The last week has been quite busy, and I’ve felt like I’m running up the down escalator. Still, at least I’m making some progress, even if I’ve not got to the top yet.
Jasper
Jasper hypnotising me into refilling the food bowl. Again.
On the 30th April we adopted another cat, Jasper. He’s a handsome 13 years old and settling in really well. His owner had died, and he wasn’t coping too well with being in the rescue. At the same time, our 18-year-old Dexter cat was obviously unhappy since Lotty passed away leaving him an only cat and we hoped another cat would lift his spirits.
I can’t say they’ve become friends, yet, but there’s no hostility and Dexter does seem to have accepted him and be happier. We had a backup plan if things didn’t work out, but happily that wasn’t needed. He won’t be living with Cara and her cats.
Just one problem, since he arrived he’s had a very upset digestive system. So, visits to the vets for blood tests and so on. I’ll spare the gruesome details of the litter tray. Suffice to say six changes a day, carpet cleaner and burning incense sticks.
The latest medicine seems to be having some effect, thankfully. If not I’m to collect samples for analysis. If that shows nothing, then a scan. We’re really hoping it won’t come to that.
Peppers
Pepper plants in the Chilligrows in the Eden greenhouse
Over in the Eden greenhouse, 6 peppers have gone into the Chilligrows. I was concerned that the nighttime temperatures were too low, so had kept them on the heatpad. Things are warming now, finally!
Sweetcorn
I’ve got the sweetcorn in pots in the Eden and they’re showing but slow. Given the coming higher temperatures, I need to get a move on preparing the bed for them in the polytunnel.
Some will be going outside, but I can’t use cloches here as I used to before we moved. I had some mini polytunnel cloches, but it’s just too windy where we are. Never mind, they’re predicting temperatures in the twenties by next weekend.
French Beans
The climbing French beans, Cobra and Neckargold, are emerging on the heatpad. They’ll be going in the polytunnel, top and bottoming the sweetcorn in the centre bed.
Fruit Trees
Pear tree in foreground, newly planted Stella cherry tree behind.
I’ve bought a couple of fruit trees from Parkers, who I can wholeheartedly recommend. Excellent quality, well grafted and very low-priced. Just £11.00 each plus £5.95 delivery for the order. Bargain!
I’m trying a sweet cherry, Stella, which I’ve planted on the grassy patch (it’s only technically a lawn) behind the Titan greenhouse. We’ve had Stella before, and they’re lovely. It’s a fairly sunny position, and the tree is on the Colt rootstock, which is more vigorous than the dwarfing Gisella. With rootstocks, a more vigorous stock produces better growth on poor soils.
Cherries grafted onto Colt can reach 4 to 5 metres eventually, but I doubt it on our soil. Colt is also more resistant to canker, which is a big plus.
I’ve also bought a Damson, Merryweather. That’s on St. Julien A rootstock. That’s replacing a heritage apple that failed above the graft.
Both are self-fertile and don’t need a pollinating partner. At the base of the planting hole, added oyster shell that I’ve got for the hens. They’re both stone fruit and the oyster shell will help provide calcium.
Squashes, courgettes and cucumbers
Surprisingly good germination from the cucumber Marketmore seeds. Last year it was poor and I forgot to order fresh seed, but soaking them in lukewarm water and germinating at 30ºC to start has worked.
All the rest of the cucurbits sown last week are up and I’ll be planting them out pretty soon.
Planting More Tomatoes
Attachment Wire with tomato strings tied on.
Over in the Titan I’ve got the last of the tomatoes for that greenhouse planted in the Quadgrows. Because the Quadgrow pots sit on the reservoir, I’m fixing the strings higher. Basically I’ve got a wire running through the tying eyes and the string fixes to that.
Bit tricky to set up as I have to use a step stool, but – with luck – I should get an extra truss out of it. Wish I’d set the wire higher on the other side, with hindsight, but it’s done now and too late. I do love the extra height in the Titan, it feels so spacious.
Quadgrows Ready to Plant, string tied to bottom of the pots and the wire above
The tomatoes still in pots are looking somewhat sad, they’ve grown a lot from a little compost and are running short on nutrients, so last week I fed them with S-Chelate Protom. Normally I don’t feed the plants in the Quadgrows for a month as the compost has enough to keep them going. Once I’d planted them up, watered the top of the pots with Protom, an extra boost whilst settling the compost around the plants. Then half-filled the reservoir with plain water.
Planted four Nagina and four Crimson Crush.
I envy you your rain, we (Brighton) have had only 2 lots of rather half hearted rain since the beginning of April, nd the sun hs blazed down most days, too hot too work outside after about 10.30!!
I grew crimson crush last year (along with other ‘crimson’ varieties) and they were very successful so am upping production this year.
One or two did get blossom end rot, but that must be my fault. Never had it before on any tomatoes!
I grow them outside after starting in the ‘potting shed’ which is a glorified second greenhouse.
If you’re growing in soil, Penny, make sure the pH is towards neutral. If you’re growing in pots or grow bags, feed with S-Chelate Protom as it contains high levels of calcium.
Make sure your tomatoes don’t dry out, either. Not too wet, not too dry is the Goldilocks zone.
Hope you have a great crop this year.