Author Archives: dougmckendrick

The Anaesthetists Allotment – 15th April 2023

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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! Welcome to this week’s update

Firstly, in the Greenhouse:

Thursday 14th April 2023

As the iconic Inspector John Rebus would say “There’s been a murrdurr”!

I have been practising the dark, or enlightened (depending on your way of looking at it), art of Artificial Selection which is similar to Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection but there’s nothing natural about. It’s all about me murdering the smaller, weaker-looking plants so as to leave only one, the strongest, plant per cell. This allows them to grow on strongly.

These are the Brussels sprout, summer cabbages, winter cabbages, chard and perpetual spinach. The top photo is pre-thinning. The bottom photo shows the trays after the murder.

The Murder – chapter two

These are the beetroot plants which have been similarly thinned out in the bottom photo.

Remember those squashes which I have been growing in the garage? Well, they were rapidly out-growing their heated and well-lit home in the greenhouse (photo on the left). They were in dire need of being separated and then potted-up into bigger pots to allow them to grow on.

So, a painstaking task was undertaken and the vast majority of the squashes were split up and repotted into larger pots. They were then re-located into a mini-greenhouse within the main greenhouse.

This was not only a painstaking but painful 🤕 task! The tedious processes of thinning and repotting had me bent over a workbench for ages. When I came to the end of it my neck was stuck. Completely frozen and immovable. Bent forward like the hunchback of Notradame, I could not extend it to look up, or look to the left or to the right. After a while, I had to revert to anaesthetist mode and took a large dose of paracetamol and ibuprofen, followed a wee while later by one of the best painkillers around, alcohol, in the form of a couple of glasses of wine! An hour or so later and the neck had relaxed back to it’s usual grumpy self (I am never going to fix that!).

My neck was not the only thing that was sore. The poor wee plants do not like having their roots pulled and split apart and then being repotted into new, presumably cold, soil. A short while after planting, they were looking dreadful. The leaves had all wilted and they looked like they were about to give up the ghost.

Fear not! I have seen this before! They will recover, he says with bravado! So no paracetamol or wine for these poor plants.

Friday 15th April 2023

Ooh 😲! They are strong. The squashes which looked like they were about to be gathered by the grim reaper yesterday have, as predicted, fully recovered. They are looking great now. Whew 😅!

The brassicas (cabbages, Brussels sprouts etc,) are also looking good after witnessing the murder and narrowly surviving themselves.

You know, I can almost imagine that they’ve grown a fair bit, even in a day!

The Beetroot have also survived their ordeal and are looking great. Have they also grown? You blink and you miss it!

One of my favourite flowers is the Rhodesian national flower, the Flame Lily, or to give it’s botanical name Gloriosa Superba ‘Rothschildiana’. Perhaps as a Zimbabwean (Rhodesian) I am biased, but it is beautiful!

I ordered and planted a single bulb of this plant four years ago. It flowered beautifully the first year. To my great surprise, it has re-emerged year after year since then despite my best efforts at neglecting it.

I have obtained another couple of bulbs of this fabulous lily. Planted today (left). 🤞

In the Garage

Some of the squashes were still too small to pot up, because they have yet to develop their true leaves. Others have not even bothered to germinate – will they ever????

I probably have enough of most of them, with those that I have planted out already, but the Pumpkin Wicked has not germinated well for some reason, and will leave me a bit short for my needs. So I pop an extra couple of seeds into the cells, and all of these bad boys go back into the heated and disco-lit propagator in the garage. Let’s hope for some progress here!

In the Veggie Garden (Allotment)

No further activity in the actual veggie garden / allotment this week. If I am to be honest, I’ve run out of time 😬!

However, there is nothing to report on the potatoes which were planted last week. No signs of any growth yet, not that I’d expect any!

The onions are looking good 😊. No bird damage 😁.

It’s a busy, but exciting, time for veggie growers. Lots happening!

See you next time!

Highland Hospice Cycle 200 – 15th April 2023

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I’m cycling 200 miles in April to support Highland Hospice

You can follow my progress on my Facebook Page or on this blog.

Please support my efforts for this worthy cause using this QR code or the “donate” link below.

Thank you!

Donate

The challenge: To cycle 200 miles during April 2023

As predicted we had a couple of days of grubby weather with lots of wind, rain and even some hail. My bike decided it was going back into hibernation and did not emerge from the garage.

