I have been a bit lazy in updating the blog with the latest sowing and planting. Over the last few weeks, sowing has been a bit neglected too, but there has been a lot to plant out. We did manage to sow another three lengths of gutter with peas, the reliable Hurst Greenshaft and the… Continue reading Sowing and planting this week
Tag: squash
Sowing this week
With April just around the corner, it was time to sow some of the tender crops, to be planted outdoors in early to mid May or in the polytunnel or glasshouses as soon as large enough. First were the French beans, Meraviglia di Venezia, a yellow climbing bean, and Beurre de Rocquencourt, also yellow, but… Continue reading Sowing this week
Roundup of the winter squash
In late autumn, we harvested our winter squash. It was a good year, and most of the squash had the opportunity to ripen fully, even the large Musquee de Provence, which are often still rather green by the time the first frosts arrive, had turned their slightly sickly looking dull pinkish orange colour. Our stocks… Continue reading Roundup of the winter squash
Sowing this week
This was yet another week with no sowing but a bit of planting out. This week’s task was to plant up the winter squash bed. Some weeks ago I potted on the young squash plants, moving them from the small pots they were sown in into various larger pots of around one litre or so.… Continue reading Sowing this week
Sowing this week
This week was more about planting out than sowing. Here in a sheltered spot in the south, with the help of some warm walls, frosts in May are unusual, and rarely harsh. I am not ready, quite, to risk planting out the winter squash as they are a precious crop, not to mention that the… Continue reading Sowing this week
Sowing this week
Regular sowing is necessary for regular cropping without gluts. We try to sow a few things every week or two throughout the growing season. This week we started with the cucurbits: summer and winter squash, melons, and cucumbers. I used a mixture of a free draining soil based seed compost with some organic peat free… Continue reading Sowing this week
Seed list 2014 – part 5 – cucurbits
The fifth article in the series looking at our sowing plans for the coming season covers the cucurbits – cucumbers, melons, summer and winter squash. Whilst melons are a somewhat marginal proposition, we have a great harvest of cucumbers and summer squash, both of which are prolific. We also reserve one of our large borders… Continue reading Seed list 2014 – part 5 – cucurbits
Seeds at Amsterdam’s Bloemenmarkt
Among the many sights of Amsterdam, there is the floating flower market, although one is not really aware that the row of large stalls is floating alongside one of the many canals, being so securely fixed in place. Its claim to be the world’s only floating flower market is, then, not nearly as impressive as… Continue reading Seeds at Amsterdam’s Bloemenmarkt
Problems with the stored winter squash
We have never had much trouble with storing winter squash before, except when some left in an unheated garage froze during a particularly harsh spell, which ruined them rather quickly. This year, though, we have found the stems afflicted with grey mould. When harvesting the squash, it is critical to leave a certain amount of… Continue reading Problems with the stored winter squash
Winter squash harvest
Determining the exact moment to harvest the winter squash can be a little tricky. They want to grow and ripen for as long as possible, but gloomy weather, especially with the onset of autumn rains, is not good for them. Placing a tile or something similar between the squash and the soil to prevent them… Continue reading Winter squash harvest