The awakening

Posted on February 7, 2016 by onedeckpete

It’s just gone the month of February, maybe it’s because I’m a little bit impatient and I have a touch of the twirlies but there’s already some spuds chitting and seeds sprouting indoors. Also if I get a minute this week, I’m going to stick a double layer of fleece over a couple of patches of the garden to warm the soil up for the big kick off in the next couple of months. chitting 2016 stylee I bought two types of spuds from Shannon’s, who have loads of varieties in stock from the different cropping types (first earlies, second earlies, main crop and second/late main crop) the terms of which used to confuse the hell out of me. A simple explanation about all of that is here. The ones “chitting” in the back room (above) are Sharpe’s Express (first early) and the good old Maris Piper (main crop.) seed starting 2016 stylee Also in the back room near the window, is a covered propagator with tomatoes (Moneymaker) and sweet peppers off to an early start, which will be no doubt be leggy as hell before they’re ready to go out. foxtail returns And talking of Shannon’s, this is where I bought the Eremurus aka foxtail lilly or desert candle bulb from and it looks like the monster is ready to resurface again for it’s year long reign of terror (above.) It might be not even be an inch at the moment but before you know it, it’ll be 6 foot tall and will be sending up a lovely flower spike like last year (below.)

But be warned, don’t get on it’s wrong side as it might come into your home and take over your life! On afoxtail 2 tip

Tomorrow never knows

Posted on May 15, 2015 by onedeckpete

Dig this 2015

It’s short notice, but this year’s Happy Seeds Festival/Tomato Planting Extravaganza takes place tomorrow, Saturday 16 May from 11am – 6pm at St James’s, New Cross Gate London SE14 6AD (next to Goldsmiths University and St James Hatcham Primary School) and it’s FREE!

The event will feature 90 varieties of tomato plants (90, how mad is that?) alongside 50 varieties of potted herbs and loads of seeds for sale. There’s lots of activities like making planting boxes, music, workshops on seed paper making, cooking, food, a beekeeping demonstration, local honey for sale and a fund raising book stall.

Happy Seeds/Dig This Nursery know a thing or two about growing tomatoes and sounds like a great day out, so pop down if you get a chance!

Woop-woop! That’s the sound of da fleece!

Posted on May 3, 2015 by onedeckpete

I popped into Shannon’s yesterday and grabbed a big roll of horticultural fleece for around £6, which will come in well handy over the next few weeks. Some of my tomato plants were started off well early (there’s even a couple with flowers on them!) so after a couple of weeks in the mini-plastic greenhouse I’ve recently put them outside. On the nights I now cover them over with fleece. If you want to do it cheaper you can always use old net curtains or as Joe said, some sheets of newspaper draped over the plants.

I was listening to a recent Gardening with Tim & Joe on BBC Leed’s and Mr Maiden was saying even though some shops have tomato plants for sale, it still doesn’t mean that it’s safe to stick them outside as there still could be a frost for a good few weeks yet. And also chatting at Shannon’s yesterday I was told it’s not just frost you need protection from but also damage from cold winds and rain.

I also treated myself to a couple of Courgette plants as the seeds I sown haven’t amounted to much. You really don’t need more than a couple of courgette plants as you’ll be overwhelmed with the bloody things come autumn!

Proud to be twirly

Posted on January 10, 2015 by onedeckpete

It’s always happens come this time of year, I start to get a bit twitchy and “sow just a few seeds” and come March/April I’ve loads of leggy looking tomato plants sitting on my kitchen windowsill waiting to go out after the risk of frost has gone. Will I ever learn?

It certainly don’t look like I will, as just after the new year I went to Shannons and bought some seed compost, a set of seed trays and a plastic propagator. I even had a look at one of those heated propagators with a view to buying one but at £30, had second thoughts. It’s funny I got rid of one on ebay a few years ago as I thought I’d never need it again. Great eh?

I was also told a top tip though at Shannon’s, “never mind buying a heated propagator, just stick one of the normal ones next to a radiator.” Not too close though as it will dry out the compost and the seeds will possibly cook! propogator My seeds aren’t by a radiator but just tucked out of the draughts by the patio doors in the back room (image above with an patented added extra to keep the lid firmly on, 2 clothes pegs!) I sowed some tomatoes (moneymaker), peppers (sweet mini-mix), coriander and lettuce leaf basil which will give you leaves as big as your hand (if the picture on ebay is to be believed!) As they used to say at the post office, I think I have “a touch of the twirlies*”

compost bin 2015

Also over the christmas holidays while off work, I managed to tidy up some of the back garden that got a bit neglected last year. A couple of beds have now been weeded, forked over and now ready for the growing season, giving myself a bit of a head start come spring. I spread some of the great compost that is now starting to come out of the compost bins (albeit with eggshells still in it, I’m now breaking them down more before sticking them in the bin).

Also there was a bag of seed onions (Troy) under the stairs that I should have sown in the autumn to be overwintered. Even though I thought I kept them cool and in the dark there’s a few green shoots developing so a few of those went in alongside some cloves of french elephant garlic.

They’ll more then likely rot but “what the eck” they’ve gone in under the old glass frame I found in the street years ago which now doubles as a cold frame once two broken peices of paving slabs go on the ends of it and there’s a few onions under the sawn off glass part of the old kitchen door we had replaced (image above).

I mean can you ever be “too early”? We’ll soon see come the spring, if they’ve either rotted or started sprouting! As I write this, the rain is lashing it down like nobodies business. “Twirly?” I do think so!

*Full explanation of the term “twirlies” here.

Mr Cultivator

Posted on August 11, 2014 by onedeckpete

Resonators – Dub Getter – Wah Wah 45s

I’ve been busy of late and have neglected me garden a little but I have a good few days next week to tinker around before I go away for me hols so I’ll be able to tackle those weeds! It’s looking good though, and that’s without a bit of TLC over the last week!

