I’m so excited. Meet Jenny – she arrived in the post this morning, and she’s my very first kiwi fruit vine. I’ve wanted to grow kiwis ever since I saw a mature plant while visiting a garden on the Isle of Wight, tumbling over some espaliered apple trees and just loaded with fat, furry fruits. They used to be [...]
Archive for August, 2009
New arrival from down under
Posted in Fruit, tagged kiwi fruit on August 31, 2009 | 1 Comment »
A time of plenty
Posted in Allotments, Harvesting, tagged beans, cooking, courgettes, cucumbers, gluts, tomatoes on August 28, 2009 | 3 Comments »
I’m drowning in cucumbers. To say nothing of courgettes, and beans….. oh, the beans…. Yes, it’s glut time again. This was the haul this morning after just 20 minutes or so of picking – and I’ll be able to pick the same again tomorrow, no doubt. This is wonderful – after all, it’s what I’ve [...]
Rogues’ Gallery: Caterpillars
Posted in Rogues' Gallery, tagged caterpillars, chickens, pests on August 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Look what I found on my calabrese plants. Actually, I should say my ex-calabrese plants. These are going down on the list of abject failures for this year; their leaves are reduced to lacy doilies and several have succumbed altogether. It’s been a good year for butterflies. Now normally this would fill my soul with [...]
Goosie goosie gander
Posted in Fruit, Pruning, tagged gooseberries, heritage varieties on August 19, 2009 | 2 Comments »
I adore gooseberries. They’re such a very British berry. I’ve never found them in any other country, yet there’s nothing that quite compares with that mouthwateringly tangy burst of flavour in early summer, so welcome weeks before any other fruit is around. So this spring I indulged myself to the max and bought four different varieties [...]
Happy National Allotment Week!
Posted in Allotments on August 12, 2009 | 9 Comments »
It’s National Allotment Week this week, so I thought it was a good opportunity to get off my plot and show you what all the other lovely people on my allotment site get up to. Allotments aren’t only about growing veg: they’re about community, and making friends, and sharing – successes or failures, crafty tips, or just a [...]
Time and tides of weeds…
Posted in Book reviews, tagged carrots, peas, time management, weeds on August 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
…wait for no gardener. The question of how much time you have to spend to look after an allotment properly is a vexed one, and five years down the line I’m still battling with how best to fit it into a busy schedule without compromising on crop quality or weed control. That’s why I grabbed the [...]
Cucumber calamities
Posted in Greenhouse growing, tagged cucumbers, mineral deficiency on August 1, 2009 | 4 Comments »
My cucumbers are my pride and joy at the moment. I’m growing ‘Passandra’ which is an all-female variety – no fiddling about picking off male fruits – and it’s prolific. I have two cucumber plants in my greenhouse and have counted over 20 cucumbers on the way – we’ve already eaten the first one and [...]
Crocus kitchen garden shop
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Harvesting Now
Blackcurrants, calabrese, cauliflower, courgettes, French beans, garlic, globe artichokes, gooseberries, kale, onions, peas, potatoes (new and second early), raspberries (summer), redcurrants, runner beans, salad leaves, shallots, strawberries, tomatoes, whitecurrantsSowing Now
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