What is it with seeds? You do your best, new potting compost, clean pots, warm weather, lids for the night in case the temperature drops.... and sometimes green shoots appear within days, other times - nada. Nothing.
And then as you are looking around at last years raised bed, (the bottle garden) and watering, and 'oh! what's that? looks like a cucumber, and another'....
As you might have guessed, that's what has happened to us. On the 1st April we planted lots of seeds, maybe the wrong day? something having a joke on us? but out of 30 sweetcorn we have 26 plants up, 40 home dried tomato seeds have so far produced 15 seedlings, the squash are not far behind with 7 up, but the 6 cucumbers have done nothing. Now 6 may not seem many but you never know how many will produce cucs - last year we had a glut from just 2 plants, enough to eat fresh whenever we needed and the rest I pickled for out of season. Still have 5 jars of sliced pickled cucs till this lot get going...
So today I planted 6 more seeds, these from one of last year's cucs, the previous 6 were from the packet, and then this evening we were watering the raised 'bottle bed' and I saw not just one but two baby cucumber plants! I can only think that a cucumber fell off the plant last summer and got dug in, and as John has pointed out, if they have taken till now to germinate and grow, there is still hope for our first 6 seeds, and now I've done another 6 seeds....we may be completely overrun with cucs.
Thursday, 17 April 2014
Saturday, 12 April 2014
Reflections of sunset.
Sunset last night - a few photos taken over just a few minutes....
at 20.54.58
at 20.55.53
at 20.57.05
at 20.54.58
at 20.55.53
at 20.57.05
Thursday, 10 April 2014
What a lot of bottles..
A new meaning to a bottle garden, most people would think of a large glass bottle full of miniature plants - I've often wondered though how you're supposed to look after those plants, I mean surely they need dead heading, or pruning or something, or maybe not. Who knows.
Anyway, I ramble a bit.
This is our take on a bottle garden, designed to beat the little critters that are so determined to have their 5 portions of vegetables a day. Well, no longer. The kohlrabi at the far end have started to go to seed, although there are still 1 or 2 that are nearly big enough to eat. The leaves can be cooked too, it is cabbagey, but the critters don't like the leaves now the plant is full grown. The rocket has been ignored too so has the largest coriander and the garlic.
The lettuces are growing beautifully under their netting covered hats, only 5 survived, but we have enough at the moment just for picking the leaves to go as garnish, in sandwiches, not enough though for a big salad bowl - yet. Under the upturned bottles I put beetroot, coriander and radish seeds. They started to come up yesterday about a week or so after planting. The soil is lovely and warm.
It's been over 20° for about a week now, it's still 24 on the terrace as I write this, ideal for quick seed germination. Monday we planted more seeds, and the shelves in the potting shed are full of yoghurt pots with 6 varieties of chilli seeds, 3 varieties of basil, and the last of last years Cape Gooseberry seeds. We were given a packet of seeds, there were 14 in the packet of which we planted half and have still got 3 plants. Those plants have produced fruits all winter - quite amazing we thought - and I picked another 9 fruits last week. Then very carefully de-seeded them. What a slow and juicy job. But each fruit had about 140 tiny seeds in it. Yes I counted the seeds in the first berry. So to only get 14 in a packet seems a bit...expensive? Considering how productive a plant is anyway.
Tuesday was a day off, not that we went anywhere but met new friends, a couple staying in Yegen for the week, walking by, got chatting, came in for a cool drink and a longer chat, found loads to talk about, so much in common, you know how sometimes you click with people and conversation just flows? One of those situations. So we had a drink and some tapas and then a bit more, it got hot, so did they and the best way to cool down is to take the plunge and jump in.
First swimmers of the year :) Not me yet, I just paddled my feet although that's surprisingly cooling too.
Anyway, I ramble a bit.
This is our take on a bottle garden, designed to beat the little critters that are so determined to have their 5 portions of vegetables a day. Well, no longer. The kohlrabi at the far end have started to go to seed, although there are still 1 or 2 that are nearly big enough to eat. The leaves can be cooked too, it is cabbagey, but the critters don't like the leaves now the plant is full grown. The rocket has been ignored too so has the largest coriander and the garlic.
The lettuces are growing beautifully under their netting covered hats, only 5 survived, but we have enough at the moment just for picking the leaves to go as garnish, in sandwiches, not enough though for a big salad bowl - yet. Under the upturned bottles I put beetroot, coriander and radish seeds. They started to come up yesterday about a week or so after planting. The soil is lovely and warm.
It's been over 20° for about a week now, it's still 24 on the terrace as I write this, ideal for quick seed germination. Monday we planted more seeds, and the shelves in the potting shed are full of yoghurt pots with 6 varieties of chilli seeds, 3 varieties of basil, and the last of last years Cape Gooseberry seeds. We were given a packet of seeds, there were 14 in the packet of which we planted half and have still got 3 plants. Those plants have produced fruits all winter - quite amazing we thought - and I picked another 9 fruits last week. Then very carefully de-seeded them. What a slow and juicy job. But each fruit had about 140 tiny seeds in it. Yes I counted the seeds in the first berry. So to only get 14 in a packet seems a bit...expensive? Considering how productive a plant is anyway.
