Garlic and Shallots

Planted in autumn the shallots and garlic are growing well.  A period of cold helps them along.  I have planted Jermor Shallot, described as a true french shallot and Cristo garlic, a french garlic with a strong flavour - great - watch out colleagues at work!

I covered the bed with a net to avoid Rosie rolling on them and birds pulling up the tips of the shallots. 

As you can see below they are now coming up well, and the net has been lifted.  Rosie loved the net and stayed in it for hours, she thought it was great fun pretending I couldn't see her then leaping out - or she had somehow fashioned a rather elaborate fascinator.  You decide!

Come summer we will lift them and store and use over the following months. 

May is upon us - black cat veg plot catch up!

Where do I start. What a winter, everything is behind and the last week or so of sunshine and warmer temperatures have really raised our spirits and the sap!  We thought we had seen the last of the snow but then we had another 'dump'   For the garden this has meant a late season getting things started.

Broad Beans and Sweet Peas

Broad beans and sweet peas were the first to be sown early in 2013.  I have gone for two varieties of broad beans - Wititkem and Sutton Dwarf.

I sow them in toilet roll tubes, and then plant out once growing well to avoid root disturbance.  An early crop tends to avoid blackfly infestations but this year I think due to the delay in the season we may suffer - I will try companion planting to draw them away - apparantly nasturtiums work well and with lots of plants to encourage greedy ladybirds, hover flies and other predators of aphids I hope we are not too affected. 

I warmed the soil up with cloches and then it snowed again!   I have at last planted the broad beans, with cloche protection, although I did harden them off to avoid a severe chill. 

Black Cat loves the cloches and has had great fun in them - see below - she does avoid the plants!

The beans are now growing well, with some protection, and cat warmth! 

Sweet peas are growing well, again I planted seeds in toilet roll tubes and planted these out directly and also I popped some in long pots - the pea and bean family create long roots and hate root disturbance. 2012 was a great year for my sweet peas, I hope to replicate this - comfrey feed was the answer I think?   Paul a colleague kindly supplied me with some hazel poles so this year I will have large row of them with smaller teepee's of sweet peas dotted around.  I have gone for a real mix and when they are out will post and name them for those interested. 

The hazel poles are a great addition,  I will hope to buy some more, but I have lots of bamboo canes to use.  The hazel is a great sustanable source, so will try and source some coppiced locally.