I usually sow shallots in my green house from seed in early spring (I’m yet to be convinced of the benefits of growing onions and shallots from sets).When they’re big enough to handle I separate the individual seedlings from the seed tray and plant them in to the vegetable bed, a fiddly, tedious job that irritates me so much I’m lucky to get half of them planted before giving in and throwing the left overs on the compost heap. This winter I was drawn to a tip in a seed catalogue suggesting you sow the shallots seeds in modules, once germinated and large enough you plant the modules as a whole in the vegetable bed. The shallots should find their own space. A great time saving scheme with little faff. Sadly, this short cut was a disappointment, the shallot crop was not great, and I think they do need to be planted with space. All is not lost, I did have an allium triumph, I couldn’t resist some 39p red onion seeds from Lidl, I thinly sowed two rows directly into the vegetable bed, germination was quick and very successful so I thinned the seedlings and then left them to it. We’ve had a superb crop. Not only will all our shallots and onions be sown directly in future I’ll also be getting myself down to Lidl at seed time to get first pick of their seed bargains next year.
My disappointing shallot crop
My fabulous Lidl red onion seed crop
The kitchen garden in May
May is ending on a wet note. I’m not complaining, the weather this month has generally been good, friends have even commented on my gardening suntan. The newly planted dahlias have been looking a bit limp and in need of a good water. The dahlia bed is not linked to a watering system; past experience has proved that dahlias can survive a fairly dry summer. When first planted out they do need regular watering to give them time to establish. So this wet end to the month has come at the right time. I have finished constructing the frames in the dahlia bed. This structure gives the dahlias support as they grow. A strong wind can easily snap dahlia stems at the base restricting dahlia produce for the year.
The dahlia bed with the completed frame to support the dahlias
My herb bed which I planted outside the kitchen door last year is flourishing, the chives and thyme are both in flower and looking stunning. I will cut the chives back hard as the flowers go over, this will produce lots of new fresh growth and stop the flowers setting seed, leaving me with chive weeds everywhere. Once the Thyme has finished flowering I will lightly prune this, stimulating new fresh growth to crop for the kitchen.
Thyme in flower
Chives in flower
My Broad bean plants are well over 4 feet high, laden with flowers and at last I have some miniature bean pods developing at the bottom of the plants. Hopefully I’ll only have to wait another couple of weeks to savour this produce from the garden. I have spotted today that black fly have discovered the fresh luscious top shoots of the broad bean plants. It’s now time to cut off the tips, taking away the temptation for the black fly, who if allowed will heavily infest the plant resulting in poor pod formation.
Black fly on the broad bean tips
We had our first dish of turnips this month. Once they reach golf ball size they’re ready for the kitchen. I simply steamed the turnips until tender. Cut them into 1cm sized cubes and finished them off in pan with melted butter and a selection of fresh herbs presented to me by my eldest, a handful of marjoram and thyme. They were delicious and got thumbs up from the whole family.
Turnips
The greenhouse has thrived this month, we have lots of green tomatoes, a tomatillo forming, mini cucumbers and lots of basil, a companion plant for the tomatoes, the basil helps repel whitefly, mosquitoes, spider mites and aphids, it improves tomato health and flavour.
Tomatillo ripening
Tomatillo flowers
Green tomatoes
We’ve started to crop our perpetual spinach; this really is a kitchen garden essential. I only put last years plants on the compost heap last month. There aren’t many vegetables that provide produce 11 months of the year. The shallots which I sowed in modules and planted out without separating individual plants are doing really well; they seem to be spreading out making space for themselves. This is a great time saving tip for growing shallots from seed.
Shallots and perpetual spinach
The Kitchen Garden in April
The blossom has been stunning in the last month and the prospect of maturing fruit in months to come is very exciting. We have baby gooseberries, blackcurrants and our first tiny green tomato. The raspberries are shooting and we’re feasting on our enormous rhubarb crop.
A Baby Gooseberry
Black currants forming
My first tomato this year
The tender plants sown from seed in my conservatory are desperate to move to their final home, my borlotti beans have tendrils getting on for 2 feet high and the runner beans are not far behind. The courgettes have multiple leaves and are developing flower buds, they will all have to wait a little bit longer, we had a frost only two nights ago, which would potentially wipe the whole lot out. I have planted out two courgettes under cloches as I can’t wait to start harvesting one of my favourite summer vegetables.
Courgettes, protected from possible frost under cloches
I’m cutting the odd mizuna leaf for salads, a crop well worth growing, far more flavour than lettuce but not as peppery as rocket. It can be grown virtually all year round under glass and is a cut and come again crop.
Mizuna, a cut and come again salad crop well worth growing
We’ve started to harvest our first batch of radish and they are delicious. I served one to the husband who took some persuading to taste. The last time I grew radish, he claims it ‘nearly blew his head off’. I must confess it was incredibly hot and unpleasant. Lesson learnt, this year I have sown ‘Radish, French Breakfast’ with crisp flesh and mild flavour, they will definitely become a veg patch regular.
The radishes
Annual weed seedlings just keep coming up in the new raised beds, I take them out with a hoe as much as I can. In areas where there are delicate seedlings popping up it is very tricky, the weeds are best pulled out by hand. I keep telling myself that as long as the weeds don’t set seed themselves, there will be far fewer next year.
Annual weeds, in amongst my onion seedlings (can be spotted if you look carefully)
I have taken a new approach with my shallot seeds. Usually I sow shallots indoors in February and then transplant them individually into the veg patch, a laborious task, by the time I’m half way through the seedlings I’m chucking the rest on the compost heap. I saw a tip in a seed catalogue this winter which suggested sowing a few shallot seeds into modules which are planted out as a whole. It says the shallots will develop making space for each other. So far so good, fingers crossed the theory works and the shallots can make sufficient space to grow.
Shallots
For those who read my posting two weeks ago about sowing sweet pea seeds, I’m pleased to say their fresh green shoots are up, roll on the beautifully scented flowers.
Sweet Pea shoots