|
Monday, 31st March
For the first time ever, I went to Kew this weekend. It was a trip my wife discovered in the Worthing Coaches brochure and despite the rain I'm really glad we went. We got there at midday giving us 3½ hours before we had catch the coach home. That seemed like plenty of time but that was before we realised just how much there was to see. The first building we visited was the Palm House and I must admit I was completely blown away; parts of it were like a hugging, warm fog it was so misty in there and some of the palms so huge. But it was all good and on top of all the botanical stuff and the pictures in the galleries the site was dotted with Henry Moore sculptures as it was the last weekend of an exhibition of his works. So, although we got drenched when the heavens opened, if you've never been there I woud thoroughly recommend it. We shall definitely go back, probably at a different time of year to see a different season. (For a few pictures go to the Photo call page)
Thursday, 27th March
Well, that's another job done. I got my potatoes in yesterday morning when the weather was glorious. Good job I did because it chucked it down later on just after I'd got back from my Wednesday afternoon stroll. Then last night we went out to a restaurant we'd never been to before in Hove. We were meeting up with someone who met my wife on a holiday 50 years ago and they recently found each other on Friends Reunited - got a lot to answer for that site. They were in Sussex on holiday and could we meet up in Brighton for a meal? But NO foreign food. Easier said than done in Brighton but we went to a place called Harry's English Restaurant. I'd seen it recommended in a book and we took a chance. Glad we did as it was fine and our fussy eater companion was well pleased. Perhaps we'll meet them there again in another 50 years.
Sunday, 23rd March
A Happy Easter to you all! The vicar nearly fainted when I turned up at church this morning and had to look up to make sure the roof hadn't fallen in - so she said. Ho! Ho! Ho! They're a very friendly bunch at Saint Richard's and once in a while I like to remind them I haven't moved out of the parish. Wouldn't move far at all this weekend, it's not been very hospitable, has it? Hardly gardening weather but I hope to get some parsnips in this afternoon. I shan't be sowing them outside though. I've not had much luck with parsnips in recent years despite reasonable success before. So this year I am taking the advice of my farmer uncle who says that he always starts his garden parsnips off in yoghurt pots then transfers them, compost and all, when they're about 2" high. The trick apparently is not to disturb the roots and he reckons he gets good parsnips with this method every year. Well, I'll give it a go and we shall see. Stay tuned for news of this experiment but don't hold your breath as parsnips can take a long time to germinate.
Good Friday, 21st March
Spring! And just in case I've forgotten I'm reminded by
the squirrels chasing each other silly all round the garden. The weather
even looks nice and Spring-like, so long as you're looking at it from
inside through a window that is. If you step out you soon realise it's
not half as warm as that lovely sunshine looks because of the cold wind.
But venture out I have, to put in my first row of spuds on the allotment.
I would have done more but I was surprised how wet and claggy the soil
was yesterday and it's rained again since then, so I've contented myself
with a bit more sowing and cutting back our Hypericum Hidcote bushes.
"Grows to 4 to 6 feet" it says in my gardening book. Well, ours
must be some sort of giant mutant then, unknown when our book was published
because I've just finished trimming them back to 6 feet and there's rubbish
all over the place. I started off using the electric trimmers but they
packed in. "Bet you've cut through the cable," said a helpful
neighbour. In 30+ years or so of hedge-trimming I have NEVER cut through
a cable so I felt really stupid and sheepish when we discovered that's
exactly what I had done! So that's another little item on the job list
now and I had to finish the trimming by hand.
As for sowing, I've sown some Marmande tomatoes indoors. They're a large
Mediterranean type I've never grown before so we'll see what happens.
It's always nice to grow something different and see what happens. I can
scarcely contain my excitement - oh, great - it's just started hailing
out there and I've still got that mess to clear up off the lawn.
Wednesday, 19th March
I knew it! The minute you let down your guard and take a
few liberties like sowing some seeds and reconnecting the outside tap,
the temperature plummets to below zero. Suddenly it's out with the fleece
again and on with the paraffin heater in the greenhouse. Since I got my
new electronic gizmo I can tell the greenhouse temperature from my kitchen
- amazing how it fluctuates with a bit of sunshine. Also amazing is the
moisture content of the air in there - over 90%. Fortunately, when you
know, the answer is the same for both: ventilate in the daytime, in my
case by opening a window as I can't work the automatic vent somebody got
me years ago.
