March Big Catch-Up

Although I haven't been posting much in March, I have been out on the plot pretty much every weekend, dodging snow and hail showers ! Hopefully the cold unsettled weather is behing us now and we can finally look forward to spring "proper".

But before I thought I'd post a bumper update of the various jobs I have been doing on the plot in March.

- Early this month, I finally did some tidying up in the strawberry bed - removed all the runners that escaped my attention at the end of the summer, pulled the weeds and cleared dead leaves and debris. I also decided to cover the whole bed with black fabric; this will keep the bed weed free and also will prevent the fruit from rotting down on the soil. I also moved the bushes that were at the back of this bed and transplanted some of last year runners. So that's me hoping for a bumper harvest of strawberries this year !!!

Before and after pictures of the strawberry bed . I have a row each of Mara des Bois and Elsanta bought from Ken Muir last year and the rest are an unknown variety, kindly donated by my neighbour.

- I finally dug up the remaining of the Jerusalem Artichokes. In the pictures below are a couple of plants worth; I planted about 10, which was enough for us to have a meal of Jerusalem Artichokes pretty much every week from October till March - pretty good, I think. As an experiment I blanched and froze the last harvest - I'm not sure if JA freeze well, I guess we'll see! I also saved 14 of the best tubers, which I replanted straight away. Two weeks on, they're not showing yet, but I didn't really expect them to anyway!

- We planted a row of red onion sets, next to the two rows of overwintering white onions and a couple of rows of shallots. They are a kind of banana shallots and we're trying them for the first time this year. I also found some stored red onions from last year sprouting in a drawer in the shed (not sure why they were left behind really ...). I have planted them up in the "odds and ends" bed as an experiment.

Top row: Red Onion - Baron and bottom row: Shallot - Jermor

- I transplanted the fig, orange and lemon trees from Lidl in big pots, wrapped them in a lot of horticultural fleece and left them outside. And yes, I know, this was a big silly gamble.

The results are rather mixed so far. The orange and lemon trees are doing great but the fig trees are clearly a lot more fragile and lost their leaves to some pretty heavy frost. I have now rescued them and brought them back inside where they seem to be recuperating well. I have spotted a few buds already and I'm pretty confident they will make a full recovery. Fingers crossed !

- On Good Friday I planted potatoes.

- A couple of weeks ago, I sowed some peas, 40 each of Kelvedon Wonder, Early Onward, Norli (mange tout) and Sugar Bon (sugar snap). Our clay soil was still a bit too cold to sow direct, they are in modules in a cold frame. No show so far but it's been so cold, I can't blame them!

- Today I also sowed some broad beans. And to contradict myself, they went in direct! But I have a pretty good reason for that; last year, the mice ate all the broad beans in the cold frame but didn't touch the peas - I know, funny mice ... But they also didn't touch the broad beans when they were planted direct. I do not try to understand how Glaswegian mice work. I just learn from past casualties!

- I also did a few tidying up jobs around the beds, building and rebuilding path and bed borders. But as it started hailing when I was finishing I didn't hang around to take pictures! You'll have to wait to judge my bricklaying skills!

And finally, the usual view from the top of the plot taken this afternoon in between two hail showers.

Good Friday potatoes

On our first summer, a few eyebrows were raised when the "old boys" found out we were not growing “tatties”. Our excuse was that we got the plot too late for planting potatoes but we could tell they were disappointed. To redeem ourselves, we tried to plant some “Christmas potatoes” at the end of the summer. But we lost them all in “The Big Flood - episode 1”. So last year, we were determined to grow tatties!

Potato bed, early June 07

I thought potatoes were simple things. Until I looked at the seeds catalogues. Pages and pages of them. First earlies, second earlies, early and late main crops, salad potatoes, blight resistant, eel worm resistant (what the heck is eel worm anyway?!), frost resistant, high yielder, grow better in the North, white, black, red, blue … My head was spinning!

Last year , we picked small amounts of a few varieties to experiment with, see what would grow well on our plot and which ones we like more. Well, one year on, we are still none the wiser as we lost our entire crop in "The Big Flood - episode 2". So this year is the real trial !

