Allotment 29/3/10

One of the things I like about this time of year is the appearance of wild garlic or Ramsons. When the flowers come out you will know about it because of the overwhelming smell of garlic when you wonder through the woods.

 If you don’t like garlic I would ignore this next bit. The leaves of this plant taste fantastic (good mixed with salad leaves or chopped into a risotto) and you can eat the flowers as well (they are also great sprinkled on a salad). For many other recipes you can click here.

 As usual I am quite lucky with living where I live as I have wild garlic growing just up the road from me so I can pick it fresh when I want to. It does have a season so I recommend that if you see some pick it and give it a go.

You may remember that in the last post I made a bit of a fuss about the over complicating of germinating seeds.  It is only fair that I put my money where my mouth is and show you how my seeds are getting on.

Here we have cucumber, melon, courgette, and chillies but you will note that the squash seeds are yet to show,

And here are cabbages, cauliflowers, chard but no celery yet.

Is it going to be cold again because I want to get my potatoes in?

Allotment 22/2/10

Just because it is cold and wet (really wet) doesn’t mean that nothing is happening at the allotment.
Well, when I say the allotment I really mean my kitchen and back garden. I was supposed to go and plant some seeds today but the rain was so hard that I decided against it. The plan involved early carrots and salad things (spring onions, radishes, salad leaves) under my ugly but useful plastic cloches but the weather put pay to that. It’s not that bad really because the ground is pretty much prepared; it just needs some seeds in it.
So a change of plan was called for and that’s how I ended up in my kitchen. I have decided to start that bit of the year that the non-allotmenter in your life dreads. It’s time to break out the seed trays. Soon the whole house and garden will be full of them (if you’re allowed to, I have an understanding Significant Other)
I have a nice collection of those seed trays with plastic tops on a bit like a mini greenhouse so that’s what I’m using.

Seeds out of my lovely seed box, compost from the worm filled bag and we are off. I have planted celery (never grows well), Swiss chard, autumn Cabbage (2 types) and autumn cauliflower.



As far as I can tell most seeds seem to do alright if you put them on the surface of the compost and then sprinkle a little more compost over the top. There are more scientific ways of going about this but I’m not one of those people. If it grows, it grows.



Don’t forget to label, nothing worse than not knowing what has germinated (I’m sure the people of Haiti may disagree but have they ever grown 2 types of beetroot and not known which is which?)



And then lid on and off to the shelf in my garden. Yes it is cold but they should be ok.
If I never mention them again you know they haven’t worked.