Disclaimer: I’m a professional anaesthetist, not a professional gardener. I do a bit of gardening and cycling in my spare time. I have grown veggies for many years and have learnt what works for me (sometimes!). These are my ramblings! I would be honoured to be corrected / advised by those with more knowledge than me!
Hello again!
Well it’s been a couple of week’s since my last update. I must admit to being a bit disappointed that I was not snowed under with a deluge of enquiries from my millions of loyal fans as to why there was no edition last week. Well to be honest, there was not even one enquiry!!!!! I suppose I have to be grateful that there was no applause either. I guess that it was a good thing that I could not hear all of the sighs of relief!
Hello hello hello
“Pink Floyd, The Wall”
is anybody out there?
does anybody hear me?
Is anyone at home?
I have two weeks of leave. So, predictably, the lovely weather of late disappears on the very first day of my leave. The temperatures have dropped dramatically and everyday has had some form of severe wind, rain, hail, sleet or snow. Most of the time it has been the majority of these all at once or alternating at very frequent intervals. Ahh 🙄, Scotland at it’s very best, in spring!
The first week:
Understandably, sub zero temperatures and frost are not a gardener’s best friends. Tiny, fragile seedlings are very vulnerable to such conditions. So the best plan of action is to batten down the hatches, keep the greenhouse door closed, heating on, and weather the storm!
So I guess you will understand when I say that nothing much happened in the garden in that first week – hence the lack of a report back!
I did manage to brave the weather conditions for a couple of hours during the week.
I erected a couple of ‘wigwam’ support structures for my runner beans (in the left picture). I have sown the seeds as well, in the hope that the ground was warm and that they will germinate. Hmm 🤨.. We’ll see!
With a similar theory in mind, I have sown the second planting of broad beans directly into the allotment bed (picture on the right). I am so confident in these germinating that I have even erected the support canes for them 🫣
Similarly, I have erected a frame with netting for my peas to climb up. The peas have also been planted. Fingers crossed 🤞.
The superstructure of the pea frame has been reinforced with a horizontal cross bar, which seems to prevent the weight of the peas from causing the whole thing to droop, sag and fall over.
In the middle of the bed I have used an old scaffolding plank as a walkway. This will separate the early planting (this one) and the second planting which I will sow in about 4 to 6 weeks to try to give us a succession of pea harvests. The “walkway” will also allow access to the insides of the rows of peas without having to walk on the soil and compacting it, thereby maintaining my no-dig soil structure and philosophy.
The Rhubarb is growing away nicely. I’m looking forward to that first delicious crumble. Rhubarb crumble is one of my favourites! 😋
But look at the triphid growing up out of the middle of it. This is a rhubarb flower. As with most vegetables, if a plant is allowed to flower, if feels that it has done it’s duty in life (reproduced) and dies. The secret is to not let the plant flower and it will keep beavering away as before. So this flower spike must be cut out ASAP to keep the plant producing well. Done ✅
The second week:
I have moved most of my brassicas (cabbages, Brussels sprouts, etc) into the cold frame to harden off. This is basically a process of allowing the plant to acclimatise to the colder weather outside, so that when they are planted out into the allotment they continue growing away strongly. I have never done this before. I have always just planted them directly out from the greenhouse into the veggie garden / allotment. I must admit that the plants always do seem to get a bit of a shock and take a few weeks before moving on again. It will be interesting to see if this cold frame malarkey makes any difference!
On the right hand side of the picture, are the first sowing of broccoli, which you have followed from their rather sick looking arrival several weeks ago. In front of them are the broad beans which I sowed some time back in the greenhouse. They are both now looking fantastic and have been in the cold frame for over a week, so are ready to plant out into the veggie garden / allotment.
I prepared the raised beds by weeding, hoeing and then adding a layer of compost as a mulch over the top. The broccoli were planted out into this at, I hope, appropriately spaced distances. They were then tied to support stakes to protect them from our rather substantial winds.
A cage of netting is then added (right). This has two purposes. Right now, it will keep the pigeons, and other birds, away from the lovely green food, which they can’t resist, particularly at this time of year when there is not much about! But, more importantly, it will protect them from the cabbage white butterfly, one of my pet hates, which lays its eggs on cabbages – hence the name. These eggs hatch into an army of caterpillars which can, and do, devastate a crop of brassicas. So it is essential to protect them with a fine mesh netting like this one.
The broad beans have also grown well and are even developing their first flowers (top).
They are also planted out into well prepared beds and supported with stakes from the wind (bottom).
Inside the greenhouse – this weekend:
Thursday 27th April
The second planting of broccoli plug plants have now arrived in the post. They look almost as bad as the first lot did when they arrived. I have potted them up into a tray and they will, I am sure, take off in no time and be looking nice and healthy.
Saturday 29th April
The Squash: Courgettes (Yellow and Green), Butternut, Gemsquash and Pumpkins, are all taking off like triphids in the nice warm greenhouse. Some of them already need potting up. That will be Sunday’s job!
The Casablanca potatoes are about to flower. They are “Earlies” so do produce a crop sooner, but wow 😯! I’ve never had flowers this early before! Theoretically, I could start harvesting new potatoes as soon as they flower, but I might just leave them a bit longer to get a wee bit bigger! Hmm 🤔, maybe not!
Sunday 30th April
It’s potting-up day in the greenhouse!
The Tomatoes (Gardeners Delight) are planted out into grow bags. I have used these top-planting pots for a number of years now. They make a nice neat hole in the grow bag, add an extra depth of soil to help with growing, and have a watering section which encourages root growth and reduces the chances of the plant’s stems and roots becoming too wet and rotting.
I’m busy setting up my irrigation system in the greenhouse. You can see the pipes and drip feeders going into the watering areas of the pots. It is not yet connected up as it’s still quite cold, especially at night. This risks the pipes outside the greenhouse freezing up at night and bursting. I will wait until it is a bit warmer before connecting it all up. Maybe next week 🤞!
The Cucumbers (Mini Munch) have also been planted out into grow bags using the same system. They are looking fabulous!
In previous years, I have had problems with rodents (mice) biting trough the stems of my cucumber plants soon after planting them into the grow bags. This year, I have allowed the young plants to grow a bit more before planting them out. 🤞
The Squashes which are staying in the greenhouse to grow are potted up and placed into their final positions within the greenhouse. Trellis is erected for them to grow up and irrigation system is installed, but not yet connected.
Gemsquash (Little Gem) – top left
Butternut (Walnut), a new variety I’m trying this year, top right.
Butternut (Walnut), yes again! Two reasons: Butternuts do not tend to grow well outside here in the North of Scotland, so I grow them all inside. And, secondly, the other variety which I usually grow has failed to germinate this year 😬. To the right of the butternut, in the corner, is Pumpkin (Jack of all Trades). I have done well with Pumpkins outside in previous years. So I have planned for the vast majority of them to be outside this year, keeping more of my precious greenhouse space for the butternut. Hope I don’t regret this decision.
Butternut (Walnut), yes again! For the same reasons as above! Bottom right.
In the Garage
Unfortunately, no further plants have sprouted, despite my best efforts. 😔
So I have nothing to report from this area. I shall be moving those few plants left here up to the greenhouse in the next couple of days to be planted up into bigger pots. This area will then be closed down until next year.
See you next time!
Dr Doug (Douglas) McKendrick 
It’s all looking good…..lot’s of hard work. We can vouch for your Rhubarb ….we made our first crumble from it yesterday…it was delicious 🤤.
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