Poppies

We recently went to Normandy, to visit the sites, history, cemeteries and memorials from Operation Overlord, D-Day. Poppies are of course associated with the battlefields of the First World War, but every time we saw them in Normandy, they seemed fitting also.

When we got home, what did we see in Mrs Soggy's flower border, but our own poppies in flower, here they are for you to enjoy too.

Seed Order

I placed my seed order last week, a bit later than intended, I was too absorbed in sorting out the fruit patch.

Here is the main list, the letters in brackets are the codes on the Organic Gardening Catalogue

There will be a few other things to get, mainly from Pennards - that especially means my seed potatoes, which I shall get at the Potato Day, this weekend. (There is a lovely article about our Potato Day here).

BASIL Lettuce Leaved (HBBE)

BEETROOT Boltardy 15g (BEBO1)

BEETROOT Cylindra (BECY)

BEETROOT Moneta (BEMO)

BROCCOLi Purple Sprouting Early (BRPO)

BROCCOLI Purple Sprouting Late (BRPL)

BROCCOLI Rudolph (BREX)

BRUSSELS SPROUT (Late) Seven Hills (BSSH)

BRUSSELS SPROUT (Mid) Igor F1 (BSIG)

CABBAGE Christmas Drumhead (CBCD)

CABBAGE January King (CBJK)

CABBAGE Marner Lagerrot (Storing Red) (CBML)

CABBAGE Myatt's Offenham (CBON)

CALABRESE Green Sprouting (CAGS)

CARROT Amsterdam Forcing 15gr (CRAM1)

CARROT Flakee (CRFK)

CARROT Resistafly F1 (CRRF)

CLIMBING BEAN Barlotta Lingua di Fuoco (FBLF)

CLIMBING BEAN Neckar Queen (FBNQ)

COURGETTE Segev F1 (COSE)

CRESS American or Land (CSUS)

CUCUMBER Melen F1 (Mini) (CUME)

KALE Dwarf Green Curled (KADW)

LEEK Bandit (LKBA)

LEEK Swiss Giant, Zermatt (LKZE)

LETTUCE Amorina (LEAR)

LETTUCE Bedford (LEBD)

LETTUCE Belize (LEBZ)

ONION Crimson Forest (ONCF)

ONION Ramrod 10g (ONRM1)

PARSLEY Italian Giant (PSIG)

PARSNIP Gladiator F1 (PAGL)

PEA Rapido Petit Pois (PERA)

PEA Sugar Pea Norli (PESP)

PEA Sugar Snap LARGE (PESS)

RADISH French Breakfast (RAFB)

ROCKET Esmee (ROES)

ROCKET Rucola (ROCK)

SWEDE Helenor (SWHE)

TOMATO Alicante (TOAL)

TOMATO Ferline F1 (TOFE)

TOMATO Sweet Million (TOMN)

Fruit Patch Makeover

Most of the fruit bushes were on the patch, as we inherited them when we moved in here 8 or 9 years ago. Despite care and pruning, their production has dropped, so all the blackcurrants and gooseberries have come out, as well as the strawberries from this bed.

The raspberries will be pruned and moved, they are currently lying east-west, they will change to north-south, to get better sun distribution on all plants. The new gooseberry, blackcurrant and strawberry plants will also line north-south.

In the wheelbarrow are some of the old fruit bush roots and perennial weed roots I have been forking out of the ground, nearly half-way across now. In the bags I have compost to work into the soil, and out of shot, some bags of well-rotted horse manure, which will also go on. That lot should ensure good drainage and enough material to prevent drying out in the summer, as well as plenty of nutrients - blackcurrants especially, as you cut them right back, take up a lot of food.

I have yet to decide on the varieties to plant, all suggestions gratefully received! (Blackcurrant and gooseberry please)

Growing Advice Cards

I am a member of Garden Organic (used to be HDRA) and have just spotted on their website an excellent facility for getting advice, in handy card size - if you print them out - with key information on Planting, Growing and Eating, including suggested varieties. I am not sure if it's exclusive to the members' area, but it's not expensive to join. have a look on their website here.

