sowing Archives - Page 2 of 3 - The Smallest Smallholding

New Potting Bench

July 9, 2016 by Lucy

In the run up to The Big Day (aka the day I will push a baby out and my life will change forever and ever amen), I think I’ve been nesting. I’m constantly tidying up, turning out, washing, organising… always on the move and always with a list as long as my arm to complete.

One job that isn’t necessarily fundamental to getting ready for Baby Bear’s arrival, but has been on my mind for a long, long time is my greenhouse. I haven’t bothered to clean it out properly for at least two or three growing seasons, and you could really tell. Bindweed had crept under the greenhouse base, pots had been left to stack up, fall over, become full of dead leaves and spiders and it just looked like an eyesore in the corner of our little patch of Smallest Smallholding.

When Buy Fencing Direct contacted me to ask if I’d like to review one of their products, it was a great excuse to justify spending a few hours getting the greenhouse sorted out. I opted to review a potting bench – more shelf space and a working area for sowing and potting on is exactly what I need.

But first, I had to tackle THIS monstrosity to make room:

My first task was to set about removing all the old plastic pots, studiously and carefully rehoming the dozens of spiders nestled between each pot. Luckily our local tidy tip has a hard plastic collection point so those pots won’t be going to landfill.

Next, I pulled up about six tonnes (hyperbole alert) of bindweed root, and levelled one side of the soil next to the wonky path that I built a few years ago. Using some basic weed suppressant liner, I lined and fixed the ground, and laid a layer of shingle over the top. Instantly it looked much neater and should hopefully keep the dreaded bindweed at bay:

Then the big job; putting together the potting bench. It had arrived sans box, fastened together with instructions which were actually more informative than Ikea’s point and mime flatpack offerings. There were actual words, which helped immensely. After leaving the bench outside for a good couple of weeks, we couldn’t find the screws that came with the flatpack so not sure if they got lost in transit or not. Either way, we had to get our own from Wickes.

Putting the bench together was definitely a two-person job, especially since the last time I handled a screwdriver about two weeks ago I properly skewered my finger, thanks to pregnancy hormone-induced clumsiness. The instructions were easy and very clear, but one thing I would have preferred was if the pilot holes had been drilled for us… but that’s just a minor consideration since it went together well and everything fitted as it should. We just had to do some careful measuring (read: I measured and Rich re-measured and readjusted) and I had to hold bits of wood in place whilst Rich fixed the screws.

It’s definitely a sturdy bench and looks very smart… I’m very pleased with the build quality. And together with the newly laid shingle flooring, freshly washed greenhouse glass and some tidying up it’s made a world of difference in my little greenhouse. Really looking forward to using it now! Just got to finish the tidying, shingle and glass cleaning on the other side, and my greenhouse will be looking tip-top… Some replacement glazing would be lovely too (I call the missing panes “great ventilation”…)!

You can also read my interview with Buy Fencing Direct right here: http://greengardens.buyfencingdirect.co.uk/our-interview-with-smallest-smallholding/

Filed Under: garden, product review, sowing Tagged With: Buy Fencing Direct, greenhouse, greenhouse staging, potting bench, product review

Interplanting

May 11, 2016 by Lucy

I’m now on week 25 of my pregnancy and boy, have I grown. I have been more determined to keep on growing despite having to take pretty much everything so much more slowly! So I’m quite pleased that despite all this, so far I’ve managed to plant in the onions, shallots, sow carrots, get the potatoes in (albeit it a little late), plant gooseberry bushes, and with my mum’s help last month we got the early peas in, and planted the parnsips and calabrese too.

Whilst this is most definitely progress, with everything yet to mature there’s still a lot of spare space in between the main crops in the big veg plot. So I’ve decided to have a go at interplanting – using smaller, quick-to-mature plants that utilise the spaces between the slower growers like the calabrese and parsnips.

The beetroot went in about three weeks ago and is doing well. I’m not hugely keen on boiled beetroot so I’m think I might have a go at pickling it myself! And this recent bout of hot, sunny days followed by damp and muggy days has seen an explosion in growing speed. Everything is taking off at great speed so there’s definitely time to get some more lettuces and radishes in as well.

Interplanting can also include thrifty companion plants – complementary flowers or plants that help to create a plant community that can improve pollination or deter pests and diseases. For instance, marigolds are often planted around tomatoes to deter aphids, and nasturtiums are used to attract blackfly away from beans. Calendula are said to help improve the pollination of courgette flowers and mint (keep it planted in the ground in a pot or it’ll grow rampantly) or alliums help keep carrotfly at bay.

I love the idea of planting sweet peas around my legumes to encourage bean flower pollination – I picked up a couple of cheap plants at my local nursery and will plant them close to my early peas. Hopefully they’ll also add some colour and scent to the veg patch too. I might be a practical soul, but I can’t deny I like to see a little bit of pretty in the vegetable garden too…

Munchkin pumpkins growing up the arch

Filed Under: foodie, garden, plans, seeds, sowing, sustainability, thrifty, tips, veg

Growing Chick Peas

April 15, 2016 by Lucy

I would say that chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) are one of my staple food groups. Yes, it’s almost like a food in itself because I could eat chickpeas every which way quite happily. Whether it’s chana masala (one of my all-time favourite Indian dishes), falafel, that vegan God-send hummus, lemon chickpea cake or just chickpeas thrown into a shepherdess pie, chilli or one-pot meal, I just love them. And they’re so very good for me (and the baby). Win-win.

Although I can buy chickpeas fairly cheaply from the tinned basic range at my local supermarkets, or even cheaper dried (now they only take 40 mins or so from dried in my Instant Pot), I fancied doing something a little different this year and giving chickpeas a go in my mini kitchen garden.

They’re ideally suited to our sandy soil here in Bedfordshire, one of the driest regions of England, as they’re not hugely fussy about nutrient-rich soil and are relatively drought tolerant. And as they’re a legume, they also fix nitrogen into the soil, so another win-win for me. I’ve got some space left in the big plot, but I need to get my skates on and get the next no-dig plot (and polytunnel) ready for more crops!

A little space left for some chickpeas and interplanted ‘catch crops’

They like to be planted where they’re going to grow, so I’ll be sowing directly very soon now that the temperatures have risen and the soil is warmer. Once established, they’ll grow a canopy and help to suppress weeds underneath them… so less work for me, and a great addition to my no-dig methods.

But with our temperature climate, I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to harvest anything that I can dry and keep… we shall see. Chickpeas apparently like hot climates, so I may be left with immature, green but perfectly edible peas that need to be eaten like mange tout or petits pois instead. These can be blanched and frozen for later, but I’d prefer to be able to dry them and store them.

However, my biggest battle will be keeping our feathered and small furry friends at bay. Chickpeas, like any kind of bean or legume, will be an attractive prospect for little nibblers, so I’ll have to keep them under a small fortress to start with. Wish me luck!