Friday 14th April: Woke up to bright sunshine and no wind. Yes it was cold, but, hey after the last couple of days…….

It’s not going to last, however, rain predicted by 1200. Tomorrow is predicted to be a better day – all day! Planning a cycle ride tomorrow.

I have to go to the shops for a couple of wee things this morning. This weather is bugging me. It’s sooooo nice! I go down to the garage and wake the bike up. A wee cycle to the shops will help with my #TeamHighlandHospice charity ride total.

So off I go to a couple of shops in town. Goods into rucksack and turn for home.

Nah!……

Take the long way home!

A quick wee 23 Km (14 miles) added to the total.

Let’s hope the weather holds for tomorrow!

It’s Saturday 15th April, and true to form the weather is beautiful. Sun, no wind – ok it’s only 9’C, but you cant have everything!

So it’s bike out and off we go to the “Bootlegger’s Bar and Grill” in Hopeman for lunch. Helen drives down to join me, but it’s holiday season and she has to park miles away at the harbour 😂🤣 – you should have cycled!!!!

Lovely meal with a lovely view. Great service.

After lunch, it’s time to dash back home because we are off to Nairn to have fish suppers with our folks – better get another few cans of G&T on the way then!!!!

Another really nice cycle ride of about 46 Km (28.5 miles) ✅.

That’s me up to 155 miles in total, 77% of the way to my target. Over three quarters done now 😁!

Only 45 miles to go!

I am away next week at work.

But the weather looks great, so guess what?

The bike is going with me……………😁

Please support my efforts – click on the “donate” button above or scan the QR code.

Highland Hospice Cycle 200 – 11th April 2023

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A route of Fuel-stops!

I’m cycling 200 miles in April to support Highland Hospice

You can follow my progress on my Facebook Page or on this blog.

Please support my efforts for this worthy cause using this QR code or the “donate” link below.

Thank you!

Donate

The challenge: To cycle 200 miles during April 2023

My last rather pathetic 25Km cycle ride on the 9th April wiped me out completely as the wind that day was a bit on the vicious side. This meant that it was not possible to do my planned longer cycle ride from Elgin through to Nairn for a fabulous Easter Sunday Roast Lamb Lunch on Sunday 9th April. I do have to admit that the aching muscles were not the only reason for the ride being cancelled: the weather had deteriorated further and the wind was even stronger, so I chickened out!

Monday 10th April: As predicted, the weather had deteriorated even further. Heavy rain in the morning and gale-force winds in the afternoon. Not a day for the bike which remained locked in the garage.

Tuesday 11th April: A big weather front is expected to hit the UK tonight. It will lash us tomorrow and Thursday. So today is the only potential chance to get out for a cycle ride. I stick my nose outside, hmm 🤔, it’s still rather windy 😬 . I do have a charity challenge to uphold for Highland Hospice, and as the next few days will be a write off, there is no chance of ducking out today, or else the whole week would be a write-off and my attempts to meet the 200 mile challenge would fail. Can’t have that, so it’s gotta happen. Today’s the day!

It was a lovely day, despite the breeze

A few miles, six or so, into my ride, I pass the RAF airfield at Lossiemouth. I am treated to the wonderful sight of a Poseidon MRA1 reconnaissance aircraft on a training run doing circuits around the airbase.

From Wikipedia: The P-8 (Poseidon MRA1) operates in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) roles. It is armed with torpedoes, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and other weapons, can drop and monitor sonobuoys, and can operate in conjunction with other assets, including the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

I also pass the fascinating Duffus Castle, seen here from across recently ploughed fields. A different angle from my post a few days ago.

Duffus Castle is a motte-and-bailey castle and was in use from c. 1140 to 1705. During its occupation it underwent many alterations. The most fundamental was the destruction of the original wooden structure and its replacement with one of stone. At the time of its establishment, it was one of the most secure fortifications in Scotland. The strongest part of the new castle was a two-storey stone keep, surrounded by a stone curtain wall. Unfortunately, the keep was not built upon strong foundations, and this fact would some become apparent! Sometime before 1350 the castle passed to the Earl of Sutherland. Around this time the soft motte underpinnings gave way, and part of the stone keep slipped down the motte, where it lies today, canted at an absurd angle. The most obvious part of this cockeyed structure is a garderobe bench, now slanting dramatically upwards on one side. One has to hope no-one was sitting down at the crucial moment when the motte gave way!

