Chris's Weblog – City Chickens

My diary from 2004

Monthly Archive: January 2011

Chris's Weblog - City Chickens > 2011 > January

Spring Bulbs – 2011

January 22, 2011 Garden , ,

I ordered some bulbs from T&M at the end of last year but so far they haven’t arrived so yesterday I was tempted to buy some from Netto. They should have been planted in the Autumn but as they were only £2 I am going to risk it. They are a collection of pinks and whites and should look good if they get established. Our garden is not the sunniest place either so they are at a disadvantage all round.

Both the tulips; Van Eyk, pink and Purissima, white, are tall varieties and so is the Narcissus Salome so they can go in the back of the rose border round the side of the house. The Crocus Ard Schenk and the Allium Oreophilum will go in the new rockery around the pond. The Narcissus Thalia will be put into the white border.

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Ready for Season 2011 – Sean 40 Today

January 8, 2011 Allotments, Family , , , , ,

We have started to think about the new season. I know it is too early yet to sow seeds and I am determined to be patient. First thing on the agenda is to get the seed potatoes and start them chitting in egg boxes on the window ledge. I am sticking to earlies only again this year and planting them all in bags. My favourites from last season were Vivaldi, grown from potatoes bought from Sainsburys and Sharps Express, bought as seed potatoes from Focus. I am just growing those again this season. The second task is to get the parsnip seeds in in February if we have a fine dry day.

I intend to have another go at onions from seed as I have good seed left. Last years were not too good and got neck rot and went soggy before we could harvest them. I am not sure what I did wrong but will have another go.  I have Onion Ishikura, Ailsa Craig and a Sweet Spanish Onion. My instructions say sow very thinly in February under cloches or March to April out in the open. Ishikuri are salad onions and are meant to be harvested as spring onions, when they are about six inches high and pencil thick.  Ailsa Craig and the Spanish Onion are mild cooking onions which stay in the ground longer and are harvested when they have formed a large bulb. I have just read that the Ailsa Craig are known as Winter Onions and so should have been sown in the winter ready to grow on and harvest the following Autumn.Because of Christmas, very bad weather and flu I haven’t been to the allotments for a few weeks so I am looking forward to my first visit of the year. I am sure there will be lots of tidying up to do but hopefully a few nice surprises too.

Happy Birthday Sean. 40 today!!!!!!!!!