2015 Growing Season

3 x Strawberry 'Elsanta':

 

Autumn sown broad beans are in flower now. About 3 weeks later than last spring by my reckoning.

 

Sown Runner Beans 'Scarlet Emperor' ,Cues 'Bangkok,French Beans 'Cobra' and Sweet Corn 'supersweet' all in modules

 

My peas and spuds are sprouting now. Sweetcorn are all about 3" high in pots. Cucumbers are just about ready for their first potting on. Red Pear tomatoes are already in their final pots and in the greenhouse, Tumbling Toms just about ready for potting on.

 

Yesterday sowed Beetroot 'Solo'...thought I'd try the monogerm variety for a change but although I tried to sow them thinly they're going to need just as much thinning out

 

Put me Dwarf French beans out in the frame.

 

Am in Spain at the mo and been doing a lot of food shopping and cooking and it has made me rethink my veg gardening a bit.

Potatoes - I've not grown them in the UK and especially not where I live as it is the heart of potato growing land. But I have been thinking despite this, potato taste and quality (either from the supermarket or local farm shop) have really gone downhill the last few years. I do wonder why?
In any case, here in Spain I've been buying from the SM and local food markets (which are marvellous!) and even the cheapest and most common sorts are so much better tasting than at home. Does anyone know what has happened to the UK potato market? Or it just could be me .... You would think living in potato land that I'd be getting the best available (apart from home grown of course).
Anyhow, though I've always said I don't have enough room until now, I've decided to grow my own from now on. I'm wondering if I will be able to get a small crop of sorts this year ...

Garlic - The other thing I've noticed is the garlic here is so much better than I have been eating at home. I think I started noticing the dip in taste when the commercial market in the UK was taken over by chinese grown garlic. As a garlic lover I find it very poor taste-wise, though they look good. So garlic is on my growing list too.

Peppers - Dare I say, peppers as well which here are bleddy fantastic - none of the thick walled, pretty looking but tasteless stuff we get from Spain in the UK (though I like those red pointy peppers you can get). Here they are all shapes and sizes and taste really really good, like a good pepper should. I have tried peppers several times with poor results as I don't have a greenhouse, but I'm going to have another go.

Sorry I didn't mean this to sound moany (as you know as a rule I never moan ), but I think my taste buds have been woken up a bit and inspired me to more veg growing.

As soon as I'm back I shall be asking lots of spud questions - am a complete novice. I'm also toying with extending my veg growing ground.

GG

 

Finally caught up with the weeding today, been neglecting it

 

First Gooseberry I've ever grown:

 

Guess who forgot to sticky this thread

Been weeding and watering today, plot was a bit dry.



Planted out some Plum Tomatoes, keeping a couple in the greenhouse for comparison.

Got a bit of rust on the Garlic so sprayed it with Bordeaux mixture, don't know if that'll help but its all I had to hand.

 

Bravo!!!

 

How's it going everyone?

Things seem slow here,Fbeans,sweetcorn and Celeriac look healthy enough but at a standstill,tomatoes in the GH doing OK but again don't think the cold nights are agreeing with them.Chillies and Peppers are OK and my outdoor Manx Marvel tomatoes are looking a bit fed up.Still got a wind break round my Kelsaes because this wind won't let up

Rasps and strawbs are looking good though,it looks to be another good year for fruit

 

First Manx Marvel has set

 

Sooooooo excited.

Sounds like a good plan. Keep digging!

 

Planted out some lettuce and beetroot