22/03/2015 Early Spring Sowing.

Yesterday was cold and grey yet it was the first day of Spring.

On the positive side, thinking of the season we have just left,  it was not a very wet Winter nor a very snowy one. However it was quite frosty at time and bitterly cold.  I may have lost all my fuchsias. The last few days have been free from frost and planting outdoors has been possible and a 'touch wood' venture.

Today, I let the adventures and the dream plans run loose again. It was all about trying something new, something I was not familiar growing with in the garden.

I started with something a little crazy. It's just pure recycling in my mind, a little nutty scheme in my partner's view yet he laid an helping hand. We had a spare cat bed that we had to re-use or throw away. Our cats didn't like it at all. The unloved bed was discarded to the garden until we figured out how to recycle it properly.  As it is quite large and as the proper potting about in the garden has started in earnest, I saw in it a potential pot.  It met the retort: 'What about its door?'

Dreaming of an answer, I started to visualise the possibility of that odd container from a mini rock garden using the door of the basket as a feature to let the alpine plant cascade out to creating terraces within the pot. I went for the latter. If the idea of the rock garden is not discarded for good, it is postponed until next year providing me a year to plan it carefully with a lovely selection of plants and also to read about the subject.

So this year is not ornamental, it is all about trying my hand at cultivating different type of vegetables. Terraced in rows, the container made a perfect veg patch for experiments. I allocated the first and lower row to spring onions 'North Holland Blood Red', a red variety.  Loving a good stir fry, I tend to buy spring onions every two weeks. I am looking forward to see if I will be successful in growing some.

For the second row, I sowed leek, a variety called 'Elefant'. It's another staple veg in my shopping list, and my fridge is never devoid of leeks at any time. From stews, to soups, stocks and risottos, to letting them do all the talking on a plate, I love leeks, its great taste and versatility. It was not always so for in my childhood I hated leeks and in particular the stringy  thick potage my mum used to make out of them. But with time and adulthood, the humble leek lost totally his 'boogeyman'  aspect in my mind. Especially trying fantastic recipe like 'leeks vinaigrette' by Valentine Warner put leeks back into a big winner for my taste-buds:

http://www.valentinewarner.com/recipes/vegetables/leeks-vinaigrette/

In the third row, it is another vegetable we love to hate but that I actually like: Brussels Sprout. The variety is 'Eversham Special'.  Total novice there as well at growing them, it will be educational. During my time as an Au-Pair girl and Nanny, I spent many Christmas, helping in the kitchen, chatting away with K, sitting at the table preparing the sprout the traditional way: hard bottom off, bad leaves off, cut crossing the top then they simply went to the boiling pan. Somehow, I have fond memory of the tedious task because I associated Sprouts so much with the buzz of Christmas. It is no surprise that in my household, every Winter welcomes that veg however the way I cook with those green gems is utterly different: braised in butter, jazzed up with nuts of some sort (walnuts work well with them) and pancetta cubes equal nice side veg treat.





My final two experiments are trying to grow 'Cornichons' : 'Vert Petit de Paris' . I am fond of gherkins. I eat literally about three pots of them a week while relaxing and catching up on TV programs. So I am well excited about that plan.









Last I sowed an aubergine seed. I haven't got room for more as butternut squashes and pumpkins will occupy my larger pots this year. The variety is 'Early long Purple 3'. The aim is to make my partner appreciate them more. Seeing something grow and caring for it creates bonds between a plant and the gardener. I guess I dream that his pouting pursed lips when I ever buy an aubergine will disappear in a smile when he picks up a large one for diner from the garden. Well that's the plan which pursues into let's give that aubergine 'star treatment': A bit of mozzarella, tomatoes from the garden, Italian herbs from our UK pots on the patio and 'Voilà: we have Aubergine Parmigiana!'. One of my favourite dishes, as comforting as delicious which I want to share with Mr Aubergine Shy-Puke so he becomes Mr Aubergine Love-More. He won't be able to resist a Jamie Oliver recipe, he never have been able to...


http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/aubergine-parmigiana-melanzane-alla-parmigiana/#R0Tohr09cdVvR7K2.97

Spring is here with lots of scope to start plenty of dreams and plans and make them work out. Whatever your dream may be, it is the time to put your plans into action. 

It's growing time. 

Win or fail, there is a lot to learn from any endeavour. 

Yeehaw!

15/03/2015 Hellebores and the March Hare.

March is marching in...

Longer days, light and Spring are settling in. 

The most enjoyable thing is to watch the small changes happen everyday: A seed sprouting from the ground, a plant cut back springing back to life, roots giving  healthy shoots.

Plant a pea. It is so simple and easy. Three weeks later, I have the 'Tendrilla' to a good start. 

I will keep it indoors until there is no frost outdoors. Hopefully with a right frame and care it will pay off. 

I will use my lessons learnt from growing 'Firetongues' beans last year, if they can apply. 

The plan is simple: get some pods, break them open and eat, raw or not, like in my childhood.

Last week, I cut back the Clematis. This week the growth on them was amazing. Buds are bursting from the stems. It just spells a starry colourful Summer in perspective. I just love Clematis. The windy winter made it hard to protect them. However, I managed to save my two Clematis, many times, moving them about. Being in big pots rather than ground helped me do so. However I aim to frame those Clematis this year in order to give them more growth for next year. I hope for a star flower show from this year onward. 

Today I planted the Hellebores in a big planter by the door. Pink Lady, yellow ones and blue Hellebores will give a nice show every year. The door and front of the house was so neglected plant wise compare to neighbours, it had to be corrected a little. I just love hellebores, the sight of them but never grew them before. This front door planter is a big plan to learn how to. I am a fuchsias and tomatoes addict  and could add hellebores to my addictions if I follow my inclinations. Year after year going back to them for pure visual pleasure. I just need to learn all about them and then... I will be Hellebore to the next plan...