Arriving in Lossiemouth, on a lovely sunny day like today, one is treated to a magnificent view.

From the clubhouse of the Moray Golf Club out over the Old Course, a fabulous links golf course designed by Old Tom Morris. It is listed at 31st in the Top 100 Golf Courses in Scotland.

The view continues out over Lossiemouth West Beach to the Covesea Lighthouse beyond and then out across the Moray Firth towards Sutherland in the North.

After about 20Km or so, it;s time for a re-fuelling stop. Harbour Light’s Cafe next to the Lossiemouth harbour is a favourite. A hearty Scottish breakfast does just the job!

Back on to the bike and head toward Fochabers via Garmouth. Just after Garmouth, I joined the Moray Coastal Trail and cross the magnificent Spey River, famous for it’s salmon fishing.

The Spey Viaduct is an old Moray Coast railway bridge that crosses the iconic Spey River near to the mouth of the Spey River in Moray where it terminates into the Moray Firth / North Sea. The Spey Viaduct (sometimes also known as the Garmouth Viaduct) is no longer used for its original purpose, it has become part of the sensational Moray Coastal Trail and Speyside Way walks. It is frequently used by walkers, runners and cyclists to safely cross the River Spey between Garmouth and Spey Bay. A popular route is to walk from Spey Bay WDC Scottish Dolphin Centre down to the viaduct along quiet back roads taking in the wildlife and Spey mouth. The Spey Viaduct is quite picturesque and contrasts between the wild forested areas on either side and its own strong industrial iron lattice appearance. The bridge had to be built with the changing nature of the Spey in mind, the river can often surge and change direction depending on the amount of rainfall so it had to be big enough to take this into account. Taking in all spans the viaduct is 950ft / 290m long and is a fantastic example of Victorian engineering.

This my video of my cycle across this iconic bridge

After crossing the bridge, I turn South onto the road towards Fochabers. The wind is blowing from the South East. I am heading straight into it. Deja Vue! Memories of my last short ride from a few days ago flood back. I tell myself, that it’s only 5 Km until I turn East again. I can do this!

The reward, a refuelling stop at the lovely Fochabers Ice Cream Parlour. Mmm 😋

Ice cream and tea repleat, it’s time to head for home on the last leg of my journey. This takes me directly East, and into the wind again. Switch on, and turn up, the electric power on the bike!

Again I pass over the magnificent Spey River over another disused rail bridge, now converted for use by pedestrians and cyclists, which runs right next to the main car route, the A96.

My battery does the trick and I make it home despite the best efforts of the wind.

Three stages of about 20Km each, perfectly separated by refuelling stops. A total of 61Km (38 miles) today. Ahh 😌! Time for a sit down!

That’s me now up to 112 miles in total, 56% of the way to my target. Over half way now 😁!

The next few days have seriously poor weather predicted, so that’s the bike packed away until the weekend. The legs will get a well deserved rest!

Please support my efforts – click on the “donate” button above or scan the QR code.

The Anaesthetists Allotment – 10th April 2023

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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! Welcome to this week’s update

Firstly, in the Greenhouse:

The early potatoes (Casablanca) in the growbags continue to grow really well and are looking very healthy indeed.

I’m now starting to give them some “outside time” during the day when the weather is not too cold or windy. They still need go back in every night.

The Casablanca Picasso potatoes in the growbag are now starting to get going.

The herbs in the greenhouse are also looking really good. We have mint, parsley and chives. They have already been added to salads and the mint, of course, so special with Easter lamb.

Strawberries in the greenhouse are also way ahead of the ones in the garden and have many more flowers this week. Might have some delicious strawberries soon!😋

A week makes all the difference!

Two weeks ago, I showed the photo at the left top of seed trays in which I had sown various seeds.

In these seed trays, we have: Beetroot (Boltardy = red and Burpees Golden = yellow) and some peas (Early Onward) to, hopefully give us an early crop of peas.

Last week, I showed the bottom picture above of the miracle of germination. This week, on the right, the wee plants are starting to develop their true leaves. Once they have the true leaves, hopefully later this week, I will thin them out to leave only the strongest in each cell. This will allow them to grow on strongly ready to plant out into the garden later when the frosts have gone. Natural Selection 🤔 ! It is not a job I enjoy, as you feel kind-of like a three way cross between Darwin, the Creator and the Yorkshire Ripper💀! It seems such a shame after all the effort they have put into germinating. The wee plants which are murdered are not wasted and can be added to salads as delicious micro-veg.

