Down on the Allotment

Matron grows vegetables and fruit in a Hampshire garden. I've been growing veggies since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Some traditional varieties and old favourites as well as new ideas. I share my garden with my allotment assistant Daisy the Labrador. On Twitter as @MatronsVeggies

Friday, July 04, 2008

Fourth of July in London

Things are hotting up in the greenhouse! The tomatoes need daily watering and weekly feeding. These are my new variety of beefsteak tomato Country Taste.
My banana Musa Basjoo is putting on a new leaf each week!
Sweet corn is about 3ft tall at the moment and growing each day. I have planted a climbing French bean Blauhilde under each stalk.
The pumpkins Rouge vif D'Etamps are starting to crawl everywhere! There are plenty of female flowers and lots and lots of little pumpkin-lets! I am really looking forward to seeing these beautiful red, heritage variety. Seeds given to me during a visit to the USA last year where I met fellow blogger Petunia.

Lots and lots of little baby pumpkins!

The purple podded peas are really fat and ripe. I have hung the peas and the vine up against a fence to dry off properly. Saving seed for next year.

I let one of my parsnips go to seed from last year! What a fantastic, beautiful plant now more than 6 feet tall and covered in yellow flowers followed by attractive seed heads. I will try to save some seed for next year.

6 Comments:

At 12:03 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've never seen a parsnip in flower. It looks a bit like a yellow carrot. Thanks for sharing that. We grow bananas here too, we have Lady Fingers and Dwarf Cavandish. Both delicious. We have one hand ripening on the back verandah now. Good luck with yours.

 
At 1:45 AM, Blogger Dan said...

Nice Banana, how do you over winter it? I am in zone 5, Ontario Canada and I grow 3 kinds now and over winter them in my basement under lights.

 
At 9:00 AM, Blogger Matron said...

Dan, it was a present this April so I have yet to overwinter it here. This variety 'basjoo' is supposed to be able to cope in our climate. I am supposed to wrap the stem in straw and bubble wrap to survive the Winterr but I think I will take the whole container into a shed as well.

 
At 3:01 PM, Blogger Dan said...

I was wondering if it was a hardy one. There is one available here that is hardy enough to over winter outside as long as it is mulched and put in some kind of insulating enclosure. Unfortunitly I have no room for it because it gets massive. I have done pretty well with the dwarf and semi-dwarf ones through and it makes the patio seem like it is a vacation spot or at least hoping it was a vacation spot.
______________________________
Check out my veggie garden blog:
http://veggiegardenblog.blogspot.com/

 
At 12:31 PM, Blogger Wild Mood Swings said...

Ah day out with Matron.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wildmoodswings/sets/72157605995191804/show/

 
At 4:09 AM, Blogger Petunia's Gardener said...

Pumpkins! they look great! I extended my Kansas trip, but I got home just in time to plant my pumpkin SEEDLINGS. These are a smaller pumpkin so MAYBE they'll make it to harvest. Our weather turned nice while I was gone and the garden was a jungle. I do home to see p.vines at my house soon.

 

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