What I did today

Okay I thought I would start this topic but everyone please feel free to join in. It might serve as a reminder to others in case they have forgotten to do something.

Well I didn't get to do anything today. Its been raining non stop. I need to top up my Charlotte potatoes as they are lagging behind all the other spuds.

I have received som coffee beans which I'm going to try and Grow. They will take at least 3 years before I get any coffee beans.I'm going to send some to Jacqui as well, then we can see who get a cup of coffee first

Finally managed to get in the garden for a bit. I managed to top up the compost on my Charlotte potatoes, planted out my dwarf sweetpeas, potted on my lemon balm and also my red brussel sprouts.

So managed to get quite a bit done. I will put a picture of my Swift potatoes here. I think I will be harvesting them soon

Cant really do much in the garden at the moment. I'm still waiting for my greenhouse to be done. As soon as its done I will be able to sort out my tomatoes.

My cucumbers seem to be stunted so maybe I won't be growing them this year. Also because I have no greenhouse my peppers and aubergines are well behind and I don't know if they will catch up. Still if not then theres always next year. I wil not give up.

My courgettes have sprouted so hopefully they will romp away now. Also my corriander has sprouted the roots are well away and they need to be potted on. Trouble is I'm not sure where to out them. My basil is also slowly sprouting.

Have you posted the recipe for the soup?

Right have decided that I need to plant on the tomatoes greenhouse or not. I have some very big trays that the pots were going to be standing in anyway in the greenhouse so I will just have them in the spare room.

So they will be put into 9in pots and the stems will be buried to the first leaves. This should give a stronger plant. I will put a stake in now why the roots are small so I dont damage them.

Also need to look and see which are cordon types and which are bush. Cordon need side shoots taking out and bush don't.

This link has a really good diagram of how to prune the tomato plant

http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/fruit_veg_mini_project_july_1b_tomato.asp

Oooh 5 of my Hestia runner beans have popped up from the soil squee!!!.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, I'm going to plant on my tomato plants and then I'm going to sow some more dwarf peas and broad beans so I can have them ready to plant out hopefully when some of the potatoes have been harvested.

I think I will sow another row of spring onions where I pulled the raddishes as well. I think I might have been a bit over zealous with the mixed baby leaf salad. I have sown 3 different lots and 2 of them are at harvestable size. So much lettuce at least its tasty. I had some in a chicken sandwich today and it was yummy.

okay today I managed to plant some more peas. Need to ask my brother to move some compost for me as I need to plant more broad beans. Also need to pot on my dwarf trees.

Think I might grow some more spinach beet as well and some more red spring onions.

Well since my last post I've planted on my fruit trees and they are now in their permanent pots. I've also planted on my tomato plants. I've also managed to plant some more broad beans. In the end I just planted them direct into some large plants.

My peas have already started to show so I'm pleased. Need to keep an eye on my runner beans because something is eating the leaves.

I've also thrown away my cucmber plants because they haven't got any bigger in over a month. Luckily I managed to find some outdoor mini cucumber seeds on Ebay. So I have planted them today and I'm hoping they will do okay.

My brussel sprouts will need hardening off soon and as the weather is supposed to be good this weekend I will start to do that.

fed most of the plants today. Also my next door neighbours looks after their grandaughter during the week so I've been giving them some plants. I've mainly been giving them ones that grow small veggies.

I think Janice (granny) is quite keen as well. So far I've given them a plum cherry tomato plant, a couple of broad beans that I've planted, and a courgette. I've also taken cuttings from my lemon balm and spearmint, if they root I will hand those over as well. I will also give them some strawberry runners when I've potted them on. Janice is also quite keen to have a go at growing potatoes. I've given her a polypot and said that when my xmas tubers turn up I will let her have a couple.

See my obsession is growing and I'm passing it on to others

just sown some more little gem lettuce seeds. Hopefully my potatoes with be up before the lettuce Glorius sunshine again today which will help everything

Just checked and my peas and beans have little flowers on them

have gone a little mad in the garden. I went in Ebay just to look at french bean seeds because I found you can still grow them. When I was looking at the sellers other auctions and I found 15 bare rooted cauliflowers for 99p so I bought them as well. They turned up today and I was frantically looking for space to put 15 cauliflowers.

Managed in the end thanks to the large polypots I had. I think I may have planted them too close together. In the end they have 2 chances

I also planted some french beans hopefully they will come up. I also tidyed up round the veggies and removed some yellow leaves. I have left the cucumers out as well in the hope thay they grow a bit.

Just have to water everything now. I think its going to rain but I have to water just in case.

Oh also I have a very small pea forming. Its only about a inch long at the moment but I'm sure it will get bigger very soon. There were also lots of bees flying around them so thats good as well.

Didn't do much today. I fed my tomato plants and courgettes. I looked at my veg and sat and enjoyed the smell of it. I love the smell of the tomato plants it reminds me of my dad. He used to grow lots of tomato plants and when you walked in the greenhouse that smell hit you. I love the smell of it now

I love the smell of tomatoes too... so fresh!

I just have to touch the leaves and I'm back with dad in the greenhouse.

Could't do much today as weather was horrid. In the past couple of weeks I've planted red cabbage, whote cabbage, calabrese, sprouting brocolli, turnip, swede and red pak choi

never tried that pak choi... is it nice?

Never tried it either lol. Finally got my base for the greenhouse built. Just need to arrange the actual installation of the greenhouse now. I'm really excited about it because I can put all my tomato plants in there and they will ripen quite quickly. Im already picking cucumbers. They are great,they are a small type that grows 4-5 inches.

Well the green house is going to be built on Sunday. Janice is going to help me put my tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergin and peppers in there. Probably to late for the aubergine and peppers but its worth a try.

I've also removed the gravel from the side of the patio and have made that into a bed to give me more growing space. I'm going to be putting an edging round it to make it a raised bed. That means that I can do the no dig way of growing stuff. At the moment there are lettuce, beetroot and radishes in there. I'm also going to be putting red brussel sprouts in there as well. In a month or so I will be putting dwarf kale and purple sprouting brocolli.

In the summer I'm going to put sweetcorn, mangetout and broad beans in there as well. Here's to bumper crops lol

Woo hoo I've got my greenhouse. Its all pretty and shiny. I have put in 10 tomatoe plants, 2 cucumbers, 2 peppers and 3 aubergine.

I had 2 ripe tomatoes and Keran (Janices grandaughter) came and picked them. They were yummy. Cant wait for all the other tomatoes to ripen. I see loads of pasta sauce and soup in my future

Keep going and looking at my greenhouse how sad is that. Dad would have loved it.

I have another 2 tomatoes going red and I teeny tiny aubergine.

Also bought some more seeds for next year. Ebay is evil and I should stay away. I have bought mange tout / sugar snap peas, taller broad beans, more hestia runner beans (well impressed with them), crystal lemon cucumber (round and lemon colour) more small cucumbers (they were great this year), purple french beans and parsnip seeds.

I already have oodles of seeds put by. Lettuce, carrots that sort of thing. Still need to get sweetcorn and some more strawberry plants.

Sorry just popping out to look at my green house again.

You know he would be so proud of you doing all that hard work in the green house and growing all that veg... don't think he won't be looking down on you now with a big smile and trying to keep the weather just right so you get plenty of veg from it all x

Picked a couple of ripe tomatoes today also 3 cucumbers. I seem to have blight on some of my tomatoes. I think it took hold when they were outside. So I will be happy with whatever toms I get this year. Next year should be better.

Have decided that I'm growing 10 tomato plants, 4 cucumbers 2 peppers and 2 aubergine next year.