Greens

vegetable gardening log

Seed list

13 February, 2009

Filed under: Planted — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — Carol @ 2:27 pm

My next Kings Seeds order arrived today. They’d run out of Scarlet Runner beans so they sent me the value I’d paid in 50¢ stamps which struck me as quite quaint and old school.

Turns out last weekend was the perfect weekend to plant seeds. Since then it’s been HOT (32° today) and going up to 95% humidity, and it’s rained warm tropical light rain for the past few days. So even though I only planted on Sauturday, the radishes, beetroot, leeks, catgrass (good for the guinea pigs!), pyrethrum, broccoli, cabbage, mustard and rocket are all showing. The only thing that is still under the soil is the cleome.

So here’s a rundown of the seeds I’ve got so far…

Broccoli Tender StemsCoriander SlowboltArtichoke Imperial StarOnion Red BrunswickPea CaroubyTomato RomaBean Borlotto Fire TongueMustard StreaksCelery ElneFlorence Fennel MilanoOnion Red BunchingCatgrassCleome mixedTomato Brandywine PinkPyrethrumTomato Bloody ButcherEggplant TsasonikiCabbage Palm Tree di ToscanaBeetroot Crosbys Egyptian FlatPumpkin Kumi Kumi

Seed orders

9 February, 2009

Filed under: Planted — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — Carol @ 5:37 pm

Very excited by my first seed order from Kings Seeds that came last week. With a catalogue! I ordered a whole lot more today, enough for most of the year, but a few things missing because they were out of stock or that I just couldn’t get my head round ordering. So need to revisit in the second half of the year and get some more lettuce, courgettes, corn seeds…

The beefsteak tomatoes are reddening up nicely, have been finishing them off on the windowsill so that the birds don’t peck them to death. Have also picked one ‘wild’ tomato, I have no idea what it is but it look pretty, stripey. Am picking beans every day now, I froze a batch at the weekend.

We had to go vegetable shopping the other day, but only needed to buy onions, carrots, garlic, mushrooms and some fruit. I feel almost self-sufficient (in the vegetable department anyway).

Tomatoes

Planted more seeds, my resolution this year is to make sure I plant seeds early enough.

Heavy scallopini

9 January, 2009

Filed under: Picked,Planted — Tags: , , , , — Carol @ 10:02 am

Just picked 1.7kg of scallopini! They look like weird hairy flying saucers. They may end up on the barbecue tonight – have to find something to do with them, and quick! There’s more appearing as I write.

Scallopini wouldn’t be my first choice – the packet of mixed courgette seeds seemed to be only this type. This may be the only time I grow them.

Heavy scallopini

(Rat by Jon Thorsen.)

Later on… I keep running out of space to plant new stuff and have been sitting on a whole lot of lettuce seedlings for a while, which were looking periodically sad in their little pots. So this afternoon I cut some more grass out in front of the fence tomatoes, built a mini-retaining wall out of bricks and back filled it with compost, which was enough space to plant the rest of the seedlings (Koanga‘s ‘Heritage Mix’) and the rest of the basil. Hopefully they’ll be happier now.

Manager specials

2 January, 2009

Filed under: Planted — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — Carol @ 8:54 pm

Trip out west stopping at Kumeu garden centre, bought some $1 manager specials; aubergine (Bonica – vigorous high yielding) and courgette plant (Gold Rush – high yielding yellow); my aubergine seedlings are OK but still tiny and all of the seeds from the (mixed) courgette packet seem to be scallopini.

Scallopini

Also bought second passionfruit vine and blueberry bush (Incredible Edibles ‘Blue Magic (Whitu)’ – sweet fruit, easy to grow). Rhubarb is massive again, pulled a whole lot out and roasted it.

Great new drink: juice from roasted rhubarb with tonic and possibly vodka – both drinks taste the same but one gets you pissed.