Thinking big this year

After my hopes of 150 broad bean plants, I ended up with about half actually sprouting;  of the 40 or so that went into the paper tubes, only one emerged.  And I finally gave up on the remaining 30ish small pots too, resowing them with snap peas over the weekend.  The broad beans I transplanted at the allotment look good and are growing well.  The woolly sowing method (a wad of fluffed up sheep's wool in the bottom of each pot, a seed on top, a bit of potting soil to cover), ensured little to no transplant shock.

Now instead of a stack of eight trays of little pots of broad beans, I have eight trays of snap peas;  the first tray has begun to come up (sown 31 March) and I'll start transplanting them out when I can see a little root at the bottom of the pots.  It's still been cold, not really getting past 10C during the day.  I thought broad beans and snap peas would grow regardless, but the broad beans were incredibly slow to sprout, and the snap peas aren't much better.  Hopefully I get more than 50% sprout rate (though 50% is much preferable to the 30% I sometimes get).

I do want the snap peas to hurry up so I can start on the climbing beans next.  Same woolly sowing method as the other two.  Up until this year I thought I had more than enough trays and pots, but actually I don't!  100+ small pots is insufficient to my needs this year:  this year I'm thinking big.  On my garden plan (the first time I've ever really written one), I've got the ideal number of each type of plant I want to grow.  For instance, 150 broad bean and 350 snap pea plants (which is how many seeds I bought).  20 tomato plants--I sowed more seed than this to be sure I'd get 20 good ones--100 climbing bean plants, 50 corn plants, 40 squash plants (none of these sown yet).  I didn't take into account my stock of pots and trays.

Lovely flowers, cold weather

Now spring is really going, there are new flowers out daily it seems.  Suddenly all of my fruit trees and shrubs are in bloom or, in the case of the almond, already finished.  And my eclectic collection of ornamentals are also having a good show too, including the flowering currant, flowering quince and gorse, pictured.  I've got bulbs flowering, herbaceous perennials, shrubs, trees, even a vine.  What a lovely time of year.

Pinks and yellows and greens, March 2024

But it's still not consistently warm--yesterday for instance we didn't make it to 10C, which in my book is pretty cold for spring.  Not a bad temp for winter mind you, but not the kind of weather for encouraging my little vegetable seedlings to grow.

We call it the burning bush, March 2024

Over the weekend we had one cold day and one warm day, so I did what I could while I could;  I transplanted some kohl rabi seedlings from pots to ground in the kitchen garden and extended the insect mesh to protect them from pigeons and ducks (the first several rows have the other end of the mesh, put in place last week).  I also planted out a few more late-emerging broad beans at the allotment, and used the newly emptied trays and pots to start some more snap pea seeds;  the first tray of these from about two weeks ago are now just sprouting up.  I also sowed a few more packets of older seed into large pots en masse, hoping at least some will sprout;  these I will prick out individually.  As I did with a pot of lettuce seedlings at the weekend.  

And as a fun aside, we are down to five squashes from 2023's harvest of 21.  Plus about a 2 pound wedge from the sixth squash still in the fridge, hoping to finish within the next day.  Those squashes take a lot of eating, but to have them hanging out in the living room for six months and still be just as good as when we picked them really is something.

The Big Push (of seeds)

Wool underneath, crushed eggshells on top, March 2024

I've had two weeks of mostly uninterrupted garden and allotment access, due to our Easter break from work and school.  The weather has not been nice, up until the last few days!  But that didn't really stop me from doing the Big Push for seeds.  In fact, I pushed so hard I ran out of trays and pots before I ran out of seeds.  

Luckily I can sow direct with most seeds in my kitchen garden at home (not possible at the allotment because of intense pest pressure).  I've got a specific list of which vegetables I will grow at home (mainly parsnips, kohl rabi, cabbages, zuc, with a few intermediate/late season things like lettuce and radish), and at the allotment (beets, beans/peas, squash, corn, cucumbers, tomatoes).  So far I have direct seeded all the parsnips (though there were fewer seeds than I thought), some kohl rabi, and some cabbage. 

