Reads Retreat

Bricking it ...... 18.08.08

2008-08-18T20:57:00.006+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Retreat, our guide blog to Growing your own Veg in Raised beds.Continuing on from yesterdays theme, here's a before and after photo of our latest brick path. These bricks were left over after yesterdays creation and needed using up - we kept tripping over the pile of bricks! Again, I must stress that these are not yet cemented in place, merely laid out in a nice "pattern" ready for cementing at a later date. I cant promise that "Plot 81" will be this ornate, but you never know. We're still excited about getting on with the plot, and secret squirrel is already waxing lyrical about crop rotation, planting plans and the like. There's no stopping her !

Elsewhere on the plot, the Beetroot(v.Boltardy) are starting to show, and the Turnips(v.Golden Ball) seem to have survived their thinning out. I'll give the latter a couple more weeks to grow on before finally thinning them out.

I saw my 1st Meadow Blue Butterfly today. Apparently they've been in the garden all summer ( Brown's too) but I had not seen them until today. There's also loads and loads of Dragonflies flitting about - I'll try and get some pictures to post on the blog. Thats about it for now. Join us again a bit later in the week for a further update before I get back to work.

TTFN

Looking good on the plot 17.08.08

2008-08-17T21:34:00.019+01:00

Welcome back to our plot update here at Reads Retreat - our guide to growing your own veg in Raised Beds. We're both still on cloud 9 on the back of acquiring our own allotment. There's a lot of work in preparation terms, as the site is currently overgrown, but we now have a great opportunity to expand on what we grow. As you can see in this picture, our garden plot is now in full swing, we're still planting as well as tackling the hard landscaping ( laying bricks etc. ) but we'll get to that later. The French Beans(v.Blue Lake) are racing up their canes, and have already provided a few good harvests, with the prospect of providing many more yet. The traditional "family" runner beans are now also starting to put on good growth. Alongside the reads runners we planted a few "new seed" , some different varieties with both Pink & White flowers. These were given to me by my FIL and it seemed a waste not to use them. As stated in an earlier post, there's also a lot of Bee's in the garden now, a great and encouraging sight.
The toms (v.Tomazing) right outside the patio door were looking a bit sad a couple of weeks ago, having been stripped of most foliage by an enthusiastic but somewhat inexperienced Ruby. The plant was left bare except for 2 trusses of green toms. With no way of getting these to redden up foreseeable, we used the method of hanging an over-ripe banana on the plant. This gives off a gas which helps to redden up the toms, and as you can see it's working a treat. The added advantage, is that the banana is attracting some great looking Butterflies, which I tried to capture in this photograph. However, the adage of never working with children / animals has come true as every time I took a pic, the butterfly closed it's wings. I took about 8 shots but this is the best of the lot!

Here we have the first of our Sweet Peppers(v.Moneymaker) that we raised from seed. Pictures don't lie, but this pot of 3 plants is only about 10" tall, and the biggest pepper is still very small - but in our eyes still a success. It's always nice to grow something new at Reads Retreat, and in our eyes, if the plant bears fruit then its a success. We've got about a dozen or so of these plants dotted around, and although a lot of the plants are bearing flowers / buds, this is the first to bear fruit. We'll keep on nurturing this and see how we get on. The Chili peppers we're growing (v. Cayenne) in the hanging baskets and various pots around the plot, are also doing very well. Cant wait to taste them in a few more dishes.

Our newly "dressed" Rhubarb crown (v.Timperly Early) is already sending up new shoots after only a week. This is a good sign of a healthy crown, and we've enjoyed many a harvest from this throughout the summer. I must say it's tempting to grab a few more sticks, but we'll have to wait till next spring. Now that we have acquired our own allotment, we plan to include a few new crowns in our planting plan, to give us more of this tasty dessert throughout the following years.

Regular visitors to Reads Retreat, will know that I keep my eyes and ears open for bricks, as they are always useful on the plot. This area that I've now bricked over, was previously covered in wood chippings laid on top of a weed control membrane. That was a satisfactory path area, but as the material continually rotted down, I found we had to keep adding chipped bark to keep the path at a decent height. Now we have bricks laid out over the top, it looks a bit better and matches the other access area. All I need to do now is get some mortar to bed these down onto, and to fill in the gaps. Still got loads of bricks left so expect to see more paths being laid!

The Turnips (v.Golden Ball) have had their first thinning, with the gap between each seedling now approx 2". They will be thinned to a 4" gap a bit later on in their growth, so we can select the stronger plants.
Some of the "far too many" seedlings thinned out today, have been replanted in the various gaps that are starting to spring up in the raised beds. Obviously, the seedlings don't like to be distirbed, but they have 2 chances, and we might as well let them choose for themselves!

Elsewhere on the plot, there's still loads going on. Our toms in the raised beds are very slowly starting to redden up, the recently sown Betroot (v.Boltardy) seeds have germinated and are poking their leaves up to the sky, my "Giant" onion is still growing well, and my Carrots (v Autumn King 3)and Chard (v. Bright Lights & Zilver) are coming on a treat. Oh, did I mention ? We now have an allotment too!!

It's all very exciting, so much to think about and plan! We're gonna be busy! Hope you are all still enjoying the fruits of your toil. Come back and see us again soon. Till then,

TTFN.

Breaking News ! 17.08.08

2008-08-17T13:58:00.007+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Retreat, our guide to growing your own veg in Raised Beds.

