Broad Bean Planting.

Back at the beginning of November I planted some Broad Bean seeds in pots which have come on well to the point of now needing to be planted out which is what the head gardener and I did today. I also had a few Spring Cabbage plants so I popped them in next to the Beans. The soil is very wet which meant I had to work off a plank of wood and remove any foot prints with a fork before the job was finished.

To protect the cabbages in particular from the wildlife I covered both with some mess. Also in the picture you can see what is left of last years cabbage patch.

To finish the day off we cleared some leaves up from around the potting shed, it was one of the little jobs I wanted to get done before I finish work on Tuesday evening as that is to be the last day of this year for us. We are taking a well earned break. We've only had four days annual leave since last Christmas so I have plenty of days to take a long break.

Autumn Alliums.

Yesterday I made the most of what was left of the dry weather by planting the Autumn Alliums. These consist of two types of Garlic and a couple variety of Shallots. I made a mistake with one lot of Shallots because after planting I discovered that one was actually a Spring planting variety. I was assuming that because they were a pack offered by a seed company that they were all for planting now. I guess the lesson is to always read the instructions even if you think you know what you are doing. Anyway I've left them to take their chances and see how they go. I also have some red and white Autumn planting onions to put in but I still have to clear some ground for them. The yellow tape is just to try and make people notice the planting area as we have a lot of people with big feet around the place these days and they aren't too particular where they put them. I've also covered with a net for more protection, and to capture the culprits big feet should they ignore the tape!

Sweet Pea Planting.

Hello everyone.
Today the head gardener and I have been working flat out planting sweet pea plants.

Because I went and changed my plans I didn't have the ground prepared so the first job was to fix netting for the plants to climb as they grow. I then had to dig over the row to a spades depth.

As we went we incorporated a mix of compost and manure and as there was a bit left over after we got finished digging I just sprinkled it over the surface.

When this was all done we put in the plants around nine inches apart, I wasn't too exact about that. The green netting along the bottom is temporary to protect the plants from pigeons. Some times they bother them and others they don't so it's not worth taking a chance if you have a bit of netting to spare. The final job was to water them in.

Kitchen Garden.

People often ask me what I grow in the kitchen garden, in fact to my surprise I was talking to someone the other day who didn't realise that you could grow your own veg from seed. I always tend to assume that people know this stuff and thats why the statement came as such a surprise. I explained that most veg can be grown from seed and is actually easy to grow from seed. So today I will show you some of the veg I grow for the family at the big house, all of which I have grown from seed or in the case of the Onions and Garlic, from bulbs.

[Click on the pics to enlarge for a better view]

Below are a row of Peas on the left, then a row of Broad Beans and to the right two rows of Garlic. There are another row of Peas and one of Broad Beans just out of the picture.
Next up we have six rows of Onions, two rows each of brown, red and white skinned. They came as a collection from Marshalls Seeds.

In this next picture s a row of Parsnips to the left and a row of Beetroot. You will have to look close for the Parsnips as they're only just showing through. The Beetroot were started under glass and planted out as seedlings when the weather improved.

A few of these plants can be seen growing as seedlings Here

Peas, Beans & Beetroot.

Peas, Broad Beans and Beetroot growing on in the conservatory.

Hopefully these will provide an early crop after being planted out in the garden once the weather picks up.