I have done some work outside, mainly pruning things like the buddleia,
roses and viburnum tinus. The viburnum doesn't really need pruning but
a whole group of leaves turned reddy brown and died so I had to cut back
quite a way to healthy wood. Don't know what the problem is.
Did you see the police have been active on West Tarring allotments? No
doubt you noticed the signs they'd put up on the gates but they've also
increased their patrols around the site and I hear even the West Sussex
police helicopter has been keeping tabs. I know one person it won't have
spotted recently on the allotments! Why is it the weather always seems
to save its worst for the weekend?
Friday, 14th
Nicotiana
Sorry if the inclement weather and lack of internet connection have conspired to produce a few blank days but I have been working, honest. On the computer I have re-indexed all the Growblog archives and the search facility on the Home page. Bit of a thrill seeker on the quiet, you see. I just hope I can get it online OK after hours of fiddling. I did actually do a bit of digging and pruning in my own garden but I haven't felt drawn to the allotment of late. Perhaps next week? I'd like to sow some parsnips if conditions allow. Indoors (or in the greenhouse) I have now sown 1 lot of tomatoes, 1 lot f leeks, 1 lot of cabbage and 2 lots of nicotiana (tobacco plants). So far only the tomatoes have germinated. I always sow extra nicotiana and plant them out amongst my runner beans to attract the bees as they have a lovely smell. I've also done my white onion sets in trays of compost but won't do my red ones for a while yet as an experienced grower and showman on our site said planting them out too early is what causes them to bolt and I always get a decent crop following his advice. Trusting in an upturn in the temperature now Spring is approaching I've also re-connected the outside tap. Bound to be a frost now.
Tuesday, 11th March
Bit breezy on the allotments yesterday, I undestand. I didn't
go there myself but did this morning as a friend who ventured forth yesterday
said there had been a delivery of manure so off I went. I hadn't been
there 5 minutes when it started to rain. I wasn't going to be put off,
it was only a bit of drizzle. ¾ hour and 5 barrowfuls later I'd had enough.
I know 5 loads in ¾ hour seems a bit slow but you have to remember my
plot's a long way from the manure, my wheelbarrow has a puncture which
makes it heavy going when you've got a full load and the rain was starting
to dampen my enthusiasm. It was a bit more than a drizzle by now, sweeping
across the site almost horizontally from west to east and I was getting
wet. So I called it a day and headed home. I'm sure it then started to
ease off.
As I made my way back to the car it was obvious the wind had had a bit
of a good time yesterday with compost bins, their lids and hatches scattered
around but the biggest casualty seems to have been this shed, assuming
it was the wind and not anti-socials that did the damage. Either way it's
going to be a bit of a nasty surprise for someone when they come down
to their plot.
In the afternoon we went shopping in Brighton. The less said about that the better; I had to have a beer when we got home.
Monday, 10th March
Because
of the inclement conditions and my wimpishness I stayed in today. I did
nothing horticultural except 
look
at my tomato seedlings. Instead I decided to get on with some paperwork.
Bad move - within minutes I had cut myself twice and paper cuts smart,
don't they? Especially on that bit of skin webbing between your fingers.
So I thought I'd do something more useful and did a bit on the computer
doing a write-up on the forthcoming talk by the King of Vegetables and
BBC TV personality, Mr John Trim. Don't know what I'm talking about? Click
here to find out. He's coming to talk to our Association about growing
vegetables and there's not much he doesn't know. He's a major prize-winner
and show judge but also very down-to-earth if you'll pardon the pun. I've
already got my ticket; to get yours contact Terry or click
here.
Saturday, 8th March
They're up! The tomato seedlings, that is. 5 days it took, which isn't bad. All I've got to do now is keep them alive. I haven't been doing much at all recently on the horticultural front but even if I had I probably couldn't have told you about it as my internet connection is being very stupid. I've written to Mr Orange about it so I suppose it'll all be fixed in the next couple of days, won't it? I have managed to get out a bit, partaking of vital liquid refreshment at the Bull's Head (Couldn't see much change apart from the name but then I forgot to take my glasses so couldn't read the menu), the Swallow's Return (always reasonably civilised) and the Vine in Tarring (meeting up with long lost friends - in one instance I think it was the second time in 20 years - steady on). But that was evenings. Today I made it to the Worthing Rotary Club's Hobbies and Leisure Exhibition in the Assembly Hall. Entry was free, which was nice, but the parking was £1.60 an hour! Thank you, Mr NCP. There were dozens of stalls including our Association's and the Horticultural Society. I got "caught" by the University of the Third Age and the Worthing Twinning Association but managed to escape eventually by taking a few leaflets. Actually they look quite interesting. The Lady Mayor(ess) was there but I figure you know what she looks like so here are some other photographs
.
