When we returned from our holiday in August we discovered that our French beans had grown much too large to eat, and so we decided to leave them to “ripen” on the plant, so that we could collect the seed for sowing next year. This weekend I had a little look at them, and many were now ready for collecting. We’ve had some lovely dry and warm weather recently and this really helped to dry out the pods. It’s hard to imagine that something so fleshy can thoroughly dry out but when we picked them the pods were thin, papery and very brittle. In fact, some of them were already splitting open ready to drop their seeds. We picked all the ripe ones and shelled them in the sun. We managed to collect about 80 seeds which is more than enough for next year. Once we’ve collected the rest I think we shall probably have enough seed for 2 or 3 years! The important thing to remember is that the seeds must be totally dry before you store them, and then you want to store them in an airtight container so that moisture can’t get in. We’ve put our seeds near the boiler for a day or two just to make sure they are properly dry. If you bite them, your teeth shouldn’t leave a mark!
Saving Seed
Planting Peas in Guttering – It Works!
We’ve been meaning to give this technique of sowing peas in guttering a go for some time and have finally got round to it this year… and I have to say I’m impressed. It’s pretty simple, just sow a row of pea seeds (two wide staggered) in some guttering and when the plants are a few centimeters (or an inch) high, slip the pea plants and soil out into a trench of similar depth to the guttering.
So, here’s what the guttering looked like….
And now they’re in the ground (without the guttering!)…
For ease of transfer from the guttering, don’t let the peas get too large (or their roots start to cling to the guttering) and do the transfer when the soil in the guttering isn’t too wet. See more info here on growing peas
Planting Second Early Potatoes
We weren’t sure whether we were going to grow potatoes this year, but when we saw them in the garden centre we remembered how delicious home grown new potatoes are. We were too late for first earlies, but just right for second earlies, so this is what we went for. 
They had already started to chit, so we just popped them in egg boxes on the shed windowsill for another couple of weeks before planting them. Chitting potaotes just means getting them started. They grow chits, or little green shoots, which develop into new growth. It’s a good idea to chit them as it gives them a bit of a head start but it isn’t strictly necessary. Egg boxes are perfect for chitting as you can stand the potatoes up in them with the rose end uppermost. This is the end with the most “eyes” (they look like dimples) where the shoots will grow from. This year we are trying two different varieties, cabernet and nicola.
We dug a couple of trenches about a 10 inches deep, placed the potatoes rose end up (the end with the most chits) in the bottom and then covered them with 2 – 3 inches of soil. As the shoots grow we will earth up by filling more of the trench with soil. We find this easier than planting at soil level and then trying to earth up from the surrounding soil. I’ve marked the day in the diary so that in about 16 weeks (or just as they start to flower) we shall be able to dig up wonderful new potatoes. I’ve planted some mint too (in pots otherwise it will take over the garden!) as new potatoes are delicious either cooked or served with a little fresh mint.
Nettle Soup from the Garden
Don’t dig up all your nettles until you’ve picked the top few leaves for nettle soup! I was busy weeding around the blackcurrants when I came across a clump of fresh young nettles. I downed tools, rushed inside and came out a few minutes later wearing my Marigolds (a must for nettle picking) and carrying a plastic bag. Five minutes later I’d collected enough small leaves for nettle soup. I’m not sure what the neighbours thought! It was too nice a day to go inside so I just put them in the fridge, and then had the satisfaction of digging the nettles up. I love the way you pull one and a whole row comes up as they are all attached to one another by long yellow roots. I have to admit, I didn’t get round to making the soup until a couple of days later but I now have a lovely pan full of fresh green nettle soup. I used Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s recipe from the River Cottage Cookbook. It’s very simple. This is what you will need:
- ½ carrier bag of nettles, top few leaves
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 2 celery sticks
- clove of garlic (I used a few wild garlic leaves as we had them in the fridge)
- 1 litre chicken stock (I used turkey, as that’s what I had in the freezer)
- 1 medium potato (to thicken)
- 2 tablespoons double cream or crème fraîche
It’s worth giving the nettles a thorough wash, as there are often insects on them (this is where I got stung – didn’t think I’d need my Marigolds after they’d been in the fridge for two days!). Then sweat the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in some butter until soft. Add the potato, stock and nettles and simmer for about 10 minutes. Season and add a touch of nutmeg. Purée the whole lot and stir in the cream or crème fraîche. Top each bowl with some extra crème fraîche and a sprinkling of chives and parsley. Delicious for lunch, and an extra harvest from the garden when there isn’t much else.
Also, did you know that nettles can attract aphids and cabbage white butterflies away from your veg? It might just be worth having a little patch of them somewhere (well contained of course as they spread terribly). Maybe nettles aren’t so bad after all!
Broad Beans are Planted Out
The broad bean seedlings have left the comfort of the greenhouse and are now outside.
As a quick tip – if you want to get the spacing right when you plant seedlings out, lay them on the ground still in their pots, and then you can jiggle (technical term!) their positioning around until they’re evenly spaced. Then just plant them one at a time, maintaining their position….as seen above (note the use of our cheap plant pots).
All in neat double rows….
Don’t forget to water newly planted seedlings in, to help settle their roots and give them a good start.
Finally, to keep them snug , we’ve popped them under some horticultural fleece. Fleece creates a pocket of still warmer air around that plants that we have found definitely speeds up development.
Blueberry Bushes – Pine cuttings help
When it comes to soil, blueberry bushes have very exacting standards! They require very acidic soil and so are commonly grown in pots, making the soil conditions easier to control. Even so, you need to actively ensure that the pH remains low (around pH5). If you have a Christmas tree at Christmas then rather than just throwing it away after use, one good ‘tradition’ you can get into is to pop a few cut up branches around the base of your blueberry bushes. These cuttings actively help to lower soil pH as they break down. Clearly this only applies to real Christmas trees, cutting up the plastic variety is only likely to land you in trouble with the rest of the family!
So, pop down to the bottom of the garden, find the discarded Christmas tree and get snipping! Here are what ours look like now…
Whilst on this subject, blueberry bushes should also be watered with rainwater that tends to be more acidic than tap water.
Cheap Plant Pots
Here’s a nifty tip that we happened upon by accident one year when we ran out of plant pots at a critical moment… Disposable drinking cups make for very cheap plant pots! Emma used to work in an office and, while there, kept the disposable cups from the drinks dispenser rather than throwing them away after use. Then a few years back, when we were in need of some extra plant pots, we figured that disposable cups might work well…and they do! They don’t keep as long as plant pots (they crack in the end) but if you happen to have a drinks dispenser at work, then rather than throw your used cups away…why not use them as free plant pots?
If you look at the post below, you’ll see one being used for our tomato seedlings.
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