In My Seed Box For 2021 - Marrow

Marrow is something that I have grown in the past, and have distributed widely to family, friend and neighbours & the Salvation Army. In 2017 I did not grow any marrows but my plot neighbours kept me supplied. In 2018 & 2019 I grew a few and distributed some as usual.

With work on the infrastructure of Plot 1 I see Marrow being planted on the bottom end that the infrastructure is working it's way towards possibly over a weed membrane covering the bottom of the plot in 2022. 

marrows are ideal for hiding the lack of infrastructure or cultivation during the site inspections and making sure that reach the required cultivation level for the inspection, you just have to be careful as they like to explore the neighbouring plots if not kept in check.  

Review Of Seed Stocks in Zippy Bags

No seed found in zippy Bags

Review Of Seed Stocks in Packets

Long Green Trailing - 10 Seeds - £1.95 - Jungle Seeds

Long Green Bush 2 - 20 Seeds - £2.19 - Mr Fothergill's - Sow By 2019

The Jungle Seeds were expensive when you see how many seeds you are getting for your money, but I bought them because at the time I wanted Rapunzel tomatoes and decided the get the order to a level where I was not paying for post and packaging.

Beware Jungle Seeds their packs don't have any information about when they were packaged or when they should be Sown By, there is no information about when to sow and when to harvest. Plus the Rapunzel grew but looked nothing like the tomato that I had been watching Ray Browning grows on his YouTube channel. I will not be buying from Jungle Seeds again.

In My Seed Box For 2022 - Index

In My Seed Box For 2021 - Marrow

 

Marrow is something that I have grown in the past, and have distributed widely to family, friend and neighbours & the Salvation Army. In 2017 I did not grow any marrows but my plot neighbours kept me supplied. In 2018 & 2019 I grew a few and distributed a some as usual.

With work on the infrastructure of Plot 1 I see Marrow being planted on the bottom end that the infrastructure is working it's way towards possibly over a weed membrane covering the bottom of the plot. This will hide the lack of infrastructure during the site inspections and make sure that I reach the required cultivation level.  

Review Of Seed Stocks in Zippy Bags

No seed found in zippy Bags

Review Of Seed Stocks in Packets

Long Green Trailing - 10 Seeds - £1.95 - Jungle Seeds

Long Green Bush 2 - 20 Seeds - £2.19 - Mr Fothergill's - Sow By 2019

The Jungle Seeds were expensive when you see how many seeds you are getting for your money, but I bought them because at the time I wanted Rapunzel tomatoes and decided the get the order to a level where I was not paying for post and packaging.

Beware Jungle Seeds their packs don't have any information about when they were packaged or when they should be Sown By, there is no information about when to sow and when to harvest. Plus the Rapunzel grew but looked nothing like the tomato that I had been watching Ray Browning grows on his YouTube channel. I will not be buying from Jungle Seeds again.

In My Seed Box For 2021 - Index

In My Seed Box For 2020 - Marrow

Marrow is something that I have grown in the past, and have distributed widely to family, friend and neighbours & the Salvation Army. In 2017 I did not grow any marrows but my plot neighbours kept me supplied. In 2018 & 2019 I grew a few and distributed a some as usual.

With work on the infrastructure of Plot 1 I see Marrow being planted on the bottom end that the infrastructure is working it's way towards possibly over a weed membrane covering the bottom of the plot. This will hide the lack of infrastructure during the site inspections and make sure that I reach the required cultivation level.  

Review Of Seed Stocks in Zippy Bags

No seed found in zippy Bags

Review Of Seed Stocks in Packets

Long Green Trailing - 10 Seeds - £1.95 - Jungle Seeds

Long Green Bush 2 - 20 Seeds - £2.19 - Mr Fothergill's - Sow By 2019

The Jungle Seeds were expensive when you see how many seeds you are getting for your money, but I bought them because at the time I wanted Rapunzel tomatoes and decided the get the order to a level where I was not paying for post and packaging.

