Herb Culinary Collection Nice 'N' Spicy Seeds by T and M - Crowders:
Salad Rocket, Red Giant Mustard, Green Wave Mustard, Miluna
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Monday 17 March 2014
Basil 'Sweet' ('Sweet Genovese')
Basil 'Sweet':
1 Plant Genovese basil in a sunny location that receives six to eight hours of direct sunlight a day. Basil will tolerate less light but typically prefers at least six hours of direct sunlight.
No Matches Found. Please try your search again.
2 Space basil seedlings 10 to 12 inches apart in rows or group them for a mass planting. Some prefer to interplant basil with tomatoes.
3 Pinch out the growing tips on Genovese basil when the seedlings are 4 to 6 inches high. This forces the plant to send out new growth along the stem and creates a dense, compact plant. Continue to pinch the basil plant back every few weeks to prevent blooming. Otherwise, flavor will be reduced, as blooming robs the plant of the volatile oils responsible for flavor and fragrance.
4 Water deeply once or twice a week -- moistening the soil to the root level -- or whenever the soil feels dry 1 inch below the surface. Although basil tolerates dry soil, even moisture is preferred.
5 Apply water-soluble fertilizer designed for vegetables two or three times during the growing season. Once at planting time, again by early summer and a final application in mid- to late summer provides the nutrients basil needs. Overfertilization causes rapid plant growth but also reduces flavor.
6 Mulch around basil plants with a 2- to 4-inch layer of leaves or pine needles to conserve water, prevent weeds and keep the foliage clean.
7 Harvest Genovese basil as soon as the leaves are large enough to use.
'via Blog this'
1 Plant Genovese basil in a sunny location that receives six to eight hours of direct sunlight a day. Basil will tolerate less light but typically prefers at least six hours of direct sunlight.
No Matches Found. Please try your search again.
2 Space basil seedlings 10 to 12 inches apart in rows or group them for a mass planting. Some prefer to interplant basil with tomatoes.
3 Pinch out the growing tips on Genovese basil when the seedlings are 4 to 6 inches high. This forces the plant to send out new growth along the stem and creates a dense, compact plant. Continue to pinch the basil plant back every few weeks to prevent blooming. Otherwise, flavor will be reduced, as blooming robs the plant of the volatile oils responsible for flavor and fragrance.
4 Water deeply once or twice a week -- moistening the soil to the root level -- or whenever the soil feels dry 1 inch below the surface. Although basil tolerates dry soil, even moisture is preferred.
5 Apply water-soluble fertilizer designed for vegetables two or three times during the growing season. Once at planting time, again by early summer and a final application in mid- to late summer provides the nutrients basil needs. Overfertilization causes rapid plant growth but also reduces flavor.
6 Mulch around basil plants with a 2- to 4-inch layer of leaves or pine needles to conserve water, prevent weeds and keep the foliage clean.
7 Harvest Genovese basil as soon as the leaves are large enough to use.
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How to grow beans in your garden.
Best of the beans: how to grow beans in your garden - Telegraph: "what's"
There are four secrets to success with beans.
- First, choose the best varieties. As with most vegetables, growing the most delicious varieties takes no more effort than the plainest, so take a moment to pick the most flavoursome.
- Secondly, start them off well. Beans like to throw down long roots, so rather than sow them in seed trays or regular modules, use root trainers. These long modules allow each seed to create a good root system while the first few leaves develop – this gives the plant the perfect engine room below and above ground to grow quickly and productively when planted out.
Root trainers are widely available, but we find cardboard loo-roll inners make fine substitutes. They work perfectly for peas too. You can sow direct into the soil, but I find seedlings more resilient to pests and drought.
- Thirdly, sow with consumption in mind. Success sowing is the key to a steady stream of delicious beans rather than a long weekend of chutney making. Sow them in small batches, three weeks apart, and as one batch begins to tire, the next will be ready to replace it.
For our family of three, I like a four metre double row of broad beans ready at a time, plus perhaps 20 plants each of runner beans and French beans. Borlottis are a little slower in their productivity and I generally only do an early sowing now and one in early June to give a staggered harvest. For spacing, whatever the variety of bean, follow the instructions on the packet and you can’t go wrong.