Tuesday was a day off, not that we went anywhere but met new friends, a couple staying in Yegen for the week, walking by, got chatting, came in for a cool drink and a longer chat, found loads to talk about, so much in common, you know how sometimes you click with people and conversation just flows? One of those situations. So we had a drink and some tapas and then a bit more, it got hot, so did they and the best way to cool down is to take the plunge and jump in.
First swimmers of the year :) Not me yet, I just paddled my feet although that's surprisingly cooling too.
Saturday, 5 April 2014
Up and down.
Looking up:
after the rain on Saturday morning - and it came again on Wednesday morning - our rain was somebody else's snow...
this was above Mecina Bombaron on Sunday morning.. just a touch of snow left high up in the hills.
and this was taken from the road between Yátor and Ugíjar on Friday morning.
Whereas down here, the hillsides are covered in yellow as the broom is in full flower,
our newest African daisy is also in full bloom,
...the first flowers of the pato de gallo or ice plant have opened over the last couple of days too.
And just to show that we don't only have white iris, here are some of the blue/purple ones,
but a question....why do the white ones grow straight up whereas the blue/purple ones grow down and up, a bit swan-like.
after the rain on Saturday morning - and it came again on Wednesday morning - our rain was somebody else's snow...
Whereas down here, the hillsides are covered in yellow as the broom is in full flower,
our newest African daisy is also in full bloom,
...the first flowers of the pato de gallo or ice plant have opened over the last couple of days too.
And just to show that we don't only have white iris, here are some of the blue/purple ones,
but a question....why do the white ones grow straight up whereas the blue/purple ones grow down and up, a bit swan-like.
Wednesday, 2 April 2014
April Showers
April showers actually started on Saturday - but close enough to April - and the only day that we had any rain in March. More like heavy drizzle that soaked into the ground and gave everything a good drink, not 'running off the land type' of rain that does no good at all. Then the next 3 days were lovely again and today it's cloudy with more drizzle.
During the nice days we've done the first of the summer season pool cleanings, a yucky mucky dirty floor, dust and grit, leaves that we'd not managed to scoop off before they sunk. It took quite while despite having a good pump, we have to stop when the filter/basket is full, empty it out and then continue. One of us brushes the floor, the other one is 'spotter' for checking how full the filter gets.
We put lots of seeds into soak overnight then planted them up yesterday afternoon. I soaked the big seeds, cucumber, squash, courgette, sweetcorn and also the tomato seeds. They were all seeds from last year's harvest, don't normally soak tomato seeds but they were all sticky and I couldn't separate them without soaking first. Also in the raised beds and protected from the little critters that eat so much down there, are coriander, beetroot and radish. The lettuces are still cloched with upturned 5 litre water bottles, as is the smallest coriander plant. The biggest coriander that went in during October is now over a metre high and must not have juicy enough tops for eating. Also the kohlrabi has been ok now for a month or so.....and the rocket has never been eaten, nor has the garlic. Fussy critters down there!
Our make do and mend chairs are all finished, looking very good too, so then we looked at the cover of the sun umbrella as the top of it rotted through a year or so ago and it fell off. Fell down actually. Big hole in the middle of the fabric so no way would it stay on the umbrella frame. Fortunately we'd been given an umbrella and although that one's frame was bigger (but has now broken,) the fabric top sort of fitted our original frame - with the help of a few clips here and there. But we hadn't thrown the original cover away and in my sewing box I found some cut-off trouser legs (trousers turned into shorts) and I've made the biggest and strongest patch ever seen! John has got a hole punch thing and managed to get through the umpteen layers of fabric. Now we just need the sun to come back out and we can remake the umbrella. The top unscrews then when the cover is on, the screw cap goes back in place. Quite simple really.
During the nice days we've done the first of the summer season pool cleanings, a yucky mucky dirty floor, dust and grit, leaves that we'd not managed to scoop off before they sunk. It took quite while despite having a good pump, we have to stop when the filter/basket is full, empty it out and then continue. One of us brushes the floor, the other one is 'spotter' for checking how full the filter gets.
We put lots of seeds into soak overnight then planted them up yesterday afternoon. I soaked the big seeds, cucumber, squash, courgette, sweetcorn and also the tomato seeds. They were all seeds from last year's harvest, don't normally soak tomato seeds but they were all sticky and I couldn't separate them without soaking first. Also in the raised beds and protected from the little critters that eat so much down there, are coriander, beetroot and radish. The lettuces are still cloched with upturned 5 litre water bottles, as is the smallest coriander plant. The biggest coriander that went in during October is now over a metre high and must not have juicy enough tops for eating. Also the kohlrabi has been ok now for a month or so.....and the rocket has never been eaten, nor has the garlic. Fussy critters down there!
Our make do and mend chairs are all finished, looking very good too, so then we looked at the cover of the sun umbrella as the top of it rotted through a year or so ago and it fell off. Fell down actually. Big hole in the middle of the fabric so no way would it stay on the umbrella frame. Fortunately we'd been given an umbrella and although that one's frame was bigger (but has now broken,) the fabric top sort of fitted our original frame - with the help of a few clips here and there. But we hadn't thrown the original cover away and in my sewing box I found some cut-off trouser legs (trousers turned into shorts) and I've made the biggest and strongest patch ever seen! John has got a hole punch thing and managed to get through the umpteen layers of fabric. Now we just need the sun to come back out and we can remake the umbrella. The top unscrews then when the cover is on, the screw cap goes back in place. Quite simple really.
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