Our Garden Year

Moving and Splitting

2007-04-19T20:15:00.000+01:00

This blog has been moved and split in two. Firstly I have a blog about my veg patch over at DiggingRequired.com and for the rest of the garden I now have AFamilyGarden.com.

Nursery Visit

2006-05-29T16:44:00.000+01:00

We visited an old favourite nursery today. PC & SL Simpson out at Fordham. We went looking for two items, firstly some Irish Yew trees (taxus baccata fastigiata aureomarginata) and secondly a Snowball Bush (viburnum opulus). They only had large specimins of the Yew and a £90 each they cost too much as we want quite a few of them. They had quite a few viburnum specimins and we came home with one.

I also picked up a few other plants; asparagus, aubergines, cucumbers, butternut squashes, and a couple of tomato plants.

Planted: Asparagus - Connovers Colossal

2006-05-29T16:37:00.000+01:00

Only two of the asparagus plants that we planted earlier in the year have done anything. I noticed some plants of the same variety at the nursery today so I decided to buy a couple to replace the plants that did nothing.

Planted: Aubergine - Black Beauty

2006-05-29T16:27:00.000+01:00

I picked up a couple of plants from the trip to the nursery today. They have been planted in the top vegetable patch infront of the pile of turf I am composting.

Planted: Drawf Beans.

2006-05-28T23:05:00.000+01:00

Finally got around the plating them in the ground. They have got quite leggy, but fingers crossed that they will give us some beans to eat later on in the year.

No Rain - A Busy Day.

2006-05-28T22:12:00.000+01:00

It's been a full day in the garden today. This is the first time for a couple of weeks and looking at the weather forecast it would seem that today was a short break in the almost daily rain we have had recently. Here is the list of things we got done today:

Planted out the Fench beans in the top veg. patch.
Weeded the main veg patch.
Trimmed the back privet hedge.
Trimmed the sorbus. Actually this was a good hack back so that it doesn't take over the ferns and the bamboo.
Weeded around the damson tree and tided up the edge of the lawn between the kids play house and the small green shed.
Mowed the lawn.
Laid two more slabs to the left of the green shed. One more and it will link up with the path along the rear of the main veg. patch.
M. did loads of weeding around the phormium. I now need to get around to re-edging the lawn.

New Patio Started

2006-05-25T12:00:00.000+01:00

The builders are here to start laying the new patio. They have a smaller digger and a motorised wheelbarrow and have turned the area just outside the back of the house into a mud bath. The stone and edging sleepers should be arriving tomorrow from Bannolds.

Rain

2006-05-22T13:28:00.000+01:00

We had constant heavy showers all weekend which prevented any work getting done in the garden. The little time we were in the garden was spent playing cricket with the older two kids.

It is a shame that the water butt I ordered on the 10th hasn't arrived yet. It's actually very annoying, because last week we got a letter confirming the order but in the letter was this little paragraph:

As I am sure you are aware due to continuing water shortages in certain areas there is unprecedented demand for our water saving products. Until June delivery times will be extended to between six and eight weeks of the date of this letter.

The letter was dated the 10th so it looks like we won't be getting the water butt until July! By which time the rain will have stopped and I will have an empty water butt just at the time I will need it the most. What is most annoying about this, is that there were no mentions of delay on the EvenGreener website where I placed my order.

Signs Of Life: Peppers

2006-05-15T20:51:00.000+01:00

It looks like the peppers are starting to germinate. I was getting worried and had thought that it may not have been warm enough in the potting shed. Fingers crossed they will progress quickly now.

The Guttering Works!

2006-05-15T20:26:00.000+01:00

We had a short shower today and when I got home the bucket under the guttering down pipe had quite a bit of water in it. An identical 'control' bucket, out in the open, had very little water in it. Now I just need a water butt, I hope it arrives soon.

Guttering On The Shed

2006-05-14T21:16:00.000+01:00

Today I fitted guttering along one side the large shed. I had planned to get the guttering from our local builders merchants but they only stock Wavin Osma guttering and their mini-fit range only comes in grey or brown, we want black. B&Q do Marley Miniline guttering which comes in black but has the downside of only being in 2m lengths which means I have had to do two joins along the length of the shed.

Now all I need is some rain to test it out.

Sowing: Squash - F1 Cobnut

2006-05-14T20:28:00.000+01:00

I thought I was buying butternut squash :-) The picture on the front looked liked butternut squashes to me as I quickly passed the seeds in B&Q today and the Sutton Seeds packet had Squash in large letters but Cobnut in small. Never mind I popped the 12 seeds into 3" pots and I will wait for them to germinate.

Mowed The Lawn

2006-05-12T20:36:00.000+01:00

The forecast is for rain over the weekend so I got the grass in the back garden mowed this evening.