- Lastly, harvest your beans when they are at their best: for all but borlottis, this is small, sweet and tender. Picked at this stage, they produce more the more you harvest them, but don’t kid yourself that these are bean-making machines designed for your dining pleasure; the secret behind their productivity is sex. The pods you snap from the plant hold their next generation – the more of those seeds that mature and are capable of growing into new plants, the more quickly the plant slows down production, having served its function of procreation. So, picking the pods early not only ensures the sweetest harvest, it also gives the plant an incentive to keep producing. Don’t worry about yield – the beans may be smaller, but the finer flavour and the extra productivity more than makes up for the weight of each harvest.
'via Blog this'
There are four secrets to success with beans.
- First, choose the best varieties. As with most vegetables, growing the most delicious varieties takes no more effort than the plainest, so take a moment to pick the most flavoursome.
- Secondly, start them off well. Beans like to throw down long roots, so rather than sow them in seed trays or regular modules, use root trainers. These long modules allow each seed to create a good root system while the first few leaves develop – this gives the plant the perfect engine room below and above ground to grow quickly and productively when planted out.
Root trainers are widely available, but we find cardboard loo-roll inners make fine substitutes. They work perfectly for peas too. You can sow direct into the soil, but I find seedlings more resilient to pests and drought.
- Thirdly, sow with consumption in mind. Success sowing is the key to a steady stream of delicious beans rather than a long weekend of chutney making. Sow them in small batches, three weeks apart, and as one batch begins to tire, the next will be ready to replace it.
For our family of three, I like a four metre double row of broad beans ready at a time, plus perhaps 20 plants each of runner beans and French beans. Borlottis are a little slower in their productivity and I generally only do an early sowing now and one in early June to give a staggered harvest. For spacing, whatever the variety of bean, follow the instructions on the packet and you can’t go wrong.
- Lastly, harvest your beans when they are at their best: for all but borlottis, this is small, sweet and tender. Picked at this stage, they produce more the more you harvest them, but don’t kid yourself that these are bean-making machines designed for your dining pleasure; the secret behind their productivity is sex. The pods you snap from the plant hold their next generation – the more of those seeds that mature and are capable of growing into new plants, the more quickly the plant slows down production, having served its function of procreation. So, picking the pods early not only ensures the sweetest harvest, it also gives the plant an incentive to keep producing. Don’t worry about yield – the beans may be smaller, but the finer flavour and the extra productivity more than makes up for the weight of each harvest.
'via Blog this'
Pea Seed 'Douce Provence' (Pisum sativum)
Pea Seed 'Douce Provence' (Pisum sativum):
Originating from France, we think this is possibly the most versatile Pea variety there is!
Over the past few years these peas have given an exceptional performance and yield in our own vegetable gardens and we have a row or two 'on the go' virtually the whole year through. Due to its hardiness this variety can even be grown as an over-Winter pea.
Consistent and reliable in habit it produces large crops of sweet and succulent peas on compact plants growing to 30" (75 cm) in height.
Strictly speaking this is a First Early variety, but being so adaptable we would recommend repeat sowings through the year. Late Spring and Summer sowings can take as little as 8 weeks from sowing to cropping.
• For Early Cropping
• Sow under protection in trays or modules February to March.
• Set out when large enough to handle 5" (13 cm) apart in interspaced double rows 24" (60 cm) apart.
• Can also be direct sown as per 'main cropping' under cloches February - March.
• For Main Cropping
• Sow March to July 5" (13 cm) apart in rows 24" (60 cm) apart. Sow in 2" (5 cm) deep drills.
• For Over-Wintering
• Sow (either outside or under protection) October to November 5" (13 cm) apart in rows 18" (45 cm) apart. Sow in 2" (5 cm) deep drills.
• Top Tips
• Protect newly sown seeds from mice. Mice are notorious in 'sniffing out' seed of this nature!
• Pheasants love young pea plants and will dig up the plants to eat the sprouted seed so take precautions (especially with Autumn sowings) if you have pheasants in your area.
• Protect young plants from pigeons.
• Though not entirely essential, providing some support (pea sticks, netting or canes) will keep the crop tidier and make harvesting easier.
• A good precaution to prevent damage from Pea Moth or Pea Weevil is to spray the entire plant (flowers included) with our BioFriend Plant Defence periodically during the flowering period.
