Would you like broad beans with that?

One of the best gluts of the year is upon us. For the third week in a row, I have come home with a sack full of beans. For two weeks before that I was having small harvest. Can do loads with Fava beans though - handy as cos of the rain all week, some have got a little big so need something bit different doing to them. Am going to make Fava bean puree later.

Now have thirty tomato plants in, 6 sweet peppers, dwarf borlottis, French beans, and what Runners I have in at the plot. I have station sown more runners to make up for the pitiful germination rate I had at home. Did I say I have about 16 hot chillis at the plot so should not run out this year.

And, having just pulled an overwintering onion - I can say that I was self-sufficient in onions last year as I put six smallish maincrop onions from last year in the Lentil soup I made yesterday.

Too much school

Cuh - half term is only a week long. Think we work kids too hard and should give em more holidays meself.

Anyways - during the too short half term, I got in most of the rest of my brassicas - red cabbage, calabrese, kohl rabi, sprouts, swedes and a couple of curly kale that had evaded the snails at home. They are looking fine and dandy - watered in with nettle tea. Have also got 5 pepper plants in, sown some french beans around my chillies and planted out 2 Buttercup, 2 Hubbard and 1 Jack o'Lantern squash, half my toms and what runners have germinated (they have been rubbish this year). Got more winter and summer squash to do this weekend. Everything is looking good so far. Oh yeah, forgot - got about 25 sweetcorn in and sown a load more.

There was summat else I wanted to put but have forgotten what it was.

^&£$ it!!!!! :o(

Picture it...

Saturday evening, t'ad been on me mind all day. Did a web search for Norths Lincoln Horticultural Society to find out when their sale was on cos that was where I got me riduculously cheap rootrainers from last year and, yes, you've guessed it - that bloody morning!!!!!!! Oh well, plan B - "borrow" the rootrainer that the Woodland Trust sent me at school a couple of weeks ago with a load of Sliver Birch seed mixed in compost!!!! D'ya think anybody'll notice? Or I could gate crash the NLHS shop and pretend I am a member.

Oooh er!!!

Ain't been here for a while - but then again, been a bit quiet on the plot with me concentrating on ground preparation.

Last of my broad beans in up there - planning went a bit wrong cos calculations have shown that the sweetcorn will take more space than thought so had to do some digging to get the broadies in. Also have one runner area dug and an area for some Nantes and Autumn King carrots once I get the soil fine enough.

Parsnips are up but germination has been a bit patchy with whole areas that seem devoid. Carrot germination has also been patchy. Must have been the dry weather. Got half of my runners (two varieties) sown at the weekend. The other half will be sown when the others go in the ground.

Tonight I sowed half my sweetcorn (Double Standard) Will sow the other half when I get some more rootrainers.

Bin AWOL

I have been walking in Derbyshire for a week but have been back for three days without bloggin'. Naughty me!!!!!

Anyway, got the last of my seven rows of tatties in as planned. Sowed the rest of my Marfona two per station and the same with my King Eds. Hate small seed as they throw all my planning out of key. If they had all been the same size as my Pentland Crown, Desiree, Arran Pilot, Home Guard and Kestrels, the planned seven rows would have been perfect. As it is, I have a rows worth of Kind Eds that I am going to have to give to my mate and cos they were so small, my yield will be down. Had to give up on the paper as I ran out so the ones without paper, got more grass - will probably be better. I have covered the rest of the solanum bed as I am going to virtually no dig my tomatoes - the previous tenant did nothing with this part of the lotty so I am just going to dig a hole where each tom plant will go, fill it with compost, grass cuttings and leaf mould, put the soil back and then cover with cardboard. The toms can then go through the cardboard.

Sowed my first sowing of squash tonight - that is:
Summer:
Black Beauty Courgette
All Green Bush Courgette
Sebring Courgette
Pattinson Patty Pan (well looking forward to these)

Winter:
Butternut (variety a mystery)
Anna Schwartz Hubbard
Burgess Buttercup
Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato
Jack o' Lantern Pumpkin
Sunnysideup Roadside Specials

Also:
Marketmore Cucumbers.

Have also sowed giant Sunflowers as that is the competition up the lotty this year.

Finally, trying to beat the pea curse on my plot so bought some guttering today and sowed Hurst Greenshaft peas.

No sign of my carrots, parsnips or spring onions yet. Have baby pods on by November sowing of Broad Beans.

My MIL has sown the marrows that we are all going to grow as part of a internecine competition, which I will undoubtedly win due to my undoubted prowess with all things courgette - where is the wink smiley when you need it??????

Short one tonight

Sowed a row of Parano and a row of Nantes 2 carrots with a row of White Lisbon Spring Onions in between today. Had to water two rather lumpy beds today, leave for an hour then rake to get the tilth I wanted - the second bed is for my parsnips which will be going in tomorrow along with some beetroot.

Oh aye, and the Imps at the moment couldn't hit a barn door - not that they bother trying. Loads of good build up then no delivery.

Barking up the wrong tree?

Well, seem to have had a bit of flack for this elsewhere but experimenting with my potato row spacing this year. As it is now April, tis not too early to get maincrop spuds. Maincrops need wide row spacing so had a thought - to save space initially, I am planting in sequence 1st, MC, 1st, MC, 2nd, MC, 2nd, MC on the basis that most of the 1sts and 2nds will be out as the MCs are doing the last of their bulking up. This way they will have an empty row between each one. It will also allow them to dry out quicker thus being less attractive to blight spores. If it don't work - I won't do it next year.

To that end, got a row of King Eds and a row of Arran Pilot in.