Tender Plantings

  Now that the temperature is really warming up, I am planting some of my more tender seeds in a heated propagator in the greenhouse.  These veggie really don't like the cold so hopefully in a couple of weeks' time when I plant them out all danger of frost will have passed.  I obtained a variety of Purple Runner Bean from Gwilym at the Aeron Vale Allotment Society.  He has been trying to breed his own variety of dark coloured runner bean.  I will grow only this variety this year to avoid cross pollination - then share some seeds.

I used up some of my toilet rolls, then made some paper pots from newspaper.  This will give the beans a nice start with a long root run.  I can plant out the whole paper pot without disturbing the roots too much.

 I am looking forward to growing quite a few varieties of veggies from Franchi Seeds.  There are so many lovely varieties of veggies from Seeds of Italy with each variety traditional to a particular area of Italy.  Most of these do really well in the UK climate. These two cucumber varieties are 'melon cucumbers' which have a really lovely crisp, fresh texture of a melon and the taste of a cucumber. One of these Cetriolo Melone is from Arbruzzo, and the other from Manduria. 

 and... there I was minding my own business in the greenhouse when I spotted an intruder on my patch!

 How dare he!  This is why I can never plant a row of seeds in my own patch!! he just uses it as his own private toilet!  Poor Leo is resting indoors at the moment, recovering from a small stroke last week.  He is improving day by day, but a bit too wobbly on his pins to chase this intruder away.  So, after grabbing my camera and taking a few pics.... I chased him away! Shoooo!