• Water well if the weather is dry when the pods are swelling.
• Regular picking will encourage further flowering and subsequent cropping. Peas freeze well so better to pick regularly and freeze any excess as this will keep the plants producing.
• After harvesting dig the plants into the ground to provide green manure and valuable nitrogen to the soil.
'via Blog this'
Originating from France, we think this is possibly the most versatile Pea variety there is!
Over the past few years these peas have given an exceptional performance and yield in our own vegetable gardens and we have a row or two 'on the go' virtually the whole year through. Due to its hardiness this variety can even be grown as an over-Winter pea.
Consistent and reliable in habit it produces large crops of sweet and succulent peas on compact plants growing to 30" (75 cm) in height.
Strictly speaking this is a First Early variety, but being so adaptable we would recommend repeat sowings through the year. Late Spring and Summer sowings can take as little as 8 weeks from sowing to cropping.
• For Early Cropping
• Sow under protection in trays or modules February to March.
• Set out when large enough to handle 5" (13 cm) apart in interspaced double rows 24" (60 cm) apart.
• Can also be direct sown as per 'main cropping' under cloches February - March.
• For Main Cropping
• Sow March to July 5" (13 cm) apart in rows 24" (60 cm) apart. Sow in 2" (5 cm) deep drills.
• For Over-Wintering
• Sow (either outside or under protection) October to November 5" (13 cm) apart in rows 18" (45 cm) apart. Sow in 2" (5 cm) deep drills.
• Top Tips
• Protect newly sown seeds from mice. Mice are notorious in 'sniffing out' seed of this nature!
• Pheasants love young pea plants and will dig up the plants to eat the sprouted seed so take precautions (especially with Autumn sowings) if you have pheasants in your area.
• Protect young plants from pigeons.
• Though not entirely essential, providing some support (pea sticks, netting or canes) will keep the crop tidier and make harvesting easier.
• A good precaution to prevent damage from Pea Moth or Pea Weevil is to spray the entire plant (flowers included) with our BioFriend Plant Defence periodically during the flowering period.
• Water well if the weather is dry when the pods are swelling.
• Regular picking will encourage further flowering and subsequent cropping. Peas freeze well so better to pick regularly and freeze any excess as this will keep the plants producing.
• After harvesting dig the plants into the ground to provide green manure and valuable nitrogen to the soil.
'via Blog this'
Saturday 8 March 2014
Crop rotation .
Crop rotation / Royal Horticultural Society:
Divide your vegetable garden or allotment into sections of equal size (depending on how much of each crop you want to grow), plus an extra section for perennial crops, such as rhubarb and asparagus. Group your crops as below:
Brassicas: Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohl-rabi, oriental greens, radish, swede and turnips
Legumes: Pea, broad beans (French and runner beans suffer from fewer soil problems and can be grown wherever convenient)
Onions: Onion, garlic, shallot, leek
Potato family: Potato, tomato, (pepper and aubergine suffer from fewer problems and can be grown anywhere in the rotation)
Roots: Beetroot, carrot, celeriac, celery, Florence fennel, parsley, parsnip and all other root crops, except swedes and turnips, which are brassicas
'via Blog this'
Divide your vegetable garden or allotment into sections of equal size (depending on how much of each crop you want to grow), plus an extra section for perennial crops, such as rhubarb and asparagus. Group your crops as below:
Brassicas: Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohl-rabi, oriental greens, radish, swede and turnips
Legumes: Pea, broad beans (French and runner beans suffer from fewer soil problems and can be grown wherever convenient)
Onions: Onion, garlic, shallot, leek
Potato family: Potato, tomato, (pepper and aubergine suffer from fewer problems and can be grown anywhere in the rotation)
Roots: Beetroot, carrot, celeriac, celery, Florence fennel, parsley, parsnip and all other root crops, except swedes and turnips, which are brassicas
'via Blog this'
Friday 7 March 2014
Which fruit, herbs and vegetables to grow in shade
Which fruit, herbs and vegetables to grow in shade: "Asparagus, Beetroot, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Cress, Endive, Kale, Leaf (Spinach) Beet, Leeks, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Parsnips, Radicchio, Radish, Rocket, Spinach, Swiss chard "
Basil, Chives, Coriander, Mint, Parsley, Sage.
