Finally did my order tonight, following my original list. I more or less stuck to it - very proud of myself - with only the occasional diversion. In addition to what I set out to buy, I also got some white beetroot, salad onions, salad endive and raspberry canes. I also changed my mind on the patty pan and ordered them from realseeds instead of Thompson & Morgan. I at first was not too keen but then I found a good picture of 'Pattison Orange' on a blog - the image on realseeds doesn't do them justice. I also briefly toyed with the idea of getting a gooseberry bush - when was the last time you had a gooseberry, eh? I know I haven't had them for ages - last time was when I was a kid from my grandma's garden (it was stuffed full of soft fruit and also had a greengage, a sour cherry, apple and pear trees). I think they were still one of the old varieties with lots of spines (although it does keep children away).
So now I have to only figure out where I am going to put all this stuff, especially as a seed swap with Karesansui is in the offing.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
snow, cold and nothing doing
It has been cold and snowing on and off over the last two weeks so I haven't ventured out in the garden much. Once the weather clears a little bit I will start (hopefully). Today I collected some leaves from my bay tree; it's nice to be able to replenish the herb cupboard on a whim.
My compost bin is full now with guinea pig waste and vegetable peelings, so much so that I had to start another pile next to it. Must remember though to move the bag immediately to the assigned area - I left one just outside the backdoor overnight and it was ripped open by a fox. Must have been a bit of a surprise for the fox though: "ooh yummy, someone left a rubbish bag! Ugh, it's full of poo!"
Haven't done anything else, not even ordered any seeds. Must rectify soon. I've collected some seeds from a bought butternut squash though. Last year this method was quite successful with a Kabocha, more so than the expensive seeds I got through a catalogue. Task of re-organising the garden seems a bit daunting...
My compost bin is full now with guinea pig waste and vegetable peelings, so much so that I had to start another pile next to it. Must remember though to move the bag immediately to the assigned area - I left one just outside the backdoor overnight and it was ripped open by a fox. Must have been a bit of a surprise for the fox though: "ooh yummy, someone left a rubbish bag! Ugh, it's full of poo!"
Haven't done anything else, not even ordered any seeds. Must rectify soon. I've collected some seeds from a bought butternut squash though. Last year this method was quite successful with a Kabocha, more so than the expensive seeds I got through a catalogue. Task of re-organising the garden seems a bit daunting...
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Seed wish list for 2009
I have been planning what to grow over the last few days. As always, my wish list may be a bit over-ambitious, especially this year when I have reduced growing space. I will probably also deviate from this list, if I get given seeds or find something amazing in a garden centre.
First off, I will not grow tomatoes from seed. Last year this worked out well, giving me the choice between interesting varieties and, especially in the English climate which makes for a short growing season, probably the best approach to get them going quickly. However, this also means that I have to look out for tomato plants in the garden centre - and I am not blessed with a good garden centre nearby.
I will also not grow carrots. They annoyed me so much last year. This year I will have deal with stonier soil. No, no, no.
I looked for seed suppliers online. Suttons is the biggest, or most well-known one but I think their selection is a bit rubbish. There are various seed suppliers that cater to the allotment and prize grower communities but they didn't have everything I wanted. I also wanted to stick to just one or two places, rather than splitting any orders between multiple suppliers (saves on delivery charges).
The two that I liked most are Thompson-Morgan and Realseeds. Realseeds is particularly interesting as they only carry open-pollinated vegetables and encourage seed saving.
So here is my list (using (T) for Thompson-Morgan and (R) for Readseeds, to indicate where I intend to order them from):
1. Cucumber
Either Marketmore (T) or Wautoma (R). Tending slightly more towards the Wautoma since I haven't seen or grown it before.
2. Patty pan
Growing patty pan squash was great last year. Unfortunately, over here in the UK they seem to be a bit of a rarity so haven't been able to find the colourful range of different types. The best one seems to be a Mixed assortment (T).
3. Zucchini
No garden is complete without at least one bush of them. I will hopefully restrain myself this year and only plant a couple (ha, famous last words...). I am looking for somewhat compact plants and I liked the sound of Verde di Milano Dark Green Dwarf Bush Courgette (R).
