Growing Update

Despite everything else that might go on placing dark clouds above, one constant is my effort at growing herbs and other things. With the nights drawing in and cooler temperatures, I'm beginning to worry a little that some of my plants and seedlings may begin to struggle so I'll be keeping a close eye on it all ready to move them inside if it gets too cold.
I was really heartened the other day when my Mum called in and saw my herbs and greenhouse. She remarked that 'my Father would be proud of me'. It's not often that has been said so it made me feel quite good and that all my efforts so far had been worthwhile.

My 'monster' of a honeydew watermelon plant continues to dominate the conservatory. It's now reaching out to fasten itself to anything and everything it can find. Still no sign of any fruit though and I wonder if the cooler temperatures will prevent it from producing any...

It really fascinates me how the plant has developed a mind of its own and I wonder just how much bigger it will become!

I have succeeded in transplanting my delicate asparagus seedlings from their propogator to a large pot. I'm keeping them indoors until they are strong enough to cope with the wind and rain.

Another plant that's doing particularly well is my Basil. The leaves smell absolutely wonderful, pungent and sweet. We've already used them in cooking. Again, I'm wondering just how big this will become. I've already had to add further support and it appears to increase in size by about half-an-inch every couple of days.

Everything within my mini-greenhouse seems to be doing very well. I've added some more tomato seedlings so hope to have a real mix of different types. My Sweet Cicely hasn't show any signs of germination but it's early days.

Tomatoes and Onions (kindly supplied by Janet Giles)

My Garlic makes a tentative but welcome appearance

A late addition is Oregano which has also gotten off to a good start

My outdoor tomato plant is bearing fruit, and lots of it. I'm hoping this mild spell will last a little longer to allow for ripening.

So all in all I'm pretty pleased with progress so far. I would never have dreamt that growing these things would bring as much pleasure and satisfaction as it does. I'd even go as far as to say that 'I'm hooked!'

A waiting game, growing update & school

It's been a while again since my last post but in the last few days, I'm pleased to see that a new interface has been created for Blogger users. I'm using it now and I must say it's quite good, so thanks Blogger people.

I'm still waiting for word from my prospective new employer. I've heard nothing since my medical and being prone to constant bad luck, I did begin to fear the worst. I did call on Friday to get an update but I was told the chap in HR was on holiday and would be back on Monday (tomorrow). I was actually quite relieved in a way as this explained why no one had been in touch. So my optimism has been restored once again. I've resigned myself to finding out this coming week whether I have a future driving buses in Peterborough, or not.

I've been busy in the garden department. Having pretty much given up growing anything in the ground due to everything getting eaten, I purchased a very nice mini-greenhouse from Wilko. At £9 I thought it was a bargain not to be sniffed at, and expecting something flimsy and unstable, I was pleased to find a very sturdy and solid vertical greenhouse. So I've started filling it with new herbs that I'm growing from seed and some new tomato varieties. I'm also having a go at growing onions.

A bargain at just £9!

My peppers really haven't done anything at all so I will probably wait until next year before trying them again. There are many varieties I would like to have a go at growing but it's too late in the year to begin sowing.

Growing fast!

My honeydew watermelon plant has grown about 6 inches in the last couple of weeks. I'm quite amazed at how clever the thing is. It sprouts 'arms' that seek out things to cling on to and they wrap themselves around whatever they find to provide much needed support. It is growing at such a rate that I'm wondering if the conservatory roof is sufficiently high enough to accommodate it! There is no indication of fruit yet though I expect to see something develop soon.

My sugar snap pea plant is also going well. I already have a couple of pods and it too is training itself to cling to the bamboo supports I've provided for it.

Coriander

Basil

My herbs are growing very well, especially rocket, basil and coriander. I now have a surplus I am able to dry and freeze. The aroma from these plants is quite extraordinary, very pungent and sweet. I have recently bought some sweet cicely seeds which I hope to plant this coming week. They are said to produce leaves that have a slight aniseed scent and a sweet flavour. I have also read that they can be used as a natural sweetner. I'll certainly be giving this a try.

Onto other things and my son starts school proper tomorrow. We've bought his new school uniform, shoes and PE kit. He also has a new Scooby Doo rucksack and new lunch box. I'm probably more nervous than him to be honest. He's actually looking forward to it, which is a good thing given the fact he'll be spending most of his waking hours there for the next ten plus years. I'll take some photos tomorrow morning and try to record the event. My little boy is growing up too fast!

I'm also taking my parents to King's Lynn tomorrow morning to help them to buy a new TV and digital recorder. I know I am making a rod for myself but I simply cannot bare the thought of them being fooled into buying something they don't need or spending more than they really need to. Despite my many faults, I do still try to keep my finger on the pulse of everything consumer electronics-related and I like to think I'm able to dispense good advice. I am also thinking of myself as I am the one that'll be installing it all and on-call in case anything goes wrong. I'll report back on the experience in my next post.

The weather is appalling at the moment. It has been raining heavily for the last five hours. Apparently it's what is left of the arse end of a hurricane that hit the US recently. At least I won't need to water anything outside for a couple of days.

Forced to rationalise, job update and other stuff

A few days since my last post and a lot happening in the news. As I type this, the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime seems to be entering its final stage and there is speculation the rebels have him surrounded in Tripoli.

