Sunday, April 02, 2006

Home grown rhubarb delight!

Woo-hoo I’ve discovered I’ve got raspberries! On my first day (yesterday) I spent my first hour on my new plot uncovering the raspberries from underneath the couch grass, dandelion and creeping buttercup. Lots of old canes broke off in my hands, but there were a few new green shoots poking though, which was heartening to know they haven’t been choked. Should have remembered the camera, but in an hour all I cleared was about 1.5m square. (The whole plot is 117m sq, so at the rate it will take me 78 hours- Gulp!)
Met 3 other plot holders and have already got an contact for a local famer who would deliver a trailer load of horse poo for a very reasonable rate. Didn't have long as I had to be cleaned up and ready for dining out on curry (Bay Spice) on the seafront, then the hilarious film "Kinky Boots" at the Electric Palace .
Today I've not been to the plot, but haven't been idle! We now have a new 210 litre water butt rigged up to collect from the kitchen roof and I've put up the 8ft bamboo canes for the wedding sweet pea cordons. I really need to get them out of the greenhouse as some are over a foot tall! Would they survive any frost we may get? Would fleece protect them?
Have to go, He Who Doesn't Dig has made dinner and I know there is home grown rhubarb crumble for pudding- yum!
Sarah

6 comments:

Greenmantle said...

If it is any help, Jim who has the plot next to mine and is deadly serious sweet pea grower, planted his out last week. I asked about frost and he recekons they will survive fine IF they have been properly hardened off for a week or so before transplanting. Apparently that is the important bit. He did put a fleece fence around his row up to waist height but I guess this is protect them from the wind.

Petunia's Gardener said...

Look at you - raspberries in your new allotment and links in your blogs already! Are the sweet peas going to the allotment or your house garden? I cannot help with the frost question though. It's it great when he who doesn't dig does cook! Mine did too tonight, but not with a dessert.

Judith said...

I agree - sweetpeas are fine outdoors now if they have been hardened off - but watch the slugs. I use plastic collars cut from soft drinks bottles to protect at first.

I planted mine out this weekend - they are about 9 inches tall.

Anonymous said...

I have a lottie in Teignmouth Devon-in the garden even though this winter has been particularly cold I have some mini sweet peas (in pots)which flowered last year and have survived the winter to hopefully flower again this year!!!!

Petunia's Gardener said...

Thanks for visiting the pumpkinman! You asked about my climate. I'm not too far from Seattle. It's not too cold in the winter or too hot in the summer. Lots of rain except when needed in Aug. & Sept. Doesn't get as hot as Mississippi. I used to live in the south where warm weather veggies are much happier. Just isn't the same to grow them here. I couldn't live in the heat & humidity of the south now, though, so I don't mind. Our last house here had too much shade to grow sun lovers, so I'm enjoying this space I have now.

patsy said...

IN ARKANSAS USA WE HAVE BLACK BERRIES GROWING WILD NOTHING TASTE BETTER THAN BLACK BERRY COLLBER. RASPBERRIES DON'T DO WELL IN OUT CLIMATE.