Flighty’s plot – Page 12

Plotting again

I went to the horticultural society trading shed this morning to buy the onion sets and seed potatoes I’ll be growing this year.

The onions are Sturon as usual, which I’ve always found reliable and store well. I’ve still got enough to last me to at least Easter, which is the end of next month and they’re mostly bigger than a tennis ball.

Picture shows one that size, along with some sets.

This year I’m trying the first early potato Foremost which according to one of my reference books has a good flavour and stays firm when boiled. The second earlies are Charlottes which are my favourite variety. They’ve always done well – growing, cooking and storing. I’m chosen Desiree for the main crop, which I have grown in the past, and the same book says that this pink-skinned variety is hard to beat.

I’ll be putting them in plastic trays on the spare windowsill during the week to chit, and providing that ground conditions and the weather is okay will be planting them out from late next month into early April.

I always feel that once I’ve bought these that the new growing season is underway again at last.

The weather has remained been cold, damp and dull but by the end of next week the temperature will be in double figures C, and mostly dry with some sunshine so hopefully I’ll be plotting again.

Have a good week and take care!

Also out front

It’s been another cold, damp and dull week, and so far my only visit to the plot was yesterday morning when I took a quick look round. It’s still soggy and the only thing that I noticed was that some of the rhubarb stems are just starting to appear above ground.

The three buds on the yellow rose out front at home are still trying to grow and open, with this one being the best of them.

Also out front,nestling by the roses, is this Skimmia japonica Rubella (I think) which has been providing some colour and interest recently.

Have a good weekend, take care and keep warm!

I really enjoyed…

reading Karen’s post 5 Easy grow Flowers for the Allotment on her Allotment Haven blog last week, especially as I grow 4 out of 5 of the ones she lists including Calendula (Pot Marigolds). The one I don’t grow is Rudbeckia (Gloriousa Daisies) as I’m not that keen on them.

As well as the Cosmos Apricotta and Double Click Snow Puff seeds Nikki sent me in December, which I mentioned in this post, I’ll be growing lots of Cosmos Royal Dwarf White, a shorter variety only growing to 18 in/45 cm. I’m going to grow some of these with Calendula Orange Flash as I think they’ll look good together.

I had a brief look round the still rather soggy plot this morning but didn’t linger as it was cold, damp and dull again. It looks like I won’t be doing much, if any plotting, again next week.

Have a good week, take care and keep warm!

Early February

After an early lunch yesterday I went to the plot as it was sunny, and not too chilly, and decided to resume digging out and sieving the compost heap. I did one barrowload which I put on the area where I’ll be growing the tomatoes this year as I’d hoed the ground over recently and it wasn’t sticky unlike other areas.

Both clumps of crocuses are now flowering, which is good to see. There are white ones Snow Bunting and the yellow Romance.

Both these pictures are from the archives, 5 March 2015 (left) and 13 February 2019 (right).

Given that the weather looks set to get cold, damp and dull again with the temperature feeling around 0 C at best again over the weekend and through to at least until midweek I doubt I’ll even be taking a quick look round.

Have a good weekend, take care and keep warm!

Wellie Toppers

A couple of weeks ago I sent Rebecca, whose blog is My Own Little Thyme and Space Part Two , some spare flower and vegetable seeds to use on her allotment in south-east London. They included Pot Marigolds Flighty’s Favourites and a few dwarf tomato Red Robin. The latter to try in a pot on her balcony as, like me, she doesn’t have a garden. Several months ago she moved to another, better, plot on the site where she is so this will be her first growing season on this one.

By way of a generous thank you she very kindly sent me a pair of wonderful handknitted woollen Wellington Boot Toppers, which she says are great for keeping debris out and for added warmth! Along with these was a lovely card and message.

I’ve always been happy to send seeds to gardening and plotting friends, and it’s really nice when I receive a thank you gift such as these in return.

Have a good week, and take care!