Again most of the Brassicas have moved on well during this week.

The Brussels Sprout (Marathon) and summer cabbage (Caraflex) are both looking great, with most starting to develop their true leaves. They will also be ready for thinning out later this week. The winter cabbage (Tundra) is a bit slower – but has now started to sprout 😁

In this seed tray, to the right, there is also a row of Chard (Bright Lights) and a row of Perpetual Spinach.

The bowl of Spicy Lettuce which I sowed last week has sprouted 😁

The Broccoli plugs I received in the post two weeks ago were looking really grubby when I potted them up on arrival (left). They are now looking fantastic (right).

So much so, that I have set up a couple of cold frames outside and moved the young broccoli into them to harden off for a couple of weeks before planting them out into the veggie garden. Hopefully this will allow them to transition gently and not get a very rude shock when planted out. This is a new experiment again this year. Will be good to see if it makes a difference.

I order my Tomato plants, Gardiner’s Delight, from online retailers as grafted plants. They arrived on Saturday in the post, looking not too bad after being dumped through the letter-box in the front door.

They were planted out immediately and will take off quite quickly. They will be ready for planting out into their final position in grow-bags in the greenhouse after a week or two.

In the Garage

Yes! In the garage……

………. because I have run out of space and electrical outlets in the greenhouse, I am trying an experiment this year.

I have sown all of my squashes etc in their propagator in the garage. I would normally put the propagator in the greenhouse. But, because it is dark in the garage, I have added special plant lighting to the top of the propagator. Here goes: 🤞

It is working! 😂🤣 Give that man a star ⭐️! Most of these squashes are developing their true leaves as well. They are all looking really healthy. So much so that I have had to raise the mini-greenhouse roof with the lights on it – hence the wooden slats at each end. It’s called improvisation! Fairly soon, I will have to repot these seedlings into bigger pots to allow them to continue to grow. When that repotting happens, they will have to relocate to the greenhouse for more space. I’d better make a plan in the greenhouse as there’s not much room left in there.

In the Veggie Garden (Allotment)

Potatoes – Two varieties Casablanca and Picasso, same varieties as in the grow-bags in the greenhouse, have been chitting in the greenhouse since late January. Chitting is a process of forcing the seed potatoes to start growing early indoors, or in my case, the greenhouse. Keeping them in a light dry area encourages those seed potatoes to start putting out sprouts and gives them a head-start when it comes to the potato growing season.

As you can see, these potatoes have super little green shoots and are ready to be planted out

In last week’s blog, I described how I had prepared the beds for the potatoes.

This week, I have now cut holes in the garden fabric, appropriately spaced (I hope), and use my trusty potato planting tool to make a hole and drop the potato into the hole, preferably with the majority of the shoots facing upwards. This is easier said than done, as the seed potatoes seem to have a mind of their own and flip over no matter how hard you try!

Three beds of tatties planted.

My back has now ceased complaining and is now on strike full-time.

The next day………………

…………………..when my back has recovered somewhat

It’s time for the onions. The onion sets were planted in the greenhouse a few weeks ago. They have all germinated nicely and are now growing strongly and need to be planted out.

This is the onion bed after winter (left). Not too bad, a few weeds etc.

After a full hand-weed, then a good hoe-ing, a layer of compost is added to the surface.

The bed is now ready for planting – this is the no-dig-technique (right). Good for my potato-knackered-back!

The young onion plants have developed a really good root system and are ready to be planted out.

And that’s all of the onions planted out into their final position in the raised bed (right).

And, yes, the back is complaining much better again!

Carrots – Amsterdam Forcing.

I have always had major problems with carrot fly in my veggie garden / allotment. These nasty little devils can, and do, destroy a carrot crop entirely. I have tried everything – mesh fences, mesh netting, timing the planting correctly, even nematodes!

Last year I tried an experiment and planted some carrots between the rows of onions in the hope that the smell of the onions would reduce the ability of the carrot fly to hunt out my carrots. It worked! Ok, I must admit that, in addition, I regularly sprayed the carrots with nematodes, but we had lots of lovely carrots last year.

So here we go again.

I am laying tape sown with carrot seeds into drills between the onion rows. The seed tapes is a very convenient way to plant seeds. I tend to be very heavy handed when I am sowing seeds. This is bad news, especially for carrots, because it means that the young seedlings have to be thinned out once they have germinated. The young plants don’t like being pulled out and emit a strong carrot odour which attracts the carrot flies in immense numbers. Carrot tape spaces the seeds correctly and means they don’t need thinning out.