Cauliflower fortress against marauding pigeons, March 2024

I'm also gradually transplanting the still-emerging broad beans, sown back in February in individual pots and paper tubes.  Only one paper tube has sprouted, and I'm beginning to lose hope for those other 35 or so.  But I'm still holding out for the 50ish little pots that may still pop up, as I've been finding one or two from each tray every other day or so.  The first ones to transplant at the allotment have continued growing with no evidence of transplant shock: they look green and healthy and a little taller every day.  As I mentioned previously, I put a little fluffy wad of sheep wool in the bottom third of each pot, put a bean on top, then covered it over with a layer of soil.  As they grow, the roots go into the wool so when I plant out they have a good firm grip on it;  they can keep growing in the wool as they find their way into the new soil--thus preventing transplant shock.

We're back at school and work now, but the sowing of seeds is not done--as mentioned I'm out of pots (until stuff grows big enough to transplant), and also it's still just a little early for the warm season things like squash and zucchini.  I'll get to them nearer the end of the month.  However, the clocks have gone forward so there's more light in the evening, and it's a little warmer (though maybe not drier);  I will hopefully be able to get them all sown in good time.

Chickens and eggs

A bit of free range, March 2024

In the days leading up to the weekend, I let the chickens and ducks have regular free range but that has now stopped as I've begun sowing seeds in the kitchen garden.  The ducks have been locked back in their large yard and the chickens have been taken to the allotment until further notice.

However, I do plan on planting up their yard at the allotment with vegetables later this spring so they probably won't be there too long.  But we'll see;  plans are still a bit fluid.  The yard at the allotment is full of grass and weeds and bugs, so the chickens have had an upgrade from their yard at home at least.

The kitchen garden has gone through periods of being fenced with temporary fencing over the years;  fencing plus supervised free range is my preference for our feathery friends.  I may try to rig something up later on;  the two ducks in particular are pretty easily foiled by fencing (unlike chickens who can jump).  Or I may fire up the chicken tractor once more, focusing on the lawn rather than the veg beds.

Action shot! March 2024

It's definitely spring if the chickens are laying this much--even two of the oldtimers are making an effort.  Not the other two though;  however those two venerable hens celebrated their seventh birthdays yesterday.  For the sake of mathematical ease, we mark all our hens' birthdays on the first of April, but for Rock and Cookie, it's their actual birthday/hatchday--I can hardly believe they actually made it to seven years old!

Hoping for some warm weather for seeds

Warm then cold.  But consistently wet!  It's spring all right.  The start of our two week Easter break at the weekend was sunny and dry, but yesterday went cold and rainy again.  On Sunday the kids and I went to the allotment--lovely sun but biting wind--for some sheet mulch of course, and to fill up a few more of my planters with compost.  The son (age 14) went home after this but the daughter (age 4) was having so much fun making mud pancakes and playing with bugs she asked if we could stay for longer.  So while she was busy I hoed out some rows in expectation of broad bean transplants, hopefully by the end of the holiday.

Last week there were about five sprouting up (of 160+);  this week I'm up to about 30 emerged broad beans. I've begun taking the seedlings up to the allotment, one tray at a time.  They are still only just a little sprout with two leaves;  I need them to have a little bit of root poking out the bottom before I feel confident of transplant (a few do).

I also pricked out my tomato seedlings, seen below, into modules;  they are still hanging out in the kitchen.  Not a lot bigger yet but hopefully they'll grow.  I only have two of my usual variety of salad tom this year as most of my saved seed didn't sprout.  The plum and cherry tom seeds I saved were more successful--hope the plants are too.

Twigs dividing the three varieties, March 2024

Also taking advantage of the sun at the weekend, I sowed trays of leeks, beets, lettuce and kohl rabi;  all are wrapped loosely in plastic to protect against the worst of the weather, and stacked on my patio bench waiting for germination.  Even though I start most of my seeds in trays (rather than directly sowing in the ground), I start most of them outdoors;  only a few get the privilege of the kitchen windowsill.  I don't have enough room for them all!  Or time to acclimatize them either.  It means I have a shorter time to get them all going, but at least I have the space for them all.

