New Asparagus plants and an allotment update

My asparagus plants which I planted last year weren't a great success, only three out of ten survived.  I don't know why as I planted them all the same, in the same way and the same depth, and the three survivors look very healthy.  Anyway today I received ten new very healthy  replacement plants kindly sent by Stephen and Serena at Victoriana Nursery.  Here they are all planted up  looking small at the moment, but I have a good feeling about these, some are planted in another row just out of view.

Thanks to  Stephen and Serena for replacing them !!

I harvested the last of the Purple Sprouting Broccoli at the week-end. Out of six plants which had all grown very tall and looked healthy until our severe winter, only three survived and only one of those gave any decent pickings. It really wasn't worth waiting any more for the measly pickings left as I needed the bed to get my canes up ready for the runner and french beans.

So the bed is ready for the beans which are growing like 'Jack's Beanstalk' in the greenhouse and need to go in. I will probably get them in next week, surely we wont get any more frosts after next week ????

The Greenhouse is productive !

The Tayberry is doing amazingly well and has had loads of flowers, so hopefully lot's of fruit this summer.

There are so many flowers on the strawberries, and not just on my plot. Everyone else's plots seems to be having a successful year with the strawberries too.

Rhubarb has been amazing this year. It's the third year now so all the different varieties (which I forgotten the names as the tags are now lost !)  are at the right stage of maturity for a full picking. YUM !!!

The gooseberries are full of fruit, but I am a little concerned about the colour of the green gooseberry fruit as it looks like it's tinged a bit pink !!  and NO this isn't the red gooseberry which is green at the moment, but does turn red later on. The labels are still on the bushes from when I first planted them, so I know I haven't mixed them up (as the hubby suggested) so it's a bit of a concern in case there is something wrong with the green one (any Ideas anyone ????) I just clicked to enlarge this photo and the fruit looks a bit spikey doen't it ?  I must go back and check this out tomorrow.

The green gooseberry (honest)

The red gooseberry (it goes red later on) below. I checked the original tags still intact and it really is the red variety

 And finally, broad beans (doing very well) and red veined spinach, I love this variety and have also grown the larger leaved green one and a baby leaved variety as well ( Look out Popeye !!!!)

I almost forgot the Blackcurrant ! also full of fruit waiting to grow and ripen, it's going to be a great year for fruit. The late fruiting raspberries are growing like mad after being cut right back.

Such a long post ! isn't it nice when everything starts looking fruitful ?
M x

The Beans are in AT LAST !!!

I finally got my broad beans in. The roots were long and thick and sticking out of the bottom of the root trainers. The bed was already manured and prepared, so it just meant working out the spacing and length of rows.
Here they are :

on the left are Bunyards Exhibition and on the right Red Epicure, I've not grown the red ones before and it says on the packet that lightly steamed they keep their colour, and as I always steam my veg we will see if that's true when the time come.

The first Asparagus spear is up , that's exciting as I have been looking for it on every visit. I'm not sure how many are going to make it but fingers crossed a lot more than this one.

Even more exciting is the new Tayberry bush, it's growing so well and looks really healthy. The Tayberry and the Asparagus were both from  Victoriana Nursery .

I've managed to clean the greenhouse at the allotment with good old Jeyes fluid, it pongs a bit but does a good job. I haven't actually moved anything up there yet as it's all still in the mini-greenhouses in my garden (much easier to look after until all frosts are gone) There is still heaps more to do and lot's to sow, but I am holding back as things like cucumber, courgettes, french beans and mangetout all come on very quickly and then I will run out of greenhouse space.  I hope to sow a lot of things direct this year, thats the plan anyway !

Friday again !!!! have a lovely weekend everyone and please don't forget to leave a comment for the giveaway book by David Austin (Roses) see previous post.

A good start to the season.

I got to the plot yesterday to do some serious work and ended up staying there for four and a half hours. I dug another trench for the asparagus, that was hard work in itself, but then I had to fill wheelbarrow loads of manure and tip it into the trench with some compost and sharp sand. I planted the 'Conovers Colossal' that I'm trialing for 'Victoriana Nursery' I also bought 4 crowns of 'Pacific Purple' asparagus from a farm shop, which is why I had to dig another trench, I just fancied trying this purple one as well.

