Busy Winter Day

Now that the bulk of the Christmas festivities are over, I couldn't escape the fact that I had a bit... ok a lot of tidying up to do in the garden. So as the sun was shining (on and off), and it wasn't raining I decided to get out there and make a start on it.

So, first task was to dig up the last of the parsnips... they'll make a nice addition to today's roast dinner.

OK, they are a bit smaller than I thought they would be and not as impressive as the ones that came up on Christmas day.

But the soil is so wet I didn't even have to pull hard to get them out. I would rather eat them now than allow them to rot in the ground and I'm sure they will taste just as delicious.

Next on the list was to plant out the recently delivered cranberry plants... having looked up their soil  and growing preferences I opted for hanging baskets and made a trip to the garden centre to get some special compost. I hope they like their new surroundings.

 

 

It was also time to dispose of the sweet pepper and chilli plants that have been looking very sorry for themselves in the greenhouse... clinging on for dear life amongst the drooping foliage were these three little specimens.

I thought it was only fair that I bring them into the kitchen and give them the chance to fulfill their culinary destiny... probably a bolognese sauce.

Before the heavens opened I managed to address the leek bed. I have never been any good at thinning out... I think that if a seed makes the effort to germinate and become a seedling it is unfair to remove it just because the seedling next to it is bigger. Anyway, as a result of being too close together some of them are quite thin, but baby veg are all the rage these days.

So that's it, the last crops for this year have been gathered, and even if I say so myself, look pretty good when they're all cleaned up.

There is still a bit more to do out there... for a start I need to deconstruct and reconstruct my raised beds. If I'm brave enough I might even start sowing next week.

Gardening in December... or not.

There's not a great deal going on in the garden in December hence no postings for a little while. It has been freezing the past few days, but no actual snow...yet. I did manage to get out and tidy up my strawberry bed and plant out some new runners a couple of weeks ago. After my lack of fruit this year, someone told me that they need a bit of frost in order to produce the flowers and subsequent berries so a cold snap is not always a bad thing and I won't be protecting them so much this time around.

Parsnips also taste much better after the frost has got to them. I dug up this prize (in my opinion) specimen last weekend as a welcome addition to the roast dinner and it tasted fab.


There are still a few more in the ground waiting to be pulled up for Christmas day. We have eaten all of the frozen veg I had stored in the freezer (not very good planning... must do better next year) so the parsnips and green tomato chutney to go with the cheese board will be the only home-produce on my Christmas table.

This inludes shop-bought sauces and jellies... next year I want to be making my own. Hence the delivery of two cranberry plants this morning. They may not look like much now, sat on the windowsill in the dark, but this time next year I am hoping that they will have produced enough berries to make cranberry sauce and redcurrant jelly... I already have the recipes, just need the fruit.

So, as there's not a great deal going on in the garden in December, I spent this evening going through my seed packets, looking over last year's journal to see what I sowed and when, and planning for next year. Bring on the new season.

Brand New Potting Shed

My brand new potting shed arrived and was put up a few weeks ago... as usual I was far more excited than a normal person would be about such an event. I can't wait to use this new space to sow and nurture my seedlings next year.

Past Successes - Peppers

I grew 2 varieties of peppers last year and 3 this year, and I was surprised how well they did... for some reason I thought they would be really difficult to grow. They worked equally well in salads and cooked dishes.

Past Successes - Shallots / Onions

A kitchen staple that is easy to grow, go in everything and store well... I just leave them to it. The amount of shallots I had this year was amazing.

Past Successes - Lettuce

Lettuce is so easy to grow and takes hardly any time at all, especially the cut-and-come-again varieties.

Past Successes - Cucumbers

You can't beat home-grown cucumbers... these mini-whites are extremely prolific and taste delicious, plus you can use the whole thing in one go and don't need to leave half of it in the fridge.

Past Successes - Courgettes

I can totally understand why someone wrote that book about these vegetables... last year I picked about 2, this year I was picking them every day and couldn't keep up. Some of them were enormous, but still yummy by the time I got round to eating them and I even had a couple of marrows because they were left on the plant so long.

Past Successes - French Beans

The photos really don't do these justice - I have been buried under the weight of these prolific croppers for the past two years and they are delicious... I never thought I would enjoy eating raw beans straight from the plant.

Past Successes - Chillies

I was never really a huge fan of chillies but have grown to love them as they produce so well for me, and they get added to pretty much every meal now - I love them.

Past Successes - Tomatoes

After a successful first year, I grew 7 varieties this season and was overwhelmed with produce, so lots of salads and tomato-based dishes were consumed, a load went in the freezer and I even managed some green tomato chutney.

Past Successes - Sweetcorn

I was over the moon with my sweetcorn. For two growing seasons I have achieved excellent crops that have towered above me (not that difficult at a mere 5' 2") and they don't require too much attention. It's true what they say... the quicker the cob gets from the plant to the pot, the sweeter it tastes.