A productive little corner

Starting the plot tidyup, right in the corner is a clump of Jerusalem Artichoke ready for harvesting. 

The soup lived up to its reputation. Sweet tasting, and active on the lower gut.

 Next door the rhubarb won't be long to first harvest.

The Shark has Jumped...

Been a bit busy since my last post. Too much gardening, and especially weeding to do. The school had a plant sale to be prepared for. To add to the mix I was allocated a place "on the shelf" at our allotment site just as the growing season got into full swing. Happily there have been family events too. The shark is a visitor to Alnwick Castle Gardens - a great otherwise safe place to take grandchildren without foregoing horticulture! (Mind you they do have "The Poison Garden" behind a closed gate.) Excuses aside, here is the current state of play at the plot:

Pride of place goes to the potatoes.  Here's the maincrop

and here's the earlies:

The soft fruit has only recently been netted

This shot takes in the broad beans, cucurbits and bean wigwams. (There are two Shark's fin Melons amongst them!!)

And here is the reverse view of the broad beans with Jerusalem artichoke, rhubarb and peas in front

This picture shows the end of the spring cabbages with short rows of parsnip, celeriac and celery beyond

And on to the brassicas hiding under their protective netting.

and the alliums all grown from seed.  (The bed to the left is going to be carrots now that the rain has finally arrived.)

 

Hope you enjoyed this brief tour.

January Fare

 Now that the frost has lifted it has been harvest time for Jerusalem artechokes:

Carrots (protected by straw and netting)

and leeks.

Here are some breads to bring some winter cheer too.

Cinnamon Buns

French Bread and Kulich

(The kulich is an Easter bread so a bit out of season, but I had plenty of dried fruit to use up from Christmas when I rather overbought.)  

Scorzonera

 We are in the season of root vegetables.  It is high season for  Jerusalem artichoke. Celeriac, parsnip, swede are in their element.  Carrots and beetroot are still soldiering on while potatoes are all in storage.  Always keen on trying something "exotic".  Salsify and scorzonera take it turn about and this year we have grown scorzonera (sometimes called black salsify)

The flesh is white but the skin is markedly black:

Once peeled you need cook straight away as the roots exude lactose and discolour quickly.  You can get away with dropping them into water with a spoonful of vinegar (or lemon juice) to acidulate it .  The taste?  Bland in must be said.  Subtle might be kinder.  It and its white sibling Salsify have been compared to oyster in taste.  Not having tasted oyster I can't comment.

Scorzonera is reputed to contain protiens, fats, asparagine, choline and laevulin as well as minerals potassium, calcium,phosphorus,iron, sodium, and vitamins A, B1, E and C.  Also containing the glycoside inulin, it is suitable for diabetics.  So perhaps I should be more enthusiastic about it! 

Peas and Beans

Vegetable growers should never take a holiday in July.  This year that's exactly what I did, as you no doubt will have gathered from my previous two posts.

On my return to the vegetable plot there is a lot of greenery, and not all of it weeds.  Here the rather neglected end of the plot that I concentrated on today:

Back row (left to right) there is the official Jerusalem artichoke patch, broad beans, the unofficial (last year's) Jerusalem artichoke patch and then the Runner bean wigwam.  In front there is sweetcorn, peas and French beans.  There is also a rogue cucurbit - probably a self sown Sharks Fin Melon on the right now scrambling all over the supports for the tall peas! I have removed the broad beans after stripping them of their full pods but left the cucurbit to see what happens.

Peas pods ready for picking

French beans, short peas, tall peas (Alderman) with broad beans behind

 I am well pleased with the runner beans now moving from flowering to podding.

We will have too many for our own consumption and will be freezing them and passing them on to neighbours.  That is with one wigwam so you can imagine my astonishment to come across the following scenario at Tintinhull Gardens a week ago

That's going to produce a lot of beans!

Tintinhull Gardens

Fruit and Legumes

Having been away for the weekend it was a case of reacquainting myself with the state of play at the plot.  Soft fruit is now cropping heavily.

  Legumes are on their way but needed support and weeding.  Potatoes second early potatoes are flowering and it is time to start on the earlies.  (The single Jerusalem artichoke, in the corner, is the odd one out here. I have decided to treat this as a perennial rather than moving it around with the rotation).  The runner beans are shooting up the poles, higher and higher.

