Bills 2012 garden diary

[Annie]

You are certainly getting your plot to bed in good time for the winter Bill (though your greenhouse pic didn't work so I am not sure you are telling the truth about it being neat and tidy ) .
Still some good winter veg waiting for you to pick so not all over and done with yet .
I peeped at the veggie garden today but was only up to collect a few of the spuds I had left to dry off in the stable , I am off for a few days soon so hope to get a lot of digging done

[billnorfolk]

Guilty as charged Annie should have taken that picture from the chair looking towards the door.It will be cleared up once everything done.
Have to get any bare patches covered quick as my neighbore has 5 cats and any clean ground they will use ,everyone moans about them but she very thick skinned and couldnt give a hoot.Good luck with the digging.

[billnorfolk]

Saturday 13/10/2012

Looking for veg for Sunday dinner ,strict orders from the wife don't come back until you find some !!!!!
Thought with only one cabbage left and a few leeks better have a look at the carrots and parsnips,got a very pleasant surprise with the parsnips ,carrots not over large ,but would it be enough to please the great she who must be obeyed ,have a look see what you think.




Well was she happy ? of course she was and gave me a little pat on the head to prove it ,looks like i will be eating again tomorrow.

Still not touched the experimental parsnips started in pots yet ,but judging by the tops may need a JCB to get them out.

[Richard]

Bill - your efforts are quite amazing and thank you for keeping us ip-dated with all the photo's. I'm sure they have helped many out!

Richard

[billnorfolk]

I realy hope it does help ,its sad when some spend lots of time and effort for no results .

If anyone wants to grow ie cabbage,potatoes,lettuce ,,sweetcorn,peas,runner beans if they prepare a piece of ground say 12 foot x 6 foot this size can be managed without walking on,fork over remove all weeds spread a layer of manure or garden compost on ASAP and cover with black plastic sheet 1000 guage http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Black-Polythe ... 3cc14f30ce" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
and forget about untill the spring.I will then help with seed selection or potatoes,when to sow ,how to sow ,how to protect from pests and look after and when to harvest.Hopefully will try to help the less fortunate who cant get a crop

[billnorfolk]

Wednesday 17/10/2012

Dug 3 Parsnips from the experimental few i set in pots ,apart from the funny shapes are ok to eat


Just a thought as many people have a problem with Parsnips germinateing in the ground ,these were sown in small pots of compost ,2 seeds in each pot ,just before planting in the ground at 2-3 inchs high ,pull out the weakest one and disgard, try to plant the one left in pot without disturbing the root,i had 100% germination and everyone planted grew.

[billnorfolk]

Bin keeping an eye on this one but decided to dig it up today ,nothing that special to some but for me its huge bigest i have ever grown ,got same treatement as the rest but certainly outgrown the others ,before it was trimmed it weighed a tad over 4lb.

[Annie]

Thats a beauty of a leek Bill, I can smell the soup from here mmmmmmmmmmmm.
I thought the pic of the 1st lot of parsnips showed some lovely straight roots - had they had the frost on them and do you think they taste better after a frost ?
Personally I dont go for huge root veggies (apart from I do like a big spud for chips) and pull carrots probably too soon but thats how we like them, yours looked a sensible size . I was told by the chap in our village that wins all the prizes round about for his veggies, that the big ones can be a bit tasteless, he grows toms for show too, they are a beautiful dark red but he throws them after the competition as he says they are useless - so what is the point ?

[billnorfolk]

Morning Annie

The leek is in a stew today ,and yes i think Parsnips are better after a frost ,carrots dont get a chance to grow big as the wife makes sure of that ,we like them to much.Possibly the taste of prize veg would be down to the fact they are fed all kinds of rubbish to make them grow large certainly for show and not for eating.Weather should be turning colder at weekend so Parsnips may get some frost.

[billnorfolk]

Monday 19th November 2012

After much deliberation and consulting the oracle sadly we decided it was time for the chickens to go ,a young lady across the road from us (who's brains i picked on many occasion)was kind enough to take them off me to add to her flock of battery hens.Although the garden is hard work its not 24/7 and if things aren't working as they should then you can have a day off,not so with the chickens ,many is the time it has took 2 hrs to do a job normally taking 1/2 hour.
So what to do with the piece of land ,2 3.5 meter meter raised beds,so over the weekend taking my time made a start ,by Sunday afternoon this was the result.

Covered with well rotted compost after loosing soil with a fork,will miss the chicken poo that speeds up the rotting process,have a Friend with horses so not totally lost my manure.


Well rotted compost will do these 2 beds the world of good ,probably plant potatoes in for first year .Finally cover with black plastic and its good night until the spring.

That is 4 3.5 meter meter and one 4.5 meter meter and 2 smaller ones 1.5 meter x 1 meter.
Just a few leeks and parsnips left to go then will all be manured and covered for the winter.

[billnorfolk]

Sunday 16/12/2012

Well nearly Christmas,another year nearly over surprising how quick they go once you get over 21.
It has bin a good year in the garden despite the early rain that threatened to flood us all,though not bin quite so bad on the east coast .
Dug me last leek this morning saved a couple of me experimental parsnips for Christmas dinner,certainly grown to a good size if a little misshapen.

Next year now the chooks have gone going to fill that erea with spuds we have just enough left for Christmas then all gone so not done to bad.
Sweetcorn is another thing i will grow more of next year as the taste is out of this world compared to shop bought.
Going to concentrate on early cauliflowers next year as seem to grow and be much whiter than later in the year grown ones.
One thing i will say is dont be afraid to experiment,the lettuce seeds sown on Christmas day in a cold greenhouse gave us lovely early lettuces ,moved from the greenhouse to a grow bag in the cold frame.



Starting sweetcorn off in the airing cupboard was something else i tried for the first time with a 100% germination.


Peas in the guttering was another success gave us a good early crop and were picked well before the pea moth ,though i did cover them.

Ready for planting

Runner beans in toilet roll tubes set them in there and leave in set the whole lot in the ground tube and all ,just make sure all the tube is covered by soil.

My favorite feed chicken manure well rotted in one of the wife's tights in a tub of water ,use at about roughly one 2 pint jug full to a 2 gallon watering can feed everything with it but keep off leaves.

Lastly Parsnips if you find them hard to germinate in the ground bear in mind they can take 3to4 weeks,set them in small pots in the greenhouse once big enough transfer into the garden with the least disturbance you can to the root,most of my big ones were grown that way although misshapen taste wonderful especially after a few frosts.
Put 2 seeds in a pot and once germinated pull one out .

Well think that's all for this year ,god willing will be back in 2013 so all that's left is to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year .Good luck from Bill and Wendy his wife who puts up with a lot , MERRY CHRISTMAS

[Annie]

You are such an enthusiast Bill and it pays off even this year when crops were so poor. Looking forwar to next year exploits

Merry Christmas to you and Wendy may this Christmas be very happy and the New Year bring contentment the whole year long

[billnorfolk]

Thanks Annie look forward to talking to you in 2013,have a lovely christmas and a wonderfull new year ,see you then

[Richard]

Bill,


You're a star Mate.


Richard

[billnorfolk]

Bill,


You're a star Mate.


Richard

Thank you ,have a good christmas and a happy new year