Breaking news ?
Today we have fulfilled a long standing ambition, and taken on an Allotment - Plot 81. We saw a small ad in the local paper detailing "Sheppey Horticultural Society's" Open Day, and decided to go and take a look. We were fully expecting to have to sign up on a "waiting list" and were gobsmacked to find plenty of vacant plots.
Not wanting to take on too much too soon, we opted for a 5 Rod plot. As it stands right the now, the plot is somewhat overgrown and will need a lot of hard digging / weeding but nothing that can't be done. The ground will initially be strimmed back for us and then we can get cracking.

The site itself is one of 2 Allotment sites on the Isle of Sheppey, and the site we have chosen is by chance the one with all the vacant plots. The site facilities are impressive too - Toilets, running water, and a site store, selling most things we are likely to need, at great prices too, i.e. 8' Canes for 28p each! We met a few of the plot holders: Bob, Kelly, Joe, Dave - names that spring to mind, and we were made to feel most welcome. We're really excited about this project, and are now looking forward to getting stuck in.

The Sheppey Horticultural Society are holding their Annual Flower and Vegetable Show on 30th and 31st August ( details attached) so we will be calling in to meet some more of the members, and to size up the competition.(Double click on this image to see it full screen)
At present, I have no photo's to show you, but then you all know what a vacant plot looks like!We're going back next week to pick up our keys and membership card, so I will take a camera with me.

Watch this space for future updates, and I guess a second blog to run beside Reads Retreat!

Take care all, and wish us luck! Check back later for my blog update!
TTFN

Busy Bee's 15.08.08

2008-08-15T21:55:00.005+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Retreat, our guide to growing your own veg in Raised Beds.

A welcome sight in the garden this morning, a plethora of Bee's all over the Runner beans / French beans. They have been somewhat absent from the plot over the recent weeks, but are now here in abundance. Great news!

I had a comment from "Matron" (see previous post) enquiring about how our Rhubarb tasted that we pulled a few days ago. I have to say, it was gorgeous, and cant understand why people stop picking it so early in the year. This crown (v.Timperley Early) is only in its second year, and has provided plentiful crops this year which again is against what most people say. As previously posted, we will not harvest any more this year, rather letting the crown build up energy for next spring's forcing. I tried to leave a comment on your blog (Matron) but cannot get it to work ? You can always contact me directly via :

readsretreat@hotmail.co.uk

Thats about it for now, but will be back over the weekend with further updates from the plot.
Till then,

TTFN.

GOLD for Bedfordshire Champions ! 12.08.08

2008-08-12T17:09:00.019+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Retreat, the home of how to "Grow your own veg in Raised Beds".

Today saw the harvest start of the Bedfordshire Champion Onions. In my mind, they're all Gold medal winners, considering that I grew these all from seed, and they easily out grew the onion sets that were planted out in the raised beds about 2 weeks earlier. Next year I'll be planting more of these little ( er - not so little ! ) gems, and staggering the planting to get a longer lasting harvest.

As you can see, young Ruby was happy to help, as she willingly posed with her first onion. To be totally honest , I'm surprised that any of them grew at all, considering that Ruby's favourite pastime of late has been to pull the outer leaves off as soon as they were within reach.
I noticed that the seed grown onions all grew beneath the soil; as opposed to the sets that grew virtually on the surface of the soil, with the former producing much larger specimens.
Following good advice from Steve and other regular readers of my blog, I patiently waited for the stems to fall over before pulling the crop up. With the weather forecasting wet for the next few days, i decided to harvest most of them today to avoid the stems rotting.

As this image shows, there's still a few more Champions in the raised bed - still growing strongly. This specimen is well over cricket ball size already, so although it wont be a show winner, and the taste may deteriorate, it's gonna be a big one !
That is of course assuming the foliage stays intact for a bit longer.
I really want to encourage our daughter to help and get involved in the garden, but despair at the sight of new seedlings being pulled from the soil.
Oh well, onwards and upwards !

Some of the rest of todays harvest can be seen here, laid out in a warm and sunny, and most of all dry location, for the stems to dry out.We've had a really good crop overall, and I'm more than happy with our little stab at growing onions.
Next season there will be a whole bed reserved for this crop. It's not just about the excitement of growing onions, the key for me - that you just don't get with shop brought onions - is how well they retain their flavour after cooking. You've got to try this for yourself to understand what I'm saying !

If I may be so bold, I've taken a leaf out of a fellow bloggers book, (Thanks Matron) and decided to keep on sowing seeds. It's nice to have harvests, but it seems such a shame to have a bare patch of soil. Yesterday afternoon I prepared this bed (formerly home to the Stuttgarter Giant Onions) and planted 2 x 3' rows of Beetroot (v.Boltardy). With the current spell of warm/hot and damp weather upon us, there's no good reason why these seeds should not germinate. It also gave me the opportunity to tidy up the Leeks. I read recently that any foliage from the Leeks that touches the ground should be removed, preventing easy access for slugs and snails, and therefore promoting better growth. We'll have to wait and see!

On the same theme, I today prepared this bed, and planted 2 x 3' rows of Kohl Rabi. I prepared drills, and sowed the seed rather more generously than my earlier in the year efforts. This bed was previously home to my Red onions (v.Red Karmen) and the soil was in really good condition. A gentle rake over the seeds once sown, then gently pressed down and watered in well. I'm looking forward to another crop here - all being well.
I'm a strong believer in not always believing the information contained on the seed packets, rather I use it as a guide. The seed manufacturers must obviously provide some guidance on growing, but with the ever changing seasons, there surely is some latitude in the information provided ?

