Peak planting in the April garden

No it's not an early variety. I took sideshoot cuttings in October as an experiment, to see if I could keep plants over winter and try for earlier crops, as the plants would already be established. The cuttings have actually been flowering all winter, but this is the first fruit I have seen.

I have to say, though, that some of the plants from seed sown this year, are starting to make flower buds, so they are catching up fast. It remains to be seen whether my experiment will be worth repeating.

That's impressive FB. Where did you keep the cuttings over the winter?

In our unheated conservatory, Dandelion.

Interesting. I've always thought tomatoes didn't much like temperatures below 10C. But that looks set to produce a well early result. I think mid June was my earliest ripe tomato from seed in that year. Where did you get the idea to overwinter sideshoots FB, or is it your own inspiration ?

I have a prarie fire chilli plant overwintered for a few years now, it has green chillies swelling on it now, when this year's seedlings are stilll in 3" pots.

I had read somewhere (possibly on another forum) that you could take side shoots off tomatoes for cuttings. And Ploshkin's polytunnel has inspired me to see what I can start early, as here at nearly 800 feet, spring is cold and late. Her polytunnel success is one of the reasons I bought the biggest greenhouse I could manage to shoehorn in.

I guess it was a marriage of the two ideas, and added to this is the fact that the conservatory is on a South West facing wall, which absorbs heat well. I had no idea if the experiment would work. We do have a heater out there but for frost protection only.

I only had one cutting that rooted from Rose de Berne. The other two cuttings have plenty of flower but currently no sign of any fruit.

This time last year, in lockdown, I was loving the fact that finally I had time to spend in the garden (with a lot of it dearly needing some TLC). I'm working on specific areas one at a time to avoid being overwhelmed, and the job I started last year was to dig up and compost some of the many Spanish bluebells which I inherited from the last owner. "They'll be fine at the bottom of the compost heap", I thought; "They'll just rot away." HA!!! I have spent the morning going through a heap of compost which I was planning to turn with a fine toothcomb, pulling out all the bluebell leaves and bulbs, which have flourished at the bottom of the compost heap and were providing a lovely display when I removed the compost container. So I'm now in the process of pulverising them to a pulp to put back into the compost!

They will come back no matter what you do. Rather like grape hyacinths. I have a garden waste bin for the back garden at home that takes such evil things from the allotment away to a really hot system that seems to cure them.

Dandelion wrote:This time last year, in lockdown, I was loving the fact that finally I had time to spend in the garden

I felt this way last year. I spent quite a bit of time at the lotty; working from home meant I could flex my hours about and fit a couple of allotment hours in by then working into the evening.

This year I've not really even started planting the allotment. Mrs C-H planted garlic and onion sets, and I've done a bit of tidying. I'm behind on the greenhouse things too (except of course chillies and tomatoes, got to have them). I've got loads of stuff I should be getting on with but feel like I've never the time or energy. Struggle to make any sort of decision, it feels like too. I think it is all beginning to get to me...

It's interesting you have said that, CH. I'm just about coming out of a period verging on quite bad depression (which is why I've not been posting much). I think the winter, lockdowns, serious health problems for my mum, losing a good friend to cancer and then unexpectedly losing the dog, also to cancer, really took their toll over the last five months.

There's a lot to be said for counting blessings, and also not beating yourself up if your mojo has currently deserted you. I daresay your ankle injury prevented you staying on top of things you would normally do.

It has certainly been a tough year Freebird

I walked to work and back yesterday, 10 and a bit miles. I was sore this morning, so the allotment still didn't get done. But I did spend the day in the garden, sowed climbing beans, sweetcorn, squash, courgettes, cabbages. Planted out some lettuce. Feeling better for it.

The freezing nights are really slowing things down, I haven't been able to plant much out at all and go round each evening with acres of fleece in the polytunnel which is reaching 40° on some days.
Dandelion, I put 12 Mr Fearns in root trainers and I now have 12 lovely plants for the polytunnel.  Thankyou for the excellent seed.  Growing some under cover should mean that I am able to save some seed myself.  I only ever managed that once when I grew them outside because the pods just rotted in wet weather.

Still haven't planted anything other than shallots! I now have to think about how to protect any produce I want to grow because my chickens are back with me and get to free-range round my garden for an hour or two before bedtime. I have acquired some chard and parsley plants so had better get thinking!

Today, as a symbolic act of moving on, I shaved off and composted my lockdown beard

Anyway, spent the day at the lotty. Mowed off the grass path, hoed around the soft fruit, dug a big bed and sowed peas and beetroot. Emptied out the comfrey feed tube thingy I made last year and re-filled it. Did a litter pick down the bottom of the plot, which has been a dumping ground for years (not by me, I hasten to add). The buckthorn I cut down to a stool is re-growing nicely, and the holly I planted is making a nice hedge with the hornbeam. I may take down some of the ash, which is late into leaf and probably diseased by now. But what is no good for turning will be good for burning ...

Ploshkin wrote:
Dandelion, I put 12 Mr Fearns in root trainers and I now have 12 lovely plants for the polytunnel.  Thankyou for the excellent seed.  Growing some under cover should mean that I am able to save some seed myself.  I only ever managed that once when I grew them outside because the pods just rotted in wet weather.

Lovely! I grew a small pot of Mr Fearns in the greenhouse myself a few years ago, when I realised that I had almost run out of seed. I had three or four seeds, and planted them late summer in a biggish pot in the greenhouse, and they produced enough pods to have one meal, and save the rest for seed.

The local farmer has just delivered a load of manure - onto my fruit cage and blackcurrants ! Why is competence so hard to find these days ?

Chilli-head wrote:The local farmer has just delivered a load of manure - onto my fruit cage and blackcurrants !  Why is competence so hard to find these days ?

Whaaat???

I think the issue is that the farm see it as a way of getting rid of waste. So what has arrived is a few tonnes of manure - much more than any allotment needs. The tractor driver need not apply for "tractor driver of the year" either - he has dumped it into the side of the fruit cage, flattening it onto the plants

An hour or two of shovelling s**t, and I now can see my currants again, though I still need to replace the netting etc.

I'm knackered now. Looking on the bright side, it is really good, well rotted manure. I'm sure the currants will benefit once they've recovered from the trauma.

Glad you can be positive! I tend to get quite protective if anyone damages my garden, or at least doesn't take the same care I do.

Dandelion wrote:Glad you can be positive!

I've had a lot of practice of late at finding the bright side !

Did a bit of potting on, and thinning out this morning. Put some seaweed foliar feed on the chillies which are looking a bit yellow, I fear it is the cold nights and hot days though. Last time this happened they were very late.

Maybe we need a May thread now ......

Oops sorry. This year seems to be whizzing by ...