Proof that vegetable growing can be done by anybody. From a couple of under 30s – one who grew up growing and one who has just got going…
Our second harvest of 2019 was our Red Duke of York potatoes that we planted on 26 January. The plants haven't done too badly, but with some of the weather we've had, they've taken a bit of a battering. However, we noticed last week that the compost was starting to push up out of the pot,... Continue Reading →
We wanted to give a quick progress update on some of the other plants we're growing that haven't had much air time lately. Garlic They don't seem to have moved much since the last update, but we're hoping they're doing what they're supposed to be under the surface! Charisma carrots These carrots germinated well. You... Continue Reading →
Our main sowing of potatoes, Cara and Carolus are starting to show now! We're still being careful to look out for when it's due to be frosty. Initially, we covered the first few leaves with a flowerpot to protect them. Now they're a bit bigger, we would throw some fleece over the top.
Our chard was ready to plant out last weekend. We found a little spot down the garden that we could squeeze it, so levelled the soil out and got ready to plant. Before we planted the chard out, we gave them the "seaweed treatment". This involves mixing up some Maxicrop Triple seaweed with water in... Continue Reading →
We also wanted to try growing sweetcorn this year. Firstly, we wanted to grow the coloured sweetcorn, but turned out this is only ornamental, and we're all about things we can eat, so traditional yellow sweetcorn it was! We decided on a variety called Earliking, which was supposed to be a really sweet variety. So we thought... Continue Reading →
We haven't had a chance to write a post for a couple of weeks, but there's been lots going in! Potatoes These were planted in late January, but have been kept indoors as we are still getting a few sharp frosts here in Essex. Firstly, they were growing in the lean to greenhouse with a... Continue Reading →
Just a week after sowing, the Machu Picchu, Navona and Graffiti were ready to prick out. Unfortunately, we haven't got round to writing this post until now though, so they've moved on a bit from now (see updated photos at the bottom of the post!) The cauliflowers were pricked out into 3 inch pots which... Continue Reading →
This year we wanted to try Romanesco cauliflowers. We bought a lovely bright green variety, Navona which caught our eye, as well as Graffiti, a purple cauliflower! The seed packets recommend they are grown as autumn harvesting varieties, which would mean sowing in April/May. However, we couldn't wait to give them a try, so we sowed a couple... Continue Reading →
There are an increasing number of great varieties of courgettes these days that are bred specifically to be grown in containers. Some examples are Parador (which is also a lovely yellow variety of courgette), Patio Star and Midnight. Last weekend, I planted a Patio Star and a Midnight in 30 litre pots. We've grown these... Continue Reading →
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