rocket

planting for the winter

I’m trying to make sure that we have vegetables this winter and so I’ve been planting up swiss chard (Fordhook Giant), lettuce (winter crop) and spinach (giant winter). I’ve also planted a row of mixed salads, including rocket.

We’ve just eaten the last of the broad beans, I’ll definitely sow some more late this autumn for next year.

This year July is wet but sunny and hot when not raining.
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sowing more seeds (successional planting)

I have spent weeks meaning to create a planting diary showing me when to plant successional plants. This weekend I failed (again) and decided to sow some new seeds of stuff that I want anyway but ran out of time. So, tonight as Gill made supper, I went out and pottered in the greenhouse. The result was a row each of green beans (Sonesta), rocket (Suffolk Herbs salad rocket), beetroot (Detroit 2), parsnip and broad bean.

Having lost a lot of green beans, I first put the soil in, damped it off, planted the seeds and then sprinkled a thin layer of soil over the top. The tray is under a lid in the greenhouse, but not in the propagator. I'll see how it goes.
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Salad and herb bed

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This is all coming along nicely. The spring onions were an impulse buy - none of mine have seeded. The twigs are to keep the cats off.
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rocket still climbing

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These are doing well. I've still got some in trays (as above), some in a a pot, which I'll keep in the greenhouse and some outside.
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rocket coming on

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rocket sprouting

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Whilst other things are not sprouting (despite a heated greenhouse), the rocket is going well. I hope that it doesn't get eaten like it did last year.
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lift off: rocket starting to sprout

I put them under a propagator and they're starting to sprout. This is despite the cold weather - we've been getting heavy frosts in the morning.
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dwarf green beans and rocket

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Still optimistic, I planted out dwarf french beans and rocket salad. The dwarf french beans are Rocquencourt. Apparently, a very productve, primrose-yellow podded dwarf French bean. One of the most cold tolerant of all French beans. They're both planted up in nice new compost.
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