From the category archives:

Growing food

We’ve planted some rhubarb

February 2, 2010
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We have been out in the plot planting rhubarb crowns. These are fairly inexpensive, and although we’ll have to wait until next year before we can take our first harvest it will be much cheaper than buying cut rhubarb in the shops.

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We’ve ordered our seeds for 2010

January 30, 2010
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Spring is approaching, so we’ve been sitting down with the seed catalogues again and finally ordered this year’s seeds. We’re growing tomatoes, potatoes, beans and more, with a few fruity experiments thrown in for variety.

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Time to start planting for 2010

January 25, 2010
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It’s time to start planting the seeds for this year’s vegetable crops, and the Royal Horticultural Society is lending a hand with a functional, useful guide to what you should plant, and when.

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Digging our first parsnips

January 19, 2010
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We were worried that the melting snow – and the rain the followed – would have ruined our parsnip crop, but after digging up the first four specimens we’re pleasantly surprised.

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The potatoes have survived the snow!

January 18, 2010
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Our home-grown potatoes have surprised us – in a good way. After all the snow and ice they still looked good to eat when we turned out the latest bag.

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Caring for the raspberries

December 31, 2009
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Our raspberry plants have been in need of attention for a few weeks, so we headed out with the secateurs to prune them, and with three brand new canes to replace some of the weaker plants that hadn’t taken last summer.

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Red chillies

October 28, 2009
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My knowledge of chillies is patchy at best. I grow them every year and scatter them on pizzas or in my spicy tomato soup, and lately we’ve started making our own chilli at home, but I’ve never been certain what colour is best.
We pick them when they’re green because that’s generally when we need them, [...]

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The last tomatoes and raspberries

October 26, 2009
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Autumn is certainly here, going on the colour of the trees, so it’s time to start picking the last of our crops before it gets properly cold. Not that there’s an awful lot left.
We do still have some tomatoes (below), but only really enough for a couple of topped bruchetta as a starter tonight and, [...]

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The cheat’s way to grow your own

October 13, 2009
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2009 was a patchy year on the plot. The beans and onions went wild, but the tomatoes were slow to ripen and the carrots were a wash-out. We’ve been through a few years now of growing our own, though, so we expect some annual variation, but for anyone just starting out, it could be enough [...]

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The tomatoes are ripening

September 23, 2009

And about time, too. It looks like the harsh trimming I gave the tomato plants is finally paying off. Their fruits, which have stayed stubbornly green through the whole of the summer are finally turning, and not before time.

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