Again, about six weeks after the books tell us, we took our last harvest of the year from my Rhubarb crown (v.Timperly Early), and the secret squirrell created 2 delish Rhubarb & Ginger crumbles. Try it ? The taste is amazing! After harvesting, the crown was thoroughly drenched, then a thick mulch of potting compost , mixed with slow release fertilizer, was poured over the crown. This will now be left until next spring, letting the plant build up its reserves, before I again start forcing the plant for an early crop. Mmmmm I can hardly wait!

The Pot Marigold's planted here and there on the raised beds, are still flowering well. In fact, there's an abundance of flowers all over the garden, but we are not seeing many bee's. I hope it changes as we progress through the summer, but I'm not sure it will.
Elsewhere on the plot, all is going well. The Runner & Broad Beans are flowering well, and producing crops, albeit only small amounts at the moment. The Turnip seedlings are now about 1" tall and I'll soon have to start thinning them out, we've bucket loads of Carrot seedlings (v.Autumn King 3), and Chard seedlings beginning to take over. So you see, there's loads of work still to be done. What fun!

I hope you're still enjoying your gardens as much as I am. I've got a little project underway that I will bring you news of soon. The only hold up on it is funds, but I'm trying to scrounge bits and bobs, and am slowly getting there. Watch this space ! Till then,

TTFN.

Olympics - What are they ? 10.08.08

2008-08-10T09:20:00.019+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Retreat - our diary blog about growing your / our own veg in Raised Beds.
No time to sit and watch the telly here at Reads Retreat, far too much to do in the garden and home! As reported a few days ago, these Turnip seeds that were planted straight into the raised beds last weekend, germinated with just 3 days! This picture taken this morning shows that they continue to grow at a fast rate. The planting lines are clearly visible thanks to my method of using a cane to mark out the sowing drill. This coupled with the warm weather and plentiful rainfall has given these plants a great start. Very soon i will have to start thinning them out. I hardly used any of the seeds, compared to the estimated contents on the pack - 1500 - and only £1.09. At a later date I'll explain how I store any surplus seed, which despite claims on the packs, last for ages.

At the same time as I planted the Turnip's, I also planted some Chard, which you can just see emerging around the edge of the bed. These took longer to germinate as I expected, as the seeds are much larger. You can speed up germination of large seeds by soaking before planting out.

My Courgette plants seem to be recovering well. The problem was I think created by me, over watering ? The plants seemed to be dying off, and the leaves didn't look too healthy. This was followed by heavy and prolonged rainfall which compounded the problem. Therefore, I just "neglected" the plants for a few days, and one of them has revived itself, and is bearing fruit again, and they're growing quickly too. Cant wait to harvest more from this plant. I read that I should expect about a dozen from each plant, and so far we've had about half a dozen, so looking forward to a few more yet ! We'll see. Might grow some yellow varieties next year ?

My Raspberry root that i purchased from Wilko's, is finally starting to add some growth. Like the Blackcurrant that I purchased at the same time, they were both planted in shallow soil in pots to get them established. Hopefully they will continue to form a good root base so that I can plant them into their growing positions late autumn / early winter. I must admit that despite the price of a couple of pounds each, I am dissapointed with how badly / slowly they have grown. I may attempt some cuttings if i'm feeling confident, as i dont want to keep on spending when funds are so tight elsewhere. It would be nice to get some from from the plants this year. Maybe we will, we'll have to wait and see!

It's a very similar story with the Gooseberry bush. Purchased from the same place, it's taken an absolute age to get this far! I have fed and watered it consistently, but still the growth is slow. I'm really keen to get this going; my grandfather - i remember - grew these in his garden at Clacton, and I would love to do the same here. I maybe will buy some better stock for planting out next year. After all, you get what you pay for , and not much more.

And now the good news ! Look at these 2 towers of lush green foliage. The lighter green ( as you may have guessed ) is the runner beans. These have been grown year on year from seeds saved by Grandad. I was down to 5 seeds this year, as they just didn't want to germinate. Now though they have recovered well. We've had a few small picking's, and are looking forward to many more! The darker green is the climbing French Beans (v.Blue Lake). Again, these seemed to take ages to get going, then suddenly they sprang into action. We've had several picking from this too, harvesting the bean pods at about 4" long. They taste delish, and will deff be grown again here at Reads Retreat. To the left of the pic is my clump of Toms (v. Moneymaker) which are also doing well.

Another great and unexpected success this year have been my Chili Peppers (v.Cayenne). We've got them growing everywhere we can find space to put them, even in this hanging basket alongside Beetroot (v.Boltardy). There's plenty of nearly ready to pick Chili's already, and still more are forming. We've had less success with our sweet peppers, but we are persevering to see if we can get a crop.

That's about it for todays update, there's still loads more to tell you about, including a new project indoors, but sitting here typing is making my back ache, so please excuse me for now.

Take care all, get out into your gardens as the weather permits, and enjoy yourselves!

TTFN.

Thunder & Lightning 07.08.08

2008-08-07T20:56:00.004+01:00

Welcome back to a soggy but otherwise ok Reads Retreat. our guide to growing your own veg in raised beds.
Slightly "off topic" boy did it rain last night. Being a fan of a good old storm, we lay in bed, curtains and windows open watching the lightning light up the night sky, with the heavy thunder roaring all around and raining, like it's going out of fashion. Brilliant.
When I ventured out to the plot this morning, the air smelt lovely. Furthermore, i was greeted by the delightful sight of all 5 rows of Turnips; planted just a few days ago, germinated and pushing their seedlings up to the light. A bit more of a wander found the small row of Radish have germinated too. Sadly no pictures today, I've been a tad busy. I have to admit to "borrowing" todays pic from auntie !

