Onions

4. MAY

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Everything was working out for me today. First of all I didn’t have to go to my GP to have my blood pressure checked – I did it  myself at home and just told them the result, all is fine. More time to spend on the allotment.

Yesterday afternoon I started taking some seedlings out of the greenhouse to harden them off and today I continued. That way I have gained some free space for the next lot of vegetables – sweetcorn this time. As it was a lovely warm day I took all my onion sets to the allotment to plant them out. A number of weeks ago I put all of them – red and yellow onions – in soil in a couple of trays and they very quickly put down roots and sprouted. I was really surprised how well they grew and when I was planting them today I was sure they looked the best that I ever had. If all of them survive and mature I should have a huge harvest. This piece of land was ready for them, I just had to rake it smooth and mark the lines. There is a small square of land left but I still have half of a tray of late planted sets. They will fill it nicely.

This part of my plot is a mini orchard, I have two mature apple trees here,

also some new ones – two little apple trees

and two plums. The strips of land between these will be for some sweetcorn, that will be planted in one block and perhaps some courgettes and squashes. Not an inch of land will be wasted.

Tomorrow will be more planting. The tomatoes that I planted a few days ago look very good so there will be more tomatoes going to be moved to the greenhouses on my ‘farm’. After all, I have five of them to fill….

21. APRIL

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The weather forecast was quite accurate last night – rain. It did rain, it was the kind of rain I quite like, gentle. I needed that on the allotment, our soil drains very well and we had a few dry and windy days.

I was working in the big greenhouse in the garden today. I have had this greenhouse for a fair number of years and I think this year it is just about the best – everything is neat and labelled. 

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As the weather is so unpredictable and I don’t want to plant my onion sets too early when the ground is cold and wet I thought I’ll start them in trays and when I’m quite sure they would be fine I’ll plant them out. By then they should have developed nice roots. 

First of all I thought my tomatoes didn’t germinate so I sowed some more and now I have got enough to plant up a small farm. I don’t mind I have so many, I know they can stay outside and produce good tomatoes – I have got a sheltered position all ready for them. Some of the more delicate will have to be in the greenhouses, same as the peppers and aubergines.

The rest of the seedlings are squashes, courgettes, a few pumpkins – one or two are the ghost ones, it’ll be interesting to see them among the others. I have both green peas and carlin peas – these will have to go inside the large net cage otherwise the pigeons would strip them.

Of course I have to allow some space for beans – no idea how I’ll manage that. Maybe this year I’ll wait till the weather is really mild and sow them directly where I want them to grow. Sweetcorn is another thing, I will  have to start it in the greenhouse but by then I’m hoping some of the pumpkins or courgettes might have moved out.

I have also started some nasturtiums inside, I’d like a good mix of colours on the allotment and also in the back garden. I’ll save my seeds for next year.

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12. FEBRUARY

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Every now and then I feel that my efforts to keep the site reasonably weed free are like painting the Forth bridge (but even that doesn’t need painting over and over again, they have got some special paint that lasts longer). It was the turn of my largest soft fruit cage – I have lost count how many time I did that and the weeds keep coming back.

I didn’t stay much longer after that and after lunch at home it was time for some greenhouse work. I have some garlic growing in there in one of my grow beds already and now I have added some shallots and onion setts in small cell trays. It works with the garlic – I’m hedging my bets as I have some garlic growing on the allotment already.

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I haven’t tried it with the onions or shallots yet, it will be interesting.

A NEW START

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Yesterday was an unseasonably warm day. I had to remind myself what date it was, it felt like a good day in early spring. It is too wet to do any serious work on the allotment, but saying that, all my serious work is done. The greenhouses are ready for the next growing season and as I have four of them I can spoil myself. I have decided to grow quite a lot of tomatoes, less of aubergines and a good mix of sweet peppers and chillies.

I have a good reason to grow more tomatoes, we are still using my bottled tomato soup and also chopped roasted tomatoes.

The chillies did very well and I have managed to dehydrate them, ready to be used in future recipes.

