Some good news!

 No, it's not that the plot flooded. Which it did. 2 days before Christmas. Which meant no veg could be harvested for any of our festive meals. Which was annoying. Also, I have been collecting various fruit plants for Christmas pressies and they were totally sodden so I couldn't give them away either. But...

The actual good news is that we went down today and the waters had subsided. I had worn my wellies so could traipse through the 2 inch deep with water paths - whereas Mark could only stand by...whilst I pulled some leeks [Bleu De Solaise, from my own saved seeds from the perennial Leek bed] and 1 Stamme Onions [hazaah!!!] and some Avon Resistor Parsnips. Which needed a spade to dig them out - although it was more the suction keeping them in than the usual frozen soil issue.

So - 2 more successes from the Seed Circle. I will be getting more of these parsnips as they were absolutely delightful roasted, buttery and smooth. Nicest ever I'd say. So 3 will be left to go to seed in 2013. Roll on the new year! And the new A4A Seed Circle seeds, which will be coming hopefully in the near future.

Happy 2013 one and all!

Dwarf Mr Snow's Tomato

Sigh.

After all the rubbish year, looking after these flippin tomatoes and only having a few that produced...one of the most successful was Dwarf Mr Snow's - which I was expecting to be yellow and beefy - is beefy alright but has a black shoulder and has ripened to red.

Can I cry now?

I give up.

See you in 2013!

Glum

I've finally got it. Blight that is. The toms from the circle at the lottie finally succomed.

Surprised it wasn't earlier but it's still disappointing.

I've taken all the reasonably sized ones off and will try to let them mature but in 2 days, some have gone from green to black on the plant - even with only a few signs of black or yellow leaves. Must be mutating again.

So - I haven't got time to dispose of the lot tonight as I'm doing a day's course tomorrow, I was just popping down the plot to get the gooseberries I'd propagated earlier in the spring for the teachers to pot up tomorrow. But ended up having to pull up several plants otherwise those that are looking ok might just survive a few more weeks and I do want to give them a fighting chance.

Anyway - glum glum glum.

Roll on 2013. I'll be going back to making sure they are all under plastic next year.

Some from the circle are in the greenhouse or courtyard and they are still ok so far. Fingers crossed I may get a few seeds to share.

No photo - it's too depressing.



So I'm including a photo of my friends band's first CD. Keep it quiet but they first recorded most of it about 18 years ago and released it on vinyl but it only came out as a 'long player' the other week. Available on itunes or in hard copy from local independent record shops or from, of course, the fabulous Sister Ray in London Village.

August update

So far, with this year being so rubbish, I am just going to be Statto - rather than too emotional about these seeds. So here goes...successes so far in yellow font.

Achocha Lady’s Slipper (cyclanthera pedata)

I sowed these at one of my schools, and nada. They way well have come up and been slugged but I got nothing. 

Alliums

Babington Leek (allium ampeloprasum babingtonii)

These were on my hugelkultur bed but due to a problem with one of the paths, may have got trampled on when we were redoing the path - but they are tough little things so might well grow back again.

                     

Stamme onions

These are growing under the Gertrude Franck bed

Egyptian Walking onion Catawissa allium cepa proliferum

A success, they have walked already on my Hugelkultur bed. 

Broad Beans

Vitelotte 

Unknown Variety

Will be sown for an overwinter crop in about Sept

French Beans

Major Cooke 

Bonne Bouche

Cherokee Trail of Tears

Succotash

Magpie

Madeira Maroon

Edamame

Swedish One Dot

I sowed the dwarfs in the GF bed, but of course, they got slugged but some recovered so perhaps we might get some beans from some of them. The climbers I've cancelled for 2012 due to the fact that 99% of the ones I put out were slugged and I just didn't want to chance any more failures. Will save the rest for 2013.

Runner beans

Mrs Connell’s Black 

Mark is growing these and - although they looked pitiful for ages, have now got flowers and small beans growing. At last!

Corn

Painted Mountain

As far as I know, still growing strong at school.

Herb

Borage

Dill 

Quillquiña = Bolivian Coriander

Rocket

Turkish Rocket (Bunias orientalis).

Lovage

Flat Leaved Parsley

I sowed some of these in the GF bed and some have come up whereas others haven't. What a rubbish year to try this little experiment!

Sorrel Belleville

These seeds are growing happily

Kale 

Siberian Kale

Nero di Toscana aka Black Kale 

Not sown yet. 

Lettuce

Grandpa Admire’s

Pommee Brune d’Hiver

Pink

Sown a fair amount and am having lovely salads from them. Success!

Parsnip

Avon Resistor 

Sown in GF bed and growing well.  As seen on this photo next to some Long Red Florence onions. 