Life vs gardening: not enough hours in the day

March is a busy month for me, partly because it's the start of the gardening year for my climate.  But my life is also busy with two birthdays, plus work, school, and extracurricular activities.  Often I feel like there just isn't enough time in the day to get everything done; there's just too much to do.

Only two daffodils this year: not enough! March 2024

I sowed my broad beans individually in pots and toilet paper tubes more than a month ago and finally I've seen a couple start to emerge: about 5 from 160+ (so far).  It's been kind of cold for the past several weeks so I hope they've just been biding their time now that it's warmed up to above 12C.  

I do really need to get some more seeds going, but I've held back because of the cold.  This past weekend was the first nice weather we've had for a while, but it coincided with those unavoidable life events (the son's orchestra concert and the daughter's birthday party).  I did at least manage to drag the husband and daughter up to the allotment for an hour afterward.  And then stopped by after work/school with the daughter yesterday.

Almond still in flower, March 2024

Luckily seeds earmarked for March usually still have enough growing time when started in April instead, and our two week Easter break from school/work is coming up very soon.  However, I better get most of it done in those two weeks, or I'll have missed my chance.

At the allotment, March 2024

The son and I have been gradually sheet mulching at the allotment, one weekend at a time.  When are we not gradually sheet mulching, though?  Except in the height of summer, we're always at it.  Winter is the best time for it, but early spring works too.  I've got several large pieces of old carpet I've collected over time which I've laid down on our paths, and this weekend I moved some to the very front of the allotment next to the gravel road.  This is more of a long-term grass control than the sheet mulch, but obviously can't be planted--unlike the sheet mulch.  Instead I'm collecting all my planters and large containers for that front carpeted area this year.  Maybe next year I'll shift it all to a new area and use this area for more sheet mulch and planting.

Lovely leeks, Mar 2024

The only thing really growing at the allotment is the garlic bed, planted out last autumn.  It looks good, growing strongly.  I have a few last spindly leeks and the rhubarb is just sprouting up;  we've eaten both of these within the last week.  I'm ready to get planting but it's still a little cold for most seeds.  Need to wait a bit longer.

I did start 160+ broad bean seeds in toilet paper tubes and individual small pots back in the middle of February but I've yet to see them emerge;  they are still stacked up on my patio table.  These will be the first to plant out just as soon as they show me some leaves.  Hopefully they aren't just going moldy...

The last of 2023's (so sweet) parsnips waiting for dinner, Mar 2024

 

I have sketched out a plan for growing at the allotment this year (in pencil, subject to erasure), focusing on just a few main production crops including broad beans and snap peas, corn, squash, tomatoes, leeks and beets.  Then I will also hopefully get my lettuce and pickling cucumbers in planters and maybe I will get climbing beans in the ground somewhere as well (if not, I'll grow them at home in the kitchen garden).  

I haven't sketched a garden plan as such, but I'm also limiting varieties to just a few, mainly cabbage, kohl rabi, zuc and parsnip;  and then following on with late season/successional crops:  radish, fennel, pak choy.  I can't grow these at the allotment because of pest pressure, but the ducks have sorted that out for me at home.

Feathered friends working (and photos!)

 

The daughter (age almost-4) and the back door

I can go out my back door!  This has been possible since the start of December actually.  And I can take pictures too!  This has always been possible...

The laundry line had to be relocated when the old umbrella-style one broke last year.  Now my laundry sometimes blocks my view of the garden, although this time of year the view is a bit dismal.  Have a look.

The not so beautiful view

On the bright side, the micro-climate of the patio does make the laundry dry faster than when I used to hang it out in the middle of the lawn.  

The chickens tractored the veg beds for me over a week or two (chicken tractor on the right, reflecting light) except the far edge at the left, still growing a couple pak choy, fennel, and strawberry plants. 

Feathery fennel in front, pak choy fortress at back

I've sent those four hard working chickens back into the yard with the rest of the flock;  we started the tractor with the four non-laying oldies, but their work ethic was pathetic so we swapped to the younger still-laying hens who completed the job admirably.  I may let them have another pass before I start planting--it's a little cold for most seeds still, and there are still a few weeds here and there.