So there we are: Onions and carrots planted ✅

Protective netting over the top to keep the birds away. Blackbirds seem to think that if I’ve been digging, they should too. To be fair, they are probably after all of disturbed worms, bugs etc. Only problem is that the little *******s dig up half my wee plants and leave them lying, and dying, on top of the soil. Hence the net! Keep off ✋!

It’s a busy, but exciting, time for veggie growers. Lots happening!

See you next time!

Highland Hospice Cycle 200 – 9th April 2023

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I’m cycling 200 miles in April to support Highland Hospice

You can follow my progress on my Facebook Page or on this blog.

Please support my efforts for this worthy cause using this QR code or the “donate” link below.

Thank you!

Donate

The challenge: To cycle 200 miles during April 2023

I was away at work for a few days last week. The weather was predicted not to be too great, so didn’t bother to lug the bike all the way to Brechin and back, for nothing! As it turned out, wise decision!

Saturday 8th April.

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and we are doing a the full sheebang Easter lunch, roast lamb etc, in Nairn with our parents and Alexander. So, here is the plan, I’m going to cycle to Nairn, have lunch and get a lift back afterwards. That should add a few miles on to the total.

But this is my first day back and the weather was OK. A bit on the windy side, but hey, I have electric support on my bike, I tell myself, no problem! So why don’t I do a warm-up cycle today, just a few miles to get back into it and loosen up for tomorrow.

I set off after lunch. It is more windy than I’d thought and I’m having to fight with the side gusts to remain on the path. I try to plan a route that will keep me mostly-side-on to the wind most of the way, rather than heading directly into the gale.

It sure looks lovely in the pictures, but at this stage, I had turned back and despite all calculations was now heading directly into the teeth of the gale.

I eventually had to relent and shift the electric power up from low (green) to medium (blue). I can count one hand the number of times I have had to use this setting!

I made it back into Elgin and cycled past the beautiful and eerie Elgin Cathedral built in 1224.

Only 5Km to go from here but directly into the wind.

I struggled back home again. Legs on fire after a comparatively short ride of only 26Km (16 miles). So much for my warm-up cycle!

So, this was the anti-gale effort. I am more tired than I was after my 60Km ride a few days ago!!!

Wind and cycling just don’t go together, in my humble opinion!

That’s me now up to 74 miles in total, 37% of the way to my target.

Tomorrow’s cycle to Nairn will add another 50 to 60Km to the total.

Or will it!?!

Tomorrow comes. The wind is even stronger than the day before. My legs can hardly move from yesterdays’ efforts. Common sense (cowardice) prevails and I leave the bike behind opting for the luxury of motorised transport and extra glass of wine with lunch to console myself!

Please support my efforts – click on the “donate” button above or scan the QR code.

Highland Hospice Cycle 200 – 3rd April 2023

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I’m cycling 200 miles in April to support Highland Hospice

You can follow my progress on my Facebook Page or on this blog.

Please support my efforts for this worthy cause using this QR code or the “donate” link below.

Thank you!

Donate

The challenge: To cycle 200 miles during April 2023

Today I managed to squeeze into the Highland Hospice jersey. Very smart. I like it! But, I have to agree, they are certainly on the smaller side.

That’s Duffus Castle in the background.

As you can see it was a fabulous day for a cycle ride

It started off very chilly this morning, -1’C when I woke up.

My plan today was to go to Nairn on the train to sort out a few things for my folks and meet with my accountant, then cycle back to Elgin in the afternoon.

When I left home to cycle to the railway station to catch my train, it was still only 5’C so was still a bit chilly. Several layers were required as was warming pads within the shoes. My problem was that it was predicted to rise to 13’C by the time I was due to cycle back. Whilst I realise that for my friends in Botswana, this is positively Arctic and would require 10 layers of thermals, for us here in Scotland, this is a lovely day and definitely tropical requiring shorts etc. Because, I was cycling I had to travel light, so wardrobe selection was critical. Or, was it, 🤔, I could just dump a bunch of stuff at my parents house – to be collected later. That is what I did!

So, this is today’s effort.

The straight line is the train journey and, before you ask, was not included in the final mileage!

