First thing this morning I popped off to Homebase to purchase some charcoal for our BBQ this afternoon. It’s our first one of the year. As I’m writing this blog the coals are warming up and give it 30 minutes or so and I should be able to start cooking. Can someone answer the following question for me please? Why is it that when people go into a car park, they panic, and then try to park in the first spot they find? In our Homebase, if you go down the end of the car park and round the corner there are loads of space!! A massive queue trailed out to the road and to the roundabout. Fortunately I came in from the other direction so didn’t get caught in the queue on the road. That’s my moan over for the day. When I got home, I popped in the greenhouse just for a quickie, to sow a few more seeds. Now I’ve sown some purple Cauliflowers called “Graffiti” and these are doing really well. Give them another 4 weeks and hopefully they’ll be ready, but I’ve also got another variety “Romanesco natalino” and these are green!! They are very pretty and I’ll keep you updated on their progress. I also sowed some Rocket “Dragon’s Tongue”. Sow little and often because you’ll never be able to eat it all. It’ll go to seed really quickly and then you’ll loose it. Don’t be in a hurry to sow it either, because if it’s not warm enough it won’t germinate. And finally some Cucumber seeds that I got from Spain. They’re for outside growing, but then Spain is hotter than the UK, so I may try some outside and some in the greenhouse. You have to peel the skins before you eat them, but that’s not difficult. What did surprise me was the seeds are bright green!
Bright green Spanish Cucumber seeds!!
Must go now as the BBQ is ready for some food. Have a great Bank Holiday whatever you’re doing.
To be honest, I’ll celebrate anything with a glass of wine, however small the achievement. I’ve not got a drinking problem just incase you’re wondering! But this afternoon I was very pleased with what I managed to accomplish. Firstly in the greenhouse I managed the following: I potted up another load of Chives, which I put small clumps in 3 inch pots. I did 15 pots, so that’s lots of Chives to fill in the gaps in the herb bed. We do use lots of them, so I’m sure I’ll find a use for them all. If my sister wants some, then I’ll pass some on to her. I then potted on my Sorrel “Red Veined”. This is wonderful, if you’ve never grown it before do give it a go. It makes scrambled eggs very colourful and add the small leaves to salad to give it an extra oomph! I put 4 small plants in each 3 inch pot, and have ended up with 8 pots. Sorrel is a perennial and therefore comes back every year. Its a lovely addition to a herb patch. I then potted up my Sweet Peppers “Romano Mixed”. Strangely only 2 germinated. Why this was I don’t know, but hopefully they’ll mature to wonderful plants and give us loads of peppers to eat. Then finally in the greenhouse it was the time of the Electric Daisies. I think these are so much fun, and are great to try on unsuspecting victims. Again I transplanted these into 3 inch pots and in clumps. Some of the seedlings were bigger than others, so hopefully I’ll have a good selection to grow on further. I ended up with 8 pots, 7 I’ll most probably keep for myself and 1 I’ll give to my sister, if she wants more then she can have more. It’s all looking rather full in the greenhouse now which is great.
It’s that time of year when the greenhouse starts to heave under the strain.
Once all was done in the greenhouse I then put some plants on the garden table that are due to go out in the allotment next time I’m down there.
Let’s get the Kohl Rabi out in the allotment.
Then it was time to give the front garden a little tidy. It’s been a little while since I’ve given it a bit of TLC. It wasn’t messy, just in need of a little hair cut. It didn’t take long, just a trim of my bush, a sweep of the paving stones, a slight weed, the obligatory gathering of rubbish that has blown in and then it was done. Hopefully it’ll be ok for a month, but I’ll keep on top of it and then it just need a quick look over and then doesn’t get out of hand. Little and often is the key or titivating, which I think is a wonderful word! Have a great Bank Holiday weekend. We’re hoping to have a BBQ tomorrow (the first of the year), hopefully the weather will be kind, but only time will tell. I must go, I’ve run out of wine in my glass, so need to go and fill it again. TTFN!!