Three of the four oldies in their yard

The two ducks have had a good amount of free range, slurping up all the slugs and snails.  I like to have them out on patrol, but they poo so much!  So I lock them back in their large yard for a week out of every three, to give the rain/worms/etc time to clean up.  Incidentally, Boy Duck is obsessed with the new back door:  he comes charging up to it several times a day and pecks it with his muddy beak (Girl Duck has absolutely no interest in it whatsoever).  I should have chosen a brown door instead.

Thank you, Girl Duck!

Trimming and planting trees

The whole family worked to trim back the very overgrown hawthorn hedge last weekend, collecting a very big pile of sticks and branches for next year's wood pile.  We treat this hedge more as a coppice, and it's on a 5-7 year cutting rotation.  We cut a few last winter too and this winter took down the rest.  South facing, it has let in a lot of light!  But I liked tall green wall it gave us as well, so I don't mind the overgrowth either.  I expect a lot of new growth this spring.

The husband was in charge of the electric saw, I commandeered the loppers, and the son was on transport duty.  The daughter helped by digging holes quietly in the far part of the garden, away from all the sharp stuff.  

I mentioned to the husband that the laurels need it too, but not until later in the year;  they are part of the same hedge, both planted by a previous owner.  Although laurels can be cut back hard too--even to the ground--I don't coppice them in the same way as the hawthorns;  unlike the hawthorns, they grow in the shade of the mature horse chestnut tree and block out the view of at least three neighbors.  A welcome privacy feature, I treat them as an actual hedge and try to just trim them back every other year or two.

And on the subject of trees, the husband also planted out a pot grown quince that I started from seed several years ago;  our local greengrocer used to sell quinces, and over a few winters I scattered seeds in several planters on my patio, with fingers crossed.  Well, two are still alive:  one that was planted out last year (and we'd thought died in a hot/dry spell, but happily has new growth) and this one, a year younger.  The first is planted against the fence and the second is near the chicken yard, free standing.

February sowing and pruning

More than a hundred broad bean seeds later, I've almost run out of small pots.  Hopefully they sprout quickly so I can transplant, otherwise I will run out!  They are all stacked up in trays on my patio table now, waiting for a leaf or two to emerge.  I don't normal start these in pots, but I decided to try it this year, to improve on survival rates (I would estimate that my usual pre-sprouting and then sowing direct sometimes results in 25% or less survival:  pretty bad).

I sowed some warm season seeds in trays for my kitchen windowsill for later pricking out:  tomatoes, chilis, etc.   I used to sow these individually in modules but I don't bother now:  it takes up too many trays.  I sow at least two or even three different kinds of seed in a tray with a little stick as a divider, and label which side is which;  I will prick them out into modules or well spaced in trays and then pot on to small pots as they grow.  These take a lot of babying!  But I like growing and eating them.

In anticipation of an apple harvest this year--my little trees have produced biennially ever since I planted them and last year had no apples--I very lightly pruned them, taking care not to cut any branches with buds on them.  The Sparta tree had twenty or more water sprouts without any buds; the Laxton Fortune is less vigorous (and a partial tip bearer unlike Sparta) so I took only about three smaller branches off, all of which were growing too high/in the wrong direction.  Both trees grow against my fence and I prune/train them down to within my reach, about 2 m tall;  this is only necessary once a year to keep them in their allotted spaces.  Luckily the growth can be kept in check easily with a pair of hand loppers.

I also pruned my fig tree and its companion grape vine, trying to keep them both within their own spaces too.  I have to be careful not to let the vine overspread onto next door's conservatory--which it is planted next to--but onto its own arbor.  To that end, I keep it pruned down to one main stem growing up one of the arbor supports.  I have to pull off wayward shoots during the growing season too, about once a month.

The last winter pruning to do is the roses and currants (black, red and white).  I have some nicely rooted redcurrant cuttings from two years ago that need transplanting;  it's so easy to get currant cuttings rooted:  take some pruned wood, stick it in the ground, leave until next winter.  I save all the other woody prunings for my kindling pile.

