On the Allotment - In the ground
After a fantastic hot weekend, the weather has turned cold again so I’m out in the garden trying to protect the veg. Of special importance are the three HSL pre-accessions which are now all out in the ground. I’m pleased that I decided to keep these all at home rather than the allotment, as well as being warmer here it’s just easier to keep an eye on them and to rig up some protection. So with only 1 horticultural fleece I’ve used a tarpaulin, dust sheet and cardboard to try to keep them a little warmer overnight, it’s not pretty but I think it should do the trick.
I’m growing three pre-accessions which will be identified, assessed, and considered for inclusion in the HSL. I have a pea called Ave Juan which was sown really early and has been in the garden since March (tucked up with a fleece cover at night) and is looking fantastic – 1.5m high with lots of beautiful white flowers and today I discovered the very first tiny pea growing! I have a Dwarf French Bean called Phoenix which has been planted out and is looking good but is still quite small. I’m covering this with a plastic sheet to keep it cozy.
Of most surprise is the so-far unnamed Climbing French Bean. It is showing me exactly why we do a grow out to characterise a variety before growing for seed, by turning out to actually be a dwarf French Bean! So much for the beautiful frame I constructed for it to grow up! So, I now have a climbing bean frame, one end planted with climbing beans (so I can’t just move the frame) and the other with dwarf beans – what a mess! I might try to put some other climbers in the middle of the frame to make use of the strings but it's not an ideal situation. It just shows that even with the best-made plans you can’t beat nature (and I didn’t even have the best plans to start with!) Its really exciting to be growing something brand new, with no idea how it’s going to turn out or what it will taste like but I guess this is the downside!!!
Of most surprise is the so-far unnamed Climbing French Bean. It is showing me exactly why we do a grow out to characterise a variety before growing for seed, by turning out to actually be a dwarf French Bean! So much for the beautiful frame I constructed for it to grow up! So, I now have a climbing bean frame, one end planted with climbing beans (so I can’t just move the frame) and the other with dwarf beans – what a mess! I might try to put some other climbers in the middle of the frame to make use of the strings but it's not an ideal situation. It just shows that even with the best-made plans you can’t beat nature (and I didn’t even have the best plans to start with!) Its really exciting to be growing something brand new, with no idea how it’s going to turn out or what it will taste like but I guess this is the downside!!!
More about Lucy...
Lucy is part of the fantastic Heritage Seed Library team, working hard to grow and preserve seed varieties that are no longer available so that our members can enjoy growing them at home. Raising two young children, Lucy is keen to grow an array of fruit and vegetables to become more sustainable and to encourage her children to get involved in growing.
Lucy is part of the fantastic Heritage Seed Library team, working hard to grow and preserve seed varieties that are no longer available so that our members can enjoy growing them at home. Raising two young children, Lucy is keen to grow an array of fruit and vegetables to become more sustainable and to encourage her children to get involved in growing.
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