Thursday, October 30, 2008

Growing Challenge Update 1

We have had quite a lot of rain over the last week which has been just lovely for the garden and to finish off the crops on the farm, so much so that we are ready for it to stop now and dry out ready for harvest. It has been great weather for the seeds I have planted to get going.

Potatoes in front, just mounded more pea straw up around their stems, scarlet runner beans on left down fenceline, little corn seedlings where it looks bare then onions behind

Here is a quick update on the seeds in the vege patch
  • all the corn are up and happy- waire cages are now off
  • most of the pumpkins and zucchinis are up and their first real leaf is forming
  • some of the Minnesota Rockmelons are up
  • 2 out of 3 varieties of cucumber are up- Chinese snake and Lebanese mini muncher are up, still waiting on sweet and striped to appear
  • Scarlet runner beans are up- I am surprised at how big their leaves are!
In the greenhouse
  • something has eaten the Tuscan kale
  • the spinach is developing real leaves
  • the corn and zucchinis are ready to be planted out
  • the butternut pumpkins are a bit slow- I had a dig in the toilet roll pots and they are beginning to germinate
I have never been one to save my own seeds except for maybe a pumpkin here or there, but this year I did try and grow my own chillies with some seeds off another chilli- and to my surprise it actually worked! I have just pricked out some little baby two leaf chilli plants into a punnet. There are still a lot more left. If they grow like I imagine the will make great Christmas presents.

The chilli seeds germinating


Seedlings that have just been pricked out and out into a punnet, English spinach in front of them


The rain has kept the fruit trees looking fresh. The old plum and apricot have been netted as we have quite a parrot problem here. Would like to do the quince this weekend and the two little apple trees, a pink lady and Granny Smith. They are tiny- not even as tall as me which is annoying as they have been in nearly 4 years! At least they are covered in fruit, not sure if it should be thinned out or not?

1 comment:

Kris said...

Wow! You are some gardener! I came here via Kate's blog. Nice to read you!