Tag Archives: Cabbage

Raking it in

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Saturday was a lovely day weather-wise and as part of our “little and often” regime we got on our hands and knees (and on one of those green kneelers) and tidied up the bed by the garage. We still don’t know if the dahlias we left in over winter will be okay but we’ll have to wait and see. The cabbages that we cut just the tops off and left to regrow are still growing and giving us leaves so don’t give them up for dead when you harvest them initially. If you keep a few leaves on the plant they’ll grow again, not massively but enough for some cabbage leaves to go with your Sunday dinner.

Sadly we had a fish fatality this morning so after a quick burial, the pond’s fountain was put back in, the oxygenating plants thinned out and the remaining fish fed. We think we may also have a leak in there so after topping the pond up a little we will be keeping our eyes on it.

And finally we gave the lawn it’s first cut of the season utilising the Westminster Council spring grass cutting (WCSGC) method. Mow it once on the longest cut, then a medium cut and then after that give it a right old short cut. We know it’s longwinded and a pain but it sure beats the mower getting stuck and leaving some nasty looking marks on the grass that’ll take a while to recover. Here’s to some sunshine and a little rain this week to get the grass off to a good start.

The weather it is a-changin’

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Wow, it’s December can you believe? No wonder it’s freezing out there and the rest of the week looks like it’s going to be getting colder. We’ve heard from our gardening pals in Cincinnati  (Cheers Justin!) and Freiberg, Germany (Cheers Jazz’min) where they’ve had their first dusting of snow so I doubt it won’t be long until we’ll get some.

Those dahlias were still looking fine last weekend but we reckon it won’t be long till the frost comes and blackens the plants when it will be time again to dig them all up and stick them somewhere frost free and dry for the rest of the winter, keeping an eye out for any rotting or mouldy tubers while they’re in storage.

We can’t complain as those spikey orange ones have been great this year, flowering right up until we last looked so going to the effort of digging them up and storing them indoors is a small price to pay for a few more years of the same.

And the nice plastic looking pink variety we were given this year was great too (cheers Marc).

And the beds in front of the Dad corner (that has been productive this year thanks to the new raised beds) have been tidied up a bit and now ready for the winter. In the pic you will notice a couple of cabbage stalks that we left when we cut the leaves off them. Not sure if it will happen over the winter but usually when you cut them off like that, the leaves grow back again. Value for money or what?

We love the Gang of Four (herbs)

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Gardening is a funny old game, you could be doing it for a fair few years but that don’t stop you from messing up and/or not getting things right. We have our moments with peas and never get much joy growing coriander as it always bolts, never mind what variety.

We’re giving it another chance after having to succumb to buying (with heads hung down in shame) some coriander leaves from the local shop the other day. Straight after, we looked on ebay and got one of those mixed herb packs for a couple of quid, which had small amounts of parsley, basil, chives and coriander seeds. We received them through the post yesterday so in the afternoon some potting compost was procured, a few old pots which once had some stuff that failed were washed out, and seeds sown. The pots are now on the kitchen windowsill, finger’s crossed!

And do know what? We’ve actually found a cabbage in the garden that may be fit for eating (in a month or two). Now there’s a result!

This post was written whilst listening to:

#saveonthewire #athomehesagardener #lockdowngardening

Tomorrow never knows (it’s going to be 34 degrees)

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It’s a Thursday night and it was still 20 odd degrees outside a couple of hours ago when we gave the raised beds a watering, not the best time to do it we know but the plants are parched and have you seen the weather forecast for tomorrow? They’re going to need all the water they can get. On the way back and forth to fill up the watering can we passed this sad cabbage (above) and for weeks we’ve been thinking it’s on its last legs but it seems to keep going.

As we keep saying, it’s been a mad old year with the COVID19 lockdown but it’s forced us to grow more stuff in the garden and even given us time to give the plants a bit of TLC as we couldn’t go out anywhere. The raised beds have turned into a jungle and there’s a good bit of garden anarchy going on elsewhere, dahlia’s partnered with cabbages and a courgette/zucchinni plonked next to the silver birch we found in a carrier bag in the street three years ago (here) and more self-seeded nasturtiums than anyone could ever wish for.

The other day we picked a few green potatoes where the sun had got at them thus making them non-edible. We thought we’d throw them on the compost heap then thought of all the times we’ve pulled up sprouting potato skins from the beds and remembered a tip from Bob Flowerdew where he sticks weeds, potato skins and anything that may sprout again into a bucket of water. Then when the stuff is beyond redemption he sticks the mush into the compost bin. We’re giving it a try too, that bucket alongside the comfrey liquid on the go is making it a place of strange smells at the bottom of the garden! #lockdowngardening #dontsmellthosebuckets

And news just in…

https://soundcloud.com/thisisamusicshow/this-is-a-music-show-075

Gardening on a DIY tip, yet again

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We had a brainwave this morning, “What if we tacked some left over plastic from a delivery over the top of those palettes we were given a few years ago that were sitting in the corner crying out to be filled with compost and made into raised beds?” we said to ourselves. We’ve now got some carrots, cabbage and parsnips in a micro-DIY-greenhouse thing. Who said you need much money to do that gardening lark?

And now the sun’s out, here’s a wonderful tune from Rahat called Djembe on Via del Sol records to cheer us all up and it’s a grower!

Gardening bargain of the week!

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Found in WH Smiths in Holborn today, the February issue of Kitchen Garden Magazine with 10 packs of FREE seeds! We know the packs you usually get with magazines are probably not as packed to the gills as the packets are down your local garden centre but these ain’t pretty bad! Some super stuff too: Tomato, Parsley, Radish, Leek, Parsnip, Cabbage, Beetroot, Lettuce, Carrot and Peppers. A bargain and an ‘arf!

Songs to sow seeds to

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Songs to sow seeds to

Here’s the first in a regular monthly series of tunes to accompany your seed sowing. It’s February and still a bit early, but for the eager beavers out there you can sow a few in the greenhouse or on that plastic propagator on the kitchen windowsill.

We’ve got our tomatoes just on their seed leaf stage at the moment and there’s some mini-peppers coming through too but you could also start off your aubergines, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, calabrese, onion seeds and start chitting your spuds if you haven’t already.

And here’s a tune by Digid called Revolution Sound out on the Lion Charge label to crank up loud while preparing your seed sowing (making sure the compost has been warmed up a bit by being indoors for a few days beforehand rather than stone cold from the outside.) Sow on and sow forth.