Starting off the new season

At the weekend the whole family went up to the allotment for a bit of sheet mulching, the first visit there since the end of December.  Not much had changed, other than the garlic sprouts being marginally taller.  We had to track down a couple of composter lids which had blown away (one near, one a bit far) and get the roof back on the chicken house--luckily all chickens are safe at home though their roof here needed a quick fix recently too.  I brought home three leeks;  there are about three still growing, my total for this season.  

Also at the weekend I got down my boxes of seeds and went through all the packets, throwing out some very old seed and organizing the rest by which month I will sow it:  I have little dividers marked Jan-June.  I also threshed the few dried bean pods I'd saved in the summer for seed--when I have a lot of bean or pea pods I put them in a cloth bag and whack it with a stick like a pinata, but there were only a few dozen so I just broke them open by hand;  I'll look forward to sowing these in April.

I have several packets of seed to sow indoors this month: tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, chilis, eggplant; and broad beans outdoors.  In the past I usually pre-sprout the broad beans in a small plastic bag of damp compost in my garage;  once most of them have a little white root sprout, I sow them in the ground.  While pre-sprouting is more successful than just direct sowing them straight from the packet, it's still hit and miss--mice/birds/slugs/whatever seem to get a lot of them anyway.  I'm going to individually sow them in pots and toilet paper tubes this year using my waste wool method in the hopes I have better success.  It's more work to have to transplant 150-ish starts but if that means I get 150 plants, that's worth it.

We gave the chicken tractor a quick tune up (it needed a little bit of waterproofing material on the roof ridge), and after more chicken wrangling than seemed strictly necessary, it's up and running.  My veg patch at home needs some serious scratching and pecking, so half of the flock is hard at work while the other half (the newest rescues) are looking on longingly from their yard--it really only fits four chickens at most.  I still don't know which is preferable to a chicken:  the very small tractor which gets fresh ground every day, or the much larger yard which gets muddier every day (though we also raked in a pile of garden debris at the weekend so it's not quite as muddy now).  In one they have enough space to walk about five paces one way and three the other, but like I mentioned it has fresh plants/grass/weeds/bugs every day;  the other they can run laps and flap up to different levels if they like, but it's a mudbath this time of year.

Eating all that squash

If you recall, I really outdid myself with squash in 2023.  We are down to 12 from 21 in total, still hanging out in the living room:  the "small" ones are lined up on the windowsill and the remaining four Big Ones in the corner on their own cotton mat.  Many of the "small" ones are actually bigger than those I have grown in previous years--I would call them "big" if it weren't for the massive ones on the floor!

So how to get through (at an estimate) around 150 lbs of squash?  Well, first off it's luckily a very good keeper.  The son and I harvested these in mid-October and the majority of them have stayed perfectly sound with no special treatment.  A couple started to develop a soft spot, but were discovered quickly;  after cutting out the soft spot, the rest of the squash was still good to eat, which we did.  

The big squashes have been mainly simmered in the slow cooker, pureed and then frozen in muffin pans to make nice little portions.  We do this for quite a few things;  after freezing, the "muffins" go into a freezer bag.  I can take out the portion I need easily.  I particularly like to put a couple into a stew to thicken it up, and if paired with a tablespoon of vinegar, makes the stew look and taste as though it has tomatoes in the broth.  Not sure if it would work as a tomato substitute for something like pizza, but maybe I should try.

The puree is also a tasty side vegetable in its own right, particularly with some butter swirled in, and I have used it in place of mashed potato for the top of shepherd's pie too.  It's rather like sweet potato in taste, color and texture.  Of course it makes a great pumpkin pie too.

The smaller, easier to chop squashes--i.e. the ones that don't require a hatchet--are very nice cut into bite size pieces for stir fry, stew, curry, etc.  Big or small, I don't peel them as there is no difference in taste or texture with the skin and flesh.  However, I don't bother trying to cook/eat the seeds as they have a very woody outer casing;  I have some saved for this year's planting, but the chickens can have the rest.