Beware Jungle Seeds their packs don't have any information about when they were packaged or when they should be Sown By, there is no information about when to sow and when to harvest. Plus the Rapunzel grew but looked nothing like the tomato that I had been watching Ray Browning grows on his YouTube channel. I will not be buying from Jungle Seeds again.

Swift Visit

Do you ever wake up in the morning and remember something you should have done but didn't ?

Today was like that, I woke up thinking, bugger I didn't sweep off the slugs and snails off the blank 2.4m x 1.2m weed membrane sheets I took off the beds yesterday and put them away and I guess they will now be on someone else's plot!

So a swift visit was made and luckily the two sheets had been moved by the wind but my Daleks had kept them on my plot so they were gathered up and put away. It was just starting to rain but I could not resist looking to see if what was planted out yesterday had recovered the transpanting ordeal and were they looking healither than when I left them and the answer was....

  

YES, the butternut squash are now standing and looking perky.

So are the Piccolo di Parigi Pickling Cucumbers.

Even the Long Striped Marrows had bucked up, and for the moment appear to have no slug and snail damage. 

The Mr Fothergill's Esmarald cucumbers are happily starting to climb up the framework the Burpless and Marketmore on the sides not so much.

Potting Up Session

When you see roots have gone through the capillary matting bung and into the water section of the self watering propagators you know it's time to move the plants up into individual pots or vending machine drink cups, so that's what I've done 

  

6 x Marketmore Cucumbers (100% Germination)

4 x Burpless Cucumbers (67% Germination)

5 x Piccolo Di Parigi Gherkins (83% Germination)

5 x Long Stripped Marrows (83% Germination)

Vending machine cups have two holes melted in the bottom for drainage, with the trusty soldering iron and each cup is washed and stacked after use ready to be used again the following year. That's my way of reducing plastic by not throwing them away each year. 

Space Saver Greenhouse

Update since Wednesday 

Butternut Squash - 2 Seedlings + 3 = 5 

Cucumbers 

Achoch Fatboy   - No Germination yet 
Piccolo Di Parigi - 4 Seedlings
Burpless             - 4 Seedlings + 1 = 5 
Kiwano                - No Germination yet +2 = 2   << So happy to see Germination 
Mini White          - No Germination yet
Marketmore        - 5 Seedlings + 1 = 6

Marrow (Long Striped) - 5 Seedlings   

Tomatoes (First Batch)

Bailoni Red        - 3 Seedlings 
Bajaja                - 3 Seedlings 
Crimson Crush  - 5 Seedlings 
Kibitz                 - 1 seedling 
Micro Tom         - 2 Seedlings 
100's & 1000's  - 3 Seedlings +1 = 4 
Rapunzel          - 7 Seedlings
Red Robin        - 2 Seedlings 
Tiny Tim            - No Germination yet 

Tomatoes sown from the Grapevine (VSP) Virtual Seed Parcel (Second Batch)

Mainly sown into small pop bottle propagators at 4 seeds per pot as I only really require two plants of each and should be germinating this week.   

Alaskan Fancy                   - 1 seedling + 1 = 2
Black + Brown Boar           - Not sown yet 
Cyrils Choice                      - 1 seedling
Egyptian                              - No Germination yet
First In The Field                - No Germination yet
Kenilworth / King George  - No Germination yet
Latah Red                             - Not sown yet
Lukullus                              - No Germination yet
Petit Moineau                     - No Germination yet 
Raspberry Oxheart            - No Germination yet
Red Alert                             - Not sown yet
Roughwood Golden Plum - Not sown yet
Sallisaw Café                      - 1 seedling 
Stupice                                - No Germination yet +1 = 1
White Cherry                        - No Germination yet

Sown on the 24th & 25th May into 2 litre &  and 500ml Pop Bottle Propagtors (Third Batch)

