I didn't get around to sowing any seeds for tomatoes or courgettes this year, so I bought a few little plants last week. It was really cold at the beginning of the week, so I kept them under cover until the weather warmed up. As the has been shining this weekend, I planted them out. I only have 3 collars (originally bought for a grow-bag) so the 4th plant has gone straight into the ground. The tomato varieties are: Alicante, Sungold, Swwet Aperitif and Super sweet 100.
I filled in the gaps around them with a few onion sets. There wasn't enough room for these in the raised bed when I planted the rest in the Autumn, so they went into pots over the Winter.
The courgettes are F1 Parador, a yellow variety. I've only got 2 plants, but they will hopefully produce plenty of fruit. In the background are the strawberries in full flower.
We escaped the worst of the weather yesterday, although it was only 5°C first thing in the morning. There were a few spots of rain, but nothing substantial and it was a great excuse to visit a plant nursery. I bought a couple of courgette plants, 2 different chilli plants, 4 different tomato plants and some flowers (calendula and stocks). By the afternoon it had warmed up a bit so I sowed some more seeds:
Sweetcorn (Sundance F1)
Dwarf French bean (Compass)
Butternut squash (Honeyboat)
Nasturtium (Tom Thumb mixed)
The French beans, along with the plants I bought, are in my patio growhouse to protect them from the weather. It was very cold again last night, so I'm glad I did. I also put some fleece over the raised bed I sowed last week (no signs of germination yet). The rest of yesterday's sowings are now on the kitchen windowsill above the radiator to germinate. In the background you can see the new fence we had installed last week. I took the opportunity to cut back the shrubs and re-edge the lawn, uncovering the paving slabs in the process. I'm pretty pleased with how it looks now, just a few gaps to fill.
Finally, the sun has returned and looks like it's here for the week! And, it's British Tomato Week, so when better to put in some tomatoes? This year I'm growing Alicante (a medium sized cordon type), Gardener's Delight (another cordon, cherry sized) and Sweet Million (again, a cordon and cherry sized).
Tomatoes are pretty much the only veg I've grown previously with any success. In the past they have been in a grow bag against the house, on the patio. But I've always struggled to keep them sufficiently watered. So, where to put them this year? After much debate, I've decided to stick with the grow bag, but have invested in a pack of 3 tomato grow-pots.
These are supposed to help by encouraging 2 types of root - the deeper, water-seeking roots go down into the bag, while the shallower feeding roots develop in the pot. I've sited the bag against the south facing fence so they should (British summer willing!) get plenty of sun.
Finally, a bit of companion planting - a pot marigold (Calendula). I've also planted some basil seeds today (free with Innocent Smoothies), which will be planted out in front of the tomatoes when they're big enough.
In the meantime I've put out the pot of basil that has been sitting on the windowsill since I bought it (the best before date is 02 Nov 2011!!).
I didn't get around to sowing any seeds for tomatoes or courgettes this year, so I bought a few little plants last week. It was really cold at the beginning of the week, so I kept them under cover until the weather warmed up. As the has been shining this weekend, I planted them out. I only have 3 collars (originally bought for a grow-bag) so the 4th plant has gone straight into the ground. The tomato varieties are: Alicante, Sungold, Swwet Aperitif and Super sweet 100.
I filled in the gaps around them with a few onion sets. There wasn't enough room for these in the raised bed when I planted the rest in the Autumn, so they went into pots over the Winter.
