Grow Your Own Magazine

Went to the lottie yesterday (Saturday) with grandson. Did some more digging (ground previously covered with old carpet - it really works!! Grandson spent time looking for worms, dropping his sandwiches in the earth, and moaning - still he's only 3! Went back after Mum had collected him and planted Cobra climbing beans and sweetcorn (Conqueror & Tuxedo) - plants a bit on the small side, but we'll see. Today we have rain at last! Not much yet but steady. Potatoes are looking good, picked...

rustylady

Got to the lottie, spuds looking good, also overwintering garlic and onions. The strawberry bed I was going to dig out is covered with flowers, so I'm glad I didn't have time. I'll let it crop this year then drastically thin or remove - I've already put six new plants in another bed. The comfrey is growing well - I've hear you shouldn't let it flower, but the bees love it!! Put string round and over the summer PSB cos the pigeons have been nibbling. Planted out runner beans Polestar and 4 borlotta....

rustylady

Julie's beed naughty and weeded lots of my plot. Well to be fair, she moved the carpet and wooden boards and dug over the bits that had been covered. Not knocking her, extremely grateful - I tried moving the wood panels and couldn't, apparently she found a couple of men to help (well she is twenty years younger than me). Since this I've got the rest of my spuds in, planted out the summer PSB, some crimson(or Purple) flowered broad beans, and the Lollo Rossa lettuce. Dug some more. Flowers on...

rustylady

What a week indeed. One new granddaughter, lots of childminding, and two very hard days at the lottie. The weather has been so bad that it's really got out of hand, but I've had two days clearing and it's looking better. Still not enough room to plant everything, but what's in is looking OK. Pulled up the Sutton bored beans that I'd tried to overwinter - they were rubbish. Aquadulce looking OK, plenty of flowers but the plants are small. The only things that are really growing well are the...

rustylady

Finally managed to get to the lottie with only one grandchild. Warm and sunny - planted first early spuds (Arran Pilot). Cleared some more ground and burned lots of olds weeds and wood. Hoping to get back again tomorrow to carry on clearing ground. Aquadulce bored beans looking OK, Sutton useless, won;t bother overwintering again.

At home I've sown runner beans and courgettes today, also all the tomatoes are now in cell trays. Chillies germinated, but not ready to pot on....

rustylady