The King's Package

The seeds from Kings have arrived. Kings are very efficient. This year they got the oder exactly right too. Looking forward to pleanty of carrots later in the season.

Kings Seeds

Just placed this year's order with King's Seeds (and got the 2 free packets for exceeding $40, by 70c). Tons of carrots this year as there's none left in my stocks. Trying a new kind of tomato and kohlrabi for the first time. An asparagus bed in going in this year too. So here's what I got:

Asparagus Mary Washington
Bean Blue Lake Runner
Broccoli Premium Green F1
Carrot Paris Market
Carrot Lubyana
Carrot White Belgian
Carrot Purple Dragon
Cucumber Marketmore
Kohlrabi Emerald F1
Kohlrabi Early Purple Vienna
Pumpkin Harvest Gold F1
Snow Pea Goliath
Squash Sunbeam
Tomato Lady Bug F1

Un-young

Onion, that should have been.

Planted 3 trays of onion seeds, one of sweet red, one of italian long keeper, and the final of bollatana.

All the seeds were at least one year old and so the germination rate night be lower than expected.

There isn't a whole lot more that can be planted at this time of winter other than the brasicas.

Radish and Spinach

To the vege patch was added perpetual spinach from Red Barn. Also planted some radish seeds - with the hope of slow growth over winter. In order of left-to-right (from front of patch) the radish types were Cherry Belle, Black Round, and German Giant.

That bed now has cauli and broccoli at the front (interplanted with Garlic) then spinach, then radish.

Start of new Season

After a week of non-stop rain it finally cleared up yesterday. In went 6 cauli, 6 brocolli, and nearly 20 garlic. The garlic is saved from last year, but the others are from the shop - not from seed.

Bean there done that.

Peas and beens from the last post were planted in the sprouting chambers the next day. 30 of the 40 peas have gerninated. The beans are beginning to germinate too. It appears to happen more slowly with beans than with peas.

Also (last weekend) planted leek seeds and strawberries seeds (seeds saved from last year's crop of alpine strawberried). Both were planted in pots in the green-room and both have started to germinate.

Plonked some old parsnip seeds into the patch along with turnip seeds (white and green).

Went to Nichols to get a small tunnel. After placing it over a small patch of the patch it was clearlt warmer inside than out (when you stick your arm in. To test it properly one of the punnets of 2 squash were transplanted from a pot into the patch under the tunnel. With some luck it'll thrive (the zucchini put into the patch died).

Weekend Pottyness

Five of each of the two tomato varieties (Purple Calabash and Riesentraube) went out of the sprouting chamber and into pots. As did the Thyme, but they are tiny so three plants went into each of three posts. Strawberry Spinach also went into pots, one plant pot.

Soaking large seeds overnight for planting tomorrow:

Peas
Beans (Albenga and Borlotto)
Punpkin (Australian Seed Oil and Jack be Little)

Also planted remaining strawbetty spinach in the patch. The Zucchini in the patch is doing badly. It didn't help that is sonowed today!