Pop back tomorrow for a more detailed update. See you soon,

TTFN.

Rained all night ! 04.03.08

2008-08-04T08:49:00.011+01:00

Welcome back to another quick update at Reads Retreat, where a quick break in the weather enabled an outstanding sowing job to be completed:
I had a vacant raised bed, just 3' x 3', and this was my choice planting. 2 Varieties that I've wanted to try for a couple of years now.
The Swiss Chard (v. Zilver) is a renowned cropper that with a bit of TLC should get through the autumn and well into the winter, whilst the Turnip (v. Golden Ball) should grow tennis ball sized roots, whilst at the same time providing some turnip tops for use as a nourishing "winter green". What's more, buying good seed from reputable sources can only help with this latest venture. I'm hoping the mild weather continues to aid the germination.
Initially, the Swiss chard was planted around the perimeter of the bed, approx 2" from the boards, and about 2" apart. If all these seeds germinate they can be thinned out later on, the thinnings then being either cooked as baby leaves, or replanted elsewhere on the plot. Next, I marked out 5 rows (about 6" apart ) by pressing a cane into the surface of the bed. This provides drills deep enough to accommodate the Turnip seed, without causing disruption to the soil immediately adjacent. The seed was then sown fairly generously ( 3 seeds/inch) along each drill, then covered with loose topsoil which was then firmed into place. This all followed by a gentle watering to settle the bed.

After watering in the seed, the boards were then marked each end of the drills. This way emerging seedlings can be distinguished from emerging weeds, and the latter easily removed. From what I've read, 1 sq yd should be sufficient for about 30 turnips to grow on, so the drills can be thinned out accordingly as time permits.

The final job of the day was to erect a temporary barrier to the newly planted bed. This was simply achieved by 2 buckets of spuds, which so far seem to be doing the trick! As soon as the bed becomes established, then the buckets can be moved back to their home on the patio.
All in, the whole task took about half an hour, as the bed had been prepared earlier. Time to sit back now and let nature take it's course.

Hope you have found this update both interesting and useful, and I look forward to welcoming you back soon. Keep me posted on how you are getting on. Till then,

TTFN.

Roast Lamb & Veg from garden 03.08.08

2008-08-03T20:32:00.005+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Retreat - the home of How to Grow Veg in Raised Beds.
Todays update is less about actually growing veg, and more about actually enjoying the fruits of labouring on the veg plot.
Our sumptuous dinner today was Roast Leg of Lamb, cooked with fresh Garlic & Rosemary from the plot. This was complimented by Rhubarb Chard, a mix of Runner Beans and French Beans, as well as some freshly dug second early spuds. I have to admit we had some roasties too, but it was sheer bliss to sit and eat what was mostly our home grown veg, the taste is out of this world.

Regular readers / subscribers will know that I planned to plant some more seed today. Unfortunately, the ground was so hard, i could not dig sufficiently ( partly due to my ongoing back problem ) to prepare the ground for new sowings. The good news though, is that its pouring down as I write this, so first job for the morning will be to get that planting done. The bed I will be using is only 3' x 3', but I'm planning on planting some Organic Zilver Chard around the edge, and if possible about 30 Turnip seeds in the middle. I'm hoping this will provide further cropping late into the autumn, and can maybe use the turnip tops too as some winter greens.

Time permitting, I might get round to planting a further batch of Kohl Rabi ? We'll see.

Thats all for now. See you soon.

TTFN.

Start 'em young ! 02.08.08

2008-08-02T21:24:00.008+01:00

Welcome once again to Reads Retreat, where we not only grow veg in raised beds, but we nurture new gardeners too! After a small outlay at Wilkinson's for a wheelbarrow and garden tool set, there is now absolutely no way I'm going to keep Ruby out of the garden! What a great way to start - for £7.00 you get the barrow, a rake, a spade, a roller, bucket, shapes for "making" things in the mud, and a watering can. Just a shame I cant get the same outfit in adult size for a similar amount.
Back on the veg front, I planted a small row of Radish seeds today (v. Scarlet Globe), and also spied that the 2 rows of Chard / Leaf Beet planted just a few days ago have started to germinate. No sign of the carrots yet, but don't expect them for a few more days yet. I've still a lot of planting planned, and hopefully tomorrows list will include Turnips and Kohl Rabi.

And if you are left wondering what to do with all this fine veg you are growing - fear not ! Today I have added a new list of Chef's websites. The list will grow as I root out more site addresses, and if you have any favorites you would like me to add, then drop me a line. Emails please to:

readsretreat@hotmail.co.uk

Thats about it for now, but we'll see you again soon.

TTFN.

Pumpkin Growing Tips 01.08.08

2008-08-01T08:14:00.010+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Retreat - your one stop shop for topical and timely info on growing your own veg.
This year I've been trying my hand at growing some pumpkins, and have to say have been finding it difficult to track down useful growing tips. I have found a pretty good site and added it to my sites of interest.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, we planted some tomatoes in the spaces around the runner and french beans. I've just popped out with the camera to show you what i mean. It looks really nice to see the contrasting Deep Red flowers on the Runner beans with the bright yellow of the tomato plants. I'm sure we're going to see much more colour shows like this as the growth continues.
The runner and french beans both seem to have responded well to the feeding with liquid tomato fertilizer, with buds / flowers forming all over the place. Looking forward to pick enough to grace the dining table.