  5 x Amish Mayberry - Heritage seed
  7 x Blaby Special - Heritage seed Sow By 2013 
  6 x Bajaja Tomatoes as only 3 from 6 germinated and 2nd Greenhouse now in play.
  7 x Maskotka
13 x Minibel Tomatoes 6 in one and 7 in the other as seed is so old sow by 2014
  5 x Red Pear  
  6 x Red Robin as only 2 from 6 germinated and 2nd Greenhouse now in play.
  8 x Sweet 'n' Neat Cherry F1
  8 x Sweet Million F1
  6 x Tiny Tim << If these don't germinate buy new supply next year 
  5 x Totem F1

Space Saver Greenhouse Update

Butternut Squash - 2 Seedlings

Cucumbers 

Piccolo Di Parigi - 4 Seedlings
Burpless             - 4 Seedlings 
Achoch Fatboy   - No Germination yet 
Mini White          - No Germination yet
Marketmore        - Five Seedlings

Marrow (Long Striped) - 5 Seedlings   

Tomatoes 

Bailoni Red        - 3 Seedlings 
Crimson Crush  - 5 Seedlings 
Kibitz                 - 1 seedling 
Micro Tom         - 2 Seedlings 
100's & 1000's  - 3 Seedlings 
Rapunzel          - 7 Seedlings 
Tiny Tim            - No Germination yet 

Tomatoes sown from the Grapevine (VSP) Virtual Seed Parcel 

Mainly sown into small pop bottle propagators at 4 seeds per pot as I only really require two plants of each and should be germinating this week.   

Alaskan Fancy                   - One seedling 
Black + Brown Boar           - Not sown yet 
Cyrils Choice                      - One seedling
Egyptian                              - No Germination yet
First In The Field                - No Germination yet
Kenilworth / King George  - No Germination yet
Latah Red  - Not sown yet
Lukullus                              - No Germination yet
Petit Moineau                     - No Germination yet 
Raspberry Oxheart            - No Germination yet
Red Alert                             - Not sown yet
Roughwood Golden Plum - Not sown yet
Sallisaw Café                      - One seedling 
Stupice                                - No Germination yet
White Cherry                        - No Germination yet

We Have Germination!

After the injury I had and the delay it's caused me, it's been nice to finally be getting seeds sown and in the Space Saver Greenhouse now it's clear of spuds and onions in Modules. 

It's even nicer to see germination happening and seedlings growing. It's quite frustrating looking each day and not seeing signs of life, but you might say the earth moved for me in the last couple of days, as seedlings push their heads out of the potting compost and have started to unfold their heads now on a daily basis. Photo above Piccolo Di Parigi Pickling Cucumber at the front and Burpless Tasty Green Cucumber at the back sown on the 6th May. 

Baiconi Red, Micro Tom and Red Robin also sown on the 6th May 2019 .

.

Long Green Striped Marrow at the back and Rapunzel Tomato at the front. 

I took some of the pop bottle tops off to take the photos, unscrewed the caps with holes and replaced with caps off to provide a larger venting area on those that are showing signs of life as there was some condensation on the seedlings. The condensation was removed from the inside of all the pop bottle propagators with a micro-pore cloth.  

I may remove the propagator caps during the day if the weather and temperatures stay with us, but will replace early evening if the temperatures are falling below 10 degrees C at night.

View from the Greenhouse Door

I spent most of Sunday sorting out the greenhouse and cleaning seed trays and module trays then sowing three mushroom trays worth or 45 number Marshalls Alliance Sweetcorn into plastic flexpots surrounded by bubble wrap as they are sat on the Concrete Paving of the Space Saver Greenhouse 

I forgot to say in the video that in addition to Butternut squash and various cucumber, and heritage. Mini, Micro and Dwarf Tomatoes on the top shelf I have also sown some Long Green Striped Marrows.