Back down to earth and I've decided to focus my attention on growing herbs, tomatoes, onions, peas and beans. Most of what I've tried to grown in the ground has been eaten and I'm tired of trying to keep my vegetable plot pest free. Everything I'm growing under cover in my conservatory is doing very well including most of what I'm growing in pots on my patio. So these are the methods I'll employ for all my growing. It's so much simpler and more especially, productive.

I will endeavour to grow some vegetables - potatoes and carrots especially, but I'll use grow bags which I know to be a very good method.

Of the herbs I'm currently growing, rocket and coriander are the most popular and abundant. In fact, I've been adding rocket to just about everything I can. It has a mild, peppery flavour.
My tomato plants are beginning to bear fruit, lots of it. They are quite small at the moment but I'm certainly going to have a good crop. I'm keen to get another plant going as soon as I can so I can stagger my tomato production. I'm very fond of tomatoes and I know it won't take me long to eat them!

Still no word from my new employer but I'm hopeful I will hear something in the next few days especially if they want me to start at the beginning of September. I signed-off on Monday last which was a great feeling. I'm no longer slave to the Job Centre!

The TV news (especially from Sky) is getting more exciting by the hour. Their correspondents are really placing themselves in amidst the action and I'd be amazed if awards aren't won. I'd be very surprised if there isn't a major development in the next few hours. The coverage has been excellent and is testament to the continuing developments in technology and the portability of news gathering. Compare this to the techniques used just 10-15 years ago.

Oh, I must mention my wife's Birthday which was yesterday. My wife isn't one for celebration - much like myself - but we did nevertheless have a very pleasant day. We popped along to Hunstanton for the afternoon, one of our favourite seaside locations. My son immediately headed for the land train and we travelled the length of the seafront including the Searle's Holiday Camp. After a few rides at the amusement arcade, we had some fantastic fish and chips, opting to eat them on the grass atop the cliffs. Weather was perfect and it all made for an excellent afternoon.

Conservatory growing & wasps

My conservatory is proving to be the ideal location for much of my growing at the moment. It is warm and pest-free - provided the door is kept shut.

My sugar-snap peas are coming-on nicely and I like the fact that they are training themselves around the bamboo canes I've added for support.

My rocket herbs are quite delicious. Eaten fresh from the plant, they have a very nice mustard/pepper flavour and are a welcome addition to any sandwich. I'm very pleased with these.

The same is true of my coriander. It has a very strong citrus/lemon scent and flavour, making it the perfect addition to curries.

I'm pleased with the progress made by my honey-dew watermelon plants. I will be adding bamboo cane support very soon as the plants grow taller. I'm keeping a close eye on these as this is more of an experiment than anything else. I think I'll be lucky if I get any really substantial fruit but it's worth a try.

My broccoli doesn't appear to have coped that well with pests. I've moved it into the conservatory from the patio where I'm hoping it will be more safe. I'm hoping it will recover in a week or two.

Wasps! My wife's idea of placing a jam jar on the patio seems to have backfired given the number of wasps we've now attracted. I imagine every wasp in the neighborhood now knows about it. The photograph below doesn't really do it justice and we now feel like prisoners in our own home...

Self-sufficiency mini-project

Today I finally got round to starting my mini self-sufficiency project. I have decided to start growing things and I'm starting with tomatoes. I'm keeping things simple to begin with by using a grow-bag. I've been told I just need to bed-in my tomato plants (kindly provided by my elite gardening father) and add water. To aid my plants, I have added a few bamboo poles for them to climb up. I'm really hoping my little venture will be productive. We probably spend about £5 a month on tomatoes so it would be nice if I could produce my own. I also have my eye on cucumbers and I'm about to research the best way to grow them. Cucumbers have always been a firm favorite and it's common for us to spend at least £5 on these also.
Gooseberries... now there's a fruit you don't see very much of these days. I used to eat them a lot when I was young. My father grew them on his allotment down in Kent. I recall with fondness how I would munch on them whenever I visited him tending his plot. I'll look into growing these too though I don't think it's the right time of year to begin. I'll update regularly on progress.

It was nice to be able to visit Peterborough with my friend again today. I've mentioned previously that he is disabled having suffered a stroke a few years ago and needs a wheelchair to get around. It's always a pleasure for me to take him out for a few hours. Being stuck indoors often makes him depressed so it was great to see him so happy as we drove across the fens. We visited again our favorite store 'Trains4u' situated at Fengate. We're guaranteed a warm welcome from the staff there and they always take a keen interest in our 32 ft model railway project. In the past, we would normally spend well over £100 on each visit but now we spend half that amount. It was sad to see that this country's current obsession of over-pricing has spread also to model railway accessories. Even the smallest items appear to have doubled in price making a once popular and modestly affordable hobby a luxury for the rich or those with huge amounts of money to spare.

I have yet to film my v-log for my YouTube channel. I've decided, incidentally, to call the channel 'From the Wash to the World'. I'm keen to promote the things I'm doing here in a remote corner of Lincolnshire and make them available to anyone interested wherever they are in the world. I've never actually thought that anything I do is remotely interesting to anyone but experience recently has shown that a guy in remotest Australia can have an audience on the other side of the world, interested in his projects to conserve water, grow vegetables and live to a budget. I'll give it a go tomorrow as I'll be on my own - apart from the dog - so should be able to produce a short film uninterrupted.