Each day brings a surprise with the weather in this part of the world and today it was the warmth of the wind. Yesterday was a cold wind and the day before was blazing sunshine!
Walking the dog this morning I couldn't help noticing the primroses, usually past their best at the longest day, this year the weather suits them just fine. Many are flowering and producing further flowers and they are an indicator of how slow summer has been at arriving.
Last year we were enjoying the strawberries well before Wimbledon, this year the outdoor plants are bearing plenty of flowers but no ripening fruit. We have been enjoying some strawberries from the polytunnel but sadly not as many as we would like.
The fruit trees in the orchard are showing very little fruit. I see nothing on the plums and the apple trees are still sporadically flowering! Whether they produce any fruit and what size it reaches is anyone's guess. I think the old adage "don't put all your eggs in one basket" is a useful one to remember for anyone living from the land. We may not have many strawberries or the promise of much tree fruit this year but the rhubarb has been very productive!
Friday, 22 June 2012
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Courgettes
The humble courgette can be a maligned vegetable but in this household it is considered to be one of the finest of summer vegetables.
Today was the first harvest of two fine sweet courgettes. Picked young with unblemished fresh skin they were greeted with delight.
I grow my courgettes in the polytunnels with great success. To keep them out of the way of other plants I grow each one in a large tub trug with good sized drainage holes. The tub trug keeps them at an easy picking height and out of draughts. It is deep enough to give them a generous root run and I fill the trug with home made compost, this doesn't need to be perfectly rotted. It feeds them as they grow and retains more water than commercial composts. The black walls of the tub trug warm up and release heat during the evening and night keeping the plants cosily warm.
I grow a number of varieties, with green, yellow and ribbed fruits. 'Tuscany' is a good smooth green variety producing many small fruits. Keeping picking the fruit before they get beyond 10 inches, or 25cm, and they will be firm and sweet with a soft skin.Frequent picking will ensure they keep producing.
Try to avoid getting the flowers wet when watering, it can cause rot at the end of the courgette. Watering is easy when the plants are contained, you can give each plant a good soaking. Better to give regular generous watering with dry intervals, the plants dislike being kept continuously damp and this, together with cooler conditions, is why they don't do well for me outdoors.
Use in a variety of dishes and enjoy as a vegetable sliced finely and fried with garlic in butter. Delicious.
Today was the first harvest of two fine sweet courgettes. Picked young with unblemished fresh skin they were greeted with delight.
I grow my courgettes in the polytunnels with great success. To keep them out of the way of other plants I grow each one in a large tub trug with good sized drainage holes. The tub trug keeps them at an easy picking height and out of draughts. It is deep enough to give them a generous root run and I fill the trug with home made compost, this doesn't need to be perfectly rotted. It feeds them as they grow and retains more water than commercial composts. The black walls of the tub trug warm up and release heat during the evening and night keeping the plants cosily warm.
I grow a number of varieties, with green, yellow and ribbed fruits. 'Tuscany' is a good smooth green variety producing many small fruits. Keeping picking the fruit before they get beyond 10 inches, or 25cm, and they will be firm and sweet with a soft skin.Frequent picking will ensure they keep producing.
Try to avoid getting the flowers wet when watering, it can cause rot at the end of the courgette. Watering is easy when the plants are contained, you can give each plant a good soaking. Better to give regular generous watering with dry intervals, the plants dislike being kept continuously damp and this, together with cooler conditions, is why they don't do well for me outdoors.
Use in a variety of dishes and enjoy as a vegetable sliced finely and fried with garlic in butter. Delicious.
Friday, 15 June 2012
What weather for potatoes!
It is alarming to think how dependent crofter were on their potato patch when you consider the weather in this part of the world.
We had a warm March and I planted some of my early potatoes outside. Then April came and it got cold and frosty. No problem the potatoes were well down, no chance of damage.
May arrived and the chitted potatoes really needed to be planted, in they go, where are the early ones? Still no sign.
Warm weather finally and all the potatoes began to come up. They start to grow strongly in the heat - up to the high 20's here, not usual even in summer! The long days and warm nights, for a full week, make for some rapid growth.
Then June arrives and the temperatures plummet. Reaching 10 degrees during the day is a struggle. On the 2nd June the frost strikes, three frosty nights later and the potatoes are gone.
Now I look at weeds with the occasional potato shoot peeking out of it's frost bitten stalks. At least the weeds are sheltering the potatoes and once I see the potatoes growing strongly again I'll hoe the weeds away.
Early potatoes will not be a feature this summer, but at least we have had a harvest from the potatoes in the polytunnel. These are grown in pots and were fleeced during the cold nights, sadly nearly all eaten now, but very tasty they were and a reminder of why we try to grow them despite the weather.
We had a warm March and I planted some of my early potatoes outside. Then April came and it got cold and frosty. No problem the potatoes were well down, no chance of damage.
May arrived and the chitted potatoes really needed to be planted, in they go, where are the early ones? Still no sign.