Continued thanks go to Jen, this glorious show of colour greets me every time I step out onto the patio. Who would have believed it , a veg grower like me loving flowers too. Is that whats known as natural progression. Not sure really , but they do look great. The Nasturtiums are also looking good, but the night scented stock is yet to flower - maybe its too early.

My Tomato (v. Tomazing) is now full of well formed trusses of lovely little fruits.
Up until yesterday, there was a further truss of bright orange toms that were very nearly ripe. Then Ruby discovered them, and now they've been picked and put on the kitchen windowsill for further ripening!
The other toms around the plot are either in flower or full of green toms. I'll be thinning out the non productive leaf shoots over the next few days, to let the sun get to the toms to ripen them off. I've got 2 further varieties arond the plot: Moneymaker & Gardeners Delight. I'll bring you more pictures of these as they start to ripen off.

Thats all for now - enjoy your gardens and come back soon.

TTFN.

Another bucket of spuds. 31.07.08

2008-07-31T18:17:00.007+01:00

Back again to Reads Retreat ? Nice to see you - whether you are a regular reader or a newcomer ! Everyone is welcome.
This is the latest harvest from my bucket grown spuds - not a massive crop but certainly enough for 2 or 3 evening meals. In case you are not aware, remove and discard the green bits prior to cooking and eating the rest. ( The green bits are mildly poisonous ! ). Still pondering over where grow the spuds next year, but in terms of greater yield, i expect to return to growing at least one early variety in the raised beds, and use the buckets for something else, maybe for more toms, or something of that ilk. All reasonable ideas will be considered !
It's been a hot and humid day today & still is, although it's just started spitting with rain. We need another good downpour to replenish water butt stocks, as well as to water the crops. My soapy water attacks on the blackfly are finally paying dividends, with large runner and french bean pod clusters forming all over the place. One funny thing to note is that we planted some spare tomato plants in gaps around the runner beans, and now have little clusters of Red & Yellow flowers. You have to look twice!!

Thats all for now, please bookmark my site and come back soon, or enter your email address to receive updates direct to your inbox. Your continued visits have helped me to the dizzy heights of 7th in the Top 100 Gardening Sites - Thank you.

TTFN.

A Dog with 2 Tails - Thats me! 30.07.08

2008-07-30T21:08:00.005+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Retreat, my guide to growing your own veg in Raised Beds. As for todays title, that sums me up to a tee today. Yesterday evening we decided to lift some of the onions from the raised beds. The 1st harvested were this little lot. The variety"Red Karmen" were grown from sets that I purchased on that little shopping site - ebay ! 20 Planted and 20 decent sized and perfectly formed usable little lovelies for the kitchen. The smallest 1 - just bigger than a golf ball, with the majority at about the size of a tennis/cricket ball. A couple have been used already in the kitchen, and they taste superb, maintaining their own inherent flavour right onto the plate. You may think this is nothing special, and you would probably be right. The key thing here for me, is that I've never grown onions before, and now I'm hooked. Its not only the veg that are amazing, but also just how shallow they sit in the soil, yet grow so big. But hold on, there's more:
This lot were also lifted. The variety here is "Stuttgarter Giant", bought from the same ebay shop! Sadly, this little lot failed to live up to their name, producing only about 10 Tennis balls and about 10 golf balls. That said though, they do taste delicious, and are full of flavour. But the best is yet to come: I initially planted sets as I was not confident enough to grow from seed. So, after planting these, i bought some seed to have a go. Fellow bloggers seemed to be selecting the variety"Bedfordshire Champion" so I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon. And this is the best bit - the BC's are still in the ground, and seem to be outgrowing the onion sets. Again, seeking the advice from fellow allotmenteers, these are still in the raised beds - thanks Steve! It's very tempting to lift these too, but I will wait a couple more weeks.
Don't forget to check out Steve's blog - it's well worth a look. There's a link in my bloggers list.

Elsewhere on the plot, all is well. We had a few French Beans with our dinner tonight, which also included freshly dug new potato's as well as a red onion in the "Toad in the Hole ".

There an abundance of nearly ready crops in the garden, and I'll keep you updated as and when they get harvested. I even bought some Liquid Tom Feed from Wilko's today, and its been used on Toms, Aubergine, French & Runner beans, Pumpkin, Beetroot, Chili Peppers etc etc etc.

I think we're in for some more rain over the next couple of days, so I hope you've been enjoying the weather so far. Thats it for now, but I'll be back soon with more news. Till then,

TTFN.

Early morning - wet ! Lovely !! 29.07.08

2008-07-29T09:34:00.004+01:00

Welcome Back to Reads Retreat.

Well, what a refreshing change! When we turned in last night, the sky was full of lightening and the heavens opened. Not sure how long it all lasted, I was away with the fairies as soon as my head touched the pillow.

As i strolled around the garden / plot this morning, it was not the feeling of Dew underfoot, but the satisfying knowledge that it rained good and hard. The plants have all withstood the downpour, the water butts are full, and the air smells fresh.

But, its about 9.00am now, and its heating up fast. Lots more to do still - weeding / hoeing etc, so I might get cracking while I can !

Forgot to mention that Sunday afternoon, i sowed yet more seeds, this time straight into prepared seed beds. I planted a row of Carrots(v. Autumn King 2), as well as 2 rows of Chard ( the mixed colour stems variety ! ), and hopefully these will germinate and grow on for harvesting later in the year.