Raspberries.
Swiss chard and lettuce.
Rhubarb.
If there’s partial shade – and a couple of hours of sun – then green leafy veg seem to do better.
Here’s the list:
Lettuce
Broccoli
Swiss Chard
Parsley
Cauliflower
Spinach
Courgettes/Marrows
Kale
Radish
lettuce and beets do well in the shade.
If you have an area which is in full shade, your best bet is to plant some shade-loving shrubs or flowers – sorry, I know that’s not much fun but it’s the truth.
From Here!
- chard, curly kale, lettuce, radish, rhubarb, spinach
From Here!
'via Blog this'
Basil, Chives, Coriander, Mint, Parsley, Sage.
Raspberries.
Swiss chard and lettuce.
Rhubarb.
If there’s partial shade – and a couple of hours of sun – then green leafy veg seem to do better.
Here’s the list:
Lettuce
Broccoli
Swiss Chard
Parsley
Cauliflower
Spinach
Courgettes/Marrows
Kale
Radish
lettuce and beets do well in the shade.
If you have an area which is in full shade, your best bet is to plant some shade-loving shrubs or flowers – sorry, I know that’s not much fun but it’s the truth.
From Here!
- chard, curly kale, lettuce, radish, rhubarb, spinach
From Here!
'via Blog this'
План на март.
Хотя погода в марте непостоянна, все же можно посеять кое что и сейчас.
Брюссельскую капусту, ранние сорта - Пер Гюнт и Нельсон.
Брюссельскую капусту - Noisette - будем сеять в течение лета.
Репу.
Фасоль - Witkiem Manita.
Горох традиционно будет посеян в День Святого Патрика - 17 марта. Он нуждается как минимум в 7С и тогда даст ростки.
Можно начать сажать ранние сорта моркови и петрушки, пастернак так же можно посеять сейчас.
Шпинат!
Картофель может подождать до конца месяца, начала апреля.
Стандартный способ посадки - на глубину лопаты.
Можно посадить в солому и покрыть скошеной травой.
Или под черным полиэтиленом.
Полиэтилен будет сохранять тепло.
Когда картофельные побеги достигнут полиэтилена, разрезать щель, через которую пойдут побеги.
Однако во время заморозков нужно будет прикрывать их тканью.
Брюссельскую капусту, ранние сорта - Пер Гюнт и Нельсон.
Брюссельскую капусту - Noisette - будем сеять в течение лета.
Репу.
Фасоль - Witkiem Manita.
Горох традиционно будет посеян в День Святого Патрика - 17 марта. Он нуждается как минимум в 7С и тогда даст ростки.
Можно начать сажать ранние сорта моркови и петрушки, пастернак так же можно посеять сейчас.
Шпинат!
Картофель может подождать до конца месяца, начала апреля.
Стандартный способ посадки - на глубину лопаты.
Можно посадить в солому и покрыть скошеной травой.
Или под черным полиэтиленом.
Полиэтилен будет сохранять тепло.
Когда картофельные побеги достигнут полиэтилена, разрезать щель, через которую пойдут побеги.
Однако во время заморозков нужно будет прикрывать их тканью.
Март.
Сегодня посадили прошлогодний проросший картофель. Чуть-чуть, для интереса.
- ревень проклюнулся уже!
- лук прошлогодний;
- осенью посаженые бобы зеленеют всходами.
- земляника садовая проклюнула нежные покрытые пухом листочки и "лесная", что я вырастила из семян весело зеленеет - перезимовала;
- обновили, подсыпали мульчу - щепу на дорожки;
- малина показала свои первые листочки.
- смородина, черника, крыжовник, малина.
- посадили картофель "Anya" - "Аня" в большую банку. Для интереса. :)
- щавель кислый (Rumex acetosa) только начал расти, а какая-то мошка уже поселилась на нем.
- лук, чеснок посаженный осенью.
"А в остальном, прекрасная маркиза, всё хорошо, всё хорошо"
What to plant on your allotment in March.
What to plant on your allotment in March | Life and style | theguardian.com:
Peas, cabbage and broad beans are all on our gardening expert's to-do list for March.