The wiggly line is my cycle ride. It is wiggly because that is how the little back roads are (I was following on the N1 cycle route) not because I had been on the wine at lunchtime (today anyway!)

Part of the route I used involves crossing the Findhorn river on an old railway bridge. It’s lovely.

Loads of newborn lambs in the fields today. Awww 🥰 ☺️

And of course the magnificent Duffus Castle (without me in the photo to spoil it!)

So, a heavy day today, for an oldie like me anyway, 60Km (37 miles) in total. Seven Personal Best’s (PB’s) on various Strava segments 😲

That’s me now up to 58 miles in total, 29% of the way to my target.

I am aware that it is only the 3rd of the month, but I’m conscious that I will be away a bit more at the end of the month and unable to cycle, so better get ahead now!

Now the bad news. My legs are knackered. I’m away for a rest!

Please support my efforts – click on the “donate” button above or scan the QR code.

Highland Hospice Cycle 200 – 2nd April 2023

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Highland Hospice aim to support people, their families and carers, living with an advancing, life shortening illness in the Highlands to live the best possible life and to prepare for and experience the best possible death.

I’m cycling 200 miles in April to support Highland Hospice

You can follow my progress on my Facebook Page or on this blog.

Please support my efforts for this worthy cause using this QR code or the “donate” link below.

Thank you!

Donate

The challenge: To cycle 200 miles during April 2023

With yesterday being the first day of the month, I got the bike out of the garage, blew off the dust and set off.

It was only 6’C so was a bit chilly. Several layers were required as was warming pads within the shoes and over boots – the feet are the part of me that always suffers the most when it’s cold!

A wee cyclical route around Elgin to start with, but that’s 33Km (20 miles) in the bag. Not a bad start!

So, that’s me 10% of the way to my total.

Please support my efforts – click on the “donate” button above or scan the QR code.

The Anaesthetists Allotment – 2nd April 2023

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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!

So that’s me back from a week away at work.

Before I left last weekend, I had sown the vast majority of my various crops for this year and some of them were just starting to sprout. This is a very delicate stage of the plants life, as even a day or two of extreme heat or cold, or too much (or too little) water can murder these delicate little plants and kill an entire crop. This would mean having to start from scratch all over again and re-sow all of the seeds. Yes, I have to admit, this has happened a few times in previous years and can set back the growing schedule by a few weeks or more. Much grumpiness then ensues. When you live in the far North of Scotland and have ridiculously short growing season this delay can be the difference between a crop not ripening before the first frosts and a complete failure of harvest. I had left my entire crop in the care of “The Boss”, along with suitable instructions as to the required care. So, I think you might be able to understand that it was with some trepidation that I went outside on my return to see how my “wee plants” were doing (or not!). I think that I have to clarify here, for the sake of my health, that the trepidation was not related in any way to the abilities of “The Boss” but rather to the potential of a crop failure!! 😉 😜

I am delighted to report that all is well, perhaps even better than I could have kept it (No – “The Boss” did not instruct me to write that! 😂🤣) – maybe I should retire from gardening as well! Ah! – that has just been vetoed by the Security Council!

So, a wee tour and update then!

Firstly, in the Greenhouse:

The early potatoes (Casablanca) in the growbags are coming along really well and looking very healthy indeed.

This is a new variety which I am trying this year, as for some reason I could not get hold of our favourite (Winston) seed potato – I presume there has been a problem with the production process this year, disease or some other such disaster!

According to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), Casablanca is a new, multi-purpose first early potato with a smooth white skin, shallow eyes and a creamy flesh. It is a handsome potato, that is rapidly becoming the exhibitors favourite, while chefs are lapping it up because it is a dream to chip, bake or boil. It shows an excellent resistance to blackleg and it has been said that it can produce an edible crop just 62 days after planting.

The RHS has awarded Casablanca the prestigious “RHS Award of Garden Merit (RHS AGM)”.

The Casablanca are certainly miles ahead of the other variety of potato I am growing this year, Picasso.

This is also in a grow bag in the greenhouse and was planted at exactly the same time as the Casablanca.

Picasso has also been awarded the RHS AGM. An impressive, improved variety derived from older Cara variety. It is a main-crop potato with a yellow skin, prominent red eyes (hence the name) good common scab resistance and suitable for long term storage. It produces huge yields of waxy fleshed tubers with good all round disease and drought resistance making it a garden and allotment favourite. A versatile variety in the kitchen,particularly for baking and mashing.

