Forget cuckoos, midges and the rest - the first sign of summer is that the lettuce has arrived (well, and the sun has come out!) - first picking on Wednesday - looks good, tastes great!
Summer's here!
Forget cuckoos, midges and the rest - the first sign of summer is that the lettuce has arrived (well, and the sun has come out!) - first picking on Wednesday - looks good, tastes great!
Brassicas and the warm weather
Its been a fantastic week weather wise - had spent he last week hardening off the brassicas by placing out in the morning, and watching the night weather - finally after last weekends cold nights, there's been the break to summer. Everything's clamouring to grow now, and so couple of caldestine pre work morning trips to allotment to plant out the primo's and the brussels... Rosie came and took some courgettes, cabbages, brussels and squashes across to Fife - look ofrward to seeing how they do transferred to the Garden of Scotland!
Brasssicas love firm ground thats settled, then puddled in - dig the hole and drop in the plant with two cans of water... In Greece they do this, then leave for a month to encourage the roots to develop strength as they bury seeking out the water...here's brussel waving not drowning
Beefsteak, moneymaker and mango
Not content with bashing my hands at Sharon's today, took a late afternoon trip to the allotment. Managed to get tumblin tomatoes in Portobello yesterday, so once again looks like I'm trying to get tomatoes going - one in a hangin basket and two under glass. Popped into a grow bag with a pepper for company, Sandy watered in and got the water supply system set up for another try this year.
Today's the official start of the lassi season!! Also last picking of the purple sprouting broccoli.
working on the chain gang
Every now and again, its time to venture out of the eastside and into the heart of the city. The Duke of Buccleuch has been very kind and lent my good friends Colin and Sharon not only a cupboard in which to rest their weary machine-shaken bones but also a smallholding out the back which get sun for about 20 mins of the day - which is not bad for Edinburgh!
Sharon duly made a list of the jobs to do, stuck it on the back of the door and got stuck in herself! Give her a hand on the hammer and drill. Today was positioning three raised beds, striking stone and lorne sausage - jobs a good'un.
Stake-out
Nice breezy day - still slightly chiller than it should be and cetainly cooller than in Muck last week, especially at night. Any difference of more than 9 degree and the plants concentrate on surviving rather than growing! Plan was to paint the joint shed but showers could be seen out towards the Forth.
So as Tom and Katie had managed to get knockdown fruit trees for the shared plot, spent the morning staking out. Came across a bucket-load of established horseradish, which we had with beetroot for tea.
May you never
Potting on the courgettes today as they are loving the hot greenhouse. Also managed to plant marigolds for bees, kale, calabrase and savoy cabbages - and as a final attempt at herbs sprinkled basil, parsley and chives into the carrot box. This weekend last year, doing much the same - getting the shallots, red onions, beetroot, lollo rosso, peas, brussels and leeks in...
Stoop
Some days for planting and some days for building! Gorgeous day today, and managed to get down early for 9.30am with new radio, which takes a line in, and so I listened to Funky Nassau, the second song of which is ideal for bangin'... took the headstart as a chance to build an additional shelf in the greenhouse, and finally after prepping the roof last year, managed to get the stoop built. The shed has now entered the pantheon of dream sheds
- after much clattering got a frame for the clematis to cling to - even managed to fix the gutter before realised it still had the holes made for starting the peas off... You spin me right round...
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