Runner Beans Go Into The Ground

2006-05-11T20:15:00.000+01:00

Tonight I planted 24 out of the 30 runner bean plants I have. I built the frame that they will climb up out of newly purchased 8' canes. The lashing used is certainly not up to my Dads standard, hopefully the beans will grow quickly and cover my haphazard knots before he sees them.

I am not sure what I am going to do with the other 6 plants I have. I have enough canes but no space left. I don't have any space in the flower borders either.

Mowed The Lawn

2006-05-06T20:44:00.000+01:00

I pulled my finger out this afternoon and mowed the back garden lawn while the little one had a nap.

150 gallon Water Butt

2006-05-02T23:12:00.000+01:00

Today I ordered a 150 gallon water butt from Even Greener. The recently built platform will eventually hold two of these, but for the time being we can only afford one of them. Now I need to head off to our local builders merchants, Ridgeons to buy the guttering and down pipes.

A Platform For Water Butts

2006-04-30T23:04:00.000+01:00

While I took our middle one to rugby training my Dad did a stunning job of laying a breeze block and slab platform along the end of our large shed. I will be putting large water butts on the platform which will be filled from the shed roof.

Planted: Mixed Salad Leaves

2006-04-30T07:58:00.000+01:00

M. loves her salad leaves, so I bought a tray of mixed plants from the garden centre today. They went into the ground next to the cabbage plants.

Frame Building

2006-04-30T07:57:00.000+01:00

The Build-A-Ball's arrived during the week, so today me and my dad made frame that covers the newly planted cabbabges down to the salad onions. This should keep the birds off the cabbages and onions, and our smallest child from walking over the veg plot with his spade looking for something to dig up.

Planted: Onions - Stuttgarter Giant

2006-04-30T07:56:00.000+01:00

Finally got around to planting these sets. They went next to the red onions I planted earlier.

Sowing: Calabrese - Belstar

2006-04-30T07:53:00.000+01:00

Again, using the plastic trays the cabbage plants came in we sowed calabrese seeds.

Sowing: Cabbage - (Savoy) Ormskirk (I)

2006-04-30T07:52:00.000+01:00

Using the plastic trays that had the cabbage plants in we bought today we sowed seeds for a later crop.

Sowing: Carrots - Autumn King Improved

2006-04-30T07:51:00.000+01:00

Sowed another row today, between two rows of the cabbages planted today.

Planted: Savoy Cabbage

2006-04-30T07:50:00.000+01:00

Bought a tray of a dozen plants from the local garden centre.

Planted: Cabbage - Greyhound

2006-04-30T07:12:00.000+01:00

Bought from the local garden centre as a tray of a dozen plants.

Sowing: Pepper Chili - Jalapeno

2006-04-29T08:06:00.000+01:00

I thought it would be fun to try growing some chili peppers. We don't have a greenhouse but our potting shed window has a very sunny aspect so they will probably live here. Aparently you can grow them outdoors so if I get a good enough germination then I will try some inside and some outside.

Sprouting onions

2006-04-27T21:42:00.000+01:00

Ten days after the red onions were planted they are starting to grow.

Lettuce showing through...

2006-04-23T09:04:00.000+01:00

No signs yesterday, but this morning a nice little row of seedlings.

Mutant Daisy

2006-04-22T21:18:00.000+01:00

While mowing the lawn today I found this mutant daisy.

The stem is elongated and not circular like normal daisies, it's like a two flowers fused together, a siamese twin flower. We picked the flower, it's now in a bud vase, and I carried on mowning the lawn.

More Signs Of Life...

2006-04-22T20:43:00.000+01:00

A few things are starting to appear:

The first two spears of asparagus are showing through.
The early potatoes have pushed their first leaves through.
The leeks are germinating nicely.

Planted: Salad Onions

2006-04-17T21:10:00.000+01:00

Bought a tray of salad onions at the garden centre today. No variety on the label.

Sowing: Lettuce - All Year Round

2006-04-17T20:02:00.000+01:00

Just a single row sowed next to the salad onions

Sowing: Carrot - Autumn King

2006-04-17T19:37:00.000+01:00

I sowed a single row today, between the lettuce row and onions.

Planted: Red Onions - Red Barron

2006-04-17T18:00:00.000+01:00

Planted two rows of onion sets that I picked up at the local Oakington garden centre today.

Magnolia

2006-04-17T17:45:00.000+01:00

Our magnolia is starting to come into full flower. This is a sure sign that we will have a heavy frost soon that turns the flowers brown. I thought I would take a quick photo to show how good the flowers look before the frost gets them.

Rain Stopped Play

2006-04-16T19:56:00.000+01:00

The morning was spent with the kids doing easter egg hunts, and unfortunately the rain came in the afternoon which put a stop to any work in the garden.

