Gardening resources and tips, etc.

[herbidacious Profile]

I probably put too many in the pot. They are Calendula ‘Doppia Fiesta’, apparently. Hopefully will look lovely when more come out. The Sarah Raven ones started off with big flowers, but subsequent ones are smaller. Again too many in the pot? They are going a bit sprawly. Quite tall.
They are Indian Prince.

Actually they don't look that much different from the Franchi ones, apart from being taller.

IMG_2857.JPG

I do love them. I don't think I've grown them before (but then I've not really done flowers much at all before this year.)

[scullion Profile]

we had our first meal from our 'lady chrystl' potatoes last night, far better flavour than the jersey royals i bought the other week.
they were surface 'planted' under black plastic, on a layer of old potting compost, from last year's pots and tubs, and with no earthing up, just a slit above the 'seed'. i will definitely be saving the plastic sheet for next year. very lazy, very clean potatoes.

[herbidacious Profile]

That sounds good. I used to (try to) grow potatoes in bags, but the slugs got all the foliage each year so gave up. There are some (possibly) growing in last year's attempt.

[scullion Profile]

i used this method, roughly, with a metre square plot. i added a funnel for watering, through a hole in the middle of the plastic when the weather got very dry, just in case. they were planted a bit close cos i didn't have anywhere to put the rest of the big bag of seed so the yield may not be as good as it could have been - but we got a meals worth from the first plant so that fine by me.

our girl cat is eating the lemongrass leaves growing in the living room at the moment. her mother used to do the same. i grow it for them from the 'spare' in packets from the supermarket. at least her breath smells better than the, sometimes, fishy smell from the cat food!

[herbidacious Profile]

I wish I had more garden to do these things. Plans are afoot for new, adiditonal (unless I get a greenhouse) raised bed(s), subject to finding a good way to do it in an area that floods occasionally.

[herbidacious Profile]

I spotted a lacewing on my beans yesterday while watering them

[Lusciouslush Profile]

Uuuummm.............. I was toying with the idea of placing an order for autumn planting bulbs this morning but stopped myself - it's mid July for heavens sake what's wrong with me?!?!

Still tempted................

[Suffs Profile]

I order mine now so I can get the varieties I want before they sell out.

[Lusciouslush Profile]

That makes me feel a lot better.............

[herbidacious Profile]

I ordered a load of tulips a few weeks ago, when i realized that quite a few of the ones I had in pots this spring are not going to make it next year.

Still need to order some aliums.

[herbidacious Profile]

I seem to have let some of peas get a bit too mature (pods begining to have a bit of texture). I don't want to waste them. Is there anything (palatiable) ia can do with them?
editing for mispelling of 'peas'

[karadekoolaid Profile]

Pick them, pod them and put them in a ziploc bag in the freezer. Don´t even bother to blanch them. As the other peapods mature, do the same. You´ll soon have a bag full of peas.
I do the same with cape gooseberries, which seem to grow wild in my garden. When I´ve got a kilo, I make some jam.

[herbidacious Profile]

I don't think they will be very nice, though, Clive? A bit hard...

[Suffs Profile]

I seem to have let some of peas get a bit too mature (pods begining to have a bit of texture). I don't want to waste them. Is there anything (palatiable) ia can do with them?
editing for mispelling of 'peas'

I save the outside leaves of our lettuces, or any that have started to 'bolt' for this recipe with cheap frozen peas (not W'rose petit pois ) but I'm sure adding in some of your 'older' peas would be fine
https://www.riverford.co.uk/recipes/let ... -mint-soup

It's OH's favourite favourite soup ... he says he could live on it.

[herbidacious Profile]

I am going to try just cooking them, after all. Some of the beautifully ready peapods turned out to have no peas in them What a waste! The squeeze test will be used from now on.

I could have done to grow more peas, really. I do have a second lot en route though, with a third, possibly behind it.

[miss mouse Profile]

I save the outside leaves of our lettuces, or any that have started to 'bolt' for this recipe with cheap frozen peas (not W'rose petit pois ) but I'm sure adding in some of your 'older' peas would be fine

How do you keep the leaves and how long before they are slug fodder? I use the s'market soft round ones and it would be a while collecting the battered leaves.

[Suffs Profile]

Miss Mouse, we only keep them 2/3 days if that ... we eat a lot of lettuce at this time of year and even more this year as I’m growing extra, and they’re mainly Cos so the leaves stay crispy quite well after being rinsed, spun and wrapped in a tea towel and popped in the salad drawer of the fridge.
So, if you want to make that soup I’d probably buy a couple of Butterheads, take the centre of the sweet hearts out and eat or store them as above and make the soup with the rest of them.

[miss mouse Profile]

Thanks Suff. Good idea.

[PatsyMFagan Profile]

In my Slimming World's 'Little Book of Soups' I have recipes for: Lettuce Soup with Peas; Pea & Mint Soup; Indian Green Pea soup; Pea & Ham soup too if you want something with less calories

[herbidacious Profile]

Your soup does look lovely, Suffs. I shall try it. 25g is not so bad when divided by 4?

And butter makes everything better

I really do need to diet, though