Walnut

Just for reference. If anyone knows where walnuts are growing in east mids uk, I know a lady who would want to know. Unfortunately this one, in France, is a little too far to go.

Odd?

I am prepping for a summer school day for some of my teachers. They will all get a tray of Wintry salads to take away. I'm hoping these dry before the neighbours see and think I've lost it

Gertrude Franck Bed - first harvests.

Don't get too excited!

Picture is of the crimson clover in the GF bed, it's such a beautiful flower I can't resist!

However - my two harvests are....

One full sized frilly Lollo Rossa lettuce - and one decent sized beetroot.

Lovely.

And the peas and beans sown last week are through - so if the sun does indeed decide to poke it's fussy little head up then they should kick on fairly rapidly.

Shaving your leeks

To grow your own leek bulbils


Let your leek set seed

When the pointy cap falls off and the leek flower is out, take a pair of secateurs and give it a haircut

Steps shown in picture form

What happens is that the leek will throw out little bulbils which you can use the same way that we use onion sets for leeks next spring

Hat nearly off 

 

 

Hat off and flowers set free

Start shaving those flowers off 

Scalped. The bulbils will grow from the bottom of the flower stems and the remaining stems will die back. Pics of the bulbils to follow...

Gertrude Franck Bed

Well, it all went 'pear shaped' due to the horrendous May and June we had so I decided to make a few changes

First I used straw I between each strip. I had straw, nothing was germinating so I just covered everything that hadn't come up and left it.

I've also sown basil, coriander, peas, more peas, a few broadies and basically filled the space with quick growers that I am confident of growing and due to allium leaf miner I have decided to cover the bed in enviro mesh.

So it's not as pretty as Gert would have wanted but it will do for now

Some of today's photos

Possibly in wrong order but...

Cardoons looking tall
First purple rasps of the year
Brassicas under netting
Runner beans at last flowering
Scorzonera for seed saving
A summer squash (rugosa friulana)
French beans recovered after slug mullering
Potatoes flung under straw and growing well
Phaecelia bringing insects to the plot - self sown from last summer

Seeds

Good to pack up the first saved seeds of the year. Already promised and awaiting SAEs