Warm weather finally and all the potatoes began to come up. They start to grow strongly in the heat - up to the high 20's here, not usual even in summer! The long days and warm nights, for a full week, make for some rapid growth.
Then June arrives and the temperatures plummet. Reaching 10 degrees during the day is a struggle. On the 2nd June the frost strikes, three frosty nights later and the potatoes are gone.
Now I look at weeds with the occasional potato shoot peeking out of it's frost bitten stalks. At least the weeds are sheltering the potatoes and once I see the potatoes growing strongly again I'll hoe the weeds away.
Early potatoes will not be a feature this summer, but at least we have had a harvest from the potatoes in the polytunnel. These are grown in pots and were fleeced during the cold nights, sadly nearly all eaten now, but very tasty they were and a reminder of why we try to grow them despite the weather.
June in the polytunnel
The busy months of early spring now begin to pay off.
The first spinach harvests through March and April have been cleared out and replanted with spring onions and leeks.
The Oregon sugar snap pea, sown back in January, are providing bumper crops and have been a staple dinner vegetable for a few weeks. Shame they don't freeze well.
Turnips were a quick crop during May, growing to a suitable sweet size within a few weeks. They have been replaced with beetroot. Last year the beetroot failed outside but were good in the polytunnel. I had a similar story from other growers and have decided not to bother sowing them outdoors this year. The first row is up and looking healthy, the thinnings were used in salads, and I look forward to the first harvest soon.
We finally had a burst of warm weather in late May and I decided it was time the tomatoes were planted in the polytunnel. For days I had been carrying them back and forth getting them used to the polytunnel temperatures but not risking leaving them over night. Poor things were beginning to look quite yellow but tomatoes were setting! Finally planted they soon perked up and it began to look like we were going to have a healthy selection. June brought a return to the cold spring and overnight frosts, despite fleece, caused some damage. I am glad to say they have not been lost, but they have been severely checked. The exceptions were the ones planted in some polystyrene cold boxes which continue to look very healthy, just hope the bees can brave the cold to do their work.
Fortunately the cold nights didn't damage the runner beans, which were planted in the centre bed and probably had some protection from the cold by the sugar peas which are their close companions.
The crop I most enjoy from the tunnel at this time of the year are the autumn sown onions. For months they look incapable of forming anything usable then suddenly, around March, they begin to swell and from then on each day sees a visible increase in their girth. We begin to use them as green onions and then I lift them all to make room for other crops, celery etc. I don't need to worry about trying to store them, they will all be used over the summer, but it is so satisfying not to need to buy onions again!
The first spinach harvests through March and April have been cleared out and replanted with spring onions and leeks.
The Oregon sugar snap pea, sown back in January, are providing bumper crops and have been a staple dinner vegetable for a few weeks. Shame they don't freeze well.
Turnips were a quick crop during May, growing to a suitable sweet size within a few weeks. They have been replaced with beetroot. Last year the beetroot failed outside but were good in the polytunnel. I had a similar story from other growers and have decided not to bother sowing them outdoors this year. The first row is up and looking healthy, the thinnings were used in salads, and I look forward to the first harvest soon.
We finally had a burst of warm weather in late May and I decided it was time the tomatoes were planted in the polytunnel. For days I had been carrying them back and forth getting them used to the polytunnel temperatures but not risking leaving them over night. Poor things were beginning to look quite yellow but tomatoes were setting! Finally planted they soon perked up and it began to look like we were going to have a healthy selection. June brought a return to the cold spring and overnight frosts, despite fleece, caused some damage. I am glad to say they have not been lost, but they have been severely checked. The exceptions were the ones planted in some polystyrene cold boxes which continue to look very healthy, just hope the bees can brave the cold to do their work.
Fortunately the cold nights didn't damage the runner beans, which were planted in the centre bed and probably had some protection from the cold by the sugar peas which are their close companions.
The crop I most enjoy from the tunnel at this time of the year are the autumn sown onions. For months they look incapable of forming anything usable then suddenly, around March, they begin to swell and from then on each day sees a visible increase in their girth. We begin to use them as green onions and then I lift them all to make room for other crops, celery etc. I don't need to worry about trying to store them, they will all be used over the summer, but it is so satisfying not to need to buy onions again!
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
The polytunnel in February
It has been a mild winter, but even so a touch of sun will raise temperatures in the polytunnel quite rapidly and it needs daily ventilation.
What's happening in there?
The autumn sown onions are looking perky and have had their first foliar feed, they get going pretty quickly now, I will expect to see progress on a weekly basis.
The winter lettuces are growing and can take being picked quite frequently now. I tend to use loose-leaf varieties and then can take as much or little as I require. Lamb's lettuce and rocket have self-seeded and will be available soon. I have sown mizuna and spinach and these have all germinated well.
Early sowings do need protection from slugs, which have also woken up with the warmth.
I have planted the first pot grown sugar snap peas and have sown some more pots for growing outside too.