Peas and Mangetout

Golden Sweet mangetout 

King Tut/Pran’s Pea 

Magnum Bonum

Paula

Salmon-Flowered Pea 

Skånsk Märgärt

Stephen’s Pea 

Suttons Purple Podded 

Golden Sweet, King Tut's, Purple Podded and Magnum Bonum all sown, grown and being eaten if not already all harvested. The rest, either a late crop, an overwinter one or next spring.

Pepper, Chilli

Alberto’s Locoto, a Rocoto pepper

Chilli de Cayenne 

Small Unnamed Chilli 

Anaheim Chilli

Pepper, Sweet

Napier Pointy Red 

All sown, and growing well. Some may end up at Garden Organic's Chilli Day as they were grown at one of my schools and are being 'sold' [free but a donation to the fund would be good] to support that school's seed purchase for next year.

Pumpkin/Squash

Hungarian Zucchini

Georgia Candy Rooster Squash 

Waltham - butter nut squash

Zapallito Squash 

Hmm.....I am rather tender about squashes at the moment as nearly each one was mullered as soon as it was out by the slugs. I've lost about 100 plants. And where the plants have grown, I have pathetic specimens or the fruits have been mullered. As shown by the trails of slime in the photos. I'm this close to ripping the lot out as seeing this each day is more than a little deflating. 

Tomato

Alpatieva 905A

Beijing Yellow

Delhi

Demidov

Dwarf Mr Snow  

Early Tanana

Eli

Green Bell Pepper

He-man rootstock,

Koralik 

Korol Rannikh  

Latah

Michael Pollan

Monkeys Ass

Plumpton King

Prairie Fire 

Yellow Out Red In

Red Pear

Slovienian Black

Tasmanian Chocolate Dwarf

T.C. Jones 

Vova Yellow 

All sown and grown. I have hopefully got one of each myself, and when I went to the plot yesterday - even though the potatoes has blight a week ago, none of the toms have so I'll keep calm, carry on and harvest what I can. Harvests so far, a few Koraliks and one Nova/Vova yellow. I must check out it's real name! No Monkey's Ass yet - but I have high hopes. All the others are here, there, everywhere and are being grown by schools, chums and swappers. I took a fair few to the Nottingham Organic Gardener's Plant Swap and given loads to my contacts all around.

True Potato Seed

Blue Belle TPS      

Not sown this year as I have a large tray of TSP from our own Potato Breeding Project in my greenhouse. Thank goodness I kept it there as my 2 lottie neighbours have lost all theirs due to [yes] blight. 

                      

Spring Cabbage Durham Early

Nope, can't remember if I sowed these or not. Doylem!  I'm thinking not if I have no recollection.

Tzimbalo Solanum Caripense

Sown and grown, I have one at the plot that has flowered. It's not very big but it's been a rubbish year so I can't blame it. I gave one to a chum and she has it in her new polytunnel so you never know, she might get a decent crop.

 

Sweet Peas [mainly pink]

I thought I HAD sown these, and put them in a different place to my Cupanis but they have come out looking exactly like the Cupanis -  so somewhere along the line...someone has mucked up. Probably me of course!

Helianthus Sungold

I didn't sow these as - by the spring - I had hundreds of sunflowers all germinating in the soil direct. But come the slug onslaught, I have only 2 growing. So maybe I should have sown these - who knows? Next year. 

May update

Achocha Lady’s Slipper (cyclanthera pedata)

 

I haven't sown these this year yet - I have grown them before so I will sow them with some students after half term

 

Alliums

 

Babington Leek (allium ampeloprasum babingtonii)                     

Stamme onions

Egyptian Walking onion Catawissa allium cepa proliferum

 

the Babington Leeks and EWOs are in my Hugelkultur bed - and the Stamme onions are in my Gertrude Franck bed and all are looking good. Some of the Babington and EWOs were given to my good chum for her plot.

 

Broad Beans

Vitelotte 

Unknown Variety

 

Not sown these, I am going to save them for an undercover winter 2012/13 crop

 

French Beans

Major Cooke 

Bonne Bouche

Cherokee Trail of Tears

Succotash

Magpie

Madeira Maroon

Edamame

Swedish One Dot

 

The climbers and will be sown next week and grown up my Munty Frames - I still have work to do on getting the frames all back up again this year. Magpie, Edamame and Swedish One Dot were sown yesterday and are in the Gertrude Franck bed.

 

Runner beans

Mrs Connell’s Black 

Will be sown in a week for a later Runner Bean harvest

 

Corn

Painted Mountain

I have sown some of these at one of my schools, and the teachers are looking forward to using the cobs for art next term. The problem with schools and sweetcorn is that they generally aren't there when it matures so we sow it later for a Sept crop - but these guys finish earlier so we opted for the decorative type. 

 

Herb

Borage

Dill 

Quillquiña = Bolivian Coriander

Rocket

Turkish Rocket (Bunias orientalis).