I was working this morning and George had an inset day from school, so while I was working I gave him a little list of jobs that I’d like him to do. It was nothing too taxing, and all the chores were something that I knew he would or should be able to cope with. Before I left this morning I went through them all with him and he gave me the obligatory “yeah, yeah” after each one. Which meant that he really wasn’t paying full attention and that I should expect several texts or phone calls as the morning went on. I said that if he did them all well, then I would give him a special lunch of Macaroni and Cheese. On his list was the following: Hang out the dark washing on the line. Put a white loads of washing on and then hang out on the line. Cardboard and plastic in the recycle bin. Change Food bin and put new bag in. Ice Cakes. Make beds (hopefully all 3). Dirty dishes in the dishwasher and wash up anything else. Post letter. I left everything that he would need on the kitchen side for him to find. Not long after I’d left home he called and wondered if he’d put the washing machine on properly, and then a bit later to ask if he should have put the dishwasher on. When I said he didn’t need to, he replied “oh I did”. So I told him to turn it off just by opening the door. I asked him if he put a dishwasher tablet in and he said he hadn’t (I don’t think he even knows where they are). I’m not sure how he thought they would get really clean with just hot water. When I got home EVERYTHING had been done!! I was very pleased with him. He enjoyed his Mac and Cheese and the rest of his lunch. I may have to train him (and the rest of the family) on the best way to hang out washing on the line. It’s something I’m very particular about. Still he tried very hard.
For a first attempt by George to hang out the washing it’s not bad!!
When dinner was in the oven I managed to sneak out to the greenhouse to do some more sowing. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to, but I managed to find some extra time. Firstly I started with some Chop Suey Greens. These are really lovely and easy to grow. If they go to seed, then they have some gorgeous yellow flowers which attract all the bees. I sowed these in a small tray and will pluck out little bunches of them to grow on into 3 inch pots rather than individually. I then sowed (1 seed per 3 inch pot) a packet of Mixed Squash Selection. These are a bit of everything, so you don’t have to buy lots of different packets just the one. Hopefully I’ll have a lovely variety to show you in the autumn. All the seeds were of varying shapes and sizes. You’ve still got time to sow them, so if you want to give them a go do. As with all squashes they grow in the same way, so they won’t mind being mixed up in a large bed together (a little bit like the programme Rainbow when they all get into bed together at the end). I never though that was weird when I was a kid, but now it’s just wrong! Anyway, back to seeds. I’m trying to again beat my record of a 48lb Pumpkin. So having sown some other Pumpkin seeds recently I have also planted 6 Atlantic Giant seeds. I did very well last year with Pumpkins, but I am determined to beat my record of 48 lb this year. Only time will tell and I’ll keep you updated on their progress. I then sowed the last of the Broccoli Spring Sprouting Mixture. These did really well last year and we had loads to eat. Hopefully they’ll do well again. Being Spring Sprouting it means that when you’re waiting for Spring to arrive and everything to start growing these start you off with what is going to come for this season. Then it was onto some more Lettuce “Green Mixed”. We go through a lot of lettuce in our family so now that it’s getting warmer, I’ll most probably be sowing lettuce seeds every two weeks so that we have a continuous supply. And finally before dinner was ready I sowed some varieties of Sunflower. Some are small and some will get hopefully taller than me. I think sunflowers are beautiful and they move around following the sun during the day. Let’s see how tall mine will grow this year. The varieties in the selection I have are “Colour Parade” (height 6 foot), “Red Sun” (height 6 foot), “Italian White” (height 5 foot), “Russian Giant” (height 6 foot), “Pacino Gold” (height 2 foot, but then Al Pacino is only little) and “Teddy Bear” (height 2 foot). I sowed 10 of each variety so I’ll have them dotted about the garden and allotment. I’ll keep you updated on their progress. If you would like to get little ones interested in growing Sunflower, there’s a brilliant book they can read, and it’ll tell them everything they need to know, it’s called “Lottie and Dottie Sow Sunflowers”, it’s brilliant! Well that’s definitely all for today, time for dinner now.
If you’ve not yet seen it you have another chance this Sunday.
STOP PRESS!
Come and see a screening of ROBOT OVERLORDS this Sunday 24th May at 2.30pm!
As part of the Greenwich Book Festival, I’ll introduce the event with a ‘From script to screen’ presentation, followed by a screening of the film. I’m pretty sure this will be your only chance to see the film before the DVD release later this year, so do please come along!