I got them all from Alan Romans, a family run business based in Fife. By the way, they also sell a good selection of seeds at dirt cheap prices - much recommended!

Our choice this year is:

- Red Duke of York and Duke of York for the first earlies

- Charlotte, a second early and salad potato

- Cara, a late maincrop, which I believe is blight resistant

- Pink Fir Apple, which is also a late maincrop. They are knobbly looking and a heritage variety and despite being very tasty, they are rather hard to get hold off in supermarkets or greengrocers.

- Mr Little's Yelthom Gypsy, an early maincrop but also a conservation potato. This is my "fun" potato of the year - I absolutely love the name and it is apparently the only known potato to show blue, white and red together in the skin.

Clockwise from top left corner:

Pink Fir Apple, Cara, Charlotte, Red Duke of York,

Mr Little's Yetholm Gypsy and Duke of York.

With regard to planting, there are two schools out there, the “chitters” and the “non-chitters”. Chitting potatoes means getting them to sprout before you plant them, like they do when you forget them in your veg basket. The "chitters" argue it speeds up the growing process. Last year, I didn’t chit mine, not on purpose, I simply forgot. And when I remembered it was too late. But it didn't seem to bother my potatoes too much and they grew regardless. This year I got them a bit earlier and I was a bit more organised so they have been chitted.

Once again, I decided to stick with a gardening tradition in which potatoes are planted on Good Friday. So, this Friday, the potatoes went in despite all my concerns. After all Easter is very early this year and we could still get frosts and awful weather. Although I'm glad to read that such an early Easter is not going to happen for at least another 150 years! The bed in which they went is now covered with black fabric, hopefully keeping the soil warm enough ...

Thank goodness for the blogosphere (and Lidl)

As I was just finishing the fig and cinammon jam my wife's cousin gave me for Christmas, I was thinking one more time how much I would love to have my own fig tree. Where I am from, figs are in plentiful supply in summer and autumn, but here, when the shops have them, they cost an absolute fortune. I mean £2 for 4 figs, what are they made of, gold?

Fruit tree extravaganza - Fig, orange, lemon and fig again (and potatoes chitting away)

The Urban Bumpkin brought to my attention early this week that Lidl were having one of their big gardening extravaganza this week and were practically giving away fruit bushes. Lucky she did as I was convinced it was next week and would have certainly missed out.

After a first failed attempt, I went back on thursday night and got a couple of fig trees. At £2.99 each, it's almost too good to be true, so we'll see how they get on. But I am already dreaming of fig and cinnamon jam!

And because I was prepared to pay a lot more at a garden centre, I also treated myself to a lemon and an orange tree. They will probably have to come back in during the winter or be seriously "fleeced". We'll worry about that when the time comes!

The weather forecast for this weekend looks atrocious and I don't think we would have done much on the allotment. Just as well we are off to Budapest tomorrow - although my birthday was at Christmas, this is my belated birthday present! Very excited!

I leave you with a couple of dwarf daffodils which flowered, right on cue, on St David Day.

Blooming marvellous!

There isn't much colour on the plot at the moment, apart from that lonely crocus that appeared in the middle of an empty bed ... The snowdrops below were actually photographed outside the flat!

Last week I was seeking inspiration for spring and summer blooms and inspiration I found on a couple of trips to Poundland and Poundstretcher last weekend - not your usual suspects in terms of garden centres but they actually have a very good selection of seeds and bulbs at a fraction of garden centres' prices. Here is what I came back with !

I spent a large part of Sunday afternoon deciding what should go where and finally came up with a plan: the larger, bolder plants will go in the long border on the left side of the plot and the smaller ones will go on the new flower border in front of the lawn. I filled the long border last Sunday and am now waiting for milder temperatures and the end of the frosts to plant the rest in the smaller border.

So in the long border we've got: dutch iris, physalis, lupins, gladioli, gysophilia, red hot poker, triteleia and acidanthera.

