Tag: Broad beans

Growing vegetables, fruit and flowers, Why I garden8 Comments

Garden joys

Reclaiming Paradise

Two months ago I started my main seed sowing of the season: tomatoes, cucumbers, chillies, peas and some flowers. I said I was ‘sowing seeds of hope‘. I didn’t know then that we would still all be in lockdown two months later, but I looked forward to a summer of vegetables. Today, I’ve sowed some more seeds but mainly I’ve been planting things out in the garden and being thankful for all that grows there. I posted six of my favourite flowers for #SixOnSaturday on Twitter Clockwise from top left: The roses are starting to come out in the garden, … Continue reading Garden joys

Why I garden18 Comments

Joining the six on Saturday crew

Reclaiming Paradise

My Saturdays are usually taken up with ‘stuff’ so I don’t usually do #SixOnSaturday , the weekly garden bloggers’ ritual – for more see here – But we are living in unusual times, and I’ve got the Easter public holiday weekend away from the day job for the first time in living memory. The reason for this is very boring but it means I woke up this morning without the usual Saturday list of stuff and have time instead just to enjoy the flowers, so here they are. Here’s a camellia in full bloom. This plant was a gift from … Continue reading Joining the six on Saturday crew

Cooking and eating from the garden, Why I garden2 Comments

Hardy Watercress

Reclaiming Paradise

I was out in the garden, doing some tidying up after this week’s sharp frosts. the temperature dropped to -3 degrees during the week, leaving beautiful patterns on the broccoli and sparkles on the wild rose hips Unfortunately it also killed off the last of the nasturtiums so today’s task was to clear them up. While I was outside I spotted broad beans coming cheerfully up despite the cold: tiny saladings under a cloche: and sweet peas thriving in the seed palace: Signs of spring indeed. The cold earlier in the week had also brought ice to the pond: and … Continue reading Hardy Watercress

Why I garden9 Comments

Autumn tidying

Reclaiming Paradise

Today was a tidying up in the garden sort of day. I cleared all the tomato plants from the raised beds . The tomatoes have been pretty good this year but some had succumbed to blight. The green ones should ripen indoors and I’ve left a few in the seed house as well These are all Tigerella which are very beautiful when they are still green. I sowed broad beans and phacelia in the tomato beds in the hope that it isn’t too late. I also sowed some late lettuce, replacing the seeds that I’d sown about a month ago … Continue reading Autumn tidying

Why I garden4 Comments

Lawnmower holiday

Reclaiming Paradise

There are tons of peas and beans in the garden so I made a classic green soup for lunch, with some added watercress from the pond: Earlier in the week I made a classic summer pudding: It was duly guzzled by my various visiting young people. It’s lovely to have all this wonderful fruit and vegetables but all these gluts are causing a bit of crisis at the allotment. The warm wet weather of the last few weeks has caused a massive growth spurt among the onions, strawberries, peas, beans and courgettes, which is great. But is has also caused … Continue reading Lawnmower holiday

Cooking and eating from the garden, Why I garden1 Comment

A garden feast

Reclaiming Paradise

I’ve spent most of today at the allotment, tackling weeds and harvesting onions. Everything is coming along nicely although the peas are still rather straggly, which is strange as the peas in the garden raised beds are in full flourish, with their beautiful butterfly wing flowers: The onions have been magnificent this year but feel a little overwhelming at the moment. I’ve also had an invasion of musical instruments, bikes, camping equipment, bags of laundry and random pairs of shoes this weekend. And that is a good thing, because it means that my lovely young people are around, filling the house … Continue reading A garden feast

Growing vegetables, fruit and flowers, Why I garden4 Comments

Let the gluts begin

Reclaiming Paradise

Been away for a wee holiday, enjoying the great outdoors, lots of walking, wildlife and dipping my toes in water, history, art, literature and gardens. But I’ll leave writing about that for another day. The main thing is coming home to find that the cats have survived and the vegetables are flourishing The allotment is groaning in onions and strawberries and there is promise of lots more to come: These are the tomatoes and cucumbers in pots in the new seed palace. There are lots more in the ground. The cucumbers are doing beautifully in the cucumber frame, although a … Continue reading Let the gluts begin

Growing vegetables, fruit and flowers, Why I garden7 Comments

Spaghetti junction

Reclaiming Paradise

Did you know that spaghetti grows underground? Nor did I until I found a vast network of it underneath the strawberry patch at the allotment: Actually, it’s not spaghetti, these are couch grass roots and they form a vast underground network right across our allotment. It is hard not to admire their tenacity but today, their bid for world domination has been thwarted, slightly. The strawberries are looking a little happier, although I can spy a few green shoots of spaghetti still sticking up amongst them: It was a surprisingly satisfying way to spend an afternoon away from the cares … Continue reading Spaghetti junction

Growing vegetables, fruit and flowers, Why I garden6 Comments

Sunshine and rainbows

Reclaiming Paradise

Despite a busy weekend, I found some time for the allotment this afternoon. We surveyed the plot again and now have our plan down in writing. There is blossom on the plum tree and birds flying all round the plot. Our overwintered onions are doing well and we are still harvesting purple sprouting broccoli and some baby kale.  The autumn sown broad beans have been almost completely hopeless: old seed, pests? We’re not sure why but one brave little plant has survived: This should give us lovely beans in early summer. We sowed a whole lot more today to keep … Continue reading Sunshine and rainbows

Why I garden2 Comments

Autumn tidying

Reclaiming Paradise

Today was a garden day, it seemed like the first in months. The garden has been doing its best producing wonderful fruit and vegetables, especially plums, apples and tomatoes but, what with the allotment, and the musicians, various other family and work things, a wee trip to Norway and the small matter of the cracked bone in my arm, it is beginning to look seriously neglected.  So today I dug over one of the tomato beds, filled it with garden compost and sowed some broad beans. That sounds like it should have taken, maybe half an hour? But it took much … Continue reading Autumn tidying