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

Monday, March 28, 2011

Grow Your Own!

The Peach Blossom in the fruit garden at RHS Wisley is looking fantastic.


I went to the RHS Grow Your Own weekend at RHS Wisley yesterday. To be honest I was a bit disappointed. Just a few staff on a bit of field showing you how to dig, how to plant potatoes and how to plant a tree. Then in the model vegetable garden there was a glum looking gardener with a cowboy hat answering questions. No tents, no exhibition, no stalls, no market, no shopping.. it was widely advertised, and if 70% of all seeds now sold are vegetable seeds, I was expecting more!
So I went for a lovely walk elsewhere in the gardens. Peaches grown in the UK have to be kept fairly dry during Winter to protect them from moisture, so they are mostly grown under glass, or protected from the rain with a plastic sheet.
A plastic polytunnel shows what hardy Winter leaves you can grow with just a little protection, cabbage, spinach, salad leaves.
Garlic was looking good in the model vegetable garden.
And I visited an old friend, the fruit orchard. I've never visited this time of year before, normally the trees are laden with fruit and you can't see from one end of the orchard to the other. It was just like meeting an old friend whom you know well... but naked!

12 Comments:

At 9:58 AM, Blogger My Veggie Garden said...

:) Nice. Thank-you.

 
At 10:53 AM, Blogger Celia Hart said...

Sounds like the RHS missed an opportunity there - what a shame.

A visit to Matrons garden would have been more educational and more fun!

Celia
x

 
At 12:43 PM, Blogger Sue Garrett said...

We bought a nectarine last year so are keeping our fingers crossed for some flowers.

 
At 2:14 PM, Blogger melsanford said...

Fab photos! Thankyou for sharing them :-) Love 'n' hugs, Mel xx

 
At 2:29 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello Matron...I must agree with Magic Cochin that all who attended would have learned more and had more enjoyment if they'd visited your garden. Interesting to see how the espaliered peaches were kept dry to protect their lovely blooms.

Theanne

 
At 10:49 PM, Blogger Peggy said...

Hi Matron,great to visit this garden a few times during the year to see how things grow and change over the season.

 
At 1:32 PM, Blogger Lrong Lim said...

Am waiting for the peach to blossom here...

 
At 1:33 PM, Blogger David Brown said...

Hi Matron,

where did you get your poly-tunnel from? It's the sort of thing I'm looking for.

 
At 6:19 PM, Blogger Matron said...

David - not my poly-tunnel! this was at RHS Wisley!

 
At 9:24 PM, Anonymous Damo said...

Sounds like they weren't very organised, I would like to pay a visit in the summer to see the veg gardens in full swing.

 
At 6:01 AM, Blogger Jason Dingley said...

"It was just like meeting an old friend whom you know well... but naked!" You made me laugh, thanks.

I attended a gardening event on the weekend too. At mine they gave out wood oven pizza.

 
At 2:25 PM, Blogger Buy Tarpaulins said...

mice

 

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