Saturday, 14 February 2009

Sowing and repotting and Seed Guardian

On Feb 11th, I sowed some dwarf french beans for an early indoor harvest:
6 x Kinghorn Wax [2-sheds]
6 x Firetongue Borlotti
4 x Yin yang
6 x Yellow dwarf [2-sheds]
2 x Canadian wonder [2-sheds]

They were soaked in water overnight and I checked to them today and most have sprouted. 

Also this week, I got my Seed Guardian list through - so I have opted for:
Wild Pigeon Bean
Stoke Lettuce and 
Longkeeping Tomato

In that order. 

Here's hoping they come through!

Today I also:
sowed 22 Jiffy 7s with a pinch of onions that I will use for spring onions
repotted tomatoes, peppers, coriander, cress and orach
sowed 14 white potato slivers [from shop bought potatoes that had shooted] into Root trainers. 

Thursday, 5 February 2009

Heritage Seed Library - Members' Experiments 2009


I received my seeds today for the 'comparing old and new varieties' experiment. 

4 types of tall peas: 
Clarke's Beltony Blue [old - heritage]
Hugh's Huge [heritage]
Simpson's Special [heritage]
Alderman [new - but they mean commercially available]

Wednesday, 4 February 2009

Sowing and potting on activity [Root day]

Today I sowed more Alliums:
Leek - Long de Mezieres [Real Seeds]
Leek - Early Market [HSL]
Leek - Bleu De Solaise [Real Seeds] - need to save seeds from some of these [SS]
Onion - Mr Allen's Resliance [Heligan] - [SS]
Onion - Up to Date [HSL] - [SS]
Onion - Bedfordshire Champion [ From Finedon Dandy from the Vine]
Onion - North Holland Bloodred Redmate [Suttons]
Onion - The Kelsae [Johnsons] - [SS]
Shallot - Banana [T&M, from Seahorse from the Vine]
Onion - Golden Bear F1 [Robinsons] 
Onion - Mammoth Red Onion [Robinsons] - [SS]
Spring Onion - Elody - [SS]

I also potted on:
3 x Grushovak Toms from the Dec sowings
2 x Gelbe Chilli Peppers
2 x Cobra Nasturtiums
2 x Cerinthe

Sowing [Fruit day]

Yesterday I sowed a range of tomatoes and peppers:
Yellow cherry tomato [self saved, originally grown by Ray Monk and given to me by his lovely wife]
Beef tomato [self saved, from Tesco]
Black Plum [HSL]
Smadar [Chase organics]
Cuore Di Bue [Franchi]
Thai Seeds [Small Blue Planet from the Vine]
French Tomato Flat [self saved from a tom bought in Collioure, S of F]
Broad Ripple Yellow Currant [from Hazel at the Hill from the Vine]
Tigerella [from Two_Sheds from the Vine]
Black Krim [self saved from a plant bought in Draycott Open Gardens 2008]
Costoluto Fiorentino [Real Seeds]
Dragotsennost [Real Seeds]
Millefleur Yellow [Real Seeds]
De Colgar [Real Seeds]
Rio Grande [Franchi]
Grushovka [Real Seeds]
Aurora [Real Seeds]
Reisetomate Pocketbook [Real Seeds]
Amish Paste [Real Seeds]
Purple Ukraine [Real Seeds]

Peppers: 
Jalapeno 
Purple Jalapeno [Small Blue Planet from the Vine]
Trifetti [HSL]
Nardello [HSL]
Hot Cayenne [Fothergills]
Long Red Chilli [self saved but labels got lost last year]
Random chilli [from a Grape]
Albertos Rocoto [Real Seeds]
N Napia Sweet Pointy [Real Seeds]
Sweet Chocolate [Real Seeds]
Westlandse Lange Rode [Real Seeds
Purple Tiger [from a grape]
Gelbe Kirshen Chilli [Real Seeds]
Dedo De Mocha Sweet Aji [Real Seeds]
Pretty in purple [Real Seeds]
Purple Venezuelian [Real Seeds]
Bolivian Rainbow [Real Seeds]
Large Sweet Spanish Chilli [from a Grape]
Peppadew [from Tricia]
Ramiro [self saved from Tesco]

3 of each in each module


Monday, 2 February 2009

Snow


Just popped out to take some photos of the garden in the snow - we don't often get snow here so it's a novelty. Took some dull photos, but this one of Gollum and some garlics...

Sunday, 1 February 2009

Seed Saving


I saw this idea a while back, and as I'm going to be saving seeds all over the garden and allotment, I wanted something to show my over-enthusiastic puller upper of plants [AKA Mark] that I was letting seed heads die on plants for a reason. So, I've collected stones when I've been out and about [these came from Cornwall last October], and the odd bit of driftwood, and I painted them up last weekend to assist the seed saving cause. 

Garden and Allotment Layout 2009

Garden layout for 2009 [canal at bottom of image]
Lottie layout for 2009