Thats all for now, take care and have fun in the sun,

TTFN.

Early morning dew - lovely! 27.07.08

2008-07-27T07:20:00.023+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Retreat, on a beautifully sunny summers morning. I couldn't resist walking barefoot on the dew covered lawn this morning. It must be nigh on 15C already, and it's only 7.00am! The feeling of the cool dew on my feet was lovely - to me it's one of those feelings you wish you could bottle up and sell - "fortune" awaits! Armed with my camera (as usual) i set out to bring you some shots from around the plot. The first to catch my eye was this gloriously yellow shaded Pumpkin flower. The pumpkin plant has gone wild - must be about 15' long already, with numerous tendrils reaching out for support, and a bounty of flower heads just waiting to burst open! It's my 1st real attempt at growing a pumpkin so any advice would be welcomed! I've already read a bit on the RHS website and discovered the reason the leaves were rotting - they don't like to get wet! Those affected are now removed, and I'm watering directly at the root. I'd really like to find out if these plants are self pollinating, or whether a bit of intervention is required. Someone must know - so please get in touch!

This shot shows more flower heads, this time on our Aubergine plant. If you look closely you will see that some of the previous flower heads have dropped from the plant, remainders of which are visible on the lower leaves. My only idea was that the plant was drying out, and is now not only getting daily drenching, but a weekly feed too. We've only recently starting using this veg in the kitchen, and we are excited by the prospect of the taste from a homegrown version, with a zero carbon footprint! It's just too easy to go to the supermarket and buy one. You never really stop and think about which continent it might have come from, and bearing that in mind - just how fresh it actually is.

Our Tom plant (v.Tomazing) that was bought for me is the first tom plant in the garden to be colouring up. This plant was originally a tiny "plug" plant from T&M, purchased with 4 other veg plugs (including the Aubergine) for less than £4.00. It has put on very good growth outside on the patio, and there are plenty of little green toms. We expect them not to last too long though, they are right outside the patio door, at the right height for little fingers to reach out and grab them! Hey ho, Ruby seems very happy in the garden, so we will let her be. She often carries the watering can around (empty of course) and pretends to water everything in sight / reach ! Bless her. The other toms growing well on the plot are the Gardeners Delight variety, which are here, there, and everywhere we could find some space!

Our climbing French Beans (v. Blue Lake) have put on great growth during the recent hot spell. Already there is a bounty of pods all over the plants, but at a mere 2-3" long are still a way off harvesting. Traditionally, I've only grown longpod runner beans before, but again the french beans are a new addition in the kitchen and they taste gorgeous, so this year we are growing both. You may remember that I'm growing these on wigwams this year, as opposed to the traditional line of canes, and from what we can see so far, it looks like access for harvesting will be a lot easier.

Sadly, right next to the French Beans, are my wigwam of Runner Beans. I say sadly because the latter are covered in Blackfly. The good news is that the plants seem to be surviving, plenty of deep red flowers abound and the first 1" long beans are showing. I've tried spraying with soapy water to get rid of the pesky things, but so far am losing the battle. I'm just hoping that not too many transfer onto the french beans. I'm wondering if there's a variety of Runners that are more resistant to Blackfly, and will look into this. Good news: Spotted some ladybirds today!

Inspired by an article I read in BBC Gardeners World mag earlier in the year, i decided to use a hanging basket to grow something other than flowers. This little 12" basket is home to 2 Chilli (v. Cayenne) plants, and 3 or 4 Beetroot (v.Boltardy) plants. The Chilli plants are faring better at the moment ( early days yet! ) and have a few small hot ones growing nicely, about 1 - 2" long already. The fence is south east facing so gets a fair amount of direct sunlight. Beetroot doing well too, but with limited growing space they may turn out a bit small?

This is our latest bucket of spuds, 2 tubers planted just a couple of weeks ago, and already growing nicely. I planted another bucket with 1 tuber last weekend, and now have just 1 tuber left. That last one will go into a larger container and hopefully give us a slightly larger crop than we have been getting. I'm still in 2 minds as to what we do next year, but I'm erring on the side of using the raised beds again next year, but only growing first earlies, which would free the bed up for successional crops. I think these ones are Kestrel but I've long since lost the packaging!

Final pic for this morning, looking back over the raised beds. Space is now appearing ready for some further planting. The next bed to be cleared is in the foreground - the onions! Already have harvested the "Stuttgarter Giant" whites, and there's about25 "Red Karmen" and 20 ish "Bedfordshire Champion" still to harvest. There's also 2 rows of 6 leeks interspersed so will have to be careful not to disrupt them, as well as the Kohl Rabi. All in all, its been a pleasant growing year so far, but it does seem that everything is a bit later this year ? Maybe that's just me not being organized enough.

Hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I have writing it! Long may this glorious weather continue so we can enjoy more premium gardening / garden usage.
Take care all.

TTFN

All down to secret squirrell! 24.07.08

2008-07-24T21:23:00.005+01:00

Welcome back for another (non veggie) update here at Reads Retreat. You may remember that I cleared the overgrown patch of land in the foreground with the intention of getting my better half planting some flowers. Well, back on the 23rd April, sowing got under way. Using the "Broadcast" method i.e. rip top off packet and scatter seed here and there, we got rid of a few packs of seed. Actual varieties used escape me, but included Night Scented Stock, Poppies (?) and Nasturtiums. Along the way other bits have been added ( Pot Marigolds, Toms, Bay Tree etc) and here is the result:
Already there's a plethora of colour with the delicate Daisy like poppies with their delicate Blue, White and Yellow flowers. The Night scented stock are reaching for the skies and are full of buds. The Nasturtiums are just starting to flower, all in all its a great success. Ruby loves it too, picking the odd flower head for mummy. The Bay Tree; having started at 8" tall, is surviving but you have to look hard to find it. Well done hun. Luv you.

