Grow Your Own Magazine

Weather still either cold hard frosts or pissing it down with rain. Never mind eh ?
Actually, at home, my garden is enclosed on two sides by a stone built wall 8ft high - came home yesterday to dicover a section of about 4 metres had collapsed into my garden, flattening a 4 year old Fennel plant, and a species Rhododendron that I got when I finished working at Dalcross Castle. Not happy - and still trying to find out who is responsible for the wall - us or neighbours or jointly, but think...

sewer rat

Well the frost is back, but the ground wasn't too hard so I could still lift my leeks with a fork instead of the 5ft buckrake tine
My calabrese plants in the polytunnel are now starting to form their first central heads so hopefully the first of them should be ready in two - three weeks time. The PSB in the tunnel is growing strongly but no sign of florets yet, though the PSB in the field (well, those plants that have withstood the rabbits and pheasants) are starting to bud up now. ...

sewer rat

Started compililng my seed orders today - so far we have Jerusalem Artichokes, Witkiem Manita Broad Beans, French Beans Blue Lake, Runner Bean Enorma, Beetrot Moneta (monogerm), Early PSB, Cabbage - Minicole, Hispi, Tundra, Primavoy, Red Drumhead, Calabrese Marathon, Kale - Darkbor and Redbor, Swiss Chard, Leek Oarsman & Tornado, Squash - Butternut Hunter, Onions - Sturon & Red Baron, Parsnip Gladiator, Pea Kelvedon Wonder, Shallot Red Sun, Swede Gowrier and Turnip - Purple Top Milan. ...

sewer rat

Two days of hard frost and yesterday, for the first time that I can remember, I had to use a crowbar to lift leeks. !! Actually it wasn't a crowbar but a buckrake tine, and even then it took me the best part of an hour and a half to lift the 48 leeks required !!! Neither my fork nor spade would dent the ground but as the leeks were required for boxes, they had to be lifted, hence the desperate measures. Sure it would have made a funny photo, but I wasn't laughin at the time !!

sewer rat

Been a chill in the air for a while now but waking up and finding out it's -7 isn't funny when you know you have to pull both leeks and swedes all morning. Cold feet and blue fingers.
Who chose this as a way of life ??????
Other than keeping my weekly box deliveries goin, not much else happening on the veggie front. Spent most of the wekend either working as a bouncer or doing SIA training - four days of training needed to get your SIA licence, without which you cannot be a steward,...

sewer rat