The onion sets continue to grow nicely and will be ready to plant out into the garden in the next couple of weeks.

Strawberries in the greenhouse are also way ahead of the ones in the garden. Looking really healthy and even some flowers already. Might have some delicious strawberries soon!😋

Microveg is looking brilliant and tasting just as good. We will be having some of this for lunch!

A week makes all the difference!

Last week, I showed the photo at the top of seed trays in which I had sown various seeds.

This week, the miracle of nature has happened. They are alive! Seedlings have sprouted from bare soil. It never ceases to amaze me!

In these seed trays, we have: Beetroot (Boltardy = red and Burpees Golden = yellow) and some peas (Early Onward) to, hopefully give us an early crop of peas. I will plant further successional showings of peas directly into the garden to hopefully give us a longer cropping season.

Again most of the Brassicas have sprouted during this week.

The Brussels Sprout (Marathon) and summer cabbage (Caraflex) are both looking great. The winter cabbage (Tundra) is a bit slower – hopefully within the next few days 🤞

In this seed tray, to the right, there is also a row of Chard (Bright Lights) and a row of Perpetual Spinach. Both of these have germinated well 😁

The two pots with Leeks (Musselburgh and Below Zero) have grown on nicely since last week and are looking much stronger.

Today, I’ve sown a bowl of Spicy Lettuce to continue the succession of salad leaves

In the Garage

Yes! In the garage……

………. because I have run out of space and electrical outlets in the greenhouse, I am trying an experiment this year.

I have sown all of my squashes etc in their propagator in the garage. I would normally put the propagator in the greenhouse. Because it is dark in the garage, I have added special plant lighting to the top of the propagator. Here goes: 🤞

So 10 days on, and the magic is happening. Most have sprouted and are looking great. My only concern is that they are perhaps a bit on the leggy side. This might indicate a lack of light, however they are a good strong green colour which I think counters this argument. I will watch them closely 👀 🕵️‍♂️ 🔎

In the Veggie Garden (Allotment)

Garlic – I promised you a photo last week, so here you are. Two different varieties, all looking good. Super-granny (my mum) and Super-Nanny (Helen’s mum) both love their garlic and this is their bed in the Allotment – tended to by me, of course!

Potato beds for 2023

So today, I prepared three 2.4 x 1.2 meter raised beds for the potato crop to be planted into for this coming year.

The photos in the top row shows the beds after winter. Still looking pretty good. Some moss, a few weeds, slightly compacted but OK.

I use the no-dig method for my veggie growing because it is less work and better for my back 😂🤣. Well yes, but also, apparently you get better crops this way and it’s better for the soil.

So, just a light hoeing of the superficial layer to aerate, get rid of weeds etc and we have pictures in the second row.

I then put a layer of black weed-control fabric over the soil. This serves three purposes: it looks neat; it reduces weed growth, and probably most important at this stage, it warms the soil. Now, being the North of Scotland with frequent severe winds, the fabric is stapled to the wood of the raised beds and large pegs are driven through it into the ground – I really don’t fancy chasing off down the road after a billowing tent of fabric.

The potato’s are chitting in the greenhouse (see last week’s blog). I hope to get them planted out into the beds in a week or two.

Strawberry beds in the “fruit cage”

In the top picture are the over-wintered strawberry beds. It’s all looking rather tatty with all the dead leaves etc. I find it’s best to clear away all of these dead leaves etc before the new leaves get going. This allows better aeration of the plants and fruit and hopefully better crops with less fungal rotting.

I have also added a good layer of compost / mulch this year as our crops were dwindling over the last year or two despite adding some new plants – I think due to depleted soil. The mulch will serve two purposes. Obviously 🙄 it will feed the plants, but it has also acted as a good medium for the strawberry runners to root into at the end of last year. So helpfully we will also get a good number of young fresh vigorous plants coming through to provide us with better crops as the older ones fail. This seems to happen to plants in a similar manner to humans as they age!

And finally – couldn’t resist! Just outside the Veggie Garden!

Daffs! Magnificent!

It’s a busy, but exciting, time for veggie growers. Lots happening!

See you next time!

The Anaesthetist’s Allotment – Catch-up for 2023

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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!

Yesterday, I started a blog to update progress (hopefully!) with the events on my home allotment. I promised to keep you up to date with happenings on a regular basis.

