Peas & Beans

The gardening year is just starting for me (although it never really ends), Saturday I had the day to myself and managed to plant a few seeds and a few trees, I also could see some signs of life around the garden.

Softneck garlic just coming up

Hardneck garlic has been up for the whole winter but is just starting to grow again. 

I did plant lots of legumes, broad beans (that I should have planted before now) and two types of peas, one mange tout and one pea for drying as a bit of an experiment in growing staples. 

Seed planted in root trainers, laid out before I push them in.

I also sowed some Jerusalem artichokes as mine don't seem to have made it over winter.

One thing I made sure was that I covered these seeds over and set a few mouse traps, I can't seem to get on top of the mice this year and I know if I left them exposed then by morning there wouldn't be a pea or a bean left! This is the main reason I don't grow anything like this direct in the ground. 

My tomatoes and peppers are going in this week (the girls are so excited about sowing them), most years I put them in far too early so I've been trying to hold off this year! 

Who else has started planting? Or am I way behind everyone else?

Children Picking Veg For Dinner

Although I've not been able to get into the garden as much as I would like lately I have been enjoying seeing the girls in the garden picking stuff for tea.

Our back garden is like a building site at the moment, it'll look much better next year! 

 These are pictures from Monday when they went to pick the veg for a tea, My wife said she's not had to pod a single bean yet, they love sitting there and podding them all and then eating them a little while later once cooked. 

So proud of their pickings. 

They did make me laugh last night when my wife had to do an extra vegetable with tea, because while she was picking some herbs they were pulling up carrots on their own! I love the fact they know which were carrots just by looking at their leaves (they're only two and four). 

Carrots harvested by themselves! 

My eldest was also making me proud the other night when we were at my brothers and she was naming all the herbs and strawberry plants on his patio. 

It's amazing how much they know already! 

Don't let these girls into your garden if you want any veggies left! 

Red Flowered Broad Beans & Dead Carrot Seed

I'm not one to wax lyrically about flowers and the beauty of things, normally for me it's all in the eating, but my red flowered broad beans are simply beautiful. 

 I was late getting them in so they've only just started flowering but they really do look good (I first saw them here last year and mum got me the seeds as a present at Christmas), I'll post some more pictures of them when they're all in flower.

This was some consultation on the fact that one of my beds of roots, that's supposed to be parsnips and carrots, has only  parsnips showing through. I was being a cheap skate and using up my old carrot seed, I pour about three packets together and sowed them really thickly, but only about four seedlings have come up in three ten foot rows. I know they only keep for about a year and I know I should have just chucked them in the bin. 

The stupid thing is I have new carrot seed I bought this year, I was just being tight. It's not he end of the world, I have other carrots planted in Long Furrows and in the bed next to this one, but it is a waste of space and effort. Tomorrow I'll hoe it all over and sow some more, maybe Paris Market this time, a nice round globe type of carrot.

Just parsnips and weeds

Luckily we're not relying on those carrots, failed crops would have a serious impact then, anyone who stores quantities of seeds "just in case" needs to take note!

Does anyone else do things they know they shouldn't when it comes to planting seeds? I think we all try our luck sometimes even though we know we shouldn't and get below par crops as a result.

Broad beans and Peas Sown

I had an hour in the greenhouse yesterday and managed to plant some broad beans and peas, whether they'll survive the mice is another matter. I've read lots of old books that recommend dipping them in all different (toxic) things to keep them away but I've done none of that. I've raised them all up off the ground so hopefully that should help keep the little blighters away until they start growing. 

Lots of pots full of plants and seeds

 Broad beans were planted in pots and peas in a length of old guttering I got from a job I had last year. The seeds are quite old so I have my doubt as to whether they will grow or not (I found them in an old box I had at my allotment so they're at least four years old).

Peas in gutter

Fig becoming root bound

 I also managed to separate and  pot up some of my cuttings that I took at the end of the summer, like rosemary, gogi and chilean guava. My figs got put into a slightly larger pot to incourage a bit of growth over the next year, they have to have their roots restricted to fruit but it's worth giving them some fresh compost and soil to keep them healthy.

The garden seems to be on the edge of taking off and I love getting ready for it! The next two months are always really busy in the garden but they set the standard on how much you'll grow for the rest of the year. 

Are you getting ready?

Broad Beans

How I love thee.
Shame my wife and daughter don't. I always grow loads and end up eating most of them to myself. 

Not even Using them as a glove will convince her!



She was amazed by this



Possibly my favourite vegetable

Broad beans on toast with a poached egg on top. Doesn't get much better than that. That's food porn.

Lots of Planting

With the greenhouse now glazed I've been getting on with some serious planting this and last weekend as I'm a little behind.

Marigolds always germinate really well

Firstly I potted on all my tomatoes - this is a job long overdue but they weren't as root bound as I thought they'd be.

I also planted sweetcorn, sunflowers (inside and out), marigolds, sprouts, purple sprouting, cabbage, runner beans, french beans. I pretty much filled every pot I could find. I also put in another row of carrots and some peas outside but my beetroot hasn't come up get (or more likely the slugs have had it).

Some weeds are also starting to make an appearance so I'll have to get the hoe out tomorrow!

Are you on target with your veg planting this year?

First Bit Of Veg Planting

Well this year at least.

As we're giving up the alloment on the 1st of April, the broad beans I'd planted there aren't going to do us any good (I think the mice ate most of them anyway).

My wife raking in some compost - I should be able to get some muck this weekend

 So the first planting job on our new veg garden was to be some Aquadulce bean seeds under a large cloche/cold frame that I was bought for Christmas - this should keep the rabbits off them till we've got it fenced and give them a fighting start.

New Cloche/cold frame, the plastic was a little tight but it should give them a head start

It was a nice job on a sunny evening and the first bit of planting our 7 week old girl has done (it wont be her last) as well as marking the start of veg growing on our holding.

A little helping hand

 Next to go in are the onions and shallots as well as the parsnips later this week, just hope I haven't left them too late! I still haven't started my tomatos and peppers yet either - too much to do!