My Garden

One of my favourite vegetables, I can never plant enough leeks so they had to be included in the 3x3 plot! They're a good choice for a small space, and look very ornamental. Ours were sown back in February in a 9cm pot, and are now ready to plant out - not quite ‘pencil thickness' (as all the... Read more..

I felt a twinge in my back while moving furniture on Saturday, so thought it best to take it easy this weekend. My greenhouse has been lying in pieces since moving house, and since I will need it soon for transplant raising and assembling it is a nice easy stand up job that should help my back, I spent... Read more..

Planting-out is nearly done with celery, celeriac and tomatoes going out last night. This followed planting of summer and early autumn cabbages, cauliflowers and calabrese as an intercrop in between where the winter cabbages, sprouting broccoli and kales will be planted at the end of the month. The cool... Read more..

At last allotment work is easing off and the plot is mostly up to date. I have to say I am relieved – it has been a bit hectic harvesting and replanting at the same time. With only six weeks or so of growing weather left, plants must not run short of nutrients. However everything looks mighty lush and... Read more..

As winter gives way to spring, fresh vegetables are in short supply. But leeks can fill that hungry gap. The current trial of leeks, now coming to a close, focuses on varieties that stand the winter and are still in great shape for cutting in March and April. The assessment panel have been looking them... Read more..

The first of the 2009 has arrived on the dinner plate – spinach ‘Napoli’ sown in March as a thick row was gathered by cutting off plants at ground level leaving a plant every 20cm to grow larger for the next cutting. My sandy soil can make leaf crops very gritty, so at least 3 washes are needed to get... Read more..

Recent dry, sunny weather allowed the slugs and the first wave of weeds to be tackled. Subsequent rain restored soil moisture leading to ideal seed bed conditions. The downside was that weeds germinated in hundreds, but just in time the weather turned dry and vigorous raking again polished then off.... Read more..

Leeks are always a reliable, normally trouble-free crop although recently Leek Moth is proving a real problem in some areas. Thankfully it has not arrived at Roesmoor yet. Our leeks were transplanted this week following the lifting of the early potatoes, caught by early blight. Leeks are normally sown... Read more..

Our 3m x 3m vegetable plot is quietly heading towards winter after a very productive season. We have established a green manure crop on one half of the plot (winter tares were sown in mid September). This will occupy the bed through the winter, locking up the soil nutrients – to be released again when... Read more..