[Bazmundo]

Big Dave, on 02 April 2012 - 08:32, said:

Risk of hard frost seems to have decreased on the most recent GFS runs, still some frost around though for many so precautionary measures may still be needed this week.

Yes my Pieris has started flowering, so might try the sprayed water technique to make the morning thaw slower on Thu and Fri when there's full sun from the off.

[Dave K]

First potato shoot has appeared above the soil this morning, just in time for potential frosts later this week! Still, it will be easy to cover up the tubs overnight to avoid frost damage to that and any more that come through.

[Dave K]

Three carrot seedlings have appeared above the soil surface today outside, just in time for a frosty night Will be fleecing things up tonight...

Quite a few pods now on the fatalii chilli too in the sunporch.

[Halo]

It won't be long before I'm scoffing rhubarb. Can you eat broccoli tops after the buds have opened into a flower? Or put simply can you eat the yellow flower? Just curious.

[Dave K]

Halo, on 05 April 2012 - 17:51, said:

It won't be long before I'm scoffing rhubarb. Can you eat broccoli tops after the buds have opened into a flower? Or put simply can you eat the yellow flower? Just curious.

Someone here says you can have them in a salad! Apparently they are safe to eat, but how they taste...

http://foodblogga.bl...lad-plasma.html

[Halo]

Big Dave, on 05 April 2012 - 17:54, said:

Someone here says you can have them in a salad! Apparently they are safe to eat, but how they taste...

http://foodblogga.bl...lad-plasma.html

I've eaten a few broccoli flowers (I'm OK so far unless I'm talking to you from the fiery depths of down below) and they seem to retain some of the flavour of the buds but weaker. But this could be because there is more substance to a cluster of buds than one or two flowers, maybe.

[Nigel Bolton]

Have failed with rhubarb so far, but bought a rather expensive established plant a week or so ago, and it seems to have taken well. Nothing til next year mind you!!!

Witht he warmer nights, the broad beans are mostly up and the onion shoots are some 3-4cm tall. Tommies about 7cm tall, still on the bedroom window sill, but now have 'proper' leaves.

Patrick planted a sunfower seed in a little tiny pot at Kindergarten 2 weeks ago. After complete dormancy, suddenly this tall plant with two seed leaves has suddenly appeared. Am hoping with a rapid growth type plant such as the Sunflower, I can learn Patrick the art of plant growth and get him interested.

N.

[Dave K]

Potato shoots survived the frost last week after being well covered up with mini-cloches and fleece etc, but now we have a threat of a longer spell and colder for several mornings at the weekend and into next week. As the potato shoots grow taller and get larger it gets more difficult to keep them covered up so the best thing is probably to bury the shoots with more loose compost - and hopefully that will prevent any damage.

Does look as if late frosts will be a bane this spring...

[John Mason]

Put my spuds in yesterday. By the time the shoots are up, hopefully what frosts there are will be minimal. Garden is certainly getting a good soaking today!

Cheers - John

[akkan]

Chris Lloyd, on 09 April 2012 - 12:08, said:

Talking of spraying in frost - funnily enough my dad was telling me about this just the other day. I think it has something to do with doing it before the sun gets on and how gradual the thaw is - an old, old method. I guess it stops the cells bursting like some fruit does when frozen and then defrosted. Strawberry being an example.

My grandfather was head-gardener on a big estate locally and he used to do this with the strawberries. It involved getting up at 5:00 before the sun reached the plants and then spraying them. No hoses and sprinklers in those days, as the estate didn't have piped water in the early 50s. I've done it with various plants (particularly my tree peonies) and it's worked well. I don't usually get up quite that early thoughpublic/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif


I have a gardening client who just bought herself a pieris in full bloom which she put in her east facing garden, it got through the frost without spraying or fleece. I expect it to die though, because she doesn't have a waterbutt and our soil is limey

[Dave K]

Red Duke of York potato shoots coming up well so far, am being cautious and covering them with fleece overnight just in case - the minima here being consistently about 2 °C colder than the general area forecast. The Belle de Fontenays which were planted a week later showing the first signs of emerging above the soil.


