Week 32

Saturday, 11th August 2007

Went off to West Dean College to the Chilli Festival. What glorius weather we had - it was absolutely sweltering. There was a good turnout of people and so many chilli products I could never have imagined it. Had a wonderful Picnic lunch under the trees and afterwards I was the only one with any energy to pick myself and drag myself thorugh all the vegetable gardens and greenhouse.

I was green with envy to see that they had wonderful tomatoes and no sign of blight. I have lost most of mine - even the Fantasio which I had in the middle of the asparagus bed - so much for blight resistant.

Week 23

Saturday, 9th June 2007

When I got to the lottie I noticed that a few of my white onions were going soft. After speaking to Ron the Chicken Man I decided to lift all of them and dry them out in the greenhouse. Lost about 6 onions in all. I have left the red onions in as they do not appear to be affected and the garlic but will watch them closely. I then re-manured (with chicken poop pellets), the spot where they had been and planted out the Bicolour corn that I had ordered from Real Seeds. Also planted out a few rows of celery and the squahes in between the corn. Once the corn is a little bigger I will be planting Borlotti beans next to the corn in a “3 sisters method” that I believe the old Indians in America used”. They will provide me with lots of beans for soups in the winter. It is also good for the little space I have. I just hope that I have not made a mistake planting three different kinds of corn but hopefully as I have staggered their planting and tried to leave as much space between them as possible they will not cross pollinate.

Today we also managed to get the flower bed dug and planted up. We dug in all the home made compost from home and then covered it with a ground sheet and planted the dahlias and chrysanthemums through it. It is really starting to look pretty. I just hope that they take and we will have armfuls’ of flowers for the vases at home.

Maureen managed to get all the hanging baskets planted up and strung them in the fruit trees, they really look lovely and hopefully in the Summer will provide lots of colour as well as be a deterrent for the black fly. They are a sacrifical crop and hopefully will encourage the black fly to them instead of to my lovely beans. Talking about beans, we had to erect quite a strong barrier as the rabbits had shorn off all the runner beans that I had planted and then I replanted almost the entire runner bean frame. So fingers crossed we might even get a bean or two on our plates.

I notice that the second sowing of broad beans have been attached by black fly. I will have to remember to bring some soapy water with me when I next visit to spray on them. The beans are starting to form nicely on these plants. We also managed to weed the carrot bed where I had such a bad germination and replanted more carrots. Maureen has challenged me! See who can grow the best ones! Well with my track record she is sure to win as nuts are nuts. Anyway I sowed the new fresh seed that I had ordered from Real Seed so maybe we will be lucky and get some carrots. Got a lovely bunch of sweet peas off the lottie which I gave to Maureen for all her hard work. She also got the only two lettuces that had come up.

Sunday 10th June 2007

I only managed to pop down to the lottie after church but Maureen and Vaughn had been there for a couple of hours and Vaughn, bless his soul had cleared all the wood that I had piled at the compost bins (and in my way), up against the back fence out of the way until Nick can make my bed borders. Maureen had cleared the pea bed and we quickly had a whole new lot of peas planted up. Just hope the sky rats and partridges don’t get them all. These should be ready to harvest July August.

Week 22

Saturday 2nd June, 2007

Well I have got a little helper. Maureen has offered to help out on the lottie and today we just whizzed through all the jobs. It was really lovely having someone to help out and just to talk to. We got the onion bed weeded – don’t think that they have much more to go. The white onions are huge now and the red ones are also a decent size. The garlic has got rust but Ron pulled one bulb and they are a bit on the small side. I have read that the rust will not harm them so I am leaving them in for the time being. Maureen planted out all the sunflowers into bigger pots, the last sowing of peppers and also put in the squash and pumpkin plants. Nick surprised me and came over and told me that he had cleared the bed in the greenhouse on the lottie because he was bored so I planted out the aubergines into the green house with a Tangella tomato plant. We also prepared the last hot box and planted the Hubbard squash into it. Draped net curtaining over it and fingers crossed we will be getting some lovely pumpkins this year. Maybe even have some that we can store for a while. Terrence popped over at lunch time and mowed the lottie so it is looking a lot better.

At the end of the day we went over to Tim’s allotment and picked some rhubarb. I made some lovely rhubarb jam but at the last minute panicked that it was not going to set and put in 125ml pectin which made it immediately firm up. I have bottled 4 bottles and fingers crossed it will be edible. I must pick some more rhubarb to make some chutney which I believe tastes like mango chutney.