Potato Day Leaflet

Topical tips and Potato Day

I have updated the column on the right, with a few tasks for this time of year.

Also hot on the presses is information going out about our Potato Day next month.

This will be our 4th Annual Potato Day, which, as a horticultural society, we organise for gardeners, with Pennard Plants bringing over 60 varieties of Seed Potatoes and with information available on type, cultivation and disease resistance for each one.

It is on Saturday 12th February 2011, 10:30 to 3:30 (with brunch and drinks all day), at Drimpton Village Hall (for SatNav use DT8 3RF).

Frozen Food delivery

No, not from a supermarket, but from our veggie patch. Invited to spend Christmas with the mini-Soggies in sunny and snow-free Swanage, we had to go prepared, and not just with Christmas presents.

At first glance the only obvious crops were leeks, sprouts and kale; so I harvested, with increasingly freezing fingers, a tray of Brussels sprouts, enough for dinner on Christmas Day and Boxing Day for the four of us hopefully, that still left plenty more to come. They were swiftly joined by some leeks.

Then it was a matter of hefting snow aside to go in search of turnips and parsnips. I could only find one turnip, but got the bonus of a couple of beetroot besides. Then up came some good looking parsnips, despite the best efforts of the frozen soil to hold onto them. I had earthed over some carrots and dug down hopefully, and there they were, still happy and healthy, so in some of those went too.

Passing piled up snow at the roadsides most of the way here, there was no problem keeping the vegetables fresh on the journey. Now we just need to enjoy them and celebrate Christmas together.

Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year everyone.

Frozen Days

The garden is rather frozen at the moment, but that does give time for planning, catching up and bird watching. There were blackcaps on the feeders this morning, in addition to the usual finches, tits, sparrows, starlings and so on.

One thing I must catch up on is our Potato Day in Drimpton Village Hall on 12th February. It is surprising how many people come, of course Pennards have not only a good range and variety, but also really helpful advice, but it could just be the renowned village food on offer too!

It is also the time of year to browse seed catalogues and dream of the crops to come, oh, and of course to enjoy the Brussels Sprouts and parsnips now well touched by frost.

Frost and snow

Had quite a busy time recently doing more building work than gardening, helping off-spring Soggy, now that's nearly done the ground is frozen hard, so time for a quick post here.

We have a light sprinkling of snow remaining on the ground here, through which I dug some leeks, parsnips and beetroot for roasting and gathered some Brussels sprouts yesterday. The other night, whilst it was snowing, I remembered the nets over my autumn sown onions and broad beans. Last year both crops suffered because the nets, weighed down by snow, stifled the young plants. So went out during the snowfall and brushed the nets clear, so hopefully everything will be OK.

A few days earlier, rather than dig them up (our storage indoors is full of lots of other stuff, mainly out good potato crop) I earthed over the remaining carrots, hopefully I can now just go and dig as required.

The other main job at the moment has been to dig up the blackcurrant and gooseberry bushes, the former have been failing for a couple of years, the latter have been of varied performance despite Mrs Soggy's best efforts at pruning and care.

The intention is to plant new ones, haven't decided which yet, but we'll probably research RHS Award of merit varieties. I will also be attempting to train them to wires, that should be especially helpful, if it works, for taking the torture out of picking gooseberries.

The raspberries will be re-sited too, but I haven't dug them yet, I want to prepare the ground first and move them to a new site straight away and not leave them sitting about, even heeled in.

Edible vegetable beds

Having a daughter with a talent for making and decorating cakes (see her Iced Gems website) proved a real bonus on my birthday this week, when she surprised me with this beautiful creation. I can tell you it tastes even better than it looks.

I have to admit too, that it is much more neat and tidy than my actual veggie patch, they do get to look rather tired at this time of year don't they; thankfully though, it has been a very productive year.

Apologies for not keeping the blog up to date with everything that has been growing there. I will try better, honest!