May 11, The Untidy Gardener

My kitchen table is strewn with 19 packets of miscellaneous garden seeds, 6 half-empty packets of seeds are left on the floor in my back porch after sowing - and - my fridge is topped by 3 boxes of seed packets organised into flowers, vegetables and herbs.

That I'm afraid is the earthy truth of the organic gardener. But wow - look at my garden!

Not for me the sterile bark covered sheet mulches - no my garden is vibrant, buzzing, and there's lots to look foward to.

I have one good reason to clear the kitchen table, because my dinner is cooked from organically grown brussel sprouts, leeks, and tomatoes, along with fresh tarragon - and very tasty.

TIP: Try Tarragon with tomatoes - it beats the popular basil/tomato combination.

Growing in my garden today:

Pak Choi 'Ruby' sowing in succession

Cauliflower 'purple graffiti' x12 red coloured veg are high in anti-oxidants.

Romanesco Cauliflower x8

Cauliflower 'igloo' x 12 a compact variety (must remember to keep pigeons off).

Celery 'lorreta'

Beetroot 'Boltardy' grown in succession and for early crops.

Carrots - 'Amsterdam Forcing', 'Early Nantes', 'Chantenay Red Cored'*** later 'Autumn King'

Also:

Broad Beans 'Master Piece Green Long Pod' in between Potato 'Juliet'.

Pea 'sugar Anne' a sugar snap variety

Dwarf bean 'Tendergreen' ('Purple Teepee' to be sown this week)

Runner Beans 'Butler' growing up the shady side of my greenhouse

Potato 'Anya' coming up between last year's still standing leeks 'musselburgh'

Onion 'Bedfordshire Champion' and 'Giant Zetau' - for late maturing & good keeping.

American 'Land Cress'

plus Potato varieties 'Cara' and 'British Queen'

Tomato 'Harbinger' 'San Mazano' 'Gardeners Delight'

Sweet Pepper 'Redskin' 'Golden Gourmet'

Cucumber 'marketmore'

Melon 'SweetHeart'

Courgette x5 2 varieties

There's lot's more... and more to come... the seeds are here for your country

I will be sowing salad leaves later among the flower borders.

I have lot's of winter lettuce in the greenhouse.

TIP:

If your winter lettuce is going to seed try storing it in the fridge.

Herbs Growing Include

Dill, French and Curled Parsely, Good King Henry, Orange Scented Thyme, Thyme, Tarragon, Rosemary, Sage, Golden Oregano, Lemon Balm, Chammomile, Chives, Apple Mint, Spear Mint, Hyssop, Fennel, Bronze Fennel, Chervil, Basil, Sorrel, Lovage, Cutting Celery...

Flowers Growing Include

Doronicum 'Leopard's Bane'

Bluebells,

Winter Aconites

Myosotis - all these for - early flowers around the fruit garden to aid pollination

Marigolds, Calendula, Alyssum, Phlox, Aubretia, Scleranthus, Sedum 'Kamschaticum' 'Spurium' Helianthus, Cytisus, Broom, Achillia... ...

I'm developing low mounding plants between rocks or compact shrubs.

There's still time to grow seeds - this link will help you select them.

Must get back to my organic garden now. Do get out there. More later.

Happy Gardening.