I’ll also be signing copies of the ROBOT OVERLORDS novelisation.
Tickets are just £6 – click here for details!
The film is rated 12A, so children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
Robot Overlords: From Script to Screen, plus a screening of the film.
Starts 2.30 pm – Presentation: 45 minutes (approx.), film running time: 90 minutes – should all be done by 5.30!
Old Royal Naval College
Queen Anne Building
Lecture Theatre 080
SE10 9LS London
Now I thought my cold was going, but it just seems to have come back again. It just won’t budge which is really annoying. My nose is still blocked up and I’m still rather tired and also still have a rather delightful cough. I’ve tried everything from honey, lemon, ginger tea, Vickes, onions and garlic. But nothing will make it shove off. Does anyone have any other ideas that I can try? Preferably legal ones, as I don’t want to get in trouble with the local officers. I did get in the greenhouse this afternoon which did make me feel better and sowed the following: Climbing Beans “Blue Lake”. I know that some of you may be thinking that it’s a bit late to sow them, but over the years I’ve discovered that if you sow your French and Runner Beans 2-3 weeks before you plan to put them outside, they are the perfect size to move. Not too small, so they won’t survive, and not tall that they start to twist around each other. Beans are tender crops which means they won’t like frost. So check when your last frost date is in your area. For me it’s the very end of May. I sowed 3 beans per 3 inch pot in a triangle shape. Sometimes the germination rate isn’t brilliant, so if you sow 3 per pot, you know that you’ll have at least 1 plant per pot when you plant them out. I did 30 pots for myself and then had some beans left over so did 3 pots for my sister. I then sowed my Sweet Corn “Sparrow F1”. The seeds looked very shrivelled, but don’t worry when the water hits them they’ll swell up and then start to send out a shoot and root. Again I sowed these in 3 inch pots and put 3 seeds in each pot. They’re easy to separate out from each other when they get too big, but again sometimes the germination rate can be a bit hit and miss. I remember one year I sowed an entire packet in a seed tray and only 3 germinated. I don’t know why, but I wasn’t the only one that this happened to. I managed to get 14 pots today, so hopefully I’ll have enough to put in a decent sized block outside soon. Then it was onto the Pop Corn. I’ve got a different variety this year which I bought in Spain last summer. Instead of the red variety I usually buy, this is white, so I’ll keep you updated on their progress. I hope they don’t want me to talk to them in Spanish, I have a very limited vocabulary. I’ve got 17 pots with 3 seeds in each pot so again I hope to have enough to make a block with soon. Then finally onto the Cucamelon “Melothria Scabra”. We do love these. They’re so easy to grow and are so much easier to grow than Cucumbers. If you’ve not tried them, do give them a go. They are perfect for beginners and little ones to try. I started mine off in a seed tray, but will pot them on into 3 inch pots when they’re big enough. The seeds are tiny, but then the fruits are tiny, and the little yellow flowers are just adorable. Well I think that’s it for the day. I might be able to sneak into the greenhouse again a bit later on when dinner is cooking, but I’ll see. If I do, I’ll let you know.
I’m slowly getting better, which is brilliant. I have my voice back to practically full volume which is good. Not that I shout at anyone, we talk to each other in our house, which makes it all very calming. My sore throat has gone, but I’ve still got my cold, but at least that’s on it’s way out and I can now breath through my nose again. The only thing that sounds bad is the cough that I seemed to have developed. I sound awful when I cough, especially in the mornings, but hopefully that’ll go and then I’ll be back to my normal healthy self. But as I was feeling much more “normal” today I spent the afternoon in the greenhouse filming, sowing and potting on. I got loads done which was great. Firstly I filmed potting on my Nasturtiums “Jewel Mixed” into 3 inch pots. They all germinated at different times which is rather odd. I ended up with 8 plants which will be more than enough as they do tend to spread themselves about quite a lot. Then I filmed potting on my Tomaillos “Purple”, again these have been growing really well, and at various rates, but I also got 8 plants out of them. Then it was the turn of the Okra “Clemson Spineless” which again are growing really well. I’m determined to have success with these this year, but only time will tell. I potted on 8 of these as well. I’m glad it wasn’t 6 of each other above, but then it would explain a lot!! The Chives, Parsley “Giant of Italy” and Basil “Sweet” herbs I filmed when I sowed them are also doing well, and I filmed potting on the Parsley and Chives in clumps of about 6-10 plant into 3 inch pots, and the Basil in individual plants per 3 inch pots. The Basil are a little on the slow side at growing, so I only managed to prick out 1 plant, and the rest I’ll leave to grow for a little longer and then pot on. I then filmed sowing some rather interestingly named and hopefully looking Tomatoes from Pennard Plants they are: “Brandy Wine”, “Cherokee Smokey Purple”, “Black Prince”, “Emerald Green Cherry” and my favourite “Banana Leggs”. I’ll keep you updated on their progress, but they’re all different colours and sizes so should look and hopefully taste great too. Once all that was done I was in need on a cup of tea and something to eat, so I had a look at the Radish in the Salad Bed, and one was ready!! So I carefully pulled it up, washed it and then ate it!! Oh, it was so crisp and tasty, and the heat grew on you. I was a very happy girly that afternoon, and now it’s time for a sit down and a rest.