Getting Close To Finishing The Digging

2006-04-15T22:46:00.000+01:00

The 'top veg patch' was dug over today. It's a relatively easy dig as the area has been dug over regularly for the last few years and has had plenty of compost dug in over that time. I am not sure what I going to plant here yet. Certainly the runner beans will go on this patch, like they did last year, but as for the rest of the area I am still undecided.

Sowing: Dwarf Bean - Boston

2006-04-15T21:44:00.000+01:00

The beans were planted indoors into fibre pots.

These were choosen because they are advertised as being ideal for freezing.

Sowing: Runner Bean - Red Rum

2006-04-15T21:22:00.000+01:00

Planted indoors into fiber pots. The beans are ones that I had saved from last years crop and have spent the winter in a shoe box in the spare bedroom. It will be interesting to see what sort of germination rate I get.

Signs Of Life...

2006-04-15T15:26:00.000+01:00

The parsnips that were sown almost a month ago are starting to show through :-)

Secondly, the three garlic cloves that I popped into the soil are starting to grow too. These were just planted in the faint hope that they would grow after being found at the back of our food cupboard, it's great to see that they are.

Build-A-Ball's

2006-04-12T09:14:00.000+01:00

I ordered some Build-A-Ball's today. These are so that I can protect the veg from pests. The pests include birds pulling up my onion sets, cats using the freshly cultivated soil as a toilet, and the kids footballs from crushing plants.

Front Garden Activity: Where's Your Pruning Saw?

2006-04-09T17:35:00.000+01:00

You always have to start worrying when M. asks for the pruning saw...

Shortly after we moved into the house we planted a couple of Phormiums with a Hebe between them on the right hand side of the front garden. Last year we had to remove one of the Phormiums to allow access for the builders doing our extension out back. This exposed the Hebe and it has looked very straggly since then. The Phormiums have done very well over the years drawfing the Hebe so today the Hebe was chopped right back, but the rain came before I could finish the job by digging out the roots.

As a side note, the builders had unceremoniously pulled it out the Phormium with their digger and left it on the grassy part of the front garden. We thought it would be shame just to loose it so I dragged it to the back garden, found a bare patch and popped it in the ground with generous handfulls of Blood Fish & Bone. We gave it a chance, and it would seem that it has paid off because it seem to be be surviving.

Sowing: Leeks - Autumn Giant

2006-04-09T17:31:00.000+01:00

I got around to sowing my leeks today. The variety is Autumn Giant which according to Thompson & Morgan will last, in the ground, until may next year.

Yet More Tidying

2006-04-08T22:12:00.000+01:00

Before the grass cutting could start I completely emptied the compost heap of last years compost. I little went straight into the ground because I dug a couple more rows of the veg patch. The rest went into v.large buckets for later use. I had saved some of the not quite ready compost off to one side so while I was cutting the grass I started to refill the compost heap with a mixture of grass cuttings and compost.

I also finally got around to properly stacking the logs that my dad has been bringing down us when they visit, and also chopped up the two apple tree branches that have been getting in the way for too long now.

Maybe tomorrow I may get around to planting something.

Compost Bin

2006-04-08T21:49:00.000+01:00

I repositioned our small compost bin next to the green shed and laid a couple of slabs in front of it to make a path up to it.

It used to be closer to the house, but since the extension it has been out of use with no suitable place to put it near the house. The new kitchen bin has a seperate composting bin so we don't have to visit this compost bin as often so it can now be further up the garden.

The First Cut Of The Year

2006-04-08T21:38:00.000+01:00

It is that time of year again when I need to dust down the lawn mower and start the weekly ritual of pushing it around the back garden to keep the grass at a reasonable length. Before I started I had to change the oil and air filter of the mower. Thankfully my mower has a Briggs And Stratton engine for which you can find all the details you need to service it on their web site.

...and A Little Bit More Digging

2006-04-02T21:18:00.000+01:00

A little bit more digging and a couple more slabs laid. The heavy showers got in the way. I did some looking around on the web for water butts.

Only a little bit of digging.

2006-04-01T20:40:00.000+01:00

Last weekends weather meant that nothing happened in the garden. But after a brief heavy shower in the morning I was able to get into the garden and do a little digging. I am still not a hundred percent and only managed a few rows. I stripped a few more turfs of grass which we are using to make a wall at the front of the compost heap. (The other three sides are brick.) These should compost themselves other the next year.

I also laid some slabs at the back of my new vegetable patch. These are to allow me access and move the patch away from the rain shadow of my neighbours hedge.

Planting: Garlic

2006-03-21T14:17:00.000Z

Last night we found some garlic cloves that were sprouting in the back of the cupboard. They looked quite healthy and M. suggested I pop them into the ground and give them a chance at growing. So last night at 9pm I was out in the garden with a torch in my mouth dibbing holes between the parsnips and potatoes.

