Sweet Etoille Violette...

Week 24, Thursday, 5th June 2008

Saw the first Etoille Violette Clematis flowers amongst the Rambling Rector this morning – it looks beautiful. I really must get the camera out before all the flowers fade. The Niobe is also doing well and should burst into flower soon! The little rose that Geraldine gave me has not yet started flowering – cannot wait to see whether it is pink or white!

Found this lovely poem on a blog site (21st Century Housewife) - and think that I will make it my theme poem called “Dust if you must” - Dust if you must, But wouldn't it be better; To paint a picture or write a letter, Bake a cake or plant a seed, Ponder the difference between want and need?Dust if you must, But there's not much time, With rivers to swim and mountains to climb, Music to hear and books to read, Friends to cherish and life to lead.Dust if you must, But the world's out there, With the sun in your eyes, The wind in your hair, A flutter of snow, a shower of rain, This day will not come around again.Dust if you must, But bear in mind, Old age will come, And it's not kind. And when you go - and go you must, You, yourself, will make more dust!

Broad Beans and Blackbirds

Week 23 – Saturday, 31st May 2008

Saw 5 baby blackbirds which could not have fledged more than a couple of days ago on the bird feeder this morning.

Rosemary and I went to the Lottie whilst Jac’s tackled the washing. She starts her new job on Monday and is a bit apprehensive as it has been a couple of years since she was in the insurance industry. But she is tough and she’ll crack it with her eyes closed. I think that insurance is a bit like riding a bike – once you’ve done it you will never forget it.

Finally got the table out of the greenhouse- after nearly having to dismantle the whole thing with a penknife. We finally managed to get it manoeuvred out without too much damage to the tomatoes, the greenhouse or ourselves – thank goodness!

I then gave the tomatoes a firm beating down cutting out all the laterals that seem to appear overnight and staking them. Had to move three aubergines as the tomatoes had begun to crowd them out altogether. Also planted out the last three scotch bonnets and melons (after cutting the ends of 2 litre bottles off them) and placing them around the plants. Hopefully this and a liberal sprinkling of slug pellets and fingers crossed they will romp away. I re-sowed two cucumber plants as the ones I grew earlier were looking worse for wear. I have put it in though, planting it quite deeply and hoping that the damaged stem will shoot roots and romp away. I will hopefully move one back to the greenhouse at home once it has established itself.

Rosemary weeded all the grass and weeds on the side of the greenhouse which was starting to block the light into it and we laid some old weed suppressing membrane which hopefully will keep the weeds down a bit. She then planted out all the cosmos seedlings into the dahlia bed so we should have lots of lovely colour this year and lots for the vases.

I finally got the winter brassica and spinach bed weeded and turned over! Must admit the task looked quite daunting but I soldiered on and in no time and after a bit of a slog I had cleared it. Despite having kept the mint in containers last year, some of the roots had escaped and were making a bid for supremacy in the future corn bed.

We got the autumn sown broad beans picked and finally managed to pull all the winter manure that we had let flower in a clump. Was rather surprised at the good yield especially when remembering that the beans were quite pot bound when I planted them out way back when and never expected anything from them. Not a huge meal by any means, but served with mixed vegetables for tomorrows dinner will be great. Everyone will at least be able to taste what broad beans taste like. The bumble bees were still visiting the green manure flowers on the compost heap when we left. The spring sown broad beans are flowering and starting to set nicely.

The Hubbard squash we planted in the hotbox is looking pretty happy despite all the rain and all the squash plants seem to have made the transplanting. Yummy lots of lovely squash this autumn!! The peas Maureen and I resowed are coming up very well and the first batch is ready for picking. Byron’s jobs next time he is down at the lottie! If we just keep picking, shelling and freezing then eventually we will have enough to cook and serve at dinner for 9!

Managed to get 2 big bags of topsoil and 3 grow bags from the lottie shop so we can now finally plant up our hanging baskets for the summer.

All the gooseberries’ have disappeared – there were definitely a few a couple of weeks ago and I still thought that I must check whether they needed thinning. It was either the pigeons or rabbits. No sure which. That will teach me to net them when I net the currants! The Tayberry is recovering and has put on some new growth so fingers crossed it will grow big and strong and give us Tayberries.

My neighbour came over and gave me 6 sweet potato plants. I was really pleased with them because I only managed to grow one plant this year. I need to get some big containers and pop them in quite soon. Will place a wigwam structure over the pot so that they can scramble up as they are members of the morning glory family. That reminds me, I have a couple of morning glory plants that I need to put into their final planting positions for the summer.

The plum and apple tree despite having blossom earlier this year has produced no fruit whatsoever. My neighbour says that they had the same thing happen on their lottie. So it would seem that this year there is going to be very little fruit. The Bramley seedling and the apricot tree have some good growth this year but I do not think that I will be getting much fruit from it this year. My neighbour came and showed me that I need to shorten my plum tree’s laterals to 2 – 3 leaf buds. The cherry tree seems to have a lot of black fly so will need to give it a good trim when next on the plot. Also need to pinch out the tops of the spring sown dwarf broad beans.