My first Radish of the year. I’m so proud.
What a lovely surprise it was when the postman arrived late this morning (we don’t get our post first thing, usually it’s around lunch time). He had in his hand my personal copies of “Lottie and Dottie Sow Sunflowers”. I’ve read it already and even managed all the big words. I’m so clever, and very proud of myself. A HUGE, MASSIVE “Thank you” to Marijke for drawing the pictures so beautifully. They’re just amazing and so perfect. This made my day as I’m not feeling brilliant at the moment. I seem to have lost my voice (which is never a good thing, though I’m sure the family are secretly happy) and seem to have got a nasty cough and a bit of a sniffle. I was going to do some filming in the greenhouse today but unless I had subtitles down the bottom of the screen or that little person in the corner signing, you’d never understand what I was going on about. Hopefully my voice will be back to some form of normal tomorrow then I can make some more videos. So I’ll rest well and read some more of my book and look at all the glorious pictures which are so amazing. Hope you enjoy your copy.
I just love the bees, although I think my favourite picture is on page 36!!
I very pleasant afternoon was spent by me in the greenhouse potting on and sowing. First of all I sowed some flower seeds. I don’t usually sow many annual flowers as the ones I have in my garden are all perennials. But I was feeling rather brave when I looked through the seed catalogues and chose some flowers that I remember sowing when I was little. Aster “Queen of the Market Mixed” and Candytuft “Fairy Mixed”. Both these flowers attract bees and also look beautiful, so I figured why not! I then potted on my Brussels Sprouts “Camelot F1”. I’ve potted on 20 for myself and 5 for my sister. They did really well last year, so hopefully they’ll be successful again this year. Then it was onto more sowing: Another 9 pots of “Sugar Snap” Peas. I’ve sown 4 seeds in each 3 inch pot, placing the seeds north, south, east and west. Then “Ambrosia” Melon seeds that Chuck Fenster gave to me a few years ago. I’ve still got some left, but I sowed 12 today. Some more Lettuce “Best Bulls Blood Soldier”, which tastes very Beetrooty so goes great in salads and makes it look very colourful. Another tray of both Cress “Fine Curled” and Mustard “White”. These I keep on the kitchen window sill and will hopefully be ready to eat in about 10 days time. Another load of Coriander “Calypso” which I sow every month, then we have a good supply throughout the summer. I know some people don’t like Coriander, but I think it’s great mixed with tomatoes and cheese and then put on toast. Give it a go, it’s really yummy and makes cheese on toast so much more exciting. Some different Peas “Kelvedon Wonder”, again 9 pots and 4 seeds in each 3 inch pot. The first lot are growing well in the allotment, so hopefully these will be ready when the first lot have finished. And finally 9 Pumpkin seeds. These I saved from the fruits from last year and dried them out on kitchen towel and when they were dry I stored the best ones in a paper envelope. I don’t know what variety they’ll be as I have quite a few last year, but I like surprises, so I’ll just have to wait and see. It was then time to clean under my nails and get rid of all the compost that was under them, before I had to pop out later on that evening. Still a very good afternoon in the greenhouse, lots of fun, and lots done. Still more to do though.
Last years Pumpkin harvest.
Clairesallotment's Blog 