When we went to the tip to drop off the rubbish we found a lovely long hosepipe I can tell you I was over the moon. It was the one thing that I was desperately in need of and had been purloining my absent neighbours when the plants were dying of thirst. Well it was better than carrying watering cans up and down. Ron has linked it up and I am away. What a lovely time I had watering the lottie. The hosepipe was on from the time I got there until I left. Such pleasure! I am sure my vegetables think they have died and gone to heaven. I noticed that the redcurrants have ripened and although there are not lots of them I must remember to pick what there is before the birds get them too. Hopefully now that I have netted the other bush which is still green we might get some.

Week 20

Tuesday, 15th May 2007

Brought Ron home from the hospital after his shoulder op. Fed him and he was in bed asleep by 18:30. At 19:00 I was so bored and when the sun came out after all the rainy days we had, I decided to quickly pop down to the lottie and check up on everything. Watered the plants in the greenhouse and moved a few things into the cold frame so that I can start planting them in situ over the week-end. Ended up picking and shelling 480 grams of Broad Beans.

Week 18

Wednesday, 2nd May 2007

Had the Care Group around at ours for dinner. Made a chicken casserole which unfortunately was ready an hour before the guests arrived. Put it in the oven to keep warm but unfortunately the chicken became so soft it turned into landmine chicken. Oh well, the guests seemed to enjoy it and John had about 4 plates. Bill and Phillipa brought along a wonderful fruit salad and Maggie made rhubarb crumble – yummy!!

Friday, 4th May, 2007

Managed to get a flexi day off today so off to the lottie to get the last of the Main potatoes in. The day was absolutely wonderful and I spent the entire day digging and planting potatoes – got four row in – does not sound like much but the ground is hard and it was tough going.

Saturday, 5th May 2007

Went down to the lottie for the morning as I have an embroidery class at 17:30. Ron also came down and managed to fix the door of the cold frame which had unfortunately broken. He got a lovely door from the tip for £5 and it is as good as new. Managed to get the last two rows of main potatoes in. Now have Kerrs Pink, Bambino, Ambo, Nadine, Valour – still need to assemble the potatoes barrel and I will put the Cara potatoes in there. Neil from Plot 87 said he would bring his Mantis Tiller along tomorrow morning for me to try out. Also planted out the Feverfew and the Artemesia into the Raspberry and Currant bed as they were growing out of their pots. Got home at about 14:00 had lunch and then managed to prick out most of the beans, squash and melon seeds into 9cm pots. Will take these down to the lottie greenhouse for final planting once they have been acclimitised in the coldframe.

Week 17 - Birthday Boy

Friday, 27th April 2007

Did not get much done at the lottie this week-end as I had a lot of catching up housework to do as it was Ron’s birthday on the Sunday and we had a couple of friends (Vaughn, Maureen and Nick and Danny and Nick from next door) around for a braai. John and Carol had been invited and just did not bother to pitch. No explanation!!

Week 16 - Sow - Sow - Sow

Sunday, 15th April 2006

Was on tea duty at church so afterwards shot down to the lottie with a whole lot of plants to put in the cold frame and greenhouse. Took the bucket of stinking seaweed with. Thank Goodness. It was stinking hot and as I was not feeling too well I managed to get a row of salsify in and went home and had a cold late lunch. Spent the afternoon in bed as my back was really aching. Ron put up the wires in the greenhouse for me for later in the season to string the tomatoes, cucumbers and melons on.

Monday, 16th April 2007

Managed to finally sow the following : Courgettes : First Sowing : 16/4 green bush; Jemmer; De Nice a Fruit Ronde. Squash/Pumpkin : Early Butternut; Pottimarron; Early Summer Crookneck; Rolet Gem Squash; Green Hubbard Squash; White Custard; Squash, Cherimoya, Custard Apple; Melon's: Melon 'Petit Gris de Rennes'; “Ananas d’ Amerique a Chair Verte” ; Minnesota Midget and Zatta (sim. To Brattoma Buana) - for curiousity - it looks ugly from Red Parcel. Also managed to get the curly parsley pricked out. Planted 18 mielie seeds.

Friday, 20th April 2007

Ron went down to the lottie and mowed the lawn. He also collected 13 paving stones that John Goddard had donated to the lottie and placed them around the greenhouse. It is looking good! It was a bit early for the daffodils but we could not live with it any longer as it was starting to resemble a jungle. It is looking much better now – a bit shorn but better. The lottie is really coming together again. Have been going down regularly during the week to do a little bit of digging and clearing of weeds to prepare the beds for carrots and watering the plants in the greenhouse.