Sowing the Seeds of Love

Right the time has come to fill my windowsills with seed trays. Tomatoes and peppers need their head start in January/February so that when the frost has gone in March/April they're ready to go straight outside either in pots or into the soil in the sunniest place possible.

So I began with filling seed tray cells with 1 Gardener's Delight  tomato seed each, tomatoes are probably the easiest crop to produce with the best most satisfying results. In the other half of the tray I have sown 1 mini bell pepper seed per cell. I've had some bad luck with conventional pepper varieties as they seem to grow to a certain size when I have to pick them because if I leave them any longer they rot, but when I pick them and try them out they don't taste sweet just bland and boring. I have chosen this mini variety hoping they will take less time to mature and just like cherry tomatoes they will have more taste.

I have also put in a row of butternut squash seeds, according to the seed packet they shouldn't be planted till May but I'm really eager to see how they do as I've never grown them before as they take up alot of space. Mr Veg has a great recipe for a goats cheese and squash lasagna which we'd love to try with home grown squash. If the growing is successful I'll share the recipe.  

In another tray I have descended to put in more James Wong seeds I've never tasted before. These include Chinese Chives which are supposed to taste of roasted garlic, Microgreen Herbs which grow quickly like cress and go great in salads and on top of burgers. The final seed I've set off are Inca Berries which are cherry tomato sized yellow fruits that are supposed to taste of gooseberries, kiwi and pineapple, so really looking forward to tasting them. The great thing is once grown they should produce berries right into winter.

Hibernation and New Year Plans

My posts here are becoming a bit few and far between..... Sorry. I am planning on picking up properly again soon but at the moment the wild weather is rather keeping me in a semi-hibernation and out of the garden.

That said I have noticed one or two things. The first is the holly bushes I have in my new garden, these bushes come December are usually full of berries, this is to help support birds and small mammals through the hash winter. But this year the bush is empty and the same is true of the holly tree back at my old patch. Does this then mean a mild winter? Also as I put out fat balls weekly for the squadron of sparrows that visit my garden they are not going down as quick as they usually do, the birds mustn't be too concerned about building fat reserves then. So my best guess (better than the Daily Express anyway) is that it's probably gonna be a wet, windy but mild winter, not bad for wildlife.

Regarding my new years resolution my first was to break the plastic bag habit, there really is nothing worse than seeing a supermarket bag flying around in the wind or even worse, stuck in a tree for days/months on end. I've even dug them up in my old patch. Yuk! It benefits sea life too, it sickens me when I hear of whales found with a stomach full of rubbish or rescued turtles and dolphins caught up in plastic. So no I don't need a bag I've got a cotton one thanks ;-).

Next is simple I'm going to try and help my local wildlife even more, by planting insect friendly plants around my plots, hopefully adding a small pond and making some little hidy holes for mammals (or whoever wants to use em). I've seen foxes round the area on my late night and early morning drives so hopefully over the coming year I'll have more to report on these urban cuties. Oh then there's Bill. Bill is our resident squirrel, at the moment he's a little shy, I catch glimpses of him on my way to work, but back in Autumn he was out front searching for conkers so I threw him a few peanuts. I like Bill, even though I'm a big supporter of native species I guess round here is not ideal for reds anyway, Bill can stay.

                                                               Say hello to Bill!

It's Been a While.......Sorry.

Hi Veggers, sorry it's been a while since my last post alot has been happening I've been on a couple of holidays and I've moved house. Don't worry the Urban Veg is still there and growing in my mum and dad's front garden. I now have a bigger and more challenging plot (photos later).

So for an update on the existing veg we've had many many many cherry tomatoes off our 6 plants, more than me and mum can eat. I've got some juicy looking peppers nearly ready for picking. The leeks are doing well as are the little turnip I'm hoping they along with parsnips will be good for Christmas. Parsnips taste sweetest after the frost has got to them.

Also we have electric daisies which I tried the other day and must say are a acquired taste, nasturtium which the caterpillars took a fancy to are now in bloom and the cucamelons are fattening up and should be ready soon.

On a downer the sweetcorn just didn't do well, it went to seed and on the plus side is now feeding the birds, lucky birds.

Apologies also for the image quality my big camera wasn't to hand.

A Note on Recycling.....Plus James Wong update.