In the brassica bed early Brussels sprouts can go in under cloches towards the middle of the month to be planted out in May for autumn eating. Reliable earliest croppers are Peer Gynt and the newer Nelson.
Brussels sprouts - Noisette - sow through summer.
Turnips - Texel greens
Broad bean - Witkiem Manita came out as "best for spring sowing”, Witkiem Major.
Peas are traditionally sown on St. Patrick's Day, March 17th. They need a minimum temperature of 7C (46F) to germinate.
- Kelveden Wonder or the vintage Early Onward.
- Darfon
- Oregon Sugar Pod. Sugar Snap.
In the roots bed, you can start off early carrots.
Hamburg parsley
Rather like true parsnips, which can also be sown now.
When you can provide a temperature of 10 – 15C (50 – 59F), globe onions, pickling onions Japanese bunching onions can be planted out.
Spinach beet is in the beetroot group so it can fit in anywhere there is space. The most colourful varieties are Bright Lights and Rhubarb chard while Fordhook Giant.
There is still time to plant out perennials - asparagus crowns, Jerusalem artichokes, seakale offsets and garlic. Get going with cut-and-come-again salad leaves and radishes.
Potatoes can go in towards the end of the month, though April is more traditional.
The standard way is to plant them a trowel deep and earth them up as they grow.
If you can lay your hands on some straw and grass mowing you can save your back and try the no dig system. You do this by growing them on top of the ground and covering them with a compost/manure mix followed later on with grass mowings. Some gardeners just grow them under black polythene. If you plan to follow this method wait a few weeks for the weather to warm up.
If on the other hand, you want to win the potato growing race that takes place in some allotments, there is a cunning way of getting ahead. It involves mounding soil into ridges, digging down in the troughs between to the depth of a trowel to plant the potatoes. These are covered with soil. Polythene, which will keep the temperature up, is put on top of the ridges and held in place with planks. When the potato shoots are bumping up against the polythene, slits are cut to let the shoots through. However, if the weather turns at this point, you will need to be ready to throw fleece over the potato tops.
'via Blog this'
Peas, cabbage and broad beans are all on our gardening expert's to-do list for March.
In the brassica bed early Brussels sprouts can go in under cloches towards the middle of the month to be planted out in May for autumn eating. Reliable earliest croppers are Peer Gynt and the newer Nelson.
Brussels sprouts - Noisette - sow through summer.
Turnips - Texel greens
Broad bean - Witkiem Manita came out as "best for spring sowing”, Witkiem Major.
Peas are traditionally sown on St. Patrick's Day, March 17th. They need a minimum temperature of 7C (46F) to germinate.
- Kelveden Wonder or the vintage Early Onward.
- Darfon
- Oregon Sugar Pod. Sugar Snap.
In the roots bed, you can start off early carrots.
Hamburg parsley
Rather like true parsnips, which can also be sown now.
When you can provide a temperature of 10 – 15C (50 – 59F), globe onions, pickling onions Japanese bunching onions can be planted out.
Spinach beet is in the beetroot group so it can fit in anywhere there is space. The most colourful varieties are Bright Lights and Rhubarb chard while Fordhook Giant.
There is still time to plant out perennials - asparagus crowns, Jerusalem artichokes, seakale offsets and garlic. Get going with cut-and-come-again salad leaves and radishes.
Potatoes can go in towards the end of the month, though April is more traditional.
The standard way is to plant them a trowel deep and earth them up as they grow.
If you can lay your hands on some straw and grass mowing you can save your back and try the no dig system. You do this by growing them on top of the ground and covering them with a compost/manure mix followed later on with grass mowings. Some gardeners just grow them under black polythene. If you plan to follow this method wait a few weeks for the weather to warm up.
If on the other hand, you want to win the potato growing race that takes place in some allotments, there is a cunning way of getting ahead. It involves mounding soil into ridges, digging down in the troughs between to the depth of a trowel to plant the potatoes. These are covered with soil. Polythene, which will keep the temperature up, is put on top of the ridges and held in place with planks. When the potato shoots are bumping up against the polythene, slits are cut to let the shoots through. However, if the weather turns at this point, you will need to be ready to throw fleece over the potato tops.
'via Blog this'
Wednesday 26 February 2014
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