4. Potato
There are so many to choose from that I still haven't made up my mind. I may also try and grow them in growing bags, instead of the soil. There are a variety of crosses with Rose Finn Apple which has a delicious flavour - Anya and Harlequin - and a few small potato types ideal for container growing - Mimi and Lady Cristl. All of these come from Thompson-Morgan which offer 5-tuber bags and so I may try out a few.
5. Beans
Usually I grow runner beans in England, as they cope well with cool summers. However, I quite fancy a change and this time I think I will try Cherokee Trail of Tears Pole Beans (R).
6. Chard
Love them as a replacement to spinach. I prefer rainbow chard but I only found it in the Marshalls catalogue (breaking my rule of no more than 2 suppliers). Therefore I think I may be stuck with the ordinary Leaf Beet (R).
7. Mange Tout
I had a request from Toxicfingers to grow some peas. I am a firm believer that peas and carrots can be bought much more easily than actually growing them yourself. Hence, I am going for Golden Sweet Mange Tout instead (R).
I may have to give some thought again as to where I am growing all these vegetables. At the moment it is too cold to do anything much outside (it hit -4C last night, warming up to freezing during the day). Maybe next weekend...
First off, I will not grow tomatoes from seed. Last year this worked out well, giving me the choice between interesting varieties and, especially in the English climate which makes for a short growing season, probably the best approach to get them going quickly. However, this also means that I have to look out for tomato plants in the garden centre - and I am not blessed with a good garden centre nearby.
I will also not grow carrots. They annoyed me so much last year. This year I will have deal with stonier soil. No, no, no.
I looked for seed suppliers online. Suttons is the biggest, or most well-known one but I think their selection is a bit rubbish. There are various seed suppliers that cater to the allotment and prize grower communities but they didn't have everything I wanted. I also wanted to stick to just one or two places, rather than splitting any orders between multiple suppliers (saves on delivery charges).
The two that I liked most are Thompson-Morgan and Realseeds. Realseeds is particularly interesting as they only carry open-pollinated vegetables and encourage seed saving.
So here is my list (using (T) for Thompson-Morgan and (R) for Readseeds, to indicate where I intend to order them from):
1. Cucumber
Either Marketmore (T) or Wautoma (R). Tending slightly more towards the Wautoma since I haven't seen or grown it before.
2. Patty pan
Growing patty pan squash was great last year. Unfortunately, over here in the UK they seem to be a bit of a rarity so haven't been able to find the colourful range of different types. The best one seems to be a Mixed assortment (T).
3. Zucchini
No garden is complete without at least one bush of them. I will hopefully restrain myself this year and only plant a couple (ha, famous last words...). I am looking for somewhat compact plants and I liked the sound of Verde di Milano Dark Green Dwarf Bush Courgette (R).
4. Potato
There are so many to choose from that I still haven't made up my mind. I may also try and grow them in growing bags, instead of the soil. There are a variety of crosses with Rose Finn Apple which has a delicious flavour - Anya and Harlequin - and a few small potato types ideal for container growing - Mimi and Lady Cristl. All of these come from Thompson-Morgan which offer 5-tuber bags and so I may try out a few.
5. Beans
Usually I grow runner beans in England, as they cope well with cool summers. However, I quite fancy a change and this time I think I will try Cherokee Trail of Tears Pole Beans (R).
6. Chard
Love them as a replacement to spinach. I prefer rainbow chard but I only found it in the Marshalls catalogue (breaking my rule of no more than 2 suppliers). Therefore I think I may be stuck with the ordinary Leaf Beet (R).
7. Mange Tout
I had a request from Toxicfingers to grow some peas. I am a firm believer that peas and carrots can be bought much more easily than actually growing them yourself. Hence, I am going for Golden Sweet Mange Tout instead (R).
I may have to give some thought again as to where I am growing all these vegetables. At the moment it is too cold to do anything much outside (it hit -4C last night, warming up to freezing during the day). Maybe next weekend...
Monday, December 29, 2008
obsession with poo continues...
A great weight on any gardener's mind is compost and manure. Last year at the community gardens we were fortunate enough to have a great big pile of poo delivered. This year I am not so lucky.
London soil is dreadful. Clay-based, leached out, used as all the cats' outside litter box. Hundreds of years of builders' and tenants' rubble. Pollution from the air. Plain horrible. So it needs a bit of TLC.
