Six on Saturday – 19/12/20
Six on Saturday is new idea to me but a friend pointed me in the direction of The Propagator blog and suggested I join in. It was after a whinge about blogger’s block, so here are my first six:
The seeds on the golden rod are full and ready to blow away . This is a plant that self-seeds all around my allotment and it is either chop the seed heads down or spend time in the spring weeding. Laziness now means weeding in the spring – as usual.
I am trying to make hot compost and failing miserably because I just won’t make it exactly as it says on the tin. This is December’s pile and I have not built it big enough or put enough green material in it to achieve the heat. January’s attempt will remedy this rather pathetic temperature. They do say it takes 10,000 hours to become a master at something. I have a little way to go with the compost.
The fennel in the polytunnel is ready to provide a crisp aniseed flavour to the winter salads over the next few months. It is one of the few vegetables I have managed to grow throughout the year. Spring’s fennel is on the other side of the tunnel and still quite small.
The catkins are already out on the hazels, dangling in the sunshine and these have survived the massive coppicing that we did at the start of the month.
This massive beetroot is still lying around and I was right that it wouldn’t make good eating because not even the slugs and snails have started on it. I didn’t aim for massive beetroot, I just wanted to save some seed and this grew.
And finally, lambs lettuce as a filler for my salads. I actually managed to plant these early enough for them to grow to a reasonable size before it got too cold.
What are your six for Saturday?
I just put a tunnel on my allotment and was on the verge of getting excited about your fennel when I remembered I don’t like it. Beetroot I love and though mine this year were the biggest I’ve ever grown, they weren’t tough. Took an age to cook though. Welcome to SoS.
Thank you for the welcome James. I did laugh abut you and the fennel although this year I grew runner beans and I hate them! Why? I just wasn’t thinking. Anyway, I waited until they got a bit bigger and ate the beans inside. I shall not be doing that again next year especially as the gales blew the canes over as well.
Welcome to Six-on-Saturday.
Re the compost: I also use the hot compost method, something which came to me simply because it fitted in with how I worked in the garden etc. It is very difficult to have heat over the winter, almost impossible. A lack of green matter is the biggest impediment – no grass cutting! Grass adds great heat!
Some things I have found a great help: I shred everything which goes into the heap; I cover the heap well, a layer of plastic and some old duvets for insulation. Also, the bigger the amount of material you can add is better – it leads to heat faster.
Thank you that is good advice. I am starting to realise that hot composting is the diva of the compost world and needs everything just so; neatly shredded, correct quantities and ready to go – oven ready as the new phrase is! I will keep on trying!
Welcome to SoS, Joy. It becomes quite addictive and it’s so interesting to read about other gardens from all over the world.
Your fennel is amazingly healthy. Yum!
Thank you and yes – it is quite addictive reading about other gardens. I lost Sunday evening doing so.
What a monster this beetroot! This year, the fennels are very numerous and very big here. It’s a success.
Your lamb lettuce is also very beautiful: It happens that mine is hit by several nights of frost but it resists quite well
It is very strange because some of the seed gave normal size beetroot, some very small and some whoppers like this one. It is Boltardy which is an open pollinated sort and I think I just got a very mixed packet of seed. With the seed saving this year, I will have no one to blame but myself next year!