See you all again soon.

TTFN.

Kohl Rabi Success 23.07.08

2008-07-23T22:20:00.004+01:00

Welcome once again to Reads Retreat.
Just when I thought I had run out of good things to tell you, I remembered this "First" growing success! Earlier in the year when I planted my onion sets, i chanced my arm with a row of these strange veggies between the onions. As I was not sure what the emerging seedlings looked like, i probably erroneously discarded a few early on. Luckily this one has survived and is being lovingly nurtured. Its a tad bigger than a tennis ball right now, and i've read it should put on considerably more growth. My only concern now is the somewhat abundance of the dreaded cabbage white butterflies. Im keeping my eyes peeled and fingers crossed ! So far there are no caterpillars - not that I can see anyway.
Check back tomorrow for further updates on the progress here on our plot.
Till then, take care and enjoy this glorious weather.

TTFN.

Successional spuds 22.07.08

2008-07-22T21:17:00.007+01:00

Here we are again at Reads Retreat - Welcome back.
Updates are coming thick and fast - can you keep up ?
This year we decided to grow our first and second early spuds in containers, thus freeing up more space in the raised beds. Spuds do take up a lot of room once established, so this had to be worth a try. Double click on the pic and it will enlarge to show more detail. Overall, this method is proving quite successful. The yield from each "pot" has been slightly lower than we would have liked, but maybe that's my fault for putting 2 tubers in each pot. That said though, the bonus of growing this way is that as soon as the spuds have been harvested, the containers can then be refilled and re planted, which so far has meant a continuous harvest of new potatoes. I've got 2 tubers left to plant up, which i will plant individually to maximise the yield at this late stage in the growing season - these are early varieties after all. The more observant amongst you will notice the 2 buckets in the foreground are temporary home to fruit bushes that i brought from Wilkinson's. They have taken a very long time to get established, but are finally flourishing. The one on the left is Raspberry and the one on the right Blackcurrant. We're not expecting any fruit this year, but you never know!
We also bought 2 Gooseberry bushes from Wilkinson's, i laughed because the varieties were labelled as "Red" and "Green". Percy Thrower would turn in his grave! The green variety failed to grow, but this Red variety is now well established and putting on good regular growth. Occasional feeding and plenty of water seems to be doing the trick. I'm going to plant a couple more next year in the same bed, and hope these fruit bushes will provide a tasty barrier between the patio and the garden. As usual, you'll have to watch this space. I did wonder whether i could take cuttings from this plant - let me know what you think.

There's still more to come - so much to tell you all about, but that's it for today. I look forward to welcoming you all back soon.
Take care all and enjoy your gardens.

TTFN

That was then,,,,,,,, 21.07.08

2008-07-21T19:12:00.004+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Retreat, for a bit more of an update!
I can't promise these daily updates will continue, but hopefully will while i get back up to speed!
This shot was posted on my blog on 8th June, showing my 2 Courgette plants that I had acquired!
I was hopeful of great things here - I had never grown courgettes before and was a tad worried that the outside temperature would not be enough to sustain good growth,

How wrong I was! Believe it or not, this is the same container, hidden by the mass of lush foliage.
We've already harvested 2 delish fruits and there are many more on the way. I read that regular watering is the key and this is what we are doing. As for the taste - far superior to anything you can buy. Just to the right of the pic is our Aubergine plant, which is also putting on good growth. The first set of flowers fell away - not sure why, but more flowers have appeared and we're hoping to harvest at least one of the lush shiny fruits. We'll have to wait and see. The small black pot contains an Apricot tree, grown from a shop bought fruit seed, and just to the right of that there is a pot of Sweet Peppers, growing ok but not really anything special at the moment.
So, bear with us folks as we continue to bring Reads Retreat up to date, there's so much more to write, but while my back is recovering i find i cannot sit at the desk for too long.
Take care all, see you again soon.

TTFN

A Worthy Cause ! 20.07.08

2008-07-20T22:05:00.002+01:00

I was just browsing the RHS website ( see link on main page ) and discovered they are running a petition to try and get Mr Brown ( the would be PM ) to reduce VAT on plants and seeds.

Check it out and if like me; you think its a worthy cause, then add your name to the petition.

Not sure how long it runs for, better be quick !

TTFN

Fokyhama ! 20.07.08

2008-07-20T19:30:00.006+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Retreat. Many apologies for what may seem like a long time away, its seems like ages since my last update.
You may remember that I was praying for rain. Well, my prayers have been well and truly answered.
So much so in fact, that my overwintered Garlic crop had started to rot in the soil. This lot were dug up in the last week, and laid out for drying in the sun, before being put away into store in a cool and airy place. 16 Bulbs in all, from my original purchase of 3 cloves just 2 seasons ago. Its an amazing crop to grow, it does nothing all winter, then all of a sudden springs into action. This lot will easily last us the rest of the year ( only just finished using last years crop - and we eat a lot of it ! ) and will also provide seed cloves for planting out this December.
I couldn't resist the title - quite fitting really as I put my back out on Thursday last week ( its also the variety of the Garlic ! ), and now resemble a very old man trying to get around the house. I managed a quick foray into the garden today, but could only manage a few steps. Valium is wonderful stuff, but I'd rather have my fitness.
Lucky for me then i have Secret Squirrell to help me out. Behind every great man, and all that .
Hopefully my back will improve over the next few days, enough maybe to let me photograph the plot and bring you up to date.