I have always kept a compost bin in the back, recycling appropriate kitchen and garden waste. One year I supplemented that with pelleted chicken manure (good but expensive and stinky). What I really need is a big load of good quality top soil or manure but with the only access to the garden being through the whole house this is not going to happen in a hurry. So I am stuck with reasonable amounts of compost.
And then, cleaning out the critters' cage, it struck me that I was sitting on a gold mine - or, indeed, poo mine. Guinea pig manure to be precise. They are herbivores...they poo a lot...their litter is compostable. Hurrah!
But I wondered how good guinea pig manure would be and if I should invest in getting other organic fertilisers. There are, unfortunately, no charts about the nutritional composition of guinea pig poo, however, I found some information about rabbit manure (close enough, I reckon). Surprisingly, it seems to be really high in nitrogen, even higher than chicken manure. Also, good values of P and K. Obviously that will drop as it is mixed with litter.
So, in the compost bin it goes and I look forward to better soil. I <3 guinea pigs.
London soil is dreadful. Clay-based, leached out, used as all the cats' outside litter box. Hundreds of years of builders' and tenants' rubble. Pollution from the air. Plain horrible. So it needs a bit of TLC.
I have always kept a compost bin in the back, recycling appropriate kitchen and garden waste. One year I supplemented that with pelleted chicken manure (good but expensive and stinky). What I really need is a big load of good quality top soil or manure but with the only access to the garden being through the whole house this is not going to happen in a hurry. So I am stuck with reasonable amounts of compost.
And then, cleaning out the critters' cage, it struck me that I was sitting on a gold mine - or, indeed, poo mine. Guinea pig manure to be precise. They are herbivores...they poo a lot...their litter is compostable. Hurrah!
But I wondered how good guinea pig manure would be and if I should invest in getting other organic fertilisers. There are, unfortunately, no charts about the nutritional composition of guinea pig poo, however, I found some information about rabbit manure (close enough, I reckon). Surprisingly, it seems to be really high in nitrogen, even higher than chicken manure. Also, good values of P and K. Obviously that will drop as it is mixed with litter.
So, in the compost bin it goes and I look forward to better soil. I <3 guinea pigs.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
a fresh start
Christmas Day 2008 and I have been back in London UK for 3 weeks. It is the middle of winter, mild and surprisingly dry. After the fun of community gardening in Portland, I am keen to start up again here, however, the Hackney Allotment Society has closed its waiting list due to huge demand (in any case, it would have been years before actually getting a plot...). The Olympic site has devoured some other established allotments, shrinking the available space even more. Capital Growth is still in its infancy and seems to be addressed to growing food in your own space (like my back garden).
Therefore, my idea is to start expanding the growing space in my own backyard. I have grown some beans and raspberries, even some tomatoes, before but now I am serious. I started today with a survey of what is the base stock, what could be moved and what will plain not work.
First off, I have my remote outside thermometer back!
It's great to see how warm it is and it also has a minimum and maximum temperature per day facility (handy to know after the fact how cold it got during the night - also note that it's in Celsius which I can actually understand).
Next it's the area just outside the kitchen door, currently full of ivy and fuchsias. It's quite a shaded areas and I also really like the fuchsias where they are, so I think this will remain as it is, with the possibility of trying to fill in a few herbs in any gaps.
To the back on the left, just after the deck, is a large border. In the foreground you can see a sedum, behind it is a dwarf pear tree. The creeping Californian lilac (Ceanothus) has crept out of its bounds a bit. Lovely flowers though. After that comes a weird assortment of "stuff". Dogwood and a lilac tree in the back which don't do any harm. God knows what is at the front. I think I can spot some Bear's Breeches but this area seems have high potential to be redeveloped by shifting items closer together and getting some growing space.
Adjoining this area further along the side of the garden is my Tree of Mistaken Identity. It was supposed to be a Damson "Merriweather" but it turned out to be a Greengage. Still, a fruit tree is a fruit tree so it'll stay. It seems to have struggled along for a few years now, I don't know if it'll ever grow into something impressive. The little knee-high bay tree that I planted some years ago (in fact, probably around the same time as the greengage) has grown into an 8-foot monster. I like it but there is only so much bay a household needs.
And it takes up prime growing space. I may have to investigate if I can propagate it somehow and move it somewhere else. Ok, it may not look like much growing space but that is what I need to extend considerably.
