Tomatoes and chillies

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Steve

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My tomatoes and chillies have moved from the kitchen windowsill to their final positions; some in my old man’s greenhouse and some in the coldframe on the allotment. I’m growing three varieties of chillies, as mentioned here, and I’m also growing three varieties of tomatoes. These are Tigerella, Red Star (from the Heritage Seed Library a couple of years ago), and a variety called Tumbler for some hanging baskets on the allotment.

It will be interesting to see how the plants in the greenhouse compare to those in the coldframe, so I’ll keep you updated.

The Vegetable Growing Year: Jobs to do in May

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Steve

May can be one of the busiest months of the year for a gardener. The soil is warming up and things should be growing quite well now. However it is worth keeping an eye on the weather, late frosts are not unknown and catch people out. If a frost is forecast, cover young and vulnerable plants with a fleece.

Continue reading →

Steve’s Allotment Episode 7 – Rain!

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Steve

My plan was to spend the afternoon filming various things down the allotment. Unfortunately, the weather got in the way and cut things short.

Steve’s Allotment Episode 6 – Tour of the allotment

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Steve

I haven’t done a tour of the plot for a while, so on Sunday I took the opportunity to do a little filming and to show you around.

The Vegetable Growing Year: Jobs to do in April

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Steve

Spring is here, the soil is starting to warm up and by now your seedlings should start popping up. However it is important to keep an eye on the weather as cold snaps in April are not unknown.

Weeds will also take this opportunity to take over, so keep the hoe going. Simply slide your hoe back and forth under the soil to kill and stop the weeds taking hold. Also remember to sharpen your hoe to make things easier. Continue reading →

Chillies – Feel the burn

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Steve

This year I have decided to grow three varieties of chillies; Mulato Isleno, Spike and Hotscotch. The Mulato Isleno and Spike varieties where both from Sea Spring Seeds while the Hotscotch variety was from Mr. Fothergill’s Seeds. The Mulato Isleno is a mild chilli that I want to use in my cooking and when ripe is a chocolate brown colour. Spike has a SHU around 97,000 which is perfect to make some chilli flakes. The Hotscotch variety is described as blazing hot habanera and scotch bonnet peppers with a fiery taste. Brilliant!

All three varieties were sown in the middle of February and left on the windowsill until last week when they were ready to pot on. I’ve decided to grow two of each variety this year, as last year I had too many and they overran my dads greenhouse. They will stay on the windowsill until the end of April and moved to either my dads greenhouse or in the cold frame on the allotment.

Steve’s Allotment Episode 5 – Preparing the Carrot Bed

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Steve

In this episode I prepare my carrot bed and also plant out my garlic. I also make a sowing of marigolds and show you one of my cold frames.

How to grow Brussels Sprouts

Posted on March 15, 2014 by Steve

Brussels Sprouts is a hardy slow growing vegetable that belongs to the brassica family. It is a staple vegetable throughout winter and tastes even better when the plant has been exposed to a frost.

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Steves Allotment Episode 4

Posted on March 2, 2014 by Steve

I managed to get down the allotment for a few hours today but unfortunately, my visit was cut short due to the rain. However I managed to weed my onion bed, which was looking sorry for itself, and put some bark chippings down. I’ve seen weather reports that suggest the weather will improve by next weekend. We will see!

The Vegetable Growing Year: Jobs to do in March

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Steve

March is the month when the weather usually starts to get better and things are springing into action. March is the meteorological beginning of spring but the weather can still be bad, and can catch people out. Continue reading →

The Vegetable Plot

An attempt to live a little more self-sufficient

Author Archives: Steve