29 May - End Of Month Update

As I haven't posted since the end of the first week of May I thought it right that I do a bit of an update in what has been a busy month on the plot. The beans that I sowed in my last post (08 May) grew quickly in the deep root trainers. I left them outside for a week or so then on the 27 May I planted them out at the base of bamboo canes. I think there's something like 12 French bean 'Cobra' and 14 runner bean 'Firestorm',

Elsewhere on the plot the brassicas were planted in a warm spell of weather on the 10 May. I planted out Bosworth F1 Brussels Sprouts, Primo II Summer cabbage, two types of kale (Dwarf Curly & Nero Di Toscana) and a week or so later, the Tundra F1 Winter cabbage. As usual I erected the frame and netting to protect them from birds and butterflies.

The parsnips finally germinated though I have a few gaps at the spots where I barred a hole and filled it with compost. I might try and transplant a seedling from one of the other locations. The beetroot I planted out was doing well but something has stripped the leaves from half of them overnight. There's no slug trails but I think I might have to protect the rest or loose them all. The Sweet Candle F1 carrots are looking strong in the barrel, there's about 10 good plants there. I also sowed a line of Nantes carrots in the plot but germination has been slow and patchy. I'll give it another week or two then will re-sow if there's no improvement.

The main crop potatoes, Sarpo Mira, are now showing well. I did cut a few in half to make up the numbers required so I am pleased that there are no gaps in the lines at all; every plant is growing. They need to be earthed up a little more now. The first real success of the season are the new potatoes Rocket. I had a scrape around today and decided to dig up a plant and found that all was well. Tasty new potatoes, yum!

I've also been taking lettuce, both Little Gem and Lollo Rossa. I've planted out a second batch of small lettuce plants which should be ready when we've eaten the first load. I will have to sow a third batch this week to keep the momentum going. The leeks are still in their tray but will planted out in the next fortnight.

I've taken the covers off the last bed and have dug it over. All it needs now is a quick rake and it will be ready for the Summer and Winter squash hardening off outside in my garden. I've around half a dozen Hunter F1 Butternut, a dozen Crown Prince, two Big Max pumpkins and five courgette plants (2 yellow Atena & 3 green Defender). There's also a tray of Incredible F1 Sweet Corn to be planted out. Once the squash, leeks and the sweet corn are in the plot, the majority of the planting will be complete for this season.

In terms of fruit, I'm pleased to say that last year's pruning of the large plum tree has kicked it back into regular action this season. It was only fruiting every other year but it fruited last summer and it is also full of young plums this year too. The strawberry plants look huge with lots of fruit on them, I'm hoping to have a couple of ripe strawberries by the end of next week. The gooseberries are looking large already and the raspberries are coming along nicely too.

That's it for this update, June is around the corner and I hope to start planting out the rest of the produce soon. Bye for now.

08 May - Squash, Beans, Sweet Corn & Beetroot.

Early May and the last real tranche of sowing. Firstly I've sown the runner and French beans into deep root trainers (3rd May). Runner beans are the self-pollinating Firestorm and the French climbing beans are Cobra. It's always a bit tricky sowing the beans as the plants grow very quickly after germination and they have limited time in the root trainers before the compost becomes depleted and they begin to go past their best. Unfortunately they also suffer if it's too cold when planted out so, it's a matter of hoping things will be warm enough when the beans have hardened off. (Pic Runner bean Firestorm to the left and French bean Cobra to the right).

The squashes I sowed in April are coming up well now. I have around seven butternut Hunter F1 and maybe one or two more Crown Prince poking their seed leaves through the compost. I've reduced the number of butternuts as I had a lot of wastage last season as they really don't keep as well as other squash. The Crown Prince were excellent and kept in storage well into the new year so I'm doing more of them this season. The Pumpkins and the courgettes have also made an appearance, it won't be long before I'm potting them on as they grow rapidly.  (Pic -butternut seedlings).

On the plot the early Rocket potatoes are showing through their mounds and the lettuce I planted out last month are now putting on leaves. I have another batch to be planted out too. The Sturon onions and the garlic are well underway and I've planted out the broad beans, Bunyards Exhibition.

The Sweet Candle carrots in the barrel have been thinned to one per position, I'll probably end up thinning them again when the thinnings are worth eating, leaving a bit more room to see if I can grow a whopper of a carrot. I've also sown some Nantes carrots in a 'V' shaped trench created by wiggling a spade in the ground - the narrow trench is filled with rough compost from the bins. In previous years this has produced decent carrots in my stony, clay soil., fingers crossed I get a decent line this season too. I've also planted out a few beetroot, not loads but enough for a jar or two of pickled beets which are really tasty.

I've sown a batch of Sweetcorn, Incredible F1 in root trainers this week, they won't be planted out until next month. I've removed the black covers from what will be the brassica bed and after removing any rogue spuds left from last season, I just raked in a bit of lime and fertiliser. There didn't seem to be any point in digging it as it was dug in the Autumn and was in excellent condition, protected by the plastic. In fact, I might have to tread it down a bit as the brassicas prefer a firm bed. The cabbages, kale and Brussels Sprouts have been outside hardening off for ages now so I need to get them planted sometime this week.

That's it for this update. Bye for now.