I have, however, realised that yesterday was not the beginning of this year’s crops and that plenty has been happening prior to now. So, I am adding another post today to let you know what is already happening in my veggie saga.

These are spring cabbages called Spring Hero. They were sown in summer last year. They were planted out into the Allotment in October and have been in the ground right through the worst of winter. The netting cover is to protect them from birds etc. They are now starting to grow nicely.

Garlic bulbs were also sown directly into the ground in October. There are two varieties and both have now sprouted and are looking good. Sorry, no picture 😳!

This is what the allotment looks like at the moment – pretty barren, yes, agreed, but wait a month or two……..

The spring cabbages, mentioned above, are at the bottom right of the picture and the shallots (from yesterday’s blog) are on the very mid-left. Just to the right of the shallots are leeks from last year, behind this, at the very back, last year’s winter cabbages, and to the right of that Brussels sprout also from last year and still producing crops.

In the very far right corner are the garlic plants.

The big cage to the right is the fruit cage. In here are: red currents, black currents, raspberries, blackberries (Brambles if you live in Scotland), green gooseberries, red gooseberries, apples (3 varieties) and strawberries (2 beds).

Seeds have been sown within the last few days:

– Beetroot: Golden & Red (Boltardy)

– Peas (Early Onward)

– Brussels Sprout

– Summer cabbage (Caraflex – this is a new variety which Im trying this year after the success of Puma last year. It’s a pointy type of cabbage!)

– Winter cabbage (Tundra – an old favourite!)

– Chard Bright lights – very similar to spinach, but brightly coloured!

– Perpetual Spinach – cut and come again spinach. Nyum! Your😋

– Broad Beans – “ The Sutton”. Delicious if picked young

Two varieties of leeks:

– Musselburgh – an old favorite

– Below Zero – a later cropping leek – had good success over the last year or two!

Onion sets have started sprouting in the greenhouse

Potatoes have started sprouting in the greenhouse. These “ Casablanca” are a new variety this year. They have already had an additional layer of compost added. Looking good!

Potatoes 🥔 (Casablanca & Picasso) chitting in the greenhouse. This chitting process was started in early February. They will be planted out into the garden when the soil warms up a bit.

And in a mini- greenhouse within the main greenhouse, my bonsai. they are kept at higher than 15’C and have additional lighting.

There are two types of bonsai here:

– a fig (Ficus) in the foreground

– two Jacaranda bonsai – still very young and early in their training. I fully expected that they would not survive the winter, but my efforts with the mini-greenhouse, heating and lighting has, so far, worked and they are looking great with new shoots appearing. Wow 😮!

The Gas Man’s Allotment 2023 – 25th March

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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!

We have fairly large veggie garden / allotment. Being in the far North of Scotland, the weather plays a huge role and the growing season is short.

I have already started with a good deal of my sowing under glass in the greenhouse, but decided today that it might be quite fun to produce a regular blog to keep those interested up to date on the progress (hopefully) of our veggies.

So here’s what happened today:

Shallots

One of the first crops to get planted out into the veggie garden is shallots. This year, I’m growing the Jermour variety. I planted the sets in February in the greenhouse and by the 11th March they had sprouted nicely.

Today the shallots were planted out into their raised bed in the veggie garden. Snow is expected tomorrow, but no bother, they are hardy and will not be troubled by a wee bit of cold!

Some birds, especially blackbirds, have a habit of searching for worms under freshly worked soil, and especially if new seedlings have been planted. This can be devastating for newly planted seedlings before they can have a chance to anchor themselves fully with a good root system.

So my newly planted shallots get a protective covering to protect them from the birds – oh all right, and a wee bit of protection from the weather as well!

Broccoli

My mail order of Broccoli (Calabrese) Marathon arrived yesterday. I potted them up today. Yes, they look horrible, but give them a week or so, and they will have perked up and will grow on nicely. I will keep you posted on their progress.

Harvest

Yes, I’m still harvesting last year’s crops. These are Picasso potatoes and the last two carrots (Sugarsnax). There were also a couple of handfuls of Brussels Sprout, but I forgot to take a picture of them – I will get better!

Next week

I’m away off to work tomorrow for the week, leaving my newly planted and sprouted seeds and seedlings in the care of a fairer hand. I am sure they will be safe 🤔😊

I will give a fuller description of what I have planted already in the greenhouse and hopefully we will have some germination happening. I still find it amazing to see the barren looking seeds start to sprout and produce such wonderful life from “nothing”.