The Red Duke of York potaoes - attractive leaf colour too

Radishes very very slow, three weeks after sowing and only just developing the second pair of leaves.

Spring onions sown outside have just started to emerge which is three weeks after sowing. The nights have been rather cool this month so the soil temperature hasn't had a chance to stay warmed up once the sun goes down. Spring onions sown indoors as a comparison, the first couple are up 7 days after sowing.

Have about 20 baby carrot seedlings up now but I have had to remove at least the same number - in my inexperience sowed the seeds by broadcast a bit too thickly so getting loads too close to each other. They say that carrot fly starts to become active once cow parsley starts flowering - which is now so I do the thinning just before dark and then cover up the container too just in case.

Tomato seedlings growing rather rapidly also about three weeks after sowing indoors. Won't be too long before thay go into 5 inch pots awaiting final placing outside ( though June and its more benevolent weather seems a long way off right now)

This post has been edited by Big Dave's Gusset: 12 April 2012 - 13:46

[Dave K]

Well I have got through this spell of danger without an air frost after all, and with the potato shoots well fleeced up just in case there is no sign of cold damage. In fact the first shoot of the second earlies Belle de Fontenay had appeared above soil today when I uncovered it. Not out of the woods yet though for frost by the looks of things.

Repotted a few toms into 5" pots as they have been growing quickly, still a bit too cold in the unheated sun porch for them to stay there overnight though. Eveything else outside is very slow with these cool days and chilly nights.

[Dave K]

Things still progressing quite well if a little slowly in the cloudy and cool conditions. Some tomato seedlings moved into the unheated sun porch as they were getiing too big for the indoors windowsill, though without spells of sunshine it struggles to get much above 15 °C in the day and 10 °C at night - a bit of early hardening off there. At least the threat of frost has receded for now and hopefully for good. The frequent and regular rain is about right here, not yet so heavy iin too short a time that the top of the soil is waterlogged or runs-off given the bone hard dryness of the soil a few inches down, it should percolate down nicely.

First shoots of the 2nd earlies now up, and the radishes seem to have picked up the pace. Though I'd try and find room for a pot of basil and the seedlings indoors emerged remarkably quickly, inside 5 days.

[Dave K]

Weather doesn't seem to be hindering the growth of the potatoes, compare with prevoius pic on earlier post taken 12 days ago, they must be loving the rain!

[Dave K]

First sowing of radishes have been nearly 6 weeks in the ground, and only about half the size you'd want them. Spring onions just barely starting to produce a proper stem leaf and carrots just starting to show "proper" carrot leaves after about 5 weeks. Everything seems to be very slow outside this spring...

Taters however seem unfazed despite the coolness and continue to grow well, the plentiful rainfall and sunny spells obviously about the right mix.

Soil moisture indicator show soil the soil is very wet down to at least 6 inches. Been difficult to stop containers getting waterlogged with the periods of prolonged and heavy rain with barely any drying out time.

Tomatoes indoors however growing a bit too fast, can't imagine the weather will be kind enough to put them in their final positions outside in time!

This post has been edited by Big Dave's Gusset: 01 May 2012 - 16:16

[Nigel Bolton]

My veg only upping slowly, but now have a few radishes to eat. Shame about the recent rain being cold, although very abundant. Just need some warm sunshine and mild nights to speed things along.

N.

[Dave K]

I have my first "crop" of 2012, picked one single radish today to have with lunch - after the downhill spring weather of the last few weeks even that seems like a triumph!

[Dave K]

A couple of the haulms on the Red Duke of York potato plants have produced tiny flowers, this is about 63 days after planting so in theory there should be some small new potatoes ready. This spring, stopping the compost from drying out hasn't been a problem ( not surprising!) but sunshine and warmth has been in short supply. However I'm going to leave them alone until some of the other haulms have flowers before I investigate. The problem with a container is that it's really difficult to get your hands in and root around to see what's there without damaging haulms and roots, might try next year one of those with opening on the sides...

Snails have been trying to get at them too, weather's been ideal for the little buggers, but not much damage to the leaves.