Lovage

Flat Leaved Parsley

Sorrel Belleville

Dill, Lovage and Parsley was sown yesterday - the rest will be sown and dotted around the plot over the next fortnight.

 

Kale 

Both varieties will be sown after half term. 

Lettuce

Grandpa Admire’s

Pommee Brune d’Hiver

Pink

Pink is already sown, and the others are being sown a pinch at a time and will be grown at the plot. 

 

Parsnip

Avon Resistor 

 

Sown yesterday in the Gerturde Franck bed

 

Peas and Mangetout

Golden Sweet mangetout 

King Tut/Pran’s Pea 

Magnum Bonum

Paula

Salmon-Flowered Pea 

Skånsk Märgärt

Stephen’s Pea 

Suttons Purple Podded 

 

Lots of peas! Goldensweet is sown in the GF bed - the others will be sown over the next few weeks at the plot. 

 

Pepper, Chilli

Alberto’s Locoto, a Rocoto pepper

Chilli de Cayenne 

Small Unnamed Chilli 

Anaheim Chilli

Pepper, Sweet

Napier Pointy Red 

 

All of these were sown at school and the ones that we don't grow will be sold at Ryton Gardens' Chilli day on behalf of the students that have grown them. I am having one of each in my greenhouse though! The small unnamed chilli wasn't happy though and these did not survive. the Cayenne weren't sown this year. 

 

Pumpkin/Squash

Hungarian Zucchini

Georgia Candy Rooster Squash 

Waltham - butter nut squash

Zapallito Squash 

 

Candy Roaster and Zapalitto I supplied - and I have herds of these growing now in all my schools..the others will be sown over the next fortnight. 

 

Tomato

Alpatieva 905A

Beijing Yellow

Delhi

Demidov

Dwarf Mr Snow  

Early Tanana

Eli

Green Bell Pepper

He-man rootstock,

Koralik 

Korol Rannikh  

Latah

Michael Pollan

Monkeys Ass

Plumpton King

Prairie Fire 

Yellow Out Red In

Red Pear

Slovienian Black

Tasmanian Chocolate Dwarf

T.C. Jones 

Vova Yellow 

 

All these were sown and are growing well, at home, at the lottie, at some schools and I am giving the rest away this week as I am running out of space in the greenhouse.

 

True Potato Seed

Blue Belle TPS                          

 

Not sown this year - just didn't get time/space.

 

 

Spring Cabbage Durham Early

 

will be sown in a couple of weeks. 

 

Tzimbalo Solanum Caripense

 

These were sown and all are growing well - will be growing them at home, at the lottie and at schools. 

 

Sweet Peas [mainly pink]

Helianthus Sungold

 

These 2 haven't been sown yet - will be in the next 2 weeks. 

 

I am away from home for a few days to miss the Jubilee - so all the remaining seeds that I intend to sow will be going in as soon as I am back - the person looking after our house isn't good with watering [will probably drown them] so I am hesitating in sowing too many in the greenhouse with all this stonking hot weather. 

Here is a photo of the netting that I have made this year - it's on the Munty frame but needs fixing at the edges and the first batch of beans is ready to go in later this week.

Tasmanian Chocolate Dwarf Tomato and Beijing Yellow

I've potted on loads of the previously sown tomato seedlings now and just wanted to make a mention of the Tasmanian Chocolate Dwarf Tomatoes and the Beijing Yellow. They have grown significantly faster and bigger than the others; even considering they have all been in a cold greenhouse for a few weeks now.

Some of the seeds included in this circle have been added to my 'Heritage Box' which is basically a tray of 12 seedlings which included a mix of about 4 chillis/peppers and the rest tomatoes. All are open pollinated and will be sown tray by tray over the coming weeks. Each tray £5. £5 for 12 Heritage/Open Pollinated seedlings I think is quite good - and the money made will [of course] be put towards more seeds for 2013.

 A pic of some sun drenched daffs for you. Happy Easter [yes, I'm 2 days late, what of it?]

Update - Sat 7th April 2012

Quick update:
I held a training session last week and many of the tomatoes and peppers were transplanted by the attendees and taken back to their schools to grow on. One of the workshops was a small quiz on seedlings and one teacher took a shine to a pot of Egyptian Walking Onions that I had put in as a red herring, so I presented it to him at the end as a prize.

Now, It's been a bit of a manic few weeks so I have lost track of every single seedling but I am repotting later today so will have a tray of this circle's toms and peppers to photo later. I'll be keeping one of each and the others will be grown in schools, given away or swapped. I will potentially take some to the Nottingham Organic Gardeners' annual seed and plant swap in May as well.

Oh, and the Golden Sweet Mange Tout are in the lottie with a net over them against pea moth - and the Bijou pea are in a pot in the greenhouse and will also go to the lottie under a net - possibly later today if the weather picks up.


I've attached a photo of some White Snake's Head Fritillary that I saw at Anglesea Abbey last weekend.