In the small border will go: lillies, freesias, tigrida, sparaxis and probably some annuals.

I also got a bit carried away with the annuals and now have a selection of seeds which should get doted around the vegetable beds: nasturtiums, sunflowers, poached egg plants, mimulus, nemesias, nigellas, nemophilias, forget me nots, marigolds and snapdragons. That seems a little ambitious though and I have a feeling that some of them might not make it out of the seed packet! Only time will tell I suppose.

I've sowed some sweet peas inside last week, some seeds I saved last year and some "High Scent" variety I bought this year. One week on, a few are already poking their heads through the compost !

Hopefully that will mean colourful bouquets throughout the summer!

Cut flowers

Now that I have made final plans as to what goes where in the vegetable beds, I have started fretting about flower borders. I’ll grow the usual suspects amongst the vegetable beds: nasturtiums (I always grow those, my wee sister is called Capucine, which is nasturtium in French), poached egg plants and marigolds to attract butterflies and hoverflies. And sweet peas will cover the unsightly metal fence at the bottom of the plot. But I have a newly cleared long border which I would like to use for growing flowers for cutting – I normally grow sunflowers and I have seen some gladioli in Poundland (30 bulbs for £1!!) but I am uncharacteristically lacking in inspiration. I would prefer to grow perennials but will probably mix in a few annuals. What are your personal favourites? Any suggestions for a sunny border and clay soil? Please feel free to inundate my comment box!

Germination log

- Aubergine - Melanzana Violetta Di Firenze - 4 cells, 2 seeds each - 0
- Aubergine - Halflange Violette - 4 cells, 2 seeds each - 1
- Radish - 3 varieties - outside - 0
- Chilli peppers - Cayenne - 4 cells, 2 seeds each - 0
- Chilli peppers - Jalapeno - 4 cells, 2 seeds each - 0
- Chilli peppers - Peach Habanero - 4 cells, 2 seeds each - 0
- Sweet peppers - Californian Wonder - 8 cells, 2 seeds each - 2
- Tomato - Moneymaker - 8 cells, 2 seeds each - 12
- Tomato - Gardener's Delight - 4 cells, 2 seeds each - 0

Repairs and new build

Another nice day, unseasonably warm (not that I am complaining!), although not quite as sunny as yesterday.

Equipped with hammers, nails and cable ties, we were all set for today big jobs. After a generous amount of swearing (me) and a few bruised fingers (me again), we had a strong and hopefully wind proof fence and a brand new compost bin.

The back fence

Single compost bin yesterday

And its twin today - so that we can now use them in rotation

The struggling broad beans were offered a little protection with a glass roof.

And the fruit bushes were moved to their new permanent position, to make way for a bigger strawberry bed.

Left, strawberry bed and fruit bushes at the back before they were moved; right, fruit bushes in their new border, with a few of last year runners planted underneath

What a difference a week can make!

Last saturday, we woke up to a white landscape and freezing temperatures.

This morning however, I was woken up by a bright ray of sunlight filtering through the curtains and this has not happened in a very long time I can tell you! Today felt like spring had come early ... Of course we all know it won't last but it was a much welcome break in the misery of a long Scottish winter!

The allotments were buzzing with activity, people repairing fences and greenhouses, clearing up abandoned plots, digging up new beds or rebuilding burnt sheds.

Jobs at number 52 today included:

- turning over the big bed at the bottom of the plot. It was covered with a thick layer of manure back in October and I want to use the bottom half as a brassicae bad. Seeing as it's been covered in manure for over 4 months and it is under a big pine tree which is constantly shedding a lot of needles, the soil is too acidic for brassicaes and I will have to incorporate lime before long. As I can't add lime over manure, it had to be dug over and I'll lime it in a couple of weeks. Luckily I wasn't on my own today and my assistant gardener did all the hard work!

Before - back in October - and after - today

Leeks in the forefront, you can see quite a few have now been harvested.

- removing the rotten fence at the back of the plot, one of the victims of the winter storms. Again, my assistant gardener was on hand to handle the removal and even managed to find a couple of pallets on his travels (well, at work actually) which we'll use for the repairs.

