Gardening
2003
Diary 2003
January 1st
Compost Mulch on Raspberries and Rhubarb.
January 4th
Compost mulch on Strawberries, old beans and Plot 1.
Old growbags emptied onto spinach and Plot 1.
Onions netted to keep pigeons off.
Six Marfona (2nd early) potatoes put aside from Sainsbury's for later
planting.
3 Tigerella and 3 Gardener's Delight Tomatoes in pots in incubator.
Harvesting Beetroot, Loose leaf lettuce, spinach and Spanish Radish.
March 15th
Cut remaining sprouts and tops. Scattered remaining compost onto plot
2 and dug in.
March 16th
Compost combined into main bin. Over-wintering green manure dug in.
Plot 3 - Lettuce/Rocket seed under cloche. Sprouts, Calabrese, Leeks in
seed bed under cloche.
Plot 2 - One row Radish, Carrot, Beetroot(Bolivar) under cloche. 2 x Parsnip
under plastic.
Plot 1 - Double row Feltham First Peas, 1 x spring onion, 2 x shallot,
2 x broad bean under plastic.
Harvesting black radish, leaf beet, mini beetroot. Garlic and onions well
up.
Rhubarb & Raspberries sprouting. Ground pretty dry. Strawberry pots
moved to sunny bed.
Blackcurrant bush (Ben Lomond) planted next to rhubarb. Pigeons had been
eating radish tops.
Shed - Lettuce, Tomato, Pepper, Herb, Marigold, Foxglove seeds in pots.
Early tomato potted on.
March 21st
Planted one row of potatoes that were sprouting in the cupboard! Earthed
up.
Followed by a second row
April 5th
Planted Runner and French beans in pots
April 9th
Broad beans starting to appear. Few frosty nights. More empty pots prepared.
April 11th
Remaining corn and bean pots started.
April 20/21st
Lots of watering as a dry/hot week. Waterbutts almost empty. First Tomato
in conservatory. Raspberry buds starting. Transplanted extra onions to
clear corn plot and covered to warm. 1 x turnip and 1 x swede sown, more
lettuce, endive transplanted. Remaining parsnip and original resown. Spring
onion and radish sown. Peas sown to fill gaps. Nets off broad beans and
peas so sticked. Most beans and corn germinated in shed. 4 pepper seedlings
through. Remaining tomatoes potted on. First row of potatos sprouting.
Strawberries flowering. Tadpoles all hatched and swimming. Marigolds planted
out.
May 7th-10th
Planted out Sweetcorn. Runner and dwarf beans hardened off. Picked spinach
and radish. Planted final carrot, beetroot and spring onion. Transplanted
Sprouts and Calabrese. Resewed Swede eaten by slugs. Frog in pond. Courgette
seed in shed. Thinned first carrots, planted out dwarf and runner beans.
One lot of climbing beans. Pulled last of black radish, beetroot.
Last week of May
Wet/Cold spell - bean leaves got trashed by hail! Planted final lot of
climbing beans. Cougettes not germinated yet. 3rd set of carrot and beetroot
up. Eating radish and some salad leaves. 1st beetroot almost pickable,
potatoes producing buds, 1st indoor tomato has flowers. Strawberries and
raspberries starting fruit but none ripe. Last year's onions big enough
to use. Leaks coming on but not yet pencil thickness. Lost a couple of
sweetcorn to snail/slugs. Green aphids on raspberries, black on foxglove
and broad bean flowers. Lots of ladybirds on Rasps. Couple of calabrese
plants lost also and replaced. Trouble transplanting lettuce but a couple
starting to fill out.
First week of June
Warm with showers. Strawberries just starting to ripen, potatoes in flower.
First onions and beetroot ready. Frame built around raspberries. Lots
of black aphids on rhubarb/beans/foxgloves. Outdoor tomatoes planted out.
Large radishes.
Mid June
First raspberries, strawberries peaked, harvested first turnip, potatoes
and peas. Transplanted remaining leaks. Broad beans ready. Sweetcorn fence
high. Calabrese almost ready.
First week of July
Strawberries finished and plants cut back/thinned. Few peas left and few
broad beans. Lots of leaf beet, runners just ready and still some calabrese.
Rhubarb shooting up. Eat first carrots. Plenty of Beetroot. Indoor Toms
just ripening. Sweetcorn just starting to flower.
Mid July
Raspberries finished, old wood cut out. Peas and Broad Beans finished.
Runner & French beans in full production. First (Giant!) Parsnip,
potatoes. Black Radish planted. Onion and shallot harvested. First pepper
growing fast.
Golly where did August go?
Ate sweetcorn, dug most potatoes, lots of tomatoes, beetroot and beans.
Lots of watering needed.
Early September
Sweetcorn composted. Onion set planted and Phacelia. Final potatoes dug
up.
Mid-October
Things have slowed down. Climbing beans pretty much finished. Runner beans
still producing. Autumn strawberries. First real frosts. Calabrese still
cropping. New Raspberry wire added and tied in. Eating black radishes.
Storing some beetroot, others still in ground. Pickled most shallots.
Planted garlic. Sprouts mostly blown but could start harvesting if not
overrun with beans still!
End-October/Early Nov.
Took down tomatos in conservatory. Final ones ripening on window sill.
Climbing green beans finished and down. Sprouts ok but not tried. Pulled
a 2.75 lb parsnip! Clearing leaves and filling compost.
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