Week 22, Saturday, 24th May 2008

Lots of salad leaves for picking at home, and the spring sown broad beans are starting to set. The autumn ones are fattening up nicely and should be ready soon. Looks like a very good crop of blackcurrants on the way, and first flowers on new potatoes, squashes and pumpkins romping away, tomato flowers all over the place with lots of little tomatoes forming.

Week 24, Wednesday, 4th June 2008

Spent a while in the greenhouse at home and did some housekeeping with the tomatoes. I swear that you turn your back and they make a dash for freedom. But lots of tomatoes’ flowers in sight.

Got the last of the tomatoes (Black Japanese Trifle and Italian Beefsteak) in the green house, re-potted into their final big pots and put onto the back patio until they are a bit established. After that I will move them out to the front where they can get baked by the sun and give us lots of lovely tomatoes. Also got the tumbling tomatoes planted out into a hanging basket with the surviving French marigolds. Must plant out the dahlias in the back bed and stake them before they get root bound and too big.

Week 24, Wednesday, 4th June 2008

Despite the last fortnight being pretty wet and soggy, June is finally here! - not long until the longest day now (21st); garden is going great guns, with poor Ron having to mow the lawn almost every week – not only at home but on the lottie as well. There is lots of wildlife about doing their thing, huge amount of flowers in the garden, everything being as it should.

Saturday, 10th November 2007

Well the two lots of Provence Peas and Broad Beans are up with a few of the sweet peas that I planted late October up. There are still lots of sweet peas and a whole tray of Feltham First that have not surfaced yet. Bit of a mess when I got to the lottie as the ratty-mouse had got into the greenhouse and had a good dig around all the pots to find something to eat. Not much damage overall though.

Lifted two celeriac to have with some Venison sausage - can't wait - yummy! Very impressed with the crop this year as it is the first time that I have grown them. Have around a dozen to lift. The celery has also done quite well and amazingly the ones that I cut down have started to resprout. I have got some in the deep freeze with the rest on the lottie to pick as and when needed.

Harvested some of the Barlotti seed that Jeannine gave me and they are really pretty. Got some small, black ones and some round brown speckled ones. Must remember to ask Jeannine what the name was. I am sure the one was a Christmas Lima and the other I am not sure about.

Still lots of little beans on the vine which I will leave to grow to their maximum before the plant finally shuts down.

The nights are getting darker earlier and not much chance of getting to the lottie for a nosey after work - especially when stuck in a traffic jam.

Week 41 - Mint to rule the Lottie!

Saturday, 13th October 2007

The weather was grey and dreary with occasional drizzle throughout the day and very humid so by the time I got home I was absolutely drenched! Maureen and I got to the lottie at about 10:00 after quite an eventful morning. Woody had done a runner earlier on and what with heating soup for the thermos to take to the lottie, getting batter ready for vetkoek, it was mad, mad, mad. Anyway quite a good day as we got 2.5 rows of garlic in. Also planted out the Japanese onions that I had startedoff in August. They were not really looking very happy but there you go – they are in – they have got two chances, live or die! It looks like all the Florence Fennel has bolted before making bulbs so I will leave the flowers for the butterflies – at least someone gets some joy out of them.

Also managed to mulch the asparagus bed and cut off the fern heads. So that bed is all nice and comfy for the winter. Planted about 20 Super Aquadulce broad beans in double rows in the old hot box which should be well manured and have good shelter for the winter to come. Maureen also potted up some sweet peas (saved from this year) and sowed some Feltham First peas for an early spring crop into root trainers– that’s if the mice don’t get to them first. Once the Douce Provence and Metoer arrive I will also plant those out into pots. Staked the purple sprouting broccoli and netted it against the pigeons and managed to clear the last of the brassica’s. Netted and staked the Red Rubin Brussel sprouts which have developed into lovely strong plants with a wonderful red/purple hue to their leaves.

When I went to move the mint from the old brassica bed to put it into the new brassica bed for next year, I found that the mint had tried to take over the world – well OK – the Lottie! Thank goodness I had the foresight to plant them in pots. This year I will plant them out into bigger pots which might halt them from making a bid for freedom. Put one of the huge spare mint plants on the Lottie community table for anyone brave enough to want mint on their Lottie. Now only have the celeriac and a few purple sprouting brocolli left in the bed – have started mulching the bed for legumes next year and will complete the task when all produce has been harvested.

Managed to get the greenhouse cleared out and the beds manured for the winter. The table is now back in situ for all the baby plants who will brave out the long winter. We enjoyed some lovely home made soup from the thermos made from a lot of the vegetables off the Lottie.

Then went off home for a nice hot shower and watch the rugby - well done England and South Africa! Now for the big one next Saturday. Go South Africa!!