OH has an urge to go out today, he's chosen Southwold. I'm feeling less motivated as I went to bed later than him and he woke me up at 6.30.
@floralies, I grow perpetual spinach, spinach beet, which I sow in spring and I can crop it all year until the following spring. Very like spinach but a bit coarser.
Probably said before, I have a wood burner oven in France that heats most of my cottage. Kitchen breakfast room to 23°. The heat goes upstairs too.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
We’ve been warned that work is being done on t’internet here today so I may well not be able to post …
I sometimes sow Swiss Chard ‘Fordhook Giant’ to overwinter if the autumn is kind @tui34 … if I put it under a plastic cloche-type tunnel I can get quite a few pickings overwinter, and then in spring it’ll really put on growth and produce plenty … lasting until a new spring-sowing is ready to pick.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thanks @Busy-Lizzie I have grown perpetual spinach a long time ago, I will look in Gamm Vert tomorrow and have a look and see if they have any plants or seeds.
@floralies I have just sown some spinach, mâche and pak choy seeds (again) in the hope (lots of) that I will be enjoying their fruits around November/December. In for a coffee break now. I planted some brassica seedlings last month under netting and 8/12 have survived and are looking splendiferous and healthy. I have aired the soil gently around each of them and given them some fertiliser balls.
I also sowed carrots and various radishes (black, white and Chinese) in July and shaded them from the hot sun (and the pigeons) with the balsa wood packing crates. All are up except the beetroot.
I am in constant conflict with the snail and slug crew. After such a dry summer, they are out of hibernation and as hungry as a bear!! I also planted out various lettuce seedlings - of which were viciously attacked by birds and snails. I have netted those now and put down ash and some snail bait - although I reckon the bait attracts the snails.
Although it is hot where you are, you also have the humidity so I don't think it's too hot. By the look of the weather forecast for next week we are expecting quite a dip in nightly temperatures.
Thanks @Dovefromabove I have one silver beet (chard/perpetual spinach) coming along nicely, which should do for winter meals. I like the leaves through the curried lentils at the end of cooking. One plant usually does the job as it gets so big!
Wood fired Rayburn (well actually an Esse) here too - does our cooking, hot water and five radiators and keeps the kitchen lovely and warm. We are on tank gas, which was eye wateringly expensive even before the latest price spikes. Not sure it’s the “greenies” that are against wood @tui34 - it’s carbon neutral if it’s locally sourced and from areas that are replanted. It’s the particulates it releases that are the problem- not great if you have breathing issues.
Mr C had spent the last few weeks getting logs split and chopped ready for winter. In fact today’s job is to go to the tip to empty one of our log storing bays that has become a bit of a dumping ground - so that it can be filled up with wood 🪵.
Then Dementia Centre this afternoon, followed by more Pilates.
Brassicas And ..foreground and protected; spinach and mâche. Background carrots (so tiny) and radishes and behind that, courgettes - still going strong!!
Posts
OH has an urge to go out today, he's chosen Southwold. I'm feeling less motivated as I went to bed later than him and he woke me up at 6.30.
@floralies, I grow perpetual spinach, spinach beet, which I sow in spring and I can crop it all year until the following spring. Very like spinach but a bit coarser.
Probably said before, I have a wood burner oven in France that heats most of my cottage. Kitchen breakfast room to 23°. The heat goes upstairs too.
Lovely sunny day, but heavy due and it got quite cold during the night.
Soil is now quite damp, so might start some Autumn planting.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
I sometimes sow Swiss Chard ‘Fordhook Giant’ to overwinter if the autumn is kind @tui34 … if I put it under a plastic cloche-type tunnel I can get quite a few pickings overwinter, and then in spring it’ll really put on growth and produce plenty … lasting until a new spring-sowing is ready to pick.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I also sowed carrots and various radishes (black, white and Chinese) in July and shaded them from the hot sun (and the pigeons) with the balsa wood packing crates. All are up except the beetroot.
I am in constant conflict with the snail and slug crew. After such a dry summer, they are out of hibernation and as hungry as a bear!! I also planted out various lettuce seedlings - of which were viciously attacked by birds and snails. I have netted those now and put down ash and some snail bait - although I reckon the bait attracts the snails.
Although it is hot where you are, you also have the humidity so I don't think it's too hot. By the look of the weather forecast for next week we are expecting quite a dip in nightly temperatures.
Mr C had spent the last few weeks getting logs split and chopped ready for winter. In fact today’s job is to go to the tip to empty one of our log storing bays that has become a bit of a dumping ground - so that it can be filled up with wood 🪵.
Then Dementia Centre this afternoon, followed by more Pilates.
Hope today is a better day DD 🤞🏻
And ..foreground and protected; spinach and mâche. Background carrots (so tiny) and radishes and behind that, courgettes - still going strong!!