Seedlings Coming On. 2nd June 2017

We only have a tiny back garden, hence our allotment, so there is no room for a greenhouse. However we do have this little plastic version (see photo) which we assemble each spring for the seedlings. It would be hard to grow without some form of protection especially this year as the weather has been really cold at times. It works really well and is adequate for the amount that we grow.

At the moment in the greenhouse we have French beans, runner beans, beetroot, chard, sweetcorn, leeks, parsnips, brocolli, kale, landcress and purslane (more about the last two in my next blog). They will all be planted in the allotment before long as we are unlikely now to have a cold snap. The greenhouse will be dismantled for another year and the runner beans will be planted where it stands.

One of the things we are trying this year is parsnips started off in the greenhouse, in the centres from toilet rolls. It’s an experiment. We also have some planted in the ground at the allotment. The trouble with planting directly in the ground at the allotment is that it’s not always easy to see the seedlings from the weeds. Weeds will always flourish there as they spread from overgrown allotments and the field so are difficult to keep on top of. There is a saying ‘One years seeds, seven years weeds’ and we see that in action daily.

One of the crops which we are enjoying at the moment is our rhubarb. This is the first year that we have had a decent crop as I have thrown away two rhubarb plants over the years because the rhubarb was so sharp and acidic. I didn’t realise that rhubarb varied so much until we moved house and bought a new plant. Eventually I went back to our old house and begged a cutting from the new owners, and this year it’s doing well. Unfortunately I don’t know its name but if you get a good variety you need very little sweetener. I also have a tip for removing any acidity which you can find in my Rhubarb Crumble recipe in the latest recipes. I shall be making that this weekend.