Monday 22 February 2016

Harvest Monday and Norwich riverside walk (in the rain)

On Wednesday (my day off) I fitted in a couple of hours on the plot, working on redoing the old raised beds. I'm nearly there on one set and will hopefully start on the next ones soon. Unfortunately the weather was a bit rubbish this weekend so I didn't get down again - rainy on Saturday and REALLY windy on Sunday (so I hunkered down and read 'This book will save your life' by A.M. Homes - a very good fiction book if you're after a good read.)
 
On Wednesday I also sowed my tomato and pepper seeds, ooh.
Because they like a warm temperature to germinate there's a few things you can do easily to help them on their way, including....Bringing some compost into the house a few days before using to get it to room temperature, moistening the compost with room temperature water rather than straight from the tap. I also cover my tray of seeds with bubble wrap.
I tried to be organised by first filling all the modules with compost (using a teaspoon so as not to be too messy in the lounge), then compressed the compost down a bit using a spare set of modules to push on them. Next I could just go through all the seed packets one by one sowing what I wanted without having to stop-start with filling with compost.
Here they are after popping all the seeds in but before sprinkling a thin layer of compost on top. I prefer to sow them in modules rather than a tray so they don't need pricking out (and instead just pinch-out the weaker seedlings). I use cut-up margarine tubs as labels.
It's better to water from below to avoid spoiling the compost structure, so I fill the tray with room temp water, leave it for 10-15 minutes for the compost to absorb the water and next, instead of tipping out the water (and accidentally tipping over your seed modules, which I've done before, ahem) I move the modules into a fresh tray, then put near the window, wrapped in bubble-wrap. It doesn't look very pretty but does the job! Grow little seeds, grow.
 
Harvests this week have included more cress and bean sprouts on the windowsill, lots of corn salad and some rough greens (chard and kale) from the plot. We used the greens for a quick meal, steamed with poached eggs on sourdough toast, yummy.
I also made some lovely roast potatoes, parsnip and beetroot with Rosemary, (the last of the parsnips, ah). But I will be sowing this year's parsnips soon, inbetween the rows of autumn broad beans (which are looking rather sorry for themselves after the windy weather).
 
A quick report on my latest batches of apple cider vinegar, simply made from water, apple cores / peel and a bit of honey. The one on the left is two weeks old and on the right is just-made. Quite a colour difference.
A good ferment on the older one, (which I've since removed all the peel/cores from and which will take a few more weeks to mature. It still tastes nice, just not vinegary). I had to keep an eye on it in the first few days as actual mould was appearing on top and needed removing.

Norwich Riverside Walk

And finally, it was raining on Saturday but we had to pop into the city centre to pick up some groceries. We both felt like we needed to stretch our legs a bit so went the long way in, via the riverside walk....(Photos by Jan)

Pull's Ferry, a medieval gatehouse (now the girl guides' HQ) where a side channel from the river used to lead up to the cathedral for deliveries. The channel has since been filled in and is called Ferry Lane, lined with lovely flint buildings
Norwich (Anglican) Cathedral, viewed from Pull's Ferry. (We have a Roman Catholic cathedral too). Peregrines nest on a platform on the spire, put in by the Hawk and Owl Trust.
Egyptian geese breed in a nearby tree. They're lovely looking birds but apparently are a bit of an invasive species.
Medieval 'Cow Tower', on a big meander in the river. There wasn't a wall needed in this part of the city as the river formed the barrier, but the tower meant that the area could be overseen easily. We've got more medieval heritage than you can shake a stick at in Norwich!

I could go on rambling but will stop there for now.

This week I'll be checking exactly when to plant out my onion sets and when did I sow my parsnips last year? (I didn't write down either in my notebook so will have to look through blog posts, it will be a nice reminder anyway).

 

Thanks for reading....linking in with Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Our Happy Acres.

 

 

16 comments:

  1. You've already started your tomato and peppers seeds! I just got the last of my seed order in and am really excited to get started.

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    1. Hi phoung, yes and the tomatoes have already germinated, wow! Ooh good luck with yours :)

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  2. How exciting to plant tomato and pepper seeds! It makes spring seem so much closer. Norwich looks like a lovely place even with the rain.

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    1. Thanks Julie it always feels good to get the first seeds sown. We're very lucky in Norwich, it's such a nice city, lots to see and do.

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  3. Those geese don't look much like our geese! I have started tomatoes as early as now but then I'm stuck with huge plants throughout the house waiting for the weather to warm up. I think I'll be waiting until later in March this year. Looks like a nice selection you have for the seeds.

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    1. Hi Susie, these geese aren't native....interestingly I just looked them up and according to the RSPB website, over here they're only really found in Norfolk....an ornamental escapee.

      I have the lean-to off the back of the house, so I'll move the toms out there after I've potted them on once (late March), and protect with some bubble wrap in case of low temps. It worked last year anyway :D

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  4. I've got about another week before I start peppers and tomatoes here. It's interesting to see you making vinegar. That's something I haven't tried (yet). I don't think I've ever seen an Egyptian goose before. The Canada geese here are rather invasive, making large flocks in public places, and sometimes getting nasty towards people as well.

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    1. Hi Dave, The vinegar is really easy and made from scraps, amazing really. Wish I'd discovered it sooner. I would just keep an eye out for mould in the early stages (one batch I forgot to check for a week or two and there was a thick layer of mould that couldn't be salvaged). Keep poking the apple bits under the liquid helps to prevent it.
      We get lots of Canada geese here too that can be a problem.

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  5. As other commenters have mentioned we will be a little while before we sowour tomatoes and peppers. We haven't got our pepper seeds by yet. Someone forgot to add them to the seed list when we sent in our orders. And the someone wasn't me.

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    1. Hehe, I can only blame myself if some seeds are missed off the order sue.
      Having my lean-to off the back of the house to move the toms into means I can sow earlier as it's warmer than a standalone greenhouse.

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  6. Sowing seeds is a learning process isn't it? It's been a few years and I still find I'm tweaking how I do things.

    Well, I've just started my pepper seeds - Some of them are quite slow going so I like to give them an extra early start. The tomatoes, however, won't be started for another month or so otherwise, like Susie, I'd have monsters by the time I could get them outside in late May!

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    1. Yes the peppers are definitely slower to germinate Margaret. Lots of the toms have already sprouted but the peppers are nowhere to be seen.
      Lucky I have my lean-to greenhouse to move the toms into, definitely no space in the house :D and they're safer from blight in the lean to as well rather than the garden or allotment

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  7. I am delaying the sowing of my tomato and chilli seeds for another couple of weeks or so, because I know I won't be able to give them enough light if I sow too early (much I would like to get on and start!). Your poached eggs are very neat. Did you cook them in "Poachpods" or something similar?

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    1. Hi Mark, yep the lack of light can be an issue. I've set up some reflective material around my tray to try and minimise legginess. But if they get a bit tall I'll make sure I pot them on deeply.
      The eggs are poached in a sort of shallow saucepan with a metal tray that has 4 removable plastic cups set in it (I think we used to have metal cups when I was growing up). I don't really like cooking in plastic but I've tried doing that spinny thing in water and end up wasting most of the White!

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  8. I did my peppers and tomatoes the other day. There are some Egyptian Geese on Thorpness Mere.. it's not far from me. Lovely photos of Norwich, I haven't been there for years.

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    1. Hi Julie, it's nice to start the sowing isn't it. Ah, I like to see the Egyptian geese but know they are becoming a bit of a problem, taking over areas. Come and have a day in Norwich :D

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