I've missed you all and your comments too, but I'm back to stay now.
Let me know how your plots are going - always nice to get reports from fellow bloggers.

Finally, a warm welcome to Rowan, who entered the world on 12th July 08 at 12.40am, a gorgeous son to my Niece's family - Love and best Wishes to Claire & Laurence, Charlie & Alicia.

Happy Birthday Justin 21 Again!

I'll be back soon. Till then,

TTFN

Where has all the rain gone ? 3.07.08

2008-07-03T21:48:00.002+01:00

Have you seen it in your neck of the woods ?
You know, the wet stuff.
The ground here at Reads Retreat is bone dry, and no amount of daily watering is doing any good.
Today we lifted a couple of onions and some Garlic.
All seem reasonably well grown, though a tad small.
"They" keep forecasting rain, but it seems to be missing us.
Lets hope we get some soon.
Take care all, more updates to follow in the very near future.

TTFN

A Very Special Day 25.06.08

2008-06-25T07:07:00.001+01:00

Our Darling Ruby Ann is 1 Year old today.

With lots of love

from

Daddy & Mummy.

Hugs & Kisses.

xx

mmmmm Strawberries! 10.06.08

2008-06-10T21:55:00.003+01:00

Okay, so we're not quite ready to supply Wimbledon, but I can assure you these little gems were delish. Well, one of them anyway!
Secret squirrell got the other one!
These were harvested today from the hanging basket that i planted earlier in the year. The investment was well worth it, and we're looking forward to many more!

Thats all for now, take care.

TTFN.

Still catching up ! 08.06.08

2008-06-08T22:25:00.010+01:00

Welcome back to Reads Retreat, my weekly guide to growing your own veg.

Gardening continues at a pace, and plenty to share with you this week.

The week has seen a couple of the crops start to harvest, the haul including Broad Beans and yet more Rhubarb.

The Broad Beans are slowly starting to succumb to the dreaded blackfly, it seems there is no way to avoid the pests. At least this year we're managing to take a crop, rather than binning the whole lot. I've been gently cutting back and destroying the most infected shoots, and regular nightly watering will now ; hopefully, let the plants put all their energies into crop production. The taste of these beauties is truly outstanding, but also truly yummy. Stealing a phrase from young Oliver - they are delish!

Rhubarb - amazing stuff. It seems no matter how quick you break the stems off, they just regrow with yet more vigour. Secret squirrel yet again amazed me with a delish Rhubarb and Ginger Crumble, topped with a tin of Tesco's finest "Value" custard - scrummmmmeeeeee.

Elsewhere on the plot:
My biggest reward this year on the plot has so far been my onion plot.
With trepidation I planted out my onion sets ( Stuttgarter Giant & Red Karmen ) when i hoped it was the right time. Along with these i planted my Leeks, and just for a bit of an experiment - I also grew some Bedfordshire Champion onions from seed; which with a bit of advice on propagation from "Steve" seem to be doing blooming well.
Don't know why i never grew onions before? I know they are not much to look at, take up time in the ground etc., but their astounding growth rate seemingly makes up for all the negatives I can think of.
So go on, give em a try.
Looking forward to Red Onion soup !

Regular readers (no pun intended ! ) at Reads Retreat, will know i planted my Garlic Fokyhama bulbs about a month before Christmas.
Well; as if the onions weren't enough to gloat about, take a look at these beauties. I tell you, some of the stems at ground level must be over an inch thick.
Therefore, I'm hoping for some mammoth and succulent bulbs sometime soon, to grace our menu's at home.
I've just given these a feed of my homebrew ( nettle tea) as the leaf tops are starting to go yellow. I want to promote the greenness as long as possible before harvest, to get the best growth i can.
All i need do now, is work out when to harvest them !

Last summer I grew my runner beans on a conventional cane system. I got a great yield and overall was very happy. Except..... access. I really struggled to get to the beans and as a result, several tasty pods went to seed. That wasn't too bad though, I shifted some 300 seeds on ebay!
This year though, I thought i would try my luck growing the plants up wigwams, in the hope i will get the same good crops - but find it easier to get to the pods for picking. Time of course, will tell, so you'll have to watch this space to see how i get on.
This year im also growing climbing french beans (v. Blue Lake) and I'll keep you posted on how well they do.

There's a little sun trap on the corner of our patio, which has now become an extension of the plot.
I've got 2 courgette plants in this little tub, and I'm hopeful they will do well here.
One was a "plant by post" from Secret Squirrel, whilst the other was a gift from Mum - thanks mum.
Cant wait to see how these do, as already they are sporting good growth and are budding up nicely.

This is my potted up tomato (v. Tomazing ) that secret squirrel got for me.
It's doing ok and is now being fed on a regular basis with liquid fertilizer. The flower heads are starting to form, and almost daily i am pinching out side shoots.
I've got my gardeners delight toms in the raised beds, and despite the best efforts of the local slimey population, they too are growing on well.

Thats about it for now on the gardening front. Hope to get another update to you all soon.

Take care all and enjoy your gardens. Don't forget to let me know how you are getting on with your gardens ?

TTFN