It’s been quite a while since I posted an update but as the weather gradually warms up things are starting to take shape in the greenhouse and at the allotment. At the start of the week I finally got around to planting my remaining maincrop potatoes at the allotment. In addition to my usual favorites ‘Desiree’, ‘Pink Fir Apple’ and ‘Kind Edward’ varieties I’ve decided to also try ‘Highland Burgundy Red’ which has very unusual pale red flesh.
Also this week, I’ve made my first direct sowings of Peas, Mangetout ‘Shiraz’ and Broad Beans ‘Imperial Green Longpod’. Every year I try to add at least one new (and hopefully unusual) fruit bush to the allotment and earlier this Spring I added two Honeyberry (Lonicera Caerulia) bushes. These produce large blue edible berries which are somewhat similar in taste and texture to Blueberries.
One of the disappointments of last years growing season was that quite a large proportion of the leafy salad crops I grew unfortunately went to waste. This was partly due to them frequently being snacked on by hungry slugs but also regrettably because they were not all that convenient to harvest each day from the allotment. To try and remedy this, I’ve added a new raised planter in the back garden which I’m going to use solely for growing salads. After filling it with compost and sowing the first seeds a couple of weeks ago, it’s now starting to fill with plenty of tasty looking leaves.
To hopefully have interesting salads throughout the Summer I’ve sown a range of salad crops including Rocket, Mizuna, Mibuna, and a range of different lettuces.
As is usual for this time of year both the greenhouse and every available windowsill indoors is packed full of seed trays and propagators filled with tiny seedlings.
I’d love to know what everyone else has been sowing, growing or harvesting this week. So please let me know please in the comments or via Twitter.
Modern Veg Plot 
That all looks and sounds great! I wish I had the energy for potatoes, but everyone I talk to about them tells me how much work they are and it puts me off. I just got my polytunnel planted at the weekend. My tomatoes and cucumbers are both about 50 cm tall already so I had to get them in the ground. The cucumber plants even have some tiny fruit! I also planted a few new fruit bushes. I have 100 fennel plants in cups on the windowsill ready to plant out when the weather gets a little warmer. We just passed our last frost date so I haven’t planted anything outside yet. I think I’ll be busy for the next few weeks!
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Who told you about much work with potatoes? All I ever do, is plant the seed potatoes, heap some earth around the sprouts maybe three weeks after the first greens come up to a height of 15 cm and then wait for autumn to come, when I dig out the crop. Thats it. No more work required. Nothing is easier than potatoes, really.
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Mainly my husband. I think it’s a legacy from his youth! I asked him again yesterday and he groaned as he talked me through ploughing the field, planting the potatoes, keeping the weeds down while they grew, then digging them. They used to do a whole field, so not sure if that’s what’s putting him off. I’d love to give them a try!
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Same here, we also kept an entire field. It had to be dug up in spring, then planted, the nweeded and later, we had to pick potato bugs off the plants, too. That was yuck. But if one only has a plot in the garden, its not that much trouble at all.
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I’m ridiculously late this year – though my potatoes went in early I’m lagging on everything else.
With a bit of luck I’ll get a whole load of salad veg sown this weekend in the garden beds and – fingers crossed – some seed sowing done too.
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It’s been quite a mild start to the year so I think everyone is at least a little behind this year!
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We have planted potatoes, sown beetroot, peas, broad beans, tomatoes (indoors!), calabrese and carrots. We have red and white onion sets to plant too and I would like to try my hand at butternut squash too. Peppers, courgettes and cucumbers are in the conservatory at the moment too. I love that you are trying to grow different things-it’s inspiring!
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Sounds lovely! Can’t wait to start harvesting some homegrown produce.
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Great update. Its a busy month ahead, lots of sowing, the soil is even to dry now! 😃
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I learned that about salads too. Some things are better to grow at home than the allotment, like salads and herbs. I’ve not heard of Honeyberry, will be interested to follow how that goes. Does it need acid soil like Blueberries?
I’ve been harvesting Sorrel, my current favourite veg, and can just now start harvesting some of the Ramsons. Because it’s been such a cold spring (until the last week), I’ve only just sown my peas, courgettes, pumpkins & dwarf french beans.
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I do like Sorrel, nothing quite like its bitter and slightly sour taste in salads.
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I’ve never used it in a salad, must try that. I tend to use it like spinach, in pasta and gratin dishes.
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I’ve not heard of Honeyberry either; I’ll look forward to seeing the results! I’m currently hoping my sweet potato slips aren’t as dead as they look 🙂
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Fingers cross that they are alright! I haven’t tried sweet potato before so I’d be similarly interested in the results.
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