Chris's Weblog – City Chickens

My diary from 2006

Tag Archive: flowers

Chris's Weblog - City Chickens > flowers

Racing Green

January 25, 2008 Allotments ,

The seedlings Derby Day and Greyhound are racing along and showing through the soil already after only three days. Yesterday I sowed two aubergine Black Beauty amd today two tomato Moneymaker (germinated 8 days) and six tomato Gardeners Delight (3 up after 7 days).

sweet pea zorija rose

The first pot of sweet peas are already about two inches high, the second pot, left on top of moist compost to chit are already splitting and showing green,  and today I put the third lot on some damp kitchen towel to chit. They are Sweet Pea Zorija Rose. (Update August 2008 – These have been beautiful this season with loads of flowers and a strong heady perfume)

Sweet Pea Blue Ripple

January 22, 2008 Garden ,

 

Sweet Pea Blue RippleToday I sowed fifteen seeds of Sweet Pea Blue Ripple bought from Alan Romans. I am trying the chitting method as described by TeeGee a forum member. (no sign of chitting so transferred to a pot – 3 only showing through on 1st Feb) Update August 2008 – Although there were few plants there are loads of flowers which are very pretty but with little or no perfume

Steady Progress

April 28, 2007 Allotments , , , , , ,

All the King Edward potatoes are now in on plot 18 and the first earlies are showing lots of growth and have been earthed up. We are hoping we don’t have a frost. King Edward potatoes are a popular variety. They have white skin with pink colouration, cream to pale yellow flesh and a floury texture. They are a Main Crop variety and are excellent for baking, chipping, roasting and mashing. I have sown more seeds on the flower bed, Cornflowers, Columbine, Clarkia and Californian Poppy, Eschscholzia Californica, single orange, plus a small bed of mixed poppies in the main plot over by the sweet pea tepee.

We decided to risk it and planted the first of the runner beans, White Lady, as they were getting very leggy in the pots on the window ledge at home. I shall sow them later next year.

Joe gave us five small gooseberry bushes and Rob planted them on the main plot here and there. He also hoed the fruit cage and dug up a lot of the Alstromeria seedlings that had popped up like weeds everywhere. It goes against the grain to dig up healthy seedlings but they seem to be everywhere and I already have some very healthy plants in the flower bed.

Keith gave us five tomato plants that were surplus to his requirements and although we have plenty we found some room for them in the lean to. They are Shirley and Alicante. I potted on the White Aubergine  Mohican, four healthy looking plants and the cucumber seedlings.

The sprouts, Bedford Fillbasket, are now in their final position. We got twenty good plants from the seeds we sowed in modules early in the year. The red ones in the nursery bed are looking good too. Rob has sown a row of Turnip, Snowball and a row of Beetroot, Boltardy. I have now put in about 120 pea shoots, started at home in the greenhouse, and another two rows of dwarf beans Borlotto.

A Call For Freedom?

April 9, 2007 Garden , ,

We had a scary hour or so last night when I went out to put the ducks to bed and Puddles was missing. After thoroughly searching the garden and the house we extended the search to outside the perimeter of the garden fence. We had given up hope of ever finding him and Rob and Glenn were knocking on doors in the neighbouring streets. Adam and Glenn even drove down to the local canal and lake and came back empty handed. Adam had not long left in his car when suddenly he returned with a stranger in the passenger seat holding a very scared duck. Adam had spotted the chap carrying the duck and knocking on doors to find the owner. Just at that moment Rob and Glenn arrived home looking defeated and were overjoyed to see the wanderer returned safely home. Adam gave the puzzled stranger a lift home and we shall pay him a visit this morning with a present of a few eggs. Panic over.

This morning was warm and we went early to the plots. After watering all the seed beds I sowed a row of Nasturtiums along the outside of the salad bed.

Next I sowed a bed of Lobelia Crystal Palace along the one edge of the flower bed. The seed was like fine dust and the instructions were to just place it on top of damp soil. It should be through in two weeks as should the Giant Cosmos I sowed at one end of the nursery bed after Rob had made it into a raised bed with some white blocks.

The sweet peas are now outside around a fine teepee Rob built from some Hawthorne poles. We built a protective wall around them with some orange plastic netting until they get established.

Back at home I have put the runner beans in 3″ pots to start them off before they go to the plot. About fifteen each of White Lady, Kelvedon Stringless and Scarlet Emperor.

British Queen

March 25, 2007 Allotments , ,

Rob planted fifteen potatoes British Queen on plot 17 while I just pottered about doing a bit of hoeing and weeding. British Queen is described as a superbly flavoured mashing potato originating in Scotland. In Ireland it is known as “Queens”. It is fairly susceptible to blight but matures quite early. The flowers are white with yellow centres, and the haulms are fairly light. The texture is light and floury. Said to be the best mashing potato, fluffy and white with very good flavour. Also steams well, roasts well, bakes well. Bred by Archibald Findlay. 1894.

The brothers gave us six cauliflower plants and eight summer cabbages and we gave them six eggs each in return. We  gave Mick Market’s wife Audrey six eggs and she gave us six primula plants.

The Flower Bed, Keith and his Parsnips.

November 12, 2006 Allotments , ,

One of the first things we did on our plot was to make a flower bed in front of the lean to. Rob had made a raised bed with wood and I planted in some Lupin plants I had started at home from seed. As we cleared Trevor’s plot I found a few other flowers and put them into the bed. Today I finally got round to weeding the bed again and noticed that all the plants are looking very healthy. There are Lupins, Alstromeria, Gypsophylia, Michaelmas Daisies and a few Statis.

Rob went down to the plot on his own yesterday and as well as taking the canes out of the bean trellis he weeded all the empty beds and tidied the raised rhubarb bed and made it secure with wooden stakes.

This morning was quite mild for November and the site was busy. We got to speak to Keith about the two cuttings we took from his bonfire. He said it was OK and confirmed that they were Black Currant. We asked him about his carrot bins and whether he grew his parsnips the same way. Apparently he grows them directly into the bed and proved how good they were by giving us three to bring back with us to try. Keith is a real character and is very fit at seventy nine. He was telling us about his wife Lil, who is eighty one and after a very active life had a stroke and is now dependent on him for help. She is the reason he is giving up his second plot which we will hopefully take on next year.

On the way home we again stopped at the park to collect more leaves for the chicken run. The remembrance service was taking place at the small war memorial there and the whole place was glorious in the golden glow of the leaves.