I pulled back the black plastic that I had covered some beds with over winter, it was great to see NO weeds. I have to work out where the potatoes and the Broad Beans are going, as both are ready to be planted soon.

Broad beans and Sweet Peas, photo taken 7 days ago

This photo taken today, they have grown very tall in 7 days

Onions, Red and White growing nicely and being hardened off each day, I have 3 more trays as well as these

Tomatoes growing in their little light box. These are 'Gardeners Delight' ( on the left) and just one so far has germinated of the 'Abraham Lincoln' but I'm hoping more will pop up soon of those as I am trialing those for Victoriana Nurseries. I have about another three more varieties that I'm going to sow next week. I want to try something different to the tomatoes I usually grow, and more varieties as well.

Needless to say I am aching everywhere to day, muscles I had forgotten I had. I will never learn that it's best to do little and often rather than long stints on the allotment. Ah well ! at least the sun was shining and I did achieve what I set out to do, so a very satisfying start to the season.

The postman delivered some goodies this morning

A few weeks ago out of the blue I had an e-mail from Stephen Shirley who owns and runs Victoriana Nursery Gardens. Stephen had been reading my blog off and on for a while and liked it, ( I feel very honoured ) and so he decided to ask me to do a trail of their plants and seeds. How could I resist ! as Stephen offered the plants or seeds of my choice for free.

I had already bought most of the seeds I needed so I asked if I could have some Asparagus plants. I had already dug my trench and manured it and added sand late last autumn ready to buy some, so having them free to trial for Victoria Nursery Gardens was a real bonus. I look forward to planting them and seeing them grow.

I also chose three packets of seeds : -

Tomato seeds - 'Abraham Lincoln'

Parsnip seeds - 'Hollow Crown'

Squash seeds - 'Turks Turban' a fellow plot-holder grows these and I admire them every year.

As I am doing a trial of these goodies I will be posting about them as they grow and produce their fruits, and you will be able to see how they do.

Victoria Nursery Gardens is a family business owned and run by Stephen & his wife Serena, and they have very high standards, so it's a pleasure to be doing a trial for them.

Thank you both very much for the opportunity.

PS.

CROCHET update, see my other blog for my crochet, it's growing and I'm chuffed to bit's that I have learned to crochet at last. http://mylottierecipies.blogspot.com/

Keepsake boxes

I know this has nothing to do with sowing and growing, but I thought I would share these photo's with you of the beautiful keepsake box that we have bought for my granddaughter Florence's Christening which is in a few weeks time. We also bought her brother Bertie one for his christening present. They are adorable boxes and are from 'Freya Designs' they do all sorts of sizes and for all occasions, they are beautifully made and the service is first class. If you need a special gift for someone look no further than here : http://www.freyadesign.co.uk/


The writing is very fancy, and it's lovely to have it personalised with the recipients name.

This is the largest box in the range and it really does hold a lot of special things. There is also a lovely wooden plaque inside the lid that you can write a special message of your own with a permanent marker.

This design is the' flower fairy'
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I don't know if you remember that on a previous post I mentioned that my packet of Poppies from T & M didn't give a good germination rate, so I e-mailed them about it. I have since received a new packet of seeds free of charge. That was a welcome result, although it's too late now to sow them, but I have some coming along from the first packet and I will sow some more from the new packet in the spring. It certainly pays to complain, in the politest way of course !!

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Almost the week-end again ! This week I have been collecting more leaves for leaf mould and preparing my two beds for the asparagus which I will plant next spring. I have dug the trenches and added gritty sand (which they love apparently) and cow manure. I'm going to cover them with black plastic and leave it covered until the delivery of the plants, I wish I had planted some last year, but I didn't have the space. I decided that I would rather give the space to asparagus as it's so expensive to buy, and I will grow less potatoes as they are as cheap as chips !!!!!!! he he