President
Arthur and Membership Secretary Ken manning our stall Worthing
Horticultural Society stall with Chairman Jenny
Wednesday, 5th March
I've kept away from the allotment today after doing a bit
of weeding round my raspberries yesterday. It looks nice enough out there
but it's been real brass monkey weather and it's a bit exposed on the
plains of West Tarring. I have, however, been planting my onion sets,
not in the ground but in trays. I think they like a good long growing
season but my soil is heavy and cold so I always start them off in trays.
It gives them a bit of a decent start too without being whipped out of
the ground by silly birds. I don't think the type of compost is all that
important to get them going; what's more important is to put the little
blighters in the right way up! (roots down, whispy twizzles up) If you
don't think I know my onions I should point out that I took first prize
at the show with my onions (shown as grown) 2 years ago and last year
was beaten into second place only by the phenomenon that was Peter Webb.
If I don't win this year I shall be most disappointed and demand a recount.
Monday, 3rd March
Hooray! The big dig is over. That is, this morning I finished digging my allotment, well the vegetable part anyway, well except where the cabbages are because we're still using them but it still gave me a real sense of achievement. Then I noticed that the end I started at has fresh weeds. It could do with a good forking. Never ends, does it? But that's the great thing about gardening - there's nearly always something to do and I don't think it matters too much if, like me, you get a bit behind from time to time as most things seem to catch up once they get going. It'll be a while before I need to sow or transplant anything outside anyway. I'm only doing indoor sowings at the moment. Today it was tomatoes, those little cherry jobs, Gardener's Delight. I always grow them in the greenhouse to try and keep blight away but this year someone also gave me a packet of Marmande to try. They're rather large tomatoes but on the packet it says they're for outdoor cultivation. Does anyone out there know if you can grow them under glass as I don't really have much spare room outside. Click on "Contact us" and let me know.
Sunday, 2nd March
The new season has definitely started - I did some sowing. Leeks, to be precise. I normally grow Musselburgh and it has always done well apart from this last year so I thought I'd try a change. I don't think I would have bothered if I hadn't won some Brown's vouchers at last year's show so it wasn't going to be an expensive experiment. I opted for a variety called "Autumn Mammoth 2 Tornado". With a name like that they ought to grow to a decent size. If not, it must be my fault. Although I suppose leek seeds are one of the easier germinators I always sow them in trays to get them off to a good start as I'm not sure they would get off so well in my cold wet vegetable garden clay. Later on I shall dibble some decent holes and water them in. I find you normally still get decent leeks for the house if you drop 2 in each hole rather than one. It's not as if I'll be showing them otherwise they'd need much more individual attention. Later this week I hope to sow a few other things, especially tomatoes and nicotiana, again under glass in the warm. Happy sowing.
Saturday, 1st March
Did
you shout "Rabbits!" when you got up this morning and give someone
a nip and a punch for the first of the month? I did. My wife thought I'd
gone mad. I cleared off to the allotment. I had some seeds and some Growmore
to buy and they don't come any cheaper than at our stores. I know Growmore's
not organic but I'm not totally organic I have to admit. It's very easy
to use and very versatile and very good value at £1.10 for 5lb.
Then I pruned my gooseberries, not one of my favourite jobs. They're so
spiteful and ungrateful; they don't realise you're doing it for their
good. I don't normally wear gardening gloves but I do for that job and
it's no good using fancy flimsy jobs as they'll have a go at anything
less than half an inch thick. It's not a quick job either, which is probably
why I haven't got round to it before now, and as I grow bushes, it's not
very comfortable or easy on your back. Then when I'd finished I gave them
a feed - of Growmore. I did a bit of digging as well although it was rather
squidgy. Tomorrow I might actually sow something.