The March Hare is jumping about.

Sheila Williams's painting.

The Saints are marching in. 

Happy mother's day.

XXX

08/03/2015 Happy Birthday Lanou.

Another Sunday, not like any other: it is the birthday of my niece which is now 20.

Wanna say time flies before you know it, but I rather say the 8th of March marks the birth of life in my household. Like marking Spring, it is the day where we go planting outside big time.

First,  I planted sunflowers this year to mark Orlane's 20th birthday: 'Ruby Sunset', a dark red sunflower, but also 'Starbust Lemon Eclair'  an almost lime yellow variety. Big statement flowers for a grown up girl grabbing her life in both hands will be a delight to see grow fast, tall and larger than life. I went colourful for Lanou is not your common sunflower. She is very special.

Second, the potatoes starters, Désirée and King Edward have been planted. I am looking forward to this year potatoes crop. Last year I  planted potatoes in late April  which was a bit of a total disaster. Also the quality of the stater seed was overlooked. I had the belief that it will still give an abundant outcome which was far from being the case. This year my starters are not home made but bought. I went for two renown varieties with great hope. Only one alberto bartlett seed, an Apache potatoe, red and white, was also planted. It germinated in the potato bags outdoor all winter. I didn't have the guts to say 'no, you have no room in there this year'.  For all it's growing effort I kept the odd one in with a bright smile.: The surprise in the bag. Let's see what it has to deliver.

One of the main task today was getting on with the last of the pruning. Cutting the raspberries right back down, the kitchen herb like mint down to their new shoots, clematis down to near their growing buds, and the fuchsias, all done with hope and faith that it made space for new growth, from fruits, scented leaves to flowers.

I can only recommend strongly for anyone to grow kitchen herbs. It is fairly easy. Left unattended all winter, I discovered young growth and strong growth to almost all of them: Chocolate mint, spearmint, rosemary, sage, purple sage, curled parsley and chives. This year I plan to increase my range of herbs with flat leaf parsley, thyme and lemon thyme, Greek basil and basil. Tarragon and chervil are also on the map if I get some pot space. I tried to re-pot, shop pot live basil but it is just an experiment. Touch and go.

Fourth came the sowing, planting. The jasmine is growing nicely and I put its best out-shoot in a pot, still attached to the mother plant, to root and grow.  The mother plant was bought two years ago in Wilko for not much. Nicely scented, giving lovely small white flowers, it has been a sturdy plant although kept untamed. Given the chance to have a second one from an off shoot was an opportunity not to miss out. I am planning to have a gorgeous planter by my main door yet I am still totally undecided to what to plant in it. Starting with a white jasmine background, structure is a tempting idea.

Then I sowed romanesco pepper seeds. I grow chillies, lots of them. Sweet pepper is a new thing. I grew found of eating baby sweet peppers last year. This year I am growing them. The long red romanesco are one of my supermarket best buy as a cook. It made sense to start growing them. Cross fingers, in a few months, I will see romanesco and sweet mini peppers aplenty.

Sowed twenty seeds of  'Baron Solemacher' strawberry. A small kind that looks like wild ones, hopefully they taste likewise. And that would be just a big yeehaw!

Last of today's trial is a Coquina butternut squash. I love squashes. I am growing pumpkin ( a giant kind) and normal butternut squash this year. The Coquina is just a fancy trial on the side. Yet that would please me tremendously if it works out.

Seeing the tulips and daffodils growth in the patio garden made today a Spring day: a birthday of life.
                                                            Happy Birthday my Orlane.

01/03/2015 Happy Days.

March!

It feels like Spring is marching on.

Seedlings are growing: well, most of them. The tomatoes and chillies are doing fine.

The novelty of the bunch the Goji berry is harder to grow. Out of 3 seeds, 1 made it. It will take a year and an half before it can make it to the big outdoors. The dream plan is a little bush of healthy Goji berries to be picked in 3 years. Patience is the essence. Like asparagus it is not something you can enjoy the very same year you plant them. It's a future investment. The Baby that is making it so far will be very tended, I can assure you.

Last week I had to sow again the tender stem broccoli for all the seedlings grew long, drooped, and wilted. Now, I am trying a prop: Toilet paper tube as a frame, cut to specific length. All the seeds of broccoli done something so fast, that I put their frame on today. Hopefully they will carry on growing strong this time around.

I replanted some winter lettuce again today for the same reason. I also gave a try to little gem lettuce, which was planted outside. Cross fingers. In a slug plagued garden, I shall grow lettuce. The fight and dream is on.

However the main sowing happened outdoor with Root veg: Two types of carrots, Nantes 5 and Chantenay, Beetroot (Crosbys-Egyptian), Parsnip (White Gem). Lots of anticipation and learning to be had: I never grew any of them before. I am a pack instruction learner so far until I can adjust that to be an experienced grower.

Last but not least are the fancy trial: I am giving another chance to the 'Pea Tendrilla' which totally fail to appear last year. Just a single pea in a pot. We will see. The other is a cucumber: Marketmore 76. A gift. The surprise in a seed.

Spring means renewal. Leaving behind the harsh winter.
I had a hard winter, which I cannot wait to leave behind me.
Never lose hope for better days. For they do come.

There will always be a bug in your path.
Let's call it whatever, locust, slug, or humbug!
They love snacking on your roots and leaves.
They love what you have and want it.
They will do whatever to get it, regardless of morals.
Let's say I was plagued, yet survived.

For they just had to knack it off.
Call it:  bad karma biting tails.

Oh Happy Days!