I've found over time in the garden that things really don't have to cost much and when I'm not in Pound World (or Pound Land) or ebay I see things around that come in very handy in the garden and the best bit is it's all free. My latest ingenious find came when I realized the cucamelons I started growing after James Wong's tips were starting to trail, they needed something to climb. I used canes but they were out grown in a couple of days. In the corner of the garden was a rather unloved sad looking pan stand which we put flowers on top of last year and tied the little greenhouse to when it nearly blew away.
I re-planted the cucamelons in bigger pots, put them on the bottom shelf of the stand then trained the vines up between the other shelves. Now they are growing happily, wrapping round the shelves and poles and we're hoping to sample their delights soon.




While we're on the subject the electric dasies are also doing their thing I haven't had any flowers yet but (apart from a little leaf munching) they're looking good. I planted them up in a old tub that you buy bird's fat balls in. Just melt or drill (me and power tools don't go) holes into the bottom for drainage and put some stones in before you cover with compost.




Also the Nasturtiums are doing well I lost one plant while I was on holiday but the other's going from strength to strength. The bees will love em when they flower.

Final note...The peppers are in flower. Yey!

Our many neighbours

The resent rain after the hot 2 weeks of sun have sent our wildlife into overdrive, we're now getting bees by the dozen, peacock butterflies and cabbage whites. Our Budlia or butterfly bush is in flower which help attract so much life. This is a Buff-Tailed Bumble Bee enjoying the Budlia plant ------------>

Our resident Tree Bumble Bees are also very busy with males hanging round constantly waiting for the busy passing females. We are now unfortunately starting to see the ill and dying members of the colony, this is only natural as bees like to keep their home clean and free of disease so the kick out the sick members. We are seeing the odd one on our garden path now.  They are however very happy with our flowering herbs especially the thyme.
This appears to be a big male on the thyme.








I've also seen my first Peacock Butterfly of the year in the garden, they are totally stunning. I snapped this one as it basked on the potatoes. ------->








And then we have a problem, I am a organic gardener with a love of wildlife and nature but unfortunately sometimes the wildlife just doesn't respect the veg and just goes munching straight through it. This is a cabbage white caterpillar, I found him munching massive wholes in the sweetcorn leaves. But don't worry I just picked him off and relocated him however I don't think the food will be as tasty. It's best with caterpillars and snails etc to just relocate them don't kill them as they're a tasty meal for the birds.

Just an update

After 3 weeks of scorching weather and one massive downpour the veg is getting exciting and there are more happy tree bees about as the herbs are in flower, soon the buddleia (butterfly bush) will be in flower too.

The tomatoes are now well on their way, I usually buy Money Maker Tomato seeds, they are quite reliable and give a good crop, at stages throughout their growth I pinch off lower leaves and stems as the plant can then focus more effort on fruits.

They're now green and just need plenty of water and sun I have also caned them up as with the weight of the tomatoes and the heavy rainfall they're starting to droop, I don't want them to snap.









Next is the pea pods which are really starting to fatten, I'm not sure how many peas I'll get it will probably just be one serving but hey, as long as they taste as great as other home grown veg. Unfortunately my peas appear to be affected by a pest known as Thrips tiny black or brown bugs which hide under the leaves, they've made a mess of the leaves but they don't really touch the pods. They can be controlled with a organic insecticide spray.


While I've been gone the sweetcorn has grown nearly as tall as me but I'm not sure if it will crop well being in a container. I guess we'll just have                                                          to wait and see.

Summer Fruits

While on holiday my neighbor was more than happy to water my veg for me but never the less I was worried. The mid July temperatures soared while I was away enjoying the cooler coast. As it turned out on my return I had no casualties Yey!

                                                              Peas Beautiful Peas.

In fact what I had was sweetcorn plants nearly as tall as me, pea pods dangling like gems, strawberries and LOTS of raspberries. I'm actually stunned at how the plant took off when I took it from the pot it had been in for 2 years and put it in the ground, within a couple of months it must have doubled in size.

I'm now getting fruits daily with the first harvest giving me a punnet with fruits nearly double the size of tasteless supermarket fruits. Yummy! I'm now waiting on blackberries to follow for a summer fruit salad.

             Tip for tasty Strawbs:- Water them a couple of times with sugar water for super sweetness.

Being arty with the produce + giving them a wash.