On the right side of the garden, there are quite a number of flowering shrubs. Mexican orange blossom makes do with being underneath a neighbour's Leylandii (the pox on it!) and is lovely whatever the season. Behind is another Californian Lilac, which looks like it's attempting to leave where it is anyway. Behind that a few other bedraggled-looking things, although it may be because it is winter time. Still, another potential area for modification.
Another area on the right is occupied by a cordyline which seems to be enjoying itself. I note that the tenants have already extended this border to grow stuff so I will follow suit.
Lastly, we have the area at the back of the garden, raised and containing an assortment of self-seeded foxglove, cyclamen and more ivy.
Bags of space to grow vegetables, you may think. Well, think again because right above it is this culprit:
A neighbour's sycamore tree. The Bane of my Life. Ok, it is tall and impressive but also cuts off all water when it has leaves. I would have to invest in some serious irrigation to make anything underneath grow.
So that's it. Over the coming weeks I may attempt to actually do something about the state of affairs...
Therefore, my idea is to start expanding the growing space in my own backyard. I have grown some beans and raspberries, even some tomatoes, before but now I am serious. I started today with a survey of what is the base stock, what could be moved and what will plain not work.
First off, I have my remote outside thermometer back!
It's great to see how warm it is and it also has a minimum and maximum temperature per day facility (handy to know after the fact how cold it got during the night - also note that it's in Celsius which I can actually understand).
Next it's the area just outside the kitchen door, currently full of ivy and fuchsias. It's quite a shaded areas and I also really like the fuchsias where they are, so I think this will remain as it is, with the possibility of trying to fill in a few herbs in any gaps.
To the back on the left, just after the deck, is a large border. In the foreground you can see a sedum, behind it is a dwarf pear tree. The creeping Californian lilac (Ceanothus) has crept out of its bounds a bit. Lovely flowers though. After that comes a weird assortment of "stuff". Dogwood and a lilac tree in the back which don't do any harm. God knows what is at the front. I think I can spot some Bear's Breeches but this area seems have high potential to be redeveloped by shifting items closer together and getting some growing space.
Adjoining this area further along the side of the garden is my Tree of Mistaken Identity. It was supposed to be a Damson "Merriweather" but it turned out to be a Greengage. Still, a fruit tree is a fruit tree so it'll stay. It seems to have struggled along for a few years now, I don't know if it'll ever grow into something impressive. The little knee-high bay tree that I planted some years ago (in fact, probably around the same time as the greengage) has grown into an 8-foot monster. I like it but there is only so much bay a household needs.
And it takes up prime growing space. I may have to investigate if I can propagate it somehow and move it somewhere else. Ok, it may not look like much growing space but that is what I need to extend considerably.
On the right side of the garden, there are quite a number of flowering shrubs. Mexican orange blossom makes do with being underneath a neighbour's Leylandii (the pox on it!) and is lovely whatever the season. Behind is another Californian Lilac, which looks like it's attempting to leave where it is anyway. Behind that a few other bedraggled-looking things, although it may be because it is winter time. Still, another potential area for modification.
Another area on the right is occupied by a cordyline which seems to be enjoying itself. I note that the tenants have already extended this border to grow stuff so I will follow suit.
Lastly, we have the area at the back of the garden, raised and containing an assortment of self-seeded foxglove, cyclamen and more ivy.
Bags of space to grow vegetables, you may think. Well, think again because right above it is this culprit:
A neighbour's sycamore tree. The Bane of my Life. Ok, it is tall and impressive but also cuts off all water when it has leaves. I would have to invest in some serious irrigation to make anything underneath grow.
So that's it. Over the coming weeks I may attempt to actually do something about the state of affairs...
Monday, November 17, 2008
"time lapse" video
I am futzing around procrastinating so I decided to do a quick overview video of my pictures, showing week-by-week progress or lack thereof.
Makes entertaining viewing...
Makes entertaining viewing...
Friday, October 31, 2008
The Witching Day
All is wrapped up and cleared. Pulled up the zucchini plants today, got three little zucchinis out of it still, the last of the harvest. Last week I collected the chard and some collards which are now sitting in the freezer and some very small winter squashes which I am not sure are any good other than having decorative value. It's very strange, weird and spooky. Somehow appropriate for Halloween.
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