Grow Your Own Magazine

A scorching week - my 4000 litres of saved rainwater has just about gone in a week !!. I planted out 400 odd Minicole cabbages on Monday and they're looking pretty thirsty now. However my peas are sprouting as are my broad beans, and radishes. My shallots and onions are making a move too. Finished planting out the last of my three varieties of spuds - due to problems and the lies that suppliers tell you, I gave up on the planned Edzell Blues and planted 50kg of Red Duke of York instead. The tunnel...

sewer rat

Well, after a scorcher on Sunday, it's back to reality and cold north easterlies and rain - still, at least it is replenishing my IBC tanks.
I'gve been quite busy since my last entry - have planted 50kg of Lady Christl, 50 kg of Charlotte, but am still waiting for my 50kg of Edzell Blues to arrive - hopefully this week ! I have also planted 25 kg of J/Artichokes, sowed 450m of Spring Onion White Lisbon and 450m Carrots Early Nantes. I have also divided my field into 5 distinct areas - for...

sewer rat

They say it's gonna rain tomorrow
Well, since last I wrote, I have grubbed and rolled my plot, planted half my red onions, sown half a kilometre of Kelvedon Wonder peas, half a kilometre of Witkiem Manita Broad Beans, assembled my Ferguson potato planter (just need to knock up a couple of seats), sown some spinach (x 324) and some more sprouts.
My cukes and courgettes have started to germinate today. The tunnel is beginning to green up and look a bit healthier, the strawbs in baskets...

sewer rat

Sunny day today, polytunnel was like a sauna all day, but we had an east wind so it was pretty damn cold outside in the field (we had a frost this morning too)
Anyway, I know I updated this recently but today was the first landmark day of the new season - finished planting my white onions tonight at about 8pm. There are 17 drills, each 70 yds long, so by my reckoning, and taking the spcing as being six inches (or thereabouts) I have planted 7140 sets. I am also destoning the drills (by hand)...

sewer rat

Good sunny day today. Still restricted on my hours as I have to take Iona to school in the morning and have to be home to take over with Niamh in the evenings - so frustrating when the light nights are here and the weather is good !!
Anyway, cleared all the crops from my tunnel floor - only 16 raddichio and 8 Charita lettuce remaining. So I have rotavated the tunnel floor and it now has a (very) liberal coating of 5 year old manure on it which is covered with terram on top of which are my...

sewer rat