Marigold Memoirs

The last couple of Sundays have mostly been spent at the allotment. The one before yesterday, a friend from Ireland came over and helped out. He says it's relaxing and therapeutic. Who am I to say no? He dug up the blackberry roots in about 1/3 of that back part I have been avoiding!

While he was busy with that, The Male, decided to cut down the nettle in the Wild Section. We're going to have a rethink on all of that. It's just too wild. I'd much prefer a bunch of Marigolds to a bunch of nettles. I sprayed everything again and not a moment too soon. One of the Calabrese heads was infested with white fly. We harvested 10 Cauliflowers and the rest of the main Calabrese heads. I also pulled up half of the overwintered garlic and left half to see if there is any difference when the scapes stand up straight. This week on the culinary front has mostly been a war to get through the brassicas in the fridge. We gave two caulis away, froze two heads into individual florets with a tedious microwave blanching method that helps to retain the vitamin C and then froze them on trays before bagging them. I've made cauliflower and broccoli salad, which is truly awesome. Caluliflower cheese, of course. I had brocolli cheese and rice one day when I was alone and froze the rest. Finally, we had a Spanish version of brocolli with onions and olives. Still there are three heads of cauliflower and one head of brocolli staring at us in the fridge-with the ever looming thought of side sprouts growing at the allotment!

Wouldn't you know it-yesterday when I went to the allotment, some of the Calabrese side-sprouts were as big as the full sized heads..

I also harvested peas. Using medium sized freezer bags, there were about a half a bag of completely over-ripe petite pios, a whole bag of mangetout, and another half a bag of sugar snap peas. The last radishes, which I sowed a few days after planting the tomatoes, were ready. And, we had our first courgette. It was an immature baby marrow, but who's counting??

Besides harvesting way too much veg, I have been doing some heavy weeding of the alliums, and while I do that, I am fingering (the process of loosening the soil around them) all of them that I can in the hope of bigger bulbs. I also planted 10 more of the sweet corn plants that were in wait, one of the purple artichokes that looked like it could hold its own, and the two pepper plants that survived even the foulest shade in the back yard. That's one Habanero that overwintered on the window sill and one Yolo Wonder sweet pepper.

More to the topic of marigolds and other flowers - the Pot Marigolds are coming into their own on the allotment with huge amounts of flower heads. I seem to have a line of them up front mixed with poppies, cornflowers, and a few others I cannot identify from a wildflower seed packet I sowed oh so long ago. I promise pictures next time! I also have to get out a recipe for Calendula hand creme. The French marigolds are planted around the four borders of the tomato patch. They are all just getting going with one flower each. The nasturtiums that I sowed next to the apple trees in the new potato patch are flowering in profusion and threatening to take over the courgettes and marrows.

As I said in the title, I must remember not to plan any vacation after the middle of June.

These smell fantastic and match the paint on the breakfast room wall so well! We'll save some of these seeds for sure at the end of the season.

Japanese Onions and French Shallots. A row (approximately one half) of the shallots had some white mold on the bases so they are not shown here. They will be caramalized and eaten before the mold knows what's up.

This week, I did some harvesting. I swear, last night I came home with a trolley full plus two bags of lettuce and spinach. The male asked if I had already contacted Christian Aid.

What's left of the first sowing of turnips are full sized now. One even cracked. About time too, because the parsnips are growing large leaves and requiring more space. I hope they don't bolt.

We are still picking Continental Lettuce mix and Spinach from the Baby Salad Leaves mix. The mizuna or mustard (not sure which) already bolted.

The Calabrese are ready. We gave one to an allotment neighbour and have cooked one so far. Five more await their fate in the fridge. We have taken to making bubble and squeak as an easy fix for two heads of cabbage at a time. It is lovely with the Red Duke of York potatoes we are slowly making our way through.

I dug up three Belle de Fontenays and two Edzell Blues. Well, I picked the top potatoes out. I'll dig up the row when I get to the end of it. This will give the potatoes a chance to harden their skins before introducing them to the wide world. I have another reason for delaying the completed harvest.

Blackleg or Early Blight.

Not sure which, but whatever it is, some of the stems turn black and some of the damaged tubers succumb to black looking rot with a horrible smell. There are also brown looking freckles on some of the leaves.
The Edzell Blues are great roasted and the Belle de Fontenays are larger than expected. We had two large ones baked last night with a little creme frais, cheddar, butter and chives, it was divine. I've started to spray with Bordeaux mixture for the blight just in case. Even if I make it through Early blight, there is still Late Blight to worry about. I have also taken to spraying most everything else with Vitax Organic 2 in 1 Pest and Disease Control for the various flies. You should see them fly away when using this stuff! it is made out of good stuff like Chrysanthemums. It's the same concept behind planting Marigolds all over the place to detract certain pests but in a spray form.

Sowed

Beetroot Detroit 2
Beetroot Organic Boro F1
Some Organic Spinach F1
Carrot Organic Jeannette (last year's seed - not expecting much)
12 Crown Prince squash. (the three I planted out at the allotment were munched!)
4 more Galeaux de Eysines (sp?) pumpkins. (The one I planted has made it through but its stem is looking a little worn.)


Planted

8 Enorma Runners (at allotment in the middle of courgette and marrow patch, where the first earlies were.)
8 Butter Beans (they grow like runners) in back garden on a wigwam, inter-planted with sweet peas.
22 Dutch Purple Podded Peas (about 15 at allotment where the overwintered broad beans were -yup they died without producing much of anything. about 6 on a wigwam in the border in back garden)

Moved


The bolting leeks and what I think is a bolting Spring Onion out of the veggie plot to the flower border. Some of them don't know if they want to stand up or not, so I have tied their leaves to sticks to give them a hand. Waiting on a show!

The first of many!