Planting: Asparagus - Connovers Colossal

2006-03-19T21:13:00.000Z

Four crowns planted in the border next to the neighbours vegetable plot.

Sowing: Parsnips - Tender And True

2006-03-19T21:11:00.000Z

Three rows of parsnip seeds were sown close to the green shed.

Sowing: Potatoes - Arran Pilot

2006-03-19T21:08:00.000Z

Two very small rows, ten seed potatoes in total, were sown into the newly dug over area.

How To Remove Rust From Your Spade

2006-03-19T20:51:00.000Z

My dad recons the best way is to dig with it. The first digging of the season was done today. Not by me, but my dad dug over an area about 6' by 18'. We also made a big dint in the compost heap by digging it into the newly dug area.

I also made a trip to the local garden centre. We bought some seeds, some potatos, a packet of four asparagus crowns, a bag of seed compost and some fibre pots.

New Secateurs

2006-03-18T08:42:00.000Z

I got some new Felco 8 Secateurs and a big tub of Grow More fertilizer for my Birthday.

Sutton Seeds Catalogue Arrives

2006-03-14T22:52:00.000Z

As the subject says, the Suttons Seeds catalogue is the third one to arrive. Just Marshals and Unwins left.

The Second One Arrives

2006-03-09T20:52:00.000Z

A day later and the Mr Fothergills catalogue has arrived. Now even more vegetables to look at.

M. is very keen on getting some tomato plants. I find them too much work, plus I can't stand the smell of the plants themselves, so M. has agreed to look after them. We don't have a greenhouse anymore so that restricts the choice a bit, so a self supporting cherry variety looks to be good.

First Catalogue Arrives From Thompson & Morgan

2006-03-08T20:08:00.000Z

As the title says, the first of the catalogues that I ordered online has arrived. It took five days, not too bad at all.

More Tidying

2006-03-05T16:17:00.000Z

More builders debris cleared up, with the last of the pile of rubble outside the living room window gone. We also tackled the area around the big shed and got rid of various broken plastic pots, buckets and toys. Finally we tackled the green shed doing the same and you can now get to the back of it again.

Tidying

2006-03-04T18:16:00.000Z

I spent the afternoon in the garden tidying up old building debris from our recent extension. I moved a pile of sand near the house into a big bag (the type they deliver sand in) further up the garden. I also chopped up old floor boards for fire wood. The daylight ran out so we now have a big pile of wood in the middle of the garden. Michelle is burning some of it now to warm the place up because I left the back door open all afternoon!

On The Hunt For Seeds

2006-03-03T20:55:00.000Z

I need to get some seeds. In the past I have just gone to the local garden center and picked up whatever looked ok, but this year I am going to try and do a little research by ordering some seed catalogues first. After a little bit of googling I have found these seed merchants with online catalogue ordering:

Now I need to wait and see how quickly I get a response.

What To Grow?

2006-03-01T20:55:00.000Z

It's the time of year when I need to start thinking about what vegetables to grow this year.

Over the last few years I have been growing a few vegetables in my garden but not in a specific vegetable patch, rather I have been using the flower borders. But this year I intend to expand the border I used last year into a specific vegetable patch. This will involve digging over some lawn area and laying paving around the back for access and to move the vegetables away from the fence/hedge where they suffer from lack of water.

I want to do leeks again as they seem to do well and you can leave them in the ground over winter and pull them as you need them.

I'll do runner beans again, the kids like them and they provide height.

Along with large onions and salad onions, I am going to give shallots a try.

My dad has suggested parsnips so I'll give these a try along with carrots again.

As I think of other vegetables I'll jot them down here.

These French Beans (The Prince) look like they could be good and the whole family like French beans.

Last Year

2006-02-26T20:52:00.000Z

My first post to this blog is a summary of what vegetables I grew in my garden last year and how sucessfull I was with them. I was sure I kept the seed packets from last year but I can't find them now so variety names are a little thin on the ground.

Leeks - These were a great success and the last few are still in the ground.
Potatoes - These were ok. I didn't plant that many, infact I seem to recall that I only transplanted plants that popped up in the flower border that had previously had potatoes in them.
Onions "Turbo" - Not great. I suspect because they went in the ground too late and I think they might have suffered from lack of water and possibly feeding.
Salad Onions "Ishikura" - These did better than the 'big' onions. I staggered sowing so as not to be overwhelmed.
Runner Beans "Red Rum" - These did well this year because I sowed beans into pots inside before planting them outside.
Lettuces - Tried these for the first time from a request by Michelle who loves her lettuce. I didn't thin out well enough. One thing I did notice is that I planted the lettuces along side a row of rocket plants and while the rocket leaves got a great deal of attention from pests the lettuces did not.
Carrots - They did ok early on but I think I may have been a bit aggressive on thinning out because I only ended up with few at the end.