Is it just gardeners who are generous & kindhearted, or is the world not quite as rotten as previously thought…?
For a start, the ever generous Kath (Vegetable Heaven in the blog list on the right) has not only send me some BROAD BEANS (crimson flowered) but also some of her salmon flowered peas which she has grown this year – they are an old fashioned ‘crown’ pea which hold their pretty flowers & pods at the top of their 4’ stems & I look forward to growing them next year.
Then at the Hill on Saturday, novice neighbour Jody gave me some of his courgettes, cheery Brian & Pauline invited me to come & pick some of their raspberries, & indomitable Fran & Alan offered me the pick of their beautiful smoky blue sweet peas.
How lovely is that?
So on the ‘what goes around, comes around’ principle, I’m sending out one or two little packages of seeds & things to friends in the post this week, although Kath is going to have to wait for my more interesting peas & beans to dry properly before I send hers out.
Talking of seeds, when I inadvertently left one of the parsnip from last year, I collected the seed head & it has been drying in a paper bag, so this afternoon I separated the seeds out & put them in an envelope for next year. It sent me bloody cross-eyed – I’m guessing that Thompson & Morgan et al have a rather more efficient system.
Whilst at the Hill, I dug up 8 main crop POTATO (pentland dell) plants to reveal another bumper potato crop – the spuds have been just fabulous this year! I also took the squash & tomato plants in hand – chopping back any new growth so that they concentrate on producing their respective fruits. They look better now – & the tomato plants (which do look rather tatty) have trusses of tomatoes now changing colour. Hurrah!
I picked another 3 caterpillar off the brassicas (where do they come from – they are netted after all) then off home to make a huge batch of ratatouille – yum!
For a start, the ever generous Kath (Vegetable Heaven in the blog list on the right) has not only send me some BROAD BEANS (crimson flowered) but also some of her salmon flowered peas which she has grown this year – they are an old fashioned ‘crown’ pea which hold their pretty flowers & pods at the top of their 4’ stems & I look forward to growing them next year.
Then at the Hill on Saturday, novice neighbour Jody gave me some of his courgettes, cheery Brian & Pauline invited me to come & pick some of their raspberries, & indomitable Fran & Alan offered me the pick of their beautiful smoky blue sweet peas.How lovely is that?
So on the ‘what goes around, comes around’ principle, I’m sending out one or two little packages of seeds & things to friends in the post this week, although Kath is going to have to wait for my more interesting peas & beans to dry properly before I send hers out.
Talking of seeds, when I inadvertently left one of the parsnip from last year, I collected the seed head & it has been drying in a paper bag, so this afternoon I separated the seeds out & put them in an envelope for next year. It sent me bloody cross-eyed – I’m guessing that Thompson & Morgan et al have a rather more efficient system.
Whilst at the Hill, I dug up 8 main crop POTATO (pentland dell) plants to reveal another bumper potato crop – the spuds have been just fabulous this year! I also took the squash & tomato plants in hand – chopping back any new growth so that they concentrate on producing their respective fruits. They look better now – & the tomato plants (which do look rather tatty) have trusses of tomatoes now changing colour. Hurrah!I picked another 3 caterpillar off the brassicas (where do they come from – they are netted after all) then off home to make a huge batch of ratatouille – yum!
Thank you Hazel! A lovely little package arrived yesterday morning with Hollyhocks and the other seeds you've so kindly donated to Bag End! T'internet is an amazing thing - I met Mrs Flummery because we both makes quilts, her blog inspired me to create my own, and now I'm learning from you and all the other allotment folk who so kindly share their knowledge. hugs and big thanks from Cumbria, Bilbo
ReplyDeleteIt's my absolute pleasure ...and when you want to start growing some veg, you can have many more!
ReplyDeleteI thought afterwards that I should have put in some sunflower seeds so you can grow your own bird food too...