- digging up and replanting horseradish roots. We planted them at the shady end of the plot last year and they didn't seem to like it much there. They have now been replanted in a big wooden planter and moved to a sunny place. Hopefully that'll do the trick!

Horseradish - not looking like much just now

- weeding and tidying up the herb border. This was actually quite enjoyable, being surrounded by all the wonderfully strong smells of thyme, rosemary, marjoram and lemon balm. Everything seems to have survived the winter, apart from the tarragon but I still have a hope it might spring back to life as it did last year. The lemon balm, marjoram and fennel got a good haircut too and it won't be long before they start growing back again.

Clockwise from top left: sage, marjoram, thyme and fennel

- planted out some of the broad beans (Aquadulce) I sowed in October; they have spent the winter in the cold frame, quite a few got eaten by mice and the survivors looked really white and weak. I am not going to get excited about an early broad beans harvest just yet.

- sowed some radishes in a "recycled" grow bag from last year tomatoes. I know that's very optimistic of me but it's only a few seeds and who knows ...?

- thoroughly weeded the flower border at the bottom of the plot and relocated the iris bulbs and potentialla that used to live here - more of that in another post coming soon ...

Cleared up border

In other news, there is still plenty of overwintering vegetables to harvest. Apart from the usual suspects (jerusalem artichokes, leeks and sprouts), the "3S" bed with Spinach, Swiss Chard and Sorrel is still going strong as well as a small patch of rocket. We made pizza tonight with some of the spinach, rocket and marjoram - they beat Domino Pizzas everyday!

From left to right: Spinach, Swisss Chard and Sorrel

Overwintered rocket

Jerusalem Artichokes - the story so far

Jerusalem Artichokes are one of the most under-rated vegetables. In France, there are fed to pigs and cattle and hardly looked at. My grand parents refuse to eat them - but maybe because that's all they ate for weeks on during the war ... I got weird looks when I told them I was thinking about growing them but went ahead anyway.

That must have been one of the best decisions ever! They are one of the easiest vegetable ever to grow: put the tubers in the ground between now and March and watch them grow. Come October, the leaves start yellowing and the tall stalks are just cut to ground level - I left a couple of inches to make sure I could spot them easily (and make sure I don't leave any stray tubers as they tend to go rampant the next year if you do!) Dig them up as you need them from October onwards, they keep in the ground all winter and have survived despite the rain and frosts we've had. I'm going to save the last tubers and plant them on.

The rise and fall of the Jerusalem Artichokes bed

The taste is hard to describe, I have heard anything from nutty to oyster flavoured; personally I think they taste a little like artichoke hearts. And they must be the most versatile veg ever: boil, roast, mash, in soups or even raw sliced or grated in salads. There are definetely one of my favourite vegetables! Here are a couple of recipes we sampled this winter.

Jerusalem Artichokes with Pancetta and Parsley

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 450g of Jerusalem Artichokes
• 50g of pancetta or smoked bacon
• 50g butter
• salt, pepper and a small bunch of flat leaved parsley

Method:

1. Scrub the Jerusalem Artichokes and cut them in half.
2. Melt the butter in a large pan and fry the artichokes for a few minutes, add the pancetta or smoked bacon and keep frying for another 4 or 5 minutes.
3. Add 100ml of water, cover with a lid and cook very slowly for 30-45 minutes. Check that they do not dry and add a small amount of water if necessary.
4. Taste and season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Jerusalem Artichokes and Leeks Gratin

This is perfect to use up those two winter staples!

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 700g Jerusalem Artichokes
• 3 medium size leeks
• 100g butter
• 30g flour
• 500ml milk
• 200g cheddar, grated
• salt and pepper
• nutmeg

Method:

1. Scrub the Jerusalem artichokes, boil for 8-10 minutes until par-boiled, drain and leave to cool.
2. In the meantime, clean and thinly slice the leeks. Fry in 20g of butter until soft but not brown.
3. Peel and cut the Jerusalem artichokes into slices. Preheat oven to 350F/180 C.
4. In a small saucepan, make a béchamel (white sauce) using 50g of butter, 30g of flour and 500 ml of milk. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Add 100g of grated cheddar and the cooked leeks.
5. In a shallow ovenproof dish, arrange sliced artichoke in a layer, and pour the béchamel and leeks mixture over the artichokes.
6. Sprinkle over the rest of the cheese, dot with butter and bake for 45 minutes and until brown.