Yesterday was dedicated to work in my big greenhouse in the back garden. I have got four large grow beds there and I was able to single out and plant all my leek seedlings, also the onion seedlings. I have started those in late November. It seems to work, they are looking good.

I have also planted some garlic cloves, to make sure I have got enough to harvest later. I have garlic already growing on the allotment but you can’t have enough!

That was exactly my thought about onions and leeks so I started two more seed trays with leeks and onions. The plan is to grow quite a lot of vegetables that we like.

MORE TOMATOES

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I had so many tomato seedlings I had to put them not only in the greenhouses but outside as well. To my surprise and pleasure the outside ones are doing ever so well. I’m bottling oven roasted ones, making them into sauce and bottling them as well, the possibilities are endless. At the same time I am also using them in making tasty lunches – in combination with courgettes.

These monsters are tomatoes beefsteak, very firm, fleshy and very tasty.

The plot keeps giving, I am amazed every time I start harvesting.

The carrots are the very first ones and we had them steamed today as part of our lunch. Same with the potatoes and with that a piece of fish each, done in the oven very simply in foil with a drop of olive oil.

Very tasty indeed.

STARTING AGAIN

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Here we go again, another start of a new gardening year. I cleaned my greenhouse in the back garden and started three seed trays with onions and leeks. I didn’t do at all well with leeks last year and was determined to have another go. I’ve got Leek Mammoth seeds and have high hopes for them.

It is an unheated greenhouse but a very good one – a Rhino greenhouse – so the seeds should do well. We’ll see.

WEEDING

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It is well and good to have the rain and heat, everything grows but certain plants grow better than other – like weeds.

It feels like painting the Forth bridge but even they don’t have to do this any more ! I, on the other hand, have to carry on with the weeding. I have finished the onion and garlic beds today – I wonder how long they’ll stay like this.

From this

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to this

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Only time will tell.

THE FIRST OF MANY

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I started the new year as I mean to continue – on the allotment. We managed to take one more load of slab pieces to the allotment and that was enough to make a path in the middle of my large cabbage net cage.

The afternoon was devoted to sowing some seeds in trays. Leeks, onions Ails Craig and white onions, the seeds I bought when I was in Malta. I saw them there in the shops and was very happy when I found the seeds.

I use seed trays that I bought a number of years ago from Harrod Horticultural company. It was money well spent, I’m still using them and with care they’ll last many more years.

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They have one big advantage – even if I would miss out a few days, the seedling will be fine as the whole thing sits on top of matting and takes up water via the felt matting suspended in the bottom tray with water. I just have to make sure the tray is regularly topped up.

STILL GOING STRONG

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I went away for almost two weeks and thought that I would find a bit of wilderness on the farm. Not so, everything survived well. My very good friend Irene watered the plants in the greenhouse and thanks to that I had a lovely crop of delicious tomatoes.

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That was a nice surprise because I started growing in the greenhouse rather late. I think these might be Gardener’s delight – I found the plant growing on a path! Gave it a good home and this is my reward.

I had the usual stalwarts – carrots and parsnips, also a very nice cabbage. Long may it continue.

 

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As usual, whenever I go away, I looked to buy some different seeds. I was in luck this time. Found a new seed company and managed to get some seeds – white onion. Not the little pearl onions as I know but full-size ones. I tasted them whilst away and they are very nice, mild and sweet. We shall see how I get on.

CHARTERHOUSE ALLOTMENTS…

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…are improving. Amazing what a sunny day and a few willing gardeners can achieve.

Today was that day. Reg, who is not at all well but just keeps going somehow, had a helper – his grandson Carl. Hat off to Carl, he worked really hard and then Simon very kindly rotavated the plot and I can’t believe my eyes.

I was helping Simon with planting his onion sets and he rotavated a part of my plot. It was dug over but became very hard and lumpy. It is not any more!

The atmosphere on our site is very good, people talk, exchange ideas and seeds etc – by the way, thanks Simon for the onion sets, we shall never suffer shortage of onions! Or potatoes. Or anything else.

Happy gardening and may the sun shine on us.