Still here

Firstly a huge apology to those that read the blog but as my not so new role as house husband, a great many things conspire against you to prevent updates. A computer that runs on the main TV in the house (try switching off Pepper Pig to do you updates! Not pretty), the freelance artwork picking up and the lousiest year in my living memory for gardening have all contributed to a quiet blogging season. However, having just planted my garlic for next year, finished a dinner which included my own pink for apple potatoes and typing this on a new wireless tablet, hopefully mean the next year will be better on all fronts. Onward and upwards!

Last knockings.

Well, as the grand clean up continues I find myself with a few odds and sods from last years plantings. Being a tight Yorkshire git I have tried to make use of absolutely everything, however the bounty I pulled on Sunday came together very nicely with a couple of pork chops we had picked up.

Although the later parsnips have a bit of skin damage, they have been great once peeled and have tasted terrific. However the artichokes have been great. Two small conker sized tubers went in last year and I have ended up with about four times the amount you see in the picture. Crippling wind the next day, but mighty tasty!

I'm not sure I've ever worked this hard.

As you may or may not have read from previous posts, due to a serious difference of opinion between myself and the old bosses son, the wife and myself decided that rather than punch the guy out it would be better for us to change roles until the youngest starts school.

Initially this was fine but I have found myself picking up a lot of commissions for artwork recently so blogging my gardening exploits has had to take a back step, as looking after the house, school runs and cooking as well as allowing time for the art does not leave much time for messing on the computer. However the plus side is that I am finally drawing again and back pursuing what I am really good at.

So with a decent weekend on the cards I have been getting the garden and greenhouse into shape. I have moved a red and blackberry which were just planted in the wrong positions. This has then given me the chance to move some additional shrubs about so in a few weeks I'll be able to see the gaps and address them accordingly. Today's task will involve cleaning down all my trays and pots for a weekend of sowing next week and a good wash down of the greenhouse with Jeyes fluid and all in time for today's rugby. ( Incidentally, we were robbed by that cheating Kiwi pig of a ref, the ball was bloody grounded. Inconclusive my arse!)

So as promised this years planting list includes:

Thompson and Morgan

Crimson flowered broad beans
Sungold tomato
Yukon Gold, Harlequin and Pink fir apple potatoes
An assortment of herbs and salad leaves and radish.

Kings

Giant red celery
Detroit white, Golden and Chioggia beetroot
Tender and True parsnip
Oregon Sugar pod mangetout
Rosa di Verona radicchio

Shelleys 

New red intermediate carrot  ( should I ever get around to getting the damn pipes)

Organic Gardening

Flower sprouts
Yellowstone, White satin, Purple haze carrots.
Yellow Zucchini

DT Brown

San Marzano (for sauces), cream sausages and Bloody butcher tomatoes

Now a lot of this is new but some are tried and tested. The yellowstone and purple haze carrots were the best I have ever tasted along with Tender and True parsnip. However the tomatoes are something a little different to add into my collection of heritage varieties and general hunt for the ultimate tomato salad.

Decisions are made and orders are placed.

So, unlike many of the other blogs I read, I do not grow for show. I grow primarily for food, enjoyment and exercise. However the more you read the show blogs the more you seem to get pulled  into this world. So as a  first foray into this secretive world I intend to have a go with long carrots. However, I intend to just have a crack at this for fun at the moment as two small children do tend to take up the other 23.5 of the day. I will post a full list of the seeds and spuds I am trying this year but a special thanks to Thompson and Morgan for extending the free postage offer for me until pay day.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all those who read the blog and to all those blogs I follow. I intend to carry on robbing your ideas and advice to improve my produce, however I will post my results and continue to keep updating the blog to hopefully help others as well. Bloody sick of these gails now though!

All change!

Well, its been a week now since I resigned from my thoroughly crap job and basically telling them to stick it. The straw that broke the camels back was being hauled in for a disciplinary meeting for not selling kitchens to the people who have not been into the studio. So, once I was sure that  had been paid for the month I resigned with immediate effect, no notice period as A. I did not have a contract and B. They have a nasty habit of not paying or reluctantly paying those that have walked in the past.

Luckily the Mrs has a good job which she has returned to after a career break so we have swapped roles until my little lad is old enough to attend school. So as reluctant as I am to get the iron out,  I will be able to access the garden a damn site easier! Bring on the new growing season.

Future plans

With such a small plot you do tend to mull a lot of ideas over as to how to expand your growing potential. This year that has included inter planting kale and fruit trees amongst the shrubs in the 'pretties' garden, and growing buckets of potatoes (see post below).

This year I intend to construct a couple of large raised beds to add to the front garden to help increase the harvest. Additional carrots, salad, beetroot and then leeks etc will all be planted in these beds and boost the amounts of the produce we use day to day. It is my intention to make these from scaffold planks lined with plastic, similar to those on Blickys blog. However due to where they will be positioned I don't feel that I could totally wrap them in plastic, like Blicky. I will obviously post their progress as I construct them over the winter and then the fun and games of trying to fill them!

In addition to these I will also be hanging a few more baskets and troughs on the wall for tomatoes. I could turn the entire garden over to tomatoes and they would not go to waste due to the volume we can consume, so being able to grow some additional bush and basket types will go down well.

As a footnote to this I tried a few 'Hundreds and thousands' basket toms this year, however they were planted far to late in the season to do them justice. However the tiny toms explode in your mouth like sherberty tomato tasting bombs. Gorgeous, and my little lad eats them like sweets. I had always been put off by these in the past due to the cost, as a true Yorkshire man, £3.50 for around 6 seeds does not sit right, especially as I assumed them to be F1's at that price.

Following a chat on The grapevine I discovered http://tomatoseedsuk.co.uk/seed-shop.php and not only found them at a more reasonable price but discovered that they were not F1's so I could save seed for the following year. Bargain.

Other major plans include procuring a dozen metre long soil pipes to have a crack at growing some exhibition long carrots. This year for me and for the crack but maybe to show locally in the future, assuming they still have shows in Donny?

However as life can and often goes to rat droppings at the drop of a hat, this may all be subject to change!