State of the flock, January 2024

 The chickens and ducks have been confined to their separate yards for the past several weeks, though luckily not under lockdown, unlike the last two winters.  They both have had short periods of free range, but I am trying to keep the grass alive (and what few vegetables are still left in the kitchen garden).  

We currently stand at eight chickens, four newly adopted last September and laying well.  The other four are much older and three are not laying (and the fourth, youngest, very irregularly).  If they make it to April, our two oldest hens Rock and Cookie will be 7 years old, breaking our house record for elderly chickens.  We commemorate all our chickens' birthdays on the same day, for simplicity's sake: 1 April;  it is however the actual hatch day/birthday of both Rock and Cookie whom we bought from a local breeder.

And Girl Duck and Boy Duck, also known as Brown Duck and Black Duck (even though he's not black) are back into their breeding season, which seems really early: Girl Duck started laying a few eggs in December (!) when they were still free ranging, but seems to have stopped since they've been locked in their yard.  Or maybe she has a secret nest I can't find.  I think she lays eggs when she's free ranging because she can find enough slugs and bugs for her protein needs, while her corn/wheat feed alone is too low for making eggs.  When it warms up a little bit more and the grass starts growing again, I'll let them out and hopefully she'll lay a few more.

Gardening on, January 2024

Most of my gardening recently has been remembering to water the houseplants every other week or so.  I've not had a lot of success with houseplants in the past, but I'm adding to my collection slowly and trying to improve;  they are particularly welcome this time of year when I don't get outside much.

I have pulled several daikon radishes and carrots from the kitchen garden this month, as well as a few pak choy leaves and sprigs of fresh herbs.  We have just had a cold snap with hard frosts for about a week or more, but the radishes and pak choy haven't been bothered by it;  I still have the pak choy surrounded in a small wire fence to protect it from pigeons/chickens/ducks and it continues green and leafy.

I noticed the daylilies are sprouting up again and the young shoots are particularly nice;  however they are also in the duck yard and I'm not convinced they are poo-free--I'll leave them for the ducks for now.  It would be nice to transplant some around the garden for next spring.

I've not been to the allotment since just after Christmas, about a month ago.  The son and daughter and I did a quick bit of sheet mulch and came home.  I have some cardboard saved up from my work that really ought to be used up at the allotment, but my boots finally bit the dust and I don't have any replacements yet;  I don't want to be trekking in the mud in either my pink or white shoes!  Call myself a gardener...

Grand total of garden food, 2023

Vegetables: 277 lb 14 oz (incomplete)

Fruit: 2 lb 10 oz (incomplete)

Eggs: 571

My very best year for veg totals since recording began!  The clear winner was the squash at more than 63 lb, with runners up zucchini at just over 53 lb and cucumber just over 40 lb.  Honorable mentions include 22.5 lb green tomatoes (I only got 8.5 lb of ripe ones), 16 lb cabbage, and nearly 10 lb of lettuce!  I marked the total incomplete as I didn't include the garlic or corn harvest, nor the dozen or so squashes still hanging out in the living room for later eating (these will be counted for 2024's total).

Rather a poor year for fruit;  no apples or pears, and hardly any cherries, almonds, strawberries or raspberries.  I did pick a good amount of blackcurrants, redcurrants, and several bunches of whitecurrants (all three went into a jug of wine) but didn't record them (maybe two or three pounds--not much).

We got four new rescue chickens in September and our egg collection totals suddenly jumped.  These hens would have been 18 months old at the time and closing in on their 2nd birthdays now;  they're our youngest chickens but I'm surprised they're still laying so well at their age.  18 months is considered too old for production at the farm, hence the rescue.

Every year I try to break the previous record, but I've come to the realization that a lot of this growing business is just luck.  It was a lucky year for a lot of things, including things I've never had much success with like cucumber and zucchini.  I've put in the work for years improving the soil which was surely a contributing factor;  and I tried out a new method of transplanting seedlings which helped keep my plants alive--though the weather might have helped here too, as it was warm and dry in May.  So just the perfect combination of work and good luck.  Long may it continue!

See previous grand totals: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016