It’s late January

After several cold, damp and dull days yesterday was sunny so I took a look round the plot after lunch to get some much needed exercise and fresh air. Not surprising it was very soggy but I was pleased to see very little standing water, unlike some of the other plots. I added some kitchen waste to the composter, checked the water in the ponds then came home having decided that there was nothing else I could do.

I occasionally mention the white rose Iceberg I have growing outside the living room windows but don’t think I’ve mentioned that there are also two smaller roses nearby in a sheltered, sunny location. One has red flowers, the other yellow but I don’t know the varieties. The yellow one still has leaves and has three buds showing including this one.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

Plotting this month

I went to the plot last Monday, Tuesday and yesterday and despite the still claggy ground conditions even manged to do some plotting.

I cut the dead flowerheads and stems off the sedum/iceplant and can now see that when I dig it up to replant I’ll get three good size clumps. I’m still undecided whether to replant them together or seperately.

Apart from that I mostly hoed and weeded several areas including the comfrey and raspberry patch, and the areas where I’ll be growing carrots, first early potatoes and the tomatoes.

This picture was taken yesterday.

A few crocuses white Snow Bunting and one yellow Romance are just starting to appear which are a welcome sight.

There’s more heavy rain and high winds due this morning, and the week ahead looks like continuing to be unsettled so even if I go to the plot I doubt if I’ll be doing any further plotting this month.

Have a good week, and take care!

Checking and counting

Some years ago I bought some seeds from a major supplier which included two packets where the seed count was considerably less than stated and one other packet where the seed quality was really poor. I then had further problems getting a refund rather than replacements.

Since then I generally check and count most seeds I buy, and I’m happy to say that with very few exceptions they’ve all been okay. I tend to buy from smaller suppliers or occasionally use Ebay if I only want a single packet and look for free postage, as that can cost more than the seeds nowadays.

A couple of months ago I bought a packet of carrot seeds which on opening I immediately guessed contained a lot less than the stated quantity. I was right as there were less than 700 rather than 1500. In contrast I’ve just bought two packets of seeds of a particular flower elsewhere which each contained well over 250 rather than 200.

I’ve now bought all the seeds I need for this year so, thankfully, I won’t have to do any further checking and counting for a while.

Today’s archive picture is from July 2018 and shows a common blue butterfly on a white Candytuft Fairy mix flower.

Have a good weekend, take care and keep warm!

Cold and gloomy

I only went to the plot a couple of times last week but didn’t do any plotting as the grass paths were slippery and the ground still claggy.

To go with the sunflowers Holiday I mentioned in this recent post I’ve also bought some seeds of the variety Music Box which I grow most years. I’ve done this as virtually all the sunflowers I grew last year just had yellow flowers, whereas this variety’s flowers include cream and mahogany, as well as bicolours. It’s multi-headed and only grows to around 30 in/70 cm. The ones shown here are from July 2016.

This weekend is cold and gloomy so I’ve stayed indoors mostly armchair gardening or sofa flying. Yesterday I came across this little hardback book hidden away on my bookshelves. It’s only 3 in/7.5 cm square with 100 pages containing quotations and artwork. I like this Chinese proverb…He who plants a garden, plants happiness.

Have a good week, take care and keep warm!

Flighty’s Favourites

Pot marigolds (Calendula offinicalis) are my favourite flowers so I’ve always grown lots of them on the plot. I started with one packet of seeds, along with some I was given, and let them self-seed as well as collecting seeds to sow the following year.

Some years I buy a packet if a particular variety catches my eye as Snow Princess, with it’s creamy-white flowers, did some years ago.

This year looking through the Chiltern Seeds catalogue the variety Orange Flash did, which despite the name has apricot-buff flowers with darker bronze shades on the reverse.

Most pot marigold varieties grow to around 2 feet/ 60 cm but Oopsy Daisy is a dwarf one only 8 in/20 cm and has bright orange and creamy yellow bicoloured flowers. I’ve grown these on the plot but didn’t have much success on the windowsill at home so I bought a packet to try again.

Have a good weekend, take care and keep warm!