Ideas and Complications

Extinction Rebellion. The idea, the complication and the solution. I’ve been in London, at Marble Arch. The picture comes from there this week. The atmosphere was that of a festival, and it was wonderful to wander around on roads free of traffic. I took pictures and chatted. And what I am doing in my garden and on my allotment is directly connected to the Climate Change Challenge. So I won’t need to get arrested. My task in this is to work out how to grow vegetables in a sustainable way. That is why I am here. Sowing seeds. Growing Vegetables.

Action

My organic wool and bracken compost arrived and I sowed lots of seeds. Before that I sowed courgettes and squashes (last Friday) and they are up already, in contrast to the sweetcorn, which is mostly still not up. The weather has finally turned more spring-like after nasty frosts on Friday and Saturday. I think the sweetcorn need more heat to germinate. The ones that have come up spent a couple of nights in the propagator. Outside I have sown carrots and radishes in pots in the new compost, also nasturtiums. I still feel like I’m waiting for the main event.

Plants

The tomatoes are still looking miserable, and the leeks, which are now outside look slow. In contrast the cabbages and kales are all growing well under their cosy fleece. In the greenhouse the tagetes are doing well, and the mignonette not so well. I think I moved them when they were too small from the seed pot. The ones left are looking good, so I will replace the losses with healthy ones. And also remember that mignonette are grown just for fun! No seeds showing at the allotment. This could be the very old seed, or the very cold nights.

Harvest

I’ve slightly neglected this column because there hasn’t been much harvest. But there has been some. There is parsley available and often used, and we also had a lettuce that overwintered in a pot. I pick herb robert to make tea quite often. There are a number of different mints now growing, peppermint, liquorice mint, apple mint. There are some others too, and one of my tasks for the year is to identify and propagate them to give away. There are dandelions flowering everywhere, though we haven’t eaten any yet. And nettles are ready to cut and dry for teas.