I've put them on a throw pillow and by a jar of mustard for scale. I can't believe how big these shallots are getting. The leaves aren't even yellow yet. And all those came from one shallot. The beetroot were pulled just out of curiosity. I'll probably add the stems to a salad. There are plenty of shops that stock Polish food around here, so I'm planning for large pots of Borsht, with perogies (dumplings) and smetana (a thick sour cream).

Today and a few days ago, I planted 4 outdoor cucumbers, 1 Pumpkin Galeux de Eysines, 3 crown prince squash, 2 yellow crookneck squash, 1 Organic Dundoo F1 courgette, 1 courgette gold rush, 2 marrow long green bush 2 improved, 1 pattypan squash, 14 corn plants, 4 French Marigolds Bolero, 5 or 6 more tomatoes. I might be forgetting something in the haze of post-allotment brain-fog. Do you know what I mean? It's like you're all happy, content and relaxed, but at the same time it's like you've downed a pint of lager and are somewhat inebriated.

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I have nearly killed all the broad beans with a strong solution of Fairy dish-washing liquid and water for the blackfly. It was supposed to be 1 part soap to 10 parts water... All the leaves started turning black within minutes. It'll be a miracle if they survive. I'll have to get some proper horticultural soap and be sure to measure correctly in future. The tomatoes have greenfly, so that I can see a trip to the nursery in the very near future.

Also having to change the menu for the next few weeks to deal with the onslaught of potatoes and brassicas...

From left to right, carrot thinnings, Red Dukes of York, Edzell Blue, and green shallots. In the bowl are three pointed cabbages. I didn't quite realize how soon they would be ready. In the next three weeks, I'll have 27 more mature brassicas on my hands! The calabreses are already heading up. In the bags are more baby turnips and their greens that I still have to go through. I am thinking of making a big pot of greens tomorrow in the slow cooker while I go to the allotment. And there are of course, the big ubiquitous plastic containers in the fridge full of baby spinach, mustard, continental lettuce, and rocket.

At the allotment, I had a big weeding session and planted out a few things. Now the main crop onions can breath a bit more freely, I reckon. Since I have to walk to there, I am taking a few plants at a time to go in their final positions. I planted:

Three Marmandes
One Ferline (or Harbinger :-) )
One Gardener's Delight
12 Bronze Fennels
6 strawberries (1/2 Elan F1 and 1/2 Florian F1 - all continuous fruiters until Autumn)

The plan has changed somewhat for the corn, beans, and squashes. The area in the back is much harder to dig than I thought so I am going to try and dig it slowly over the next 5 months while putting in Winter veg. I must also remember to only plant 5 of each type of brassica. If you play your cards right, you can have fresh cabbage, broccoli, or/and cauliflower 11 months out of the year. Me thinks I'll save the freezer space for rarer fruit and veg.

A few days ago, I added a herb border in the front of the veg plot in the back garden. In all, there are 10 thymes, 4 sages, and 2 new rosemaries.

There are lots of carrots now and they are starting to put on weight. These came from the first row I sowed in late Winter. The others that I thinned were much less impressive, so I put them on the compost heap. I don't know if I'll get back down to the allotment for another week or so. Already, it's been nine days since the last time I was there since I was busy with studying and work. I hope to get more done after the 5th. Also in the pic are three of the Japanese Onions. I'm so impressed. They are the biggest onions I've grown so far. The rest are still in the ground to see if they'll get bigger. I read that they are suppose to come up in late June.

I cut the spinach back as it's starting to bolt. We are now in need of a spinach and feta tart recipe. I thinned the radish and turnips again, and picked the purple sprouting broccoli and four large broadbean pods. Those greens last week were awesome! The few small broadbean pods that I picked last week went into a mushroom risotto pods and all. Yum.

The weeds are taking over

Today, while the sun was shining, I tried to knock back all the weeds on the undug parts by stomping on them. I hoed the interior paths, which have hundreds of nettle plants. I've noticed that the back area is covered with that sticky willie weed, which is becoming very tall and invasive. And some of the old nets from the Winter brassicas are covered with them.

I weeded and raked the area where the cauliflowers were. I'm thinking of putting some of the corn there because the space is free. I really don't know if I'll get that back part dug in time. As it is, Summer and Winter squashes need to go out there. I might put the courgettes over where I am digging up the First Earlies. I dug up three today, and gave away what was under one plant to an allotment neighbour who kindly gave me a cup of tea. They are doing a great job over on the far side of the plots by the river with hard landscaping, pergolas, decking, wooden cold frames, and tons of fruits. I'm jealous!

Thinking ahead

I sowed mangetout and snap peas where I sowed peas the first time. Only one germinated from that bunch.

In the asparagus bed, I ripped out the dead crowns, weeded and sowed the lettuce that I ordered last week. I figure it will give me a chance to use the bed for a while until I can properly dig it over and manure it for new crowns later on. I read somewhere that the end of May is pretty much your last chance to sow lettuce before it gets too hot.

Good news! Two of the purple artichokes germinated and are now hardening off in the cold frame. I'll plant them out and dream of artichokes for next year!

Some time over the weekend, I mixed cosmos, rudbeckia, phalecia, gypsophilia, and pot marigolds together in a bag like the guy on Gardeners World did a few weeks ago. I then spread them around a bare spot in the back border. A few have germinated already. I started putting in some flower bulbs. I can't remember the name right now, maybe I'll mention it when I plant some more in a few days to keep them blooming for longer. I think they are some type of gladiola. The Irises are blooming in the pond and the lavender is beginning to bloom in the border just as the Forget me nots are fading away. I have resown some of the Lima beans. The first sowing rotted in the pots because it was way too early for them. Finally, I've started off 9 butter beans that grow like runners and 9 regular runner beans called Enorma.