The storm over the weekend did do a little bit of damage to some of the plants especially a few tomatoes and the odd sunflower. Here’s the view before the storm, how mad is that pumpkin plant?And I’ve never really grown peppers before, not bad for a first attempt and in an old tomato tin too! Loving the tomatoes at the moment even though the storm at the weekend has nobbled a few plants. Looking good though!Big up that old gardening lark!

You bring out the gardener in me

Posted on July 12, 2014 by onedeckpete

A big thanks to Vic Godard from the great Subway Sect and his partner G for sending us these great photo’s of their garden. If you remember earlier this year their excellent runner bean wigwam was our beanpole of the month. It’s featured again in the photo below as a backdrop to those squawking parakeets you often see around these parts.

Love the tomatoes in the grow bags with the great watering devices, they look like cut off pop bottles if I’m not mistaken.

In the flower department the garden features some wild roses, mallow and sweet peas. They look great!

Best of luck to Vic and his forthcoming run of gigs starting with The Latitude Festival next week (19th July) and the also for the release of “1979 Now” in October. Cheers Vic and G, ta for the pics!

This is a warning…

Posted on April 29, 2014 by onedeckpete

I’ve just heard on the local weather forecast that we might have possible frosts later this week so it’s out with the horticultural fleece, net curtains, cloches and jam jars to stick over those tender seedlings that are in the garden for some protection! I’ve a couple of tomatoes plants and some spuds I’ve put in early that’ll be getting covered up over the next few nights.

Dub gardeners of the world unite!

Posted on October 8, 2013 by onedeckpete

Garden of the week: Doctor Strangedub’s plot in Minnesota.
Well, going into the second week of October and Dr. Strangedub still hasn’t taken his garden down. Most years we have had a killer frost by now here in Minnesota. Looks like it will be pretty cool tonight (around 45 F/7 C), but still safe for a bit. In the photos are: some green tomatoes still on the vine; some weeds up to my knees; and some very healthy basil plants. Looks like it’s time to make some Italian pesto with me basil….but the tomatoes must ripen in a box before I can make some salsa.

Doctor Strangedub and DJ Baby Swiss present the excellent radio show “The Echo Chamber” on KFAI weekly.

Emperor Tomato Ketchup

Posted on August 16, 2012 by onedeckpete

The garden seems to be going mad of late. The courgettes and the spuds are doing well and we’re seeing a bit of action on the climbing french beans and tomatoes.

I know it’s a bit late, but here’s a couple of tips when it comes to those tomato plants. If you’ve got the cordon type ones (not the bush or tumbling varieties) make sure that the side-shoots are pinched out regularly so all the goodness can go into the plant and the production of the actual fruit. I’ve a couple of plants in the raised bed that I have forgotten to do that are now going wild and a bit uncontrollable. Also when my plants get to about four or five trusses (the sets of flowers that later turn into fruit) I nip the tops out, so again the energy will go back into the plant (but keep an eye on the side shoots a while after you do this as they will tend to go mad). I do give them a regular water but not too much and a feed every ten days. I’ve had to buy some plant feed in, as my home-made attempts are still not ready yet.

The wormery (image above not to be viewed on a full stomach!) is cracking on and there’s a build up of nice looking compost at the bottom and the liquid in the bucket below is starting filling up too. All for recycling kitchen scraps, plant waste etc!

Also I have started to leave a combination of comfrey, nettle and borage leaves to rot in a small amount of water in a bucket at the bottom of the garden. It’s funny as sometimes it’s a bit like groundhog day. I go down there every now and again to have a check, lift up the slab of concrete that is acting as a lid on the stuff and have a sniff as I’m sure it’s supposed to pong a bit. A microsecond later the vile stench hits me… bang! When will I ever learn. If only the image below had a scratch and sniff and then you’ll know what I mean!

Also I heard a good potato tip on a podcast called “Gardening with Tim & Joe” from a show on BBC Radio Leeds. It can be a bit like 1970’s Radio 2 at times (“what’s the recipe today Jim?” etc) but there’s some great tips to be learnt there. The other week they were talking about harvesting potatoes. It was said you should go in once with a fork to pull up what you think are all the spuds, then go in another three times and you’ll get all the spuds you’d have missed previously. Good stuff!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/gwtj

If you go down to the worms today…

Posted on July 8, 2012 by onedeckpete

The worm bucket’s been sitting at the bottom of the garden for nearly four months now. I’ve been visiting it on a regular basis, opening the lid away from me to stop getting a mouthful of fruit flies (thanks for the tip, Scarlett!) and putting in my kitchen waste as and when. There’s slugs and mouldy bread on the top but at the bottom is the beginnings of some nice old rich worm compost and more worm liquid in the bucket below. That’s great you know, as all you have to do is pop down once a week and wait, no money’s involved, how good is that?

The rest of the garden is starting to perk up now. The weather has been a bit of a pain of late with only the odd dry hour here and there you can work in. The other week I was fed up as a mate at Tai Chi had been telling us how well his garden was doing (a lot better then mine was!) so I went out and got a bottle of Miracle-Gro in despair (as the worm and the comfrey liquid still need a bit more time) and an evening it weren’t raining I gave the garden a good feed. Now there’s flowers on the the Tomatoes where there weren’t (see “where’s the buds bud?”), there’s even a couple of Courgettes forming, and the third attempt of the heap is looking a bit colourful too. I’m sure If I’d waited, it all would have happened naturally but sometimes I get very impatient! What difference a week makes eh?

Weeds up to me knees

Madtone, gardening and life

Tag Archives: Tomatoes