Crop updates.

I took my “extraterrestrial” chitted potatoes from the kitchen and carried them to London and back today hoping that the weather would keep so that I could plant them, which I did; half of them that is, because I ran out of space.

So I spent the rest of the time working on the manure: another two evenings and it will all be levelled and spread, and I will be able to plant the rest of the potatoes, some corn (today I figured out its place) and the sunflowers.

Did I tell you that the rat scared the daylights out of me running around in the weekend? I saw it again tonight, but the trap is set and I added more smells in the form of a overripe strawberry and blue cheese rinds. Finger crossed.

The ducks are still around but not on my plot, it seems, as the pond plants are regrowing.

While in the greenhouse the seedlings are still fine, except for the rapa bianca lodigiana seedlings, which are being eaten by slugs or some other creature, and the tomatoes and chillies which are not out yet, a surprise came from the wines: they were not dead!!! Some timid growth appeared that is most definitely buds!

… I have not taken my camera with me lately, but everything is coming back to life and it’s fresh green, or colourful and fragranced! I love walking around and smelling fragrances in the air!

Yesterday I had friends with me: we popped in quickly at the allotment and had some fun picking leeks – the earth is so compacted they snapped broken!

Tonight after work I just had enough time to

• reinforce my pond’s barriers (there were suspiciuos floating leaves severed from the water plants),
• water the seedling (which are all doing fine) just in case it is going to rain for the next three days and I can’t access the greenhouse, and
• pick my first crop of rhubarb: 5 stalks. They smelled beautifully when I took them off. However, the leaves were already open, so I hope I did not leave them too long and I am going to poison myself with oxalic acid.

I’m making compote, my favourite, with brown sugar and a squeezed lemon: it’s bubbling away right now…

Quick crop update.

With a cold and a temperature, I still had to run down to the allotment as it was two days since my last visit and seedlings are unforgiving…

… celery, in fact, was already wilting in patches: I made it just in time. Nasturtium is out, aubergines, sunflower and chamomile are doing very well and so is spinach, but no sign of chillies, tomatoes, spinach beet or agretti yet.

Lovely spring day today.

Crop updates, the pleasures of gardening.

I came to the UK almost 4 years ago.

Before that, had anyone told me that I would dream of spending an hour or so shovelling shit after a stressful day at work, or that having slipped with my work shoes in the above mentioned – I would feel all the better for it and arrive at home singing so loud: ‘Sara, svegliati e primavera’ (Sara wake up, it’s spring, an Italian pop song of the 70s) that I surprised my husband, I would probably have believed them. Nor would I have believed anyone telling me I would wake up of my own accord one hour before necessary to be able to sneak out of work early…

I do sympathise with both foreigners and locals that do not see much of a fascination in gardening! However, it worked magic on me…

So many things happen at this time of year, and today it was really warm and sunny to boot!

Watering seedlings every day is having an effect: the aubergines that I thought dead have timidly emerged – completely unexpected – and a closer look revealed that the spring-planted broad beans Express have come out with almost 100% reliability. Besides, most of the soft fruits are putting out fresh green leaves.

The manure is almost all spread and the ducks have not been back!

‘Saaaara, svegliati e’ primaveera… Saaaara sono le sette e tu devi andare a scuooola… ooooh Saaara…’

Crop updates, wildlife developments

The ducks were not there tonight, so it seems the problem is solved! Hoorai! Now I can concentrate on the other troublesome species – the rat!

I have started tackling the leftover manure to make a raised bed: I was planning it for potatoes but I had an idea and – since the manure is not full of stones and the bed will be raised from soil level – I could add some sand and use it for carrots, which do not grow well in heavy soils with stones.

By the way, I would suggest you never leave a load of manure uncovered: it is taking ages to clean it up from all the weeds that have grown over one year – nettles first in the list, wit vast, branching roots and green, fresh leaves!

In the greenhouse, the sunflowers have germinated, and I was surprised to see fleshy leaves emerging from the bed where I planted salad. I thought it might be mint, but then I realised it’s the potatoes, the chitted leftovers I found in the shed last winter. How unexpected, I had forgotten about them!

Outside, the spinach is out: I had to put my face at the level of the ground to notice, it’s so small!

It’s so good to be able to relax at the allotment after work!

Crop updates, wildlife developments, competition on the allotments

Did I tell you my boss was a pretty incredible woman? Well, last week she came in the office with something else for me, and that seems to have solved my duck problem: green netting, with small holes, the perfect size! I put it on the pond and, after a little bit of incentive to leave yesterday, they did not seem to have been back 😀

That and the fact that British Summer Time is back and I can go to the allotment in the evening after work is cause for rejoicing: EVVIVA!

Tonight I planted a chilli that does not seem to be recorded in my database: I was disappointed to find so very few seeds in the packet, but hopefully they will work out. However, the chilli pyramid I planted a while ago has not come out yet. It might be that so far I have only watered the trays once a week, in the weekend, which is very little indeed: if seeds germinated and then dried out, all the peppers, tomatoes and aubergines planted so far may be lost.

That sounds like a pretty appalling failure rate: “would I mind more if I had bought fewer seeds?” I asked myself while coming home, after noticing that my neighbour is seriously and frightfully ‘professional’… Over the winter he has digged all his half plot, sifted the soil of stones to grow carrot, laid out perfect looking beds and built some impressive polytunnels… luckily I do not feel inclined to get competitive, but I have heard that that things can get really tough with some passionate gardeners!!!

More than anything else I enjoy pottering about and mucking in – which by now you should know I mean quite literally! Tonight I found myself singing aloud: isn’t that great? That happens very rarely to me… So any edible results are a bonus, I guess.

Crop-wise, I still have to plant my extraterrestrial potatoes, or in fact any other potatoes. I counted 16 plants of broad beans Aquadulce (overwintering) which is few, especially after the rain of last week, but the Express ones I planted this spring seem to be more successful. I will wait a little bit more then have to consider topping up.

In the greenhose, chamomile, having already put out its cotyledons, is now producing tiny leaves, and the minuscule celery seems to have survived so far. Oenothera also looks as if it is coming out.

I am still picking leeks from last year: a full bed to go – leeks is most definitely worth to overwinter, easy to grow from seed and reliable.

This year I will try cauliflower again: given that last year it was a disaster, with no apparent germination, I will try planting seeds in trays rather than in the ground and – as a backup – I have bought some plants of the following, exotic-sounding:

• Cheddar (orange)
• Emeraude (green)
• Nessie (white)
• Graffiti (purple)
• Gitano (Romanesco)

The opium poppies seed I scattered at the back of the shed have come out, while daffodils around the pond and shed look battered (unlike the ones in front of the greenhouse – in the picture above, with guardian sheep in the background).

There is sign of rat activity… however, my trap is still there, empty.