Leeks and Cauliflower

Yesterday, I sowed a tray of leek seeds - varieties 'Musselburgh', 'Long de Meziers' and some seed that I saved from leeks that a friend had given me two summers ago. I don't know what the variety was, but they hadn't had a long enough growing season and I just left them in the ground.  Last summer they grew beautiful big seedheads so I eventually cut some and had them in a vase in my hall.  After a few weeks I began to notice seeds falling from them and ended up collecting them from the seed head.  So I've planted some to see what happens!

I also planted some cauliflower seeds - varieties 'Autumn Giant' and 'Mayflower'.  Last summer I had varying success with cauliflower. This is a picture of the first one that flowered .  The ones that came after this one weren't so perfect-looking - In fact some of them had pinkish florets.  They looked as if they had been watered with Ribena!

Anyway, I know it might be a bit early to sow these, especially this far north, but I'll nurture the seeds and once they're through, I'll move them from the house to the potting shed to the polytunnel and if we're going to get a decent summer this year I'll then get them outside!   That's the plan anyway.                                                                      

Sowing Peppers & Chillies

That's the peppers and chillies sown and I've tried a few different varieties of each.

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I got a paper potter for Christmas, so took great satisfaction in making my own newspaper pots for sowing the seeds.

I ran out of plant markers, so picked up a tip online about cutting out old plastic milk cartons to make them.  I  recycle my milk cartons anyway, so now I'm doing it in a different way!  They have been turned into a box of plant markers for all my sowings. That's saved me some money too!

I found the trip switch in my Polytunnel so I have heat - no light though - I think water must have got into the strip light and that's what's tripped the power.
I'll have a closer look at it this weekend.
Roll on Spring!

Ready, steady, SOW!

Well, we're off and running!

 In November I sowed my garlic cloves- variety Marco.  They are well through now.


On 31st December 2011, I sowed some onion seed.  3 different varieties.  Sturon, Yellow Rynsburger and Ailsa Craig.  The Sturon and Yellow Rynsburger seeds I got from the Real Seed Company
The Ailsa Craig seeds have been kicking about in my seed box for a couple of years now.  If they were on a supermarket shelf they'd be out of date!  I'm not sure how viable they are - but nothing ventured, nothing gained!  I decided to give them a go anyway!

I bought sets of Troy when I dropped into a local garden centre.  They were reduced in price as they really should have been planted by now, but today I'm going to plant them outside and we'll see how they do.

Rhubarb that has been in the top corner of the garden was lifted last month as I wanted to move it to the other end of the garden.  I took the opportunity to divide the clump before replanting it.
It's already through! It's been so wet and mild for the time of year that I'm sure the plants are totally confused.

Case in point!  These are my snowdrops - they appeared last week - the first herald of Spring!

We've only had 2 frosty nights here so far over the whole autumn/winter period to date!







This weekend as well as planting late onion sets, I'm also going to sow peppers and chillis .  They'll go on shelving in my potting shed (some low heat in there)  the pots covered in poly bags.  This will hopefully give them a long enough growing season to get a decent crop.

There's something wrong with the power supply to my polytunnel, so I can't get the heater on in there until I can get the electrician to have a look at it.  He's in Vietnam at present, and won't be back till the middle of February.  So until he returns - and fixes the problem - I can't put tender seedlings out there.

House and shed will have to do for now.