h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Wednesday 17th March 2010

Spring has finally arrived in my bit of the world, which has meant that I've had a couple of productive days at home getting this year's vegetable garden kick started.

I've planted garlic, variety Solent Wight. This did excellently last year, and seems to store well. I think it's worth paying for a variety that has been tailored to our British growing conditions; if you just plant stuff bought from the supermarket, it will spend the growing season wishing it was in the south of France.

Onion sets, I've planted three different varieties - Centurion, Setton and Sturon. I've grown Sturon before, the other two are experiments.

I've also made a first sowing of broad beans - Bunyard's Exhibition. I'll sow some more in about six weeks in an effort to get a longer cropping period. What often happens is that the later ones catch up with the earlies, but you do usually get an extra three or four weeks crop.

My horseradish plants are just starting to sprout. The only thing you need to do with those is to stop them from taking over the rest of the garden, and then dig it all up in the autumn - there will be enough bits left in the ground to form next year's crop.

Indoors I've sown tomatoes (Alicante and Gardener's Delight) and sweet peppers (Worldbeater). When they're big enough, they'll go in the greenhouse.

Tomorrow, if the weather holds, I'll sow some salad stuff - rocket, assorted lettuce, radish (French Breakfast) and spring onions (White Lisbon).

I remember garlic and onions growing superbly well in my old allotment. The sweetcorn never made it, however.

Sounds like you've been busy.

The bluebells are sprouting up underneath the magnolia.

I had over 1000 seeds down there at the end of last year - this season will be interesting.

I've grown sweetcorn in the past, with reasonable success, but, while it is a fun thing to grow, it does take up a lot of space for not much return. Also, you seem to get all the cobs ripening at the same time. At the moment, I'm limited for space (about 15ft x 8ft), so I try to make every inch count.

Clive - a load of bluebells under a magnolia tree sounds like it could be very impressive. I hope they all flower together.

Today I sowed the salad stuff mentioned in yesterday's post, as well as leeks (two types, Porvite and Musselburgh Improved). I also sowed some carrots with the horrible name of Tendersnax, in a large tub which will sit in the greenhouse. This should provide an early crop of baby carrots both for salads and cooking. And finally, some basil, also for the greenhouse. If you have basil and marigold plants growing in the greenhouse, the scent apparently deters a lot of bugs - especially whitefly. Also, the scent of basil is supposed to improve the flavour of tomatoes growing nearby.

First sign of outdoor life. Garlic and rocket both sprouting. Rocket always does live up to its name.

A few photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/50359142@N02/sets/72157624100610908/

That's a very good-looking garden you have there. *appreciates*

Thank you, Vip. I just wish my camera skills extended to more than 'point camera in right direction, try not to forget which button to press'.

I'd say they're pretty good, but I will admit I have very low photography standards.

Hello


hope you don't mind me dropping round while I am sober, I always seem to bump into you when I am

that is a fine garden you have there, are there any green shoots showing yet this year?

Peanut