Vegging out - January
A busy festive period and a wet start to the year means that things are behind. Time to catch up…
Week one
The big purple sprouting broccoli (PSB) plant on the right blew over in Storm Henk - I should have supported it like the one on the left. Fortunately there is another old obelisk which did the trick of keeping it upright again - time will tell if it will recover. This bed of PSB will need netting to keep the pigeons off, but I will leave another brassica bed clear for them to raid.
Cleaned the greenhouse inside and started reorganising it for the winter/spring. Tender plants to the back near to a little heater - hope it won’t be needed this year though. Rain was forecast so rather than get the hose out to wash the trays etc, left them out to let the rain do the work.
Still haven’t sown the autumn planting broad beans and peas…
Week two
Snow!!! But it didn’t last long.
Netted the PSB, and tidied and cleaned the shed with lots of help from Alys, who encouraged me to clear out loads of plastic containers which I was hoarding to use as plant pots etc, when I have more than enough actual plant pots.
Cleaned up the plastic plant labels with cream cleaner and washed all the valves for the Autopot system. All this cleaning and tidying sounds like a real chore. Truth be told, I’m doing much more than usual simply because of writing this blog - normally it’s all much scruffier!!
Getting ahead with sowing seeds which need a long growing season: chillis, sweet peppers, aubergine, fennel. Also leeks because someone told me to start now, plus stir-fry greens, kale, basil, coriander and parcel (a leafy parsley/celery hybrid) . All are in the heated propagator except the leeks which are in the greenhouse.
Still haven’t sown the autumn planting broad beans and peas…
Week three
Frosty in the greenhouse down to almost -5C. Not happy with heating the greenhouse, but needs must. In the past have tried an arrangement with terracotta pots and candles (sooty and needed lots of tending) then a paraffin heater (very sooty and still needed tending). Then Lester installed a little 40watt electric heater which we enclose within a bubble wrap tent (this is clean and can be switched on and off from the house overnight - it’s brilliant).
The stir fry greens have sprouted. Also the Red Russian Kale which is sharing a tray with the fennel which hasn’t - should have thought that one through!
Will have to take the tray out of the propagator and move to a window ledge.
Because of the overnight frosts still haven’t sown the autumn planting broad beans and peas…
Week four +
Much warmer now, so we have switched off the greenhouse heater and the propagator as most seeds have sprouted. Even with no heat in the body of the greenhouse, the stirfry greens are beginning to show their true leaves.
In the garden, the PSB under netting is sprouting at the top. Even the plant that keeled over in the storm looks as though it will give something of a crop. The unnetted plants are being devoured by the pigeons. There will be plenty for everyone.
And finally, on the 31st and with help from a little friend, the broad beans have been sown. Result!