The garlic that was planted both inside and outside the polytunnel is up and growing strongly.
Inside strawberries have been given their spring tidy and an organic fertiliser.
My cabbages that were in the polytunnel have been eaten, but the purple sprouting broccoli is just about to produce.
Most of the carrots from last year have been eaten but there are still some 'Autumn King' in the ground which will need using up soon, especially before the first sowing of carrots, but even before then they will start to regrown if not lifted and put in a cool place. Carrots which start to regrow will begin to go to seed and the roots will get tough.
The rhubarb is beginning to sprout. Last year I upturned a bucket over them and they produced a lovely sweet crop of first stalks. I will do it again.
What's happening in there?
The autumn sown onions are looking perky and have had their first foliar feed, they get going pretty quickly now, I will expect to see progress on a weekly basis.
The winter lettuces are growing and can take being picked quite frequently now. I tend to use loose-leaf varieties and then can take as much or little as I require. Lamb's lettuce and rocket have self-seeded and will be available soon. I have sown mizuna and spinach and these have all germinated well.
Early sowings do need protection from slugs, which have also woken up with the warmth.
I have planted the first pot grown sugar snap peas and have sown some more pots for growing outside too.
The garlic that was planted both inside and outside the polytunnel is up and growing strongly.
Inside strawberries have been given their spring tidy and an organic fertiliser.
My cabbages that were in the polytunnel have been eaten, but the purple sprouting broccoli is just about to produce.
Most of the carrots from last year have been eaten but there are still some 'Autumn King' in the ground which will need using up soon, especially before the first sowing of carrots, but even before then they will start to regrown if not lifted and put in a cool place. Carrots which start to regrow will begin to go to seed and the roots will get tough.
The rhubarb is beginning to sprout. Last year I upturned a bucket over them and they produced a lovely sweet crop of first stalks. I will do it again.
Broad beans
It is not often that this part of Scotland can boast warmer temperatures than most of the UK, but it has been a complete contrast to last year.
The broad beans 'Jade', which were sown into pots in the greenhouse on 9th January, have been planted out today.
They have been hardened out, coming unscathed through the last few cold days, and are now under a micro-mesh fleece in the vegetable patch. The fleece will give them a little extra protection and prevent attack from hungry animals.
Autumn sown broad beans are not favoured here, the winters can be too unpredictable, and they rarely make any earlier crop than one started off in pots.
I will do another sowing in about a months time to prolong the cropping.
The broad beans 'Jade', which were sown into pots in the greenhouse on 9th January, have been planted out today.
They have been hardened out, coming unscathed through the last few cold days, and are now under a micro-mesh fleece in the vegetable patch. The fleece will give them a little extra protection and prevent attack from hungry animals.
Autumn sown broad beans are not favoured here, the winters can be too unpredictable, and they rarely make any earlier crop than one started off in pots.
I will do another sowing in about a months time to prolong the cropping.
Early potatoes
The seed potatoes have arrived and are being put to chit. They will be planted when the ground begins to warm.
Meanwhile, to access some earlier potatoes, some of the smaller potatoes from last year's crop have been growing in pots in the warmth of the greenhouse. Now with the current warm spell and their subsequent growth, they are ready for larger pots and moving into the polytunnel. The polytunnel is unheated so they will need fleecing at night when frosts threaten. However the large pots provide some insulation and raising them from the ground will keep them warm.
Growing in pots is convenient and, if you use saved compost, cheap. I enrich the compost with an organic fertiliser and, apart from watering and fleecing, they require little care. Harvesting is a matter of weeks away, depending on the variety and weather. Generally speaking roughly 10 weeks from planting up. Just tip out the pot.
Last year we got enough from each pot to feed 5 people (all who like potatoes!) and, as they were salad varieties, they were not only tasty but saved a huge amount of money.
I have tried a variety of different pots and even small compost bags. My preferred potato growing pot is now the red Crystalyx sheep lick boxes. With 5 holes drilled for drainage they are just the right size for a meals worth, easy to use and find.
Meanwhile, to access some earlier potatoes, some of the smaller potatoes from last year's crop have been growing in pots in the warmth of the greenhouse. Now with the current warm spell and their subsequent growth, they are ready for larger pots and moving into the polytunnel. The polytunnel is unheated so they will need fleecing at night when frosts threaten. However the large pots provide some insulation and raising them from the ground will keep them warm.
Growing in pots is convenient and, if you use saved compost, cheap. I enrich the compost with an organic fertiliser and, apart from watering and fleecing, they require little care. Harvesting is a matter of weeks away, depending on the variety and weather. Generally speaking roughly 10 weeks from planting up. Just tip out the pot.
Last year we got enough from each pot to feed 5 people (all who like potatoes!) and, as they were salad varieties, they were not only tasty but saved a huge amount of money.
I have tried a variety of different pots and even small compost bags. My preferred potato growing pot is now the red Crystalyx sheep lick boxes. With 5 holes drilled for drainage they are just the right size for a meals worth, easy to use and find.
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