes in the propagator. Good old Gardener’s Delight which was really good last year. The other type were ‘Alicante’. The peppers are ‘Ring of Fire’ (wonder what that means?).
Carrot ‘Paris Market’
One of the best all rounders, as the sphericall ‘baby’ carrots are unlikely to grow more than an inch in length.
Tomatoes Alicante
Cordon (Indeterminate). Ideal variety for beginners. A superior variety possessing all the things we look for in a tomato. Alicante produces a heavy crop of greenback free fruit early in the season and the flavour is excellent.
Chili Pepper Ring of Fire (Heat Level 6)
Cayenne type chilli this is ideal for drying and grinding into powder. 4 inch long thin chillies, red when ripe after 80 days. Very abundant 2 foot plants form a perfect shape. (Capsicum annuum)
The carrots were Nantes 2. I’ve grown these for a couple of years and they grow really well and cook well too.
beetroot
18/10/08 16:36
Probably a bit late for these, but they were on sale in the garden center so in they go. This also gave me a chance to play with my latest toy - a tablet and pen.
Beetroot Woden F1 Hybrid
Woden F1 hybrid was bred by Thompson and Morgan and introduced in their 2004 catalogue. It is a globe beetroot with bright red flesh that can be harvested as baby or mature beets. Mature beets do not go fibrous and store well. Young leaves can be eaten as spinach.
planting again
31/08/08 15:50
It’s a bit late in the year for
carrots, but I planted some anyway and we’ll see. I’ll let one of
the beds empty out so that I can use up the compost on it (it’s a
bit low), but I’d like the other two to be productive into autumn
and even winter.
ooh, that's a big one
13/07/08 20:29
I wouldn't say that this is a big carrot, but those are size 9 shoes. Actually, the rest of my family think that Crocs are gross, but I like them.
too much happening
20/05/08 08:10
It's all happening in the garden. Clockwise from top left:
tomato
potatoes
green beans, peas, turnip
asparagus
turnip
strawberries
peppers
beetroot, shallots, parsnips, broad beans, carrot, onions
In the middle is garlic, onion, spinach and swede
snow
06/04/08 11:24
The weather report said that there might be snow and here it is. I'm glad that I didn't plant out my beetroot and lettuce. Hope the peas are all right and that the little carrot seedlings are surviving under the cloche that I put back yesterday.
still waiting for spring
09/03/08 06:12
It's been surprisingly dry, I've had
to remove the cloches and water under them this weekend (as I did
last weekend). Still no sign of any outdoor seeds sprouting
(carrot, peas, beetroot). The greenhouse sown seeds are making a
showing, but I'm disappointed in the green beans. Some just
expired. One of the green beans that I sowed last week has sprouted
- I wish the others would be more enthusiastic. I'm not too
worried, I checked last year's blog and I finished the raised beds
at the end of April and planted out bought seedlings at that time.
If all else fails, I can still buy seedlings.
I've used about 2/3 of the soil that I had delivered on Thursday, I think that I over estimated how much I'd need. I've been filling up the raised beds (I didn't quite buy enough soil last year and my compost heaps are not producing enough (yet)). Maybe I'll get some of the paths done this weekend; I bought some weed membrane yesterday.
I've used about 2/3 of the soil that I had delivered on Thursday, I think that I over estimated how much I'd need. I've been filling up the raised beds (I didn't quite buy enough soil last year and my compost heaps are not producing enough (yet)). Maybe I'll get some of the paths done this weekend; I bought some weed membrane yesterday.
carrots
22/02/08 17:58
The frosts seem to be (mostly) over.
According to my books, you can sow carrots outside at the end of
February if they're under a cloche. I've just sown two lines of
Nantes 2 (from Alan Titchmarsh's organic range).