allotment updatery: watcha growing in your propagator boo?

today we started to sow our first veg seeds, this meant dusting off the heated propagator. unfortunately our new place doesn’t have many places to start seeds off, in fact the only space we have is in front of the french doors. so provided we don’t get too blotto’d whilst dining al fresco (which won’t be a while) the seedlings will be safe.

so back to the propagator..

from top to bottom: 3 x trays of parmex carrots, 1 x ’sweet chocolate’ sweet pepper, 1x ‘orange banana’ toms, 1 x ’serpette amelioree d’auvergne’ climbing pea and 1 x ‘n. napia’ pointy red sweet pepper.

we’ve had very poor luck with carrots so far, although having read a few blogs i think it’s safe to say we’re not alone. this time around we’ve went for the rounder ball-like variety. this is mostly because it would seem that the soil you need, to avoid getting forked carrots, has to be super fine soil, that has been sifted through a spider’s web, whilst saying a prayer to the angry carrot god TORRAC. the other seeds are having their second chance, as they either didn’t grow or didn’t ripen in time for harvest. further more after graduating from seedling to plants, the toms and peppers are being grown in the mini greenhouse so we can get a better crop. last year we found that the poor summer combined with the allotments windy disposition gave a small crop. although, but before i entirely blame it all on the elements, i should point out i didn’t stake out the plants or keep them to four trusses.

we’ve also started this years flowers:

left is blue lagoon (verbena x hybrida) and right is night phlox (zaluzianskya capensis).

lou also planted some bulbs (daffs?) in the garden, it’d be great if they end up flowering, but failing that they’re ready for next year it’s been very chilly outside, i do wonder what it will do the veg this year. it’d be great if we had a longer summer to make up, so fingers crossed!