grow your own

Withering heights…

~ hannahmontana1978 ~ 1 Comment

So I’m pleased to report everything seems to be going great guns in my little veggie garden. Well, almost everything. My snozcumbers are not happy. I’ve tried three times now and they just keep withering. I’ve grown them before very happily, but only ever in growbags. Sigh. I’m not good at failing at things. Humph. 

I’ve nurtured these little badgers for three months now, planting them carefully from seed into my propagator on the windowsill in the utility room, potting them on, hardening off blah blah blah. Then I put them out onto the plot, and within a day, they flop into a miserable heap. 

Disheartened, I’ve asked around and have a million suggestions as to what it could be. Too much water, not enough water, wrong soil, too hot, too cold, don’t water the leaves and more. You can see my problem here, I’ve actually got no bloomin’ idea.

The first ones I thought perhaps went out a bit prematurely. It’s sooooo difficult not to plant out a week earlier than you’re supposed to. This year, I dared to plant out half my courgettes a month earlier than the RHS website recommended. I know, I’m such a rebellious rule breaker. Truth is, they’re doing brilliantly, and I put the others out yesterday so I’m hoping it will stagger the crop and keep us in plentiful supply just a little bit longer. 

  
The second ones I thought were stomped on by the big fat dopey pheasant we have living in the field next door who got himself trapped inside my veggie patch. He was in quite a tither until I reminded him he was in fact a bird, with wings, who could fly. ‘Flap you daft bugger’ I squawk while gesticulating and demonstrating with my very own flappy flying motion. It must have worked as he did in fact remember he had the gift of flight and was away. Not before his wife Mrs Pheasant had enjoyed a delightful amouse-bouche of my newly sown grass seed I might add. 

And then the third lot, which I’ve been even more careful with, tending them daily indoors, taking them outside each day so they were really strong and ready for the outside world. And so yesterday, on a delightful day, I put out the final four as they came to be known. And no joke, within an hour, they all blew a huge big raspberry at me and flopped lifelessly. 

  
I’m pretty miffed, I’ll be honest. And a bit disheartened that all my hard work and time has been wasted. And I wouldn’t mind if I knew why they’d done this, but I still don’t. So that’s it, I’m now off to the local garden centre to buy some more snozcumber plants. 

Either that or I should just trot off to Lidl where a fully grown one is currently only 29p.

Earth me up Buttercup! ðŸŽ¶

~ hannahmontana1978 ~ 3 Comments

Have you ever grown anything? Anything at all? A Mr Cress Head perhaps, a hyacinth in a 70s plastic vase where you could watch the roots growing? Or just good old tomatoes? Whatever you’ve done over the years, you’ll know the insane amount of satisfaction that comes from simply growing your own.

The excitement for me is immeasurable, seeing the first courgette flower appear or your potatoes sprouting above the ground and almost growing before your very eyes.

As a child I remember the neighbours down the road bringing up a trug of vegetables to us and me being sent back to them dutifully with homegrown tomatoes, some eggs from our chooks and a little loaf of bread my mum had made. Little did I know this was something that would remain ingrained in my very being for life.

Since living away from home, I’ve always grown all my own herbs and chillies on the kitchen windowsill and space permitting have been able to have a few growbags out the back of the kitchen door where I’ve produced enough courgettes, cucumbers, tomatoes and potatoes to keep myself and hubby going for the whole summer, with a few jars of chutney too when supply was plentiful.

But this year is different. I’ve graduated to grown-up-dom and I have a full on herb garden and some great big vegetable beds, totally dedicated to growing our own.

There’s something relaxing, satisfying and rewarding after a day at work to come home and water everything, seeing it change on a daily basis and think to yourself, I did that.

And there’s literally no better fast food in my mind than an omelette from local free range chooks filled with fresh herbs picked moments earlier from your garden. Put in whatever herbs you like and be bold. I know it sounds wrong but fresh mint in an omelette is something to behold. I use a selection of soft herbs so mint, parsley, sage, chives and basil. Trust me, chop them up and pop over some bitter Parmesan shavings with some seasoning and this is the most mighty omelette you’ve ever had. Try it, please.

At this time of year, everything is truly coming to life and today I’ve been earthing up my spuds. I’m growing some in bags as I’ve always done and some in the ground this year, a sort of experiment if you like to see which are better? Both are doing great thus far.

This year I’m doing all of my usual staples plus I’m adding in some butternut squash, beetroot, kale, sprouts, French beans, parsnips, strawberries and rhubarb. I’ll let you know how it goes and then when the time is right I’ll be sharing some of my favourite recipes from the book that’s been in my head for the last few years which is titled ‘oh no, not another bloody courgette’. I think you can guess what that’s about. This was last years first courgette of the season. A proud moment:

I won’t bore you with how to guides, I’m no expert to be honest. I’m more of a Have a go Harry. Or should that be Hannah? You can find great information on the RHS website but honestly every packet of seeds you buy tells you when and how to plant and really that’s it.

What I’d really like to see are more folk growing their own. In an age where cash is tight, and we all love a bit of organic, why not have a go? You don’t need huge amounts of space and even a little patio can give you a crop of delicious-ness in the summer. It doesn’t take much time, you just need to remember to water them daily if it hasn’t rained. And it’s so nice to eat veg that hasn’t come into your home wrapped in plastic.

Go on, have a go, I promise you’ll never want to eat a shop bought cucumber ever again.