PS: and everything you have heard or read about their side effects is true. Do not eat before important meetings, job interviews or a crucial date. You'll live to regret it.

Let the growing commence!

It is difficult to believe that a new growing season is upon us when just yesterday, the allotments looked like this:

It had snowed overnight and the ground was covered in about an inch of snow. It did not last very long though and by lunchtime everything had melted away. The plot looks quite miserable at the moment, the overwintering vegetables looking sad, wet and windswept. But on closer inspection, I noticed the first signs that Nature has decided that winter had lasted long enough and spring should come soon...

That was all I needed to decide it was time to get the 2008 growing season underway!


So today, the first seeds went in:

- Chilli peppers - Cayenne - 4 cells, 2 seeds each
- Chilli peppers - Jalapeno - 4 cells, 2 seeds each
- Chilli peppers - Peach Habanero - 4 cells, 2 seeds each
- Sweet peppers - Californian Wonder - 8 cells, 2 seeds each
- Tomato - Moneymaker - 8 cells, 2 seeds each
- Tomato - Gardener's Delight - 4 cells, 2 seeds each
- Aubergine - Melanzana Violetta Di Firenze - 4 cells, 2 seeds each
- Aubergine - Halflange Violette - 4 cells, 2 seeds each

They are now in the heated propagator in the spare room and I'll be watching them closely over the next few days; I'm always looking forward to seeing the little seedlings poking their wee heads over the dark compost !

I have also sown some Alpine Strawberries in a small tray that I will keep inside for now and transfer later to the "wild" area at the back of the plot. That's where the raspberries grow already and it's in the shade most of the time, which alpine strawberries like.

To be perfectly honest, these are not exactly the first plantings of the season - I already put in a couple of row of onion sets and some garlic bulbs back in October and November. But the first seeds of the season are always that little bit more special.

Garlic Lover Collection - Spanish Roja, German Red, Solent Wight & Purple Wight

28 October 07

Onion sets - Autumn Champion and Swift

25 November 07

I also bought a blueberry bush in Lidl today (99p, bargain!) to join the rest of the berriy bushes: 2 gooseberries, 2 blackcurrants and a redcurrant. The strawberries bed is getting extended this year and as I said, I'm putting more alpine strawberries at the back of the plot. I'm still toying with the idea of getting some raspberry canes. We have some canes growing wild at the back of the plot and we have harvested several punnets over the summer but I'm thinking about an autumn fruiting variety (possibly Autumn Bliss). Space is tight but I love raspberries so watch this space!

Wind damage

The weather since the beginning of 2008 had been pretty awful everywhere in Britain, snow, heavy rains and flood. In Glasgow, it's not been much worse than usual with a lot of rain and some pretty cold temperatures! But last week we had gale force winds, which caused a bit of damage in the city and of course, on the allotments. A few fences came down (like the Urban Bumpkin's) and bits of shed and greenhouses went flying everywhere. At No 52, the biggest casualty was the plastic greenhouse which I hadn't dismantled, hoping it would survive the winter. Turned out I was wrong .

My small greenhouse, standing proud in March 07

Not so proud anymore in January 08

So I braved the very cold weather and finished what the winds had started. I will put it back up later this spring, but it will need a bit of repair first as some of the metal frame has been badly twisted and the plastic cover needs patching up.

I had a bit of fun playing with my new camera in the brassicae bed and managed to harvest a few winter veggies: leeks, turnips, jerusalem artichokes and a bit of raddichio (survivor of the frosts!).

And I leave you with a couple of views of the plot, looking a bit sorry for itself in the pale winter sunshine...