I get very impatient at this time of year and can barely wait until February to start my seeds off. I went through all my seeds last week and there were so many that can be started in February, so yesterday (I know it's still January !) I decided to get started.
I sowed the Broad beans in my root-trainers using a John Innes seed compost. I sowed 12 each of 'Bunyards Exhibition' and the Red variety 'Red Epicure'. Then I planted some Lemon Basil and Sweet Basil and put these on the kitchen windowsill. Also sown were some Bergamot 'Panorama Mixed' they are good for the bees and nice for cut flowers, so I'm hoping that they are as pretty as they look on the packet.
I also got my order in to Victoriana Nurseries. I ordered a Tayberry called 'Buckingham' which is thornless this will be grown in my soft fruit area on the allotment. I ordered some seeds that I had from them last year that were so good I decided to get them again, which are Tomato 'Abraham Lincoln' and Parsnips 'Hollow Crown' both were very successful and delicious.
Also ordered :-
Artichoke plants 'Imperial Star' and 'Romanesco' which will delivered April/May ready to plant out
and 2 x Lemongrass plants ' East India'. I grew my own Lemongrass last year but they never grew large enough for me to get more than a couple of small pieces from, so I decided it's not worth the bother.
Don't forget that Stephen from Victoriana Nurseries is offering 10% discount on orders for readers of my blog, just click on the link on my side bar and your order will automatically get the 10% off.
I went for the first time to the Potato Day in Hampshire on Sunday. It was a last minute decision to go. I was disappointed to find that there was an entry fee of £2 each, so that was £4 before I had even bought any potatoes. However they were only 17p a tuber as opposed to 26p at the garden centre and as I don't grow many ( we don't eat a lot of potatoes) that wasn't too bad. But it cost us more to look at the poatoes than it did to buy them, so probably wont be going again.
I bought 6 x 'Ulster Prince' to try as they looked nice and had a good write up.
6 x ' Chopin' they also looked nice so giving them a try
10 x Inova which is a cross between my favourite 'Nicola' and 'Impala' the man there said they were better than ' Nicola' so thought I'd try these as well. Now to start the chitting !!
So ! there we go the start of a new growing year albeit a bit early, but I couldn't wait any longer. I have to take some kitchen scraps up to the allotment later and whilst there I will check on my brussels and Purple sprouting broccoli (can't wait for that to be ready) the garlic planted last year is growing well and I still have some 'Hollow Crown' parsnips in the ground, oh and some cabbages, I keep forgetting about them as they are hidden under a tunnel.
Have a good week X
Congregatin'
4 days ago
7 comments:
I sympathise with your view on the entry fee to the Potato Day. It's like having to pay a fee to go into a shop!
But I'm resisting the temptation to sow seeds for a few more weeks. We've still got sub-zero daytime temperatures, after all.
Hi Mark, that's a very good way of putting it and your right because that's exactly what it was, paying to get in to shop.
I hope I don't regret sowing mine too early, although I wont be putting the plants out for quite a while.
I have itchy fingers too Maureen but am reining myself in especially as I that bit further north than you. My rule of thumb is wait until February half term and then it will be just one or two odds and ends that I will start with. I would like the opportunity to attend a Potato Day, preferably one with free admission, but there do not seem to be any in this neck of the woods.
Hi Anna, It's a shame you haven't got a potato day near you as although I wasn't happy about the extra £4 to get in I have to admit there was a big selection of potatoes that are rarely seen in the garden centres.
Wish you lived nearer so you could get your potatoes from our garden shop! John loves trying new and heritage varieties so always gets a few of them in the order as well as the usuals. The hardened allotmenteers often hum and haa, but often come back asking for them again.
Does your allotment group not have a garden shop?
A potato day sounds good fun though, and will look out for one up here.
Haven't started any seeds yet - which is very unusual for me!
P xx
Hi Pam, I wished I lived near you too, we get some crafting done together then !! Our allotment association has only just formed so we don't have a trading hut yet, but some members put in an order for seeds, I had mine already. So maybe potatoes will be available next year.
I hope you get some seeds sown soon. M x
I have itchy fingers - and lots of inviting seed packets - too. Today is wet so no point trying to dig more beds at the allotment, sowing basil and parsley sounds like a better way to pass the day.
Post a Comment