Haven't done a #gardening report in a while. We're in waiting mode for the soil to dry, sometimes with great patience, and apparently, that's a necessity for the next week. Plants outside whenever it's not raining, back under the lights the rest of the time. #gyo #GrowFoodFromSeed

#ShortBreak #shorts #diy #gyo #growYourOwn #garden #gardening #Weedy #TheWeedyGarden

Awww
(Mr. Weedy has its eyes everywhere =D)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIKzC2bUPyQ

#ShortBreak #gardening #garden #gyo #GrowYourOwn #TheWeedyGarden #soil #microorganisms

*Doomscrolling break*

visit the fascinating universe of soil

(and after that go outside and make your hands dirty planting something ^.^)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddqk-K9PHfk

#FYI #diy #gyo #GrowYourOwn #gardening #SelfSufficientMe #raisedbed #electriculture

An electrifying field experiment =D

(on first sight I thought it's an agrovoltaics experiment, which works really good. But plugging in your garden patch is maybe not that a -bright- idea =D)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjJgHBPbbHo

What is this weed? Dug out of a Norfolk UK allotment bed.

We saw these little fuzzy leaves poking out of the ground in the middle of our asparagus bed. I dug around them trying to get as much out as possible and my little trowel hit something that went crunch... I dug out this large root/rhizome/tuber... clearly not all of it either. It's huge!

I've no idea what this is.

Edit: as identified by @laurenheywood this is a bryony of some sort ... we actually had this weed growing amongst the asparagus last year and thought it might be some sort of cucumber, but then it had red berries. Turns out it's related to cucumber! I assumed it was some annual, not something with a huge tuber! No we know.

#gardening report: lettuces, arugulas, kales, and collards moved outside to enjoy cool damp weather. Amaranths moved off the heat mat, so put another sowing of basil there. Also sowed wild arugula, regular arugula, and clio (aka Italian dandelion, aka chicory). #gyo #GrowFoodFromSeed

Bean transport ... hopefully they survive a ride, they're a little "leggy" and are going to need some support in the ground I reckon (especially on this windy day!) This is half aquadulce broad beans and half vespa field beans. And it's about time I got a second sowing in.

Pondering seed saving: do I need to worry that field beans and broad beans might cross-polinate?

Job I've been meaning to do for about a week... parsnip seeds spread out on damp paper. Trying this method for the first time.

What other seeds do people try pre-germinating before planting in the ground or modules?

#gardening report: moved parsley, collards, kale outside to join the lettuces, all of whom pulled their first all-nighter outside. All will come in before the rains come (tonight?). Sowed alyssum and zinnias. Observed the smallest red sprouts of amaranth. #gyo #GrowFoodFromSeed

#gardening report: at the allotment, I sowed beets and peas, transplanted onions and leeks. In the grow room at home, I took the sprouting basil off the heat mat - something else will go there tomorrow. #gyo #GrowFoodFromSeeds

Ah, so Just Seed are one of those examples of something that comes up on Evilzon a lot but in fact you're actually better off going direct to their own website. (Note I speak from being in the UK here!)

I use Just Seed because they're the only place I've managed to source a "correct" form of Japanese green shiso (perilla) from. Everywhere else has the less-frilly large leaved Korean variety. Shiso seeds have a short viability so our 2 year old packet seems to be kaput, so time for some new ones (and we should remember to gather our own seed, much like with parsley our best shiso crops have been once that self-seeded, unlike the parsley unfortunately that hasn't sustained itself year on year... not sure why.)

https://justseed.com/

Righty, got a bit distracted by yesterday evening's happenings which derailed me from the old tomato planting task... have caught up on that now ... so that's 10 varieties of cordon tomatoes sown, plus two varieties of tomatillo, and some cape gooseberries.

Now tucked up in the "hotfridge" for speedy germination.

Commercial compost sieved and microwaved ready for getting the tomato seeds in, just waiting for it to cool down now. Should hopefully be some excess for other seed planting, trying to catch up a bit. I only really bother to sterilise compost for the hot germinated plants, it seems to prevent mould and algae formation, and prevent "damping off" issues which I've experienced before. The seedlings grow strong and are then potted on to non-sterile soil, which includes some vermicompost if I can manage it.

In this week's #allotment postcard we pot on the chillies and get on with some other seedy activities.

https://youtu.be/JHBYJivDqB8?si=R4ocEr7nCu6vSXSs

#gardening report: moved kales off the heat mat, sowed red spike amaranth and blue ageratum, and put onto mat. Transplanted violas into containers and placed out front beside the two raised beds. This afternoon, I get to play pickup sticks, cleaning up the winter droppings of the river birches. #gyo #GrowFoodFromSeed

#gardening report: chilly, rainy day, so spinaches sown yesterday are getting a good watering. Collards sprouted quickly, so they moved off the heat mat, and 2 typed of broccoli are sown and on the mat. Might be able to move Kales off the mat tomorrow and also plan to transplant violas to go outside. #gyo #GrowFoodFromSeed

Weather just got more and more rubbish through the day... so ended up doing an 8 hour shift of potting on and seed sowing!

That's 74 #chillies potted on, across 26 varieties!! We'd better get cracking with finishing that #allotment greenhouse build, the polytunnel isn't going to be enough this year.

I've pricked out overgrown lettuces and badly etiolated chard, did the best I can with them. It's not something we need loads of though, hopefully some will make it.

Did some multisown mixed radish and four varieties of beetroot.

In the flower department: swan river daisy, "black" hollyhocks, chamomile from tea bags, and tobacco.

Plus herbs: 4 varieties of basil, and some old shiso seed which may or may not be viable!

And have popped this year's tomatoes and tomatillos into chamomile, they'll go in soil tomorrow (? maybe, lol.)

#gardening report: finally got the raspberries pruned. Cold, sunny day with windchill in the low 20s F. Soil temps range from 39°F to 42°F under the row covers. Sowed flamingo and auroch spinach. #gyo #GrowFoodFromSeed

#gardening report: rainy day, yeah as sowed clover yesterday. Indoors: sowed 2 types kale, 2 types collards, also basil. Transplanted parsley and coleus. That fills one stand of the two indoor rolling shelves. #gyo #GrowFoodFromSeeds

#gardening report: here is today's microgreens harvest. Working outside on raised beds for cleanup and soil refresh. Still lots to to over at the allotment: pruning raspberries is next. #gyo #GrowFoodFromSeds #microgreens