Sowing Seeds

During the last week I have been making more Self Watering Pop Bottle Propagators, sowing some mini & micro tomatoes, and this morning as I was up early as I have an appointment at the hospital I have sown a number of different cucumbers, some of which the seeds are getting a little old and may not germinate. 

Achocha Fat Baby
Burpless Tasty Green
Kiwano 
Miniature White 
Market More
Piccolo Di Parigi - To Pickel for my sister  

I have also sown Johnsons (Winter) Butternut Squash and Mr Fothergills David Domoney get growing (Winter) Hornet F1 Butternut Squash and Long Green Striped Marrow. 

The squash will take over the bottom end of Plot 1 again as I'm never going to get all the new beds installed this year as I'm running way behind. 

Sarah Bee asked "Interested to know what the varieties taste/look like Alan."

Kiwano connoisseurs describe the flavor of the slimy green interior as a cross between cucumber, zucchini, and kiwifruit (though as it ripens, it tastes more like a banana). A fully ripened kiwano has an orange rind with prominent spikes. To eat plain, cut the fruit in half

Miniature White-skinned, black-spined little pickling cukes. Production is high and begins very early on. Almost-bush plants that seldom run over three feet make great container plants. Delicious for fresh use, as well. This strain has none of the bitterness that has unfortunately come to be associated with the white-fruited types.

Achocha Fat Baby is remarkably easy to grow, and can be used raw in salads when small a bit like a cucumber.

It is a quick and vigorous climber and you can climb it up and over anything, including garden sheds, although it does need a sunny open spot. Definitely best outdoors though and not in a polytunnel, because it tends to take over if grown inside.

The best thing however, is that the mature fruit taste very much like green peppers when fried - yet they can be grown outdoors with ease and set masses of fruit with no effort.

To cook, simply cut open and flick out the seeds (saving a few for future planting of course) and then slice and fry just as a green pepper. Very similar taste to green peppers, just much easier to grow!

Cucumber 'Burpless Tasty Green' is a vigorous variety with impressive F1 hybrid productiveness revealing fruit which is tender-skinned and easy on the digestion!

Every cucumber reaches up to 20-30cm (10-12in) in length, is crisp, succulent and tasty. An excellent choice for sandwich fillers to offset more indigestible meat.

In growth Burpless Tasty Green shows good resistance to both powdery and downy mildew. This is good news when the greenhouse gets alternatively humid and dry which can bring mildew out in more inferior varieties. I've only ever grown these outdoors and they are lovely.

The first ever cucumber I grew and continue to grow each year is Marketmore. It's a reliable outdoor variety for those that wish to grow their own cucumbers but don’t have a greenhouse so you can enjoy the flavour you can only achieve when they are ripened in the sun and brought straight to the kitchen for preparing.

Marketmore boasts heavy crops from July from fruit up to 20cm (8in) long. Producing long fat fruit and with an impressive resistance to powdery and downy mildew, They can be a little spiky even when fully grown but they taste better than shop bought cucumbers

Cucumber Piccolo di Parigi. Green pickler 3-4 inches long. One of the first cucumbers to produce fruit and produces over a long season. Very nice taste. Use fresh or for pickles. If using transplants, start 3 weeks before the set-out date, which should be once the soil has warmed up well and the weather settled down (usually a week or so after the last frost date for your area). Put five seeds in a six inch pot; after germinating, let three remain. Cucumbers resent root disturbance so transplant carefully. Place plants three feet apart in rows six feet apart. They also do well on a trellis.

Butternut Squash & Marrows

This mornings gardening or allotment related thing for the day before starting work, I printed new labels and have sown 5 x Waltham Butternut Squash seed dating back to 2103, 6 x Chetunao Organic Butternut Squash Seed, and 6 x Long Green Stripped Marrow seeds in three Pop Bottle Propagators.

I may not be able to get the whole of plot 1 cultivated this year but I can cover the weed membrane with a forest of trailing squash everywhere I'm not working on the infrastructure.