Progression in the polytunnel

Well, it's getting closer to May and the weather has been warming up. It's certainly not really been a rainy April. I remember this time a few years ago being so wet and my polytunnel shelves groaning under the weight of countless seedlings waiting to go out!

At the moment,, I've carried on planting inside the polytunnel in the raised beds. Right now I have tomatoes, radishes, lettuce, garlic and parsnips all doing well.

Tomatoes:
My tomato plants are growing nicely, with about 50% now in the raised beds. I'll put about 30% more in this coming weekend and then the remainder (I'll not have room for all of them in the raised beds) will go in the greenhouse and mini greenhouse. Height wise, they are about 30cm tall but I've only tied the ones planted in the beds temporarily to sticks. I'll be attaching them to string (and I'll show you why I like this method when I do it) later.

Lettuce:
I've two varieties growing: Lollo rossa and Little Gem, both of which could really be picked now. I've not had a need for salad leaves at the dinner table just yet but it's good to know that there's something I can pick.

Pak Choi:
This is something that I also enjoy growing. It's easy to look after and I love it in a stir fry. I'll be sowing more seeds at the weekend to produce this in succession to carry on enjoying this leaf.

 Lollo rossa looking very good here.

 Pak choi growing on, some will still be in pots and I'll be sowing more seeds very soon.

 The tomatoes in their final growing place after being moved from their pots. I will keep some in bigger pots as well as growing in raised beds.

I've also gone ahead and removed some plants from the polytunnel, transferring them to the garden. I must admit that I haven't really hardened off any plants as the weather has been warm but if anything happens due to a cold snap then that's my own fault!

Why harden off?



Hardening off plants prepares them better for the outdoors if they have been grown indoors/under glass. It's not just the potential of damage from cold but also from wind and sun exposure (yes, plants can also get burnt in the sun just as we would do if left out all day). Gradual introduction to the great outdoors is often overlooked when it comes to growing (and I'm no exception).

Broad beans:
So, some of my varieties are being grown outside the old chicken shed (as I no longer have poultry). The soil should contain lots of nutrients from having poultry live there before and nothing else has grown there since. I don't really think that the soil should be damaging in any way to crops and plants (fresh manure can be too "hot" for plants, burning their roots etc but this area doesn't contain any fresh manure anymore). I've put out two varieties and am saving the other two for the allotment. Aquadulce Claudia and The Sutton are out in the garden and so far looking quite healthy.

 The roots of my broad beans getting quite busy in their pots!

 Healthy looking bean plants with no aphids or signs of chocolate spot.

Globe artichokes:

I quite like these both as flowering plants and as edibles. I think they look striking in a garden setting, reaching tall heights with unusual looking flowers. I like pickled artichokes but I'm the only one in the family that does! I've grown all mine from seeds I purchased last year. They are ready to go out as they are outgrowing their pots so I've planted them in a permanent area close to a fence by the old chicken shed. With growing this many I can keep some to flower in the garden and some to eat. Best of both!





 Globe artichokes raised from seed this year.

 Now in the ground, the globe artichokes will remain in this plot for a few years.

Blueberries:

Last year I also potted blueberries that I purchased as very young plants. They didn't produce any fruit last year but they are thriving this year. The reason behind growing them in pots is because they prefer a more acidic soil and I would like to be able to move them around in case they get attacked by pests or I simply want to have them in another location in the garden!

Also in this area, but in pots, are blueberries that I bought last year. They are already flowering.

All in all things are going well although I still feel that they are progressing too slowly this year, due to my work commitments. Hopefully I can find the time to do a lot more very soon!

Till next time x