Remember Your Plot?

Days have shortened, temperatures have dropped, rain has been sweeping past and outdoor activities have become less attractive.  It is tempting to just forget about the plot on the other side of town. That's not to say that there is nothing cropping at the moment.  It's just that as soon as your gloves get wet you have to change them before you lose the use of your hands.  So today three pairs of gloves at the ready I harvested

The last of the row of fennel

                                  

Swiss chard:

and spinach:

 Cabbage:

Kohlrabi

Swede:

Carrots from under their cover:

and that's a row of salsify to the left which, like the parsnips, I have yet to explore. 

Less photogenic but also picked today Jerusalem artichoke and sprouting broccoli. There's plenty beetroot too and Brussel sprouts to come.  The leeks I am leaving for when things get really depleted.

Nearly forgot to mention the late brassicas planted after clearing the strawberry patch! There's spring greens, kale and mooli in there.   

So all in all I have still got lots of reasons to remember to visit the plot, (just don't ask me to do any weeding).

A Voyage Round My Parterre

It is time for my warts and all annual review.  Viewed from the East it is not very photogenic.

The view from the East End

In the foreground you have rows of brassicas (turnips, kohlrabi and swede) which I have as catch crops between the asparagus.  Very few asparagus fronds came up after the last winter.  I will be filling in the gaps next spring.  Beyond the "asparagus bed" are next year's strawberries (Malwena) and a row of cucurbits. Aside from the Romanesco Courgette bush there is little to show.  Beyond that is:

Sweetcorn

Sweetcorn.  Really just an exercise in thumbing the nose at the naysayers who don't think it could possibly be grown in Scotland. It can - just!

Beets and Fennel

Beyond that we are on safer territory with beetroot, fennel, Swiss chard and lettuces.  The beetroot this year has been very boistrous and I am hopeful that some of the bigger "roots" will survive well into the winter. Once they get gnawed though they won't keep, so some will be coming home for home storage in the coal cellar. Next is the remnants of the allium patch.  Just a few shallots from seed left aside from the stalwart leeks. Beyond that is...

Allium Patch 

The carrot temple.  Looks rubbish but is the key to keeping the crop free from the tunnelling root fly maggot.

Carrot Temple

On past a row of scorzonera I am growing for a laugh, there is a solitary parsnip and 4 half haearted  celeriacs. Then 3 rows of winter spinach (Amazon/Medina/Winter Giant) Only sown recently I want to see if any can survive rhe ravages of winter.

Spinach + Parsnip + Cleriac

Finally, to complete the run from end to end, we arrive at the potato patch.  The main crop is still showing impressive folliage, I think you will agree?

Main Crop Potatoes

Earlies + Artechoke

The earlies have been harvested but there has been an unplanned  reemergence of last year's Jerusalem artichokes smothering one corner of the patch.  Turning through 180 degrees here is the single tubor I purposely planted in order to establish a new patch for the future:

Next Year's Artechoke

Moving to the Northwest corner to start the return sweep here is my fruit cage.  The first of the three bays has goosberries redcurrants and  new jostaberry and gojoberry bushes.  The current cropper is....

Fruit Cage

Blackberries:

Blackberries

The middle bay is chocka with raspberries (Joan J producing Glen Ample and Glen Moy finnished but not yet cut back).  Then the third bay was Marshmello strawberries but these have been grubbed up after a poor showing.  To use the netted space I have planted out some spare brassicas in the hope of overwintering them. Already I have some casualties but the Daikon Radish is looking happy - and needing to be thinned.

Late/Early Brassicas

Also squeezed in are some very late sown peas.  Hopefully I will be as happy as Monty Don in a few weeks if these come good.  In the background is a fill in row of flowers where the early peas were!

Very Late Peas

Beyond them is a patch of green manure (clover) where the later peas were, and then there is a riot of runner and French beans.

Beans and Green Manure

The last "room" is the brassica patch proper.  Not particularly pretty but a stalwart of any allotment.

Brassicas

Brassicas reverse view.

After the photos some harvesting:

I hope you enjoyed your tour of Mal's Edinburgh Allotment.