Veg Thoughts


My vegetable gardening is very much in the nature of thoughts rather than deeds this week. Having spent hours and days thinking about fruit and deciding which blueberries to choose I am having difficulty turning my thoughts to veg. 

Apart from the garlic, which I planted last Autumn and which now looks like little daffodil leaves, there's nothing much happening in the veg department. The kale and chard outlasted the snow but I'll be picking the last of them soon. Before Christmas I ordered some plug plants of tomatoes, aubergines and sweet peppers but they won't arrive until around the end of March so I don't have to worry about them yet. 

The thing is,  I do get a splendid weekly delivery (in a paper bag) from the local organic shop. This always includes potatoes, onions and carrots as well as a bag of salad leaves and a bag of kale, chard or spinach not to mention some surprises each week which could be beetroot, leeks, squash, celery or what have you. This delivery is one of the highlights of my week and always fresh.  But it does mean it's pointless to grow the regular items I receive. So some obvious things for me to grow would be wild rocket, mustard greens and radishes which can spice up the salads and hardly require any effort. My tiny Veg Trug 'Poppy', will be ideal for them.


I thought about some celery but the catalogue I was studying was offering them in tens and I don't know where I'd put that many. Chard does well here and perhaps the red legged kind would be entertaining. 

I shall certainly be growing the seeds my grandson gave me for Christmas which include brown radishes, a rather special patty pan squash and cherry tomatoes. They are from Real Seeds and are open-pollinated so I can save the seeds to grow next year. 

Otherwise my perennial vegetable collection, started about three years ago, has begun to settle in and flourish. I've had some losses but the hablitzia (a kind of climbing spinach) is just showing  tiny rosettes of growth and will soon begin climbing into the wire frame I've set up for it.  

Hablitzia rosettes


The five Babbington's leeks I planted in 2019 (I think)  are all flourishing. I could cut them down, make some soup and leave the bulbs to grow again, but I thought I'd give them another year and let them flower. My new perennial cabbage has overwintered in a pot and will be planted out soon, surrounded by a blanket of wool slug pellets because my last one was gobbled up by slugs. 

Perennial cabbage

                Babbington's leek


A last thought: not veg but birds. During the cold snap I put out two fat balls, and two bird feeders. The birds have so far not deigned to look at any of them. I always do say that the garden is full of natural bird food in its own right but all the same,  I thought they would be more appreciative. 

Real Seeds, PO Box 18, Newport near Fishguard, Pembrokeshire SA65 OAA; www.realseeds.co.uk  is a small company of seven people (all gardeners) whose main aim is to 'educate and encourage home seed saving'.  Their seeds are all home grown and open-pollinated (non-hybrid) and can therefore be collected and sown from the garden. They have a lovely informative and friendly website. I've always had good success with their seeds. 


Comments

  1. Thanks Barty Interesting and informative as usual and wonderful pictures, especially the bird scorning food! I think you'll find that the birds will 'discover' the food eventually.
    xx Michael Ann

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    1. Yes, I have seen a great tit on the peanuts at last!

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  2. I enjoy your posts so much - and think the packaging on those special seeds is great!

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    1. Thank you so much - I really recommend the seeds too!

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