and leeks…

I’ve grown leeks before but never from seeds….last year my friend gave me lots of young seedlings that I then planted on my plot…I find that as I grow in confidence I am branching out and trying out more and more new plants and varieties….

I’ve sown in a couple of trays of cabbages today…again last years one’s were courtesy of another allotmenteer but as I said ,this year I’m trying myself….I will let you know if they germinate….

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

Windowsills action…

broad beans, chilies, courgettes and aubergines all doing well…subhanAllah…I will have to eventually take them to the allotment but for now they are fine where they are…it is warm , they are getting plenty of sunshine and there’s a lot going on in the greenhouse …

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

I love my husband…

he has built me the perfect green house….I am thrilled with it….it is just perfect….I have had such a great time this morning potting about in MY GREEN HOUSE….the rain has not bothered me one bit….because I won’t be saying it again for a very long time…I love my husband….;)

Let me show you round…excuse the mess but we are not quite settled yet…..

A few tomato and cucumber plants have made it to the raised bed in the green house….we have sown melon, broad beans, cabbages, peppers,cucumbers….tomorrow we will take all the plants growing on windowsills in the house over to the greenhouse…also more sowing planned for tomorrow….

Oh and it now has a door too….I love my green house….alhamdulilah….

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

 

 

 

 

Potatoes…

today was the turn of the potatoes at the allotment…we have planted ten earlies, ten second earlies and ten main crops….a raised bed for each variety…not a very large amount but should be enough for us insh’Allah…we are not big potato eaters ….

What a glorious day it has been….tomorrow looks like rain so I will be sowing sowing sowing under cover….insh’Allah

Enjoy the rest of the long weekend,

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

Asparagus and rhubarb…

yesterday on the plot it was the turn of two perennials :asparagus and rhubarb…dd15 and I planted all eight asparagus crowns after a demo from a dear allotment neighbour who has a very large, well established asparagus bed…originally I was going to follow this expert’s advice but as Sharon offered to help we went for ‘her way’…pretty much the same but our way we did less digging….still ended up with mounds to sit the crowns on with the roots draping down all around, we then covered with compost…as growths start to show we will cover up with fine soil….and just keep building it up….not as complicated as anticipated…and now to wait three years before harvesting…that’s the deal with asparagus; the first year you harvest none, the second just a few and after the third year they are all ours insh’Allah….

you can hardly see the tip of the rhubarb but it is there….the variety is Suttons Seedless…I’m not sure if I will be harvesting any this coming season….I will ask around and do some reading/youtubing….

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

I’ve got this daughter…

who puts her name down for all online freebies that there are out there and then some more….usually they are make up samples, hand creams, toothpastes and anything along those lines….this time though she got me THIS!!!!

Five packs of  wild English flower seeds and a mini mini and I mean mini DIY beehive…..not sure what it does but we will put it out all the same…also in the pack there are a few 2 for 1 tickets to Kew Gardens and I’m thinking this has to be the perfect time of the year to go visit the gardens….yeah, I’ll have to go…see if dh wants to come with me…

And now off to the allotment to find the perfect sport for the seeds and while I’m there I might as well help dh with the green house…it’s starting to look like one and I can see the light at the end….want a peek? thought so….

This was two days ago…we have now put up three walls out of four…so should be done in a couple of days or so…if the weather behaves….insh’Allah

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

 

On the first day of Spring…

It must be Spring

Hush, Can you hear it?
The rustling in the grass,
Bringing you the welcome news
Winter’s day is past.
Soft, Can you feel it?
The warm caressing breeze,
Telling you the sticky buds
Are bursting on the trees.
Look, Can you see them?
The primrose in the lane,
Now you must believe it –
Spring is here again.

Don’t you just love the first signs of Spring? I do I do I do….Imagine my joy at spotting my first camellia Japonica this morning…..can’t wait to see the whole plant ‘alive’….

Wishing you all a peaceful and productive week,

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

 

Kate’s rhubarb …

Kate, my allotment neighbour, is off to Guatemala tomorrow and has asked me to keep an eye on her rhubarb…she is going to be away for over three weeks and she does not want it to go to waste…I’ve told her I’ve never grown it but she says it’s dead simple….so all I have to do is watch it grow and when it has reached the top of the pot , cut it, cook it and eat it…can’t be that hard 😉

I love the forcer…I might buy myself one depending on how much we like rhubarb after tasting kate’s one….apparently forced rhubarb tastes much sweeter and also you get two crops a year…

Thy look tiny to me but apparently it is all going to happen in the next couple of weeks…what do I know?….I’ll be checking on them next Sunday and reporting back here…watch this space….

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

Strawberries…

my strawberries were doing just fine until Picasso, our cat .took to digging them out and generally playing on that part of the raised bed…aaagghhh…..so we’ve had to plant in a few more plants and put up a horrid net over the whole bed….also, we are planting a few in hanging baskets and we will be doing a bit of a comparison exercise to see which method is more productive…the problem I anticipate with the ones in the baskets is the propagating part…oh well…I’ll figure something out….the cat stays for now 😉

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

Potting on…

my young tomato plants were so quick to germinate and before I knew it they were growing leggy…wasn’t sure what to do so after asking on the fb gardening group I have been reassured of the necessity of repotting them…give them a bigger and deeper home after removing the two baby leaves at the bottom…

They are now looking much much happier but I reckon they could do with some sort of support too….it is far too early to plant them out and as you know the greenhouse won’t be finished for another week or so…so in the meantime I’m managing as best as I can…

Hopping your week is going well…

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines