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Archives for July 2009

Congratulations! It's a... tomato

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Sara Cox Sara Cox | 09:30 UK time, Friday, 31 July 2009

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Ok, so what's the deal with white spiders? In all my 24 years (showbiz age obviously) on this planet, I've never really come across these weird creatures before. Yet every time I venture down to grab a couple of carrots I'm confronted by them hanging out amongst the greenery.

They're the supermodels of the arachnid world, with their unfeasibly long, slender legs and pale transparent little bodies. They make me jump every time they sashay through the undergrowth in my direction. Not that I'd ever dispose of them of course. I'm loving all of God's creatures at the moment, apart from ants obviously.

Yesterday, when studying the tomato plants, I managed to suppress my girly instinct to shriek and leg it on spotting a bee; instead I watched, fascinated as the stripy fella did its work on the tomato flowers. Its hard work paid off as the plants are blooming and now, to my joy, seem to be bearing lots of little baby toms!

It's amazing how things seem to just spring up magically... I was scrutinising the plants for any fruit action just a couple of days ago and there was no sign of anything, then all of a sudden -Ìýta-daa! Loads of juicy babies! Very excited. All I need now is to grow my own basil and avocado and buy a buffalo to milk, and I can make my favourite tricolour salad.

My plants have got the lurgy!

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Ann Kelly Ann Kelly | 12:40 UK time, Wednesday, 29 July 2009

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tomato_blight2.jpgThis week I am rather sad because my veg has been afflicted by TWO serious plant diseases. On the tomato front it looks like the dreaded blight is beginning to strike. Over in the brassica bed (cabbage, sprouts, broccoli and the like), I've discovered terrible club root. I've been anxiously inspecting my plants over and over, in the hope that I've mistaken the symptoms, but it's not looking good.

Both are the stuff of nightmares to the grow your own gardener, but blight is definitely the worst of the two. It affects potatoes as well as tomatoes - in fact it was directly responsible for millions of deaths in theÌý

Irish Potato Famine - that's how evil it is. Caused by a fungus (Phytophthora infestans), it spreads through spores carried on the wind or splashed up from the soil, especially when it's muggy and humid. So the warm, windy and wet weather we've been having lately is absolutely the worst thing for it. Because I grow on an allotment, there's always a bit of disease floating around, because there's always somewhere for it to hide. And making things worse still, last year there was aÌý, so lots of spores built up.

Once it gets onto a plant, brown spots spread across the leaves, stems and fruit, turning it all to mush in just a week or so. One of the very worst things about this disease is the way it strikes just when your plant is popping out loads of promising green tomatoes, which just don't get the chance to ripen before the plant is doomed. It's a good reason to make sure you "pinch out" sideshoots (link) and the topmost shoot to stop the plant growing once you've got three "trusses" or bunches of tomatoes forming. That way the plant's energy will go into ripening what you've got, hopefully in time to beat the blight.

So right now I'm crossing my fingers and desperately hoping those brownish spots on that unripe tomato are anything but the first signs of this dread disease. Please let it be insects, or very minor vandals, or a mutation, but not blight!

There's not a lot you can do about it either - there are a couple of sprays (a fungicide, mancozeb, or copper compounds for organic use), but they only slow its progress. And every last bit of blighted plant has to be utterly destroyed - preferably by burning - otherwise the fungus will hang around ready to start infecting your lovely plants next year too.

Now I'm pinning my hopes on one solitary tomato kept indoors, which I'll be very careful not to carry blight too. If you're in a similar position, treat your indoor tomatoes like people you're visiting in hospital - don't wear clothes (especially boots!) that might have infection on them, and wash your hands before touching those plants. It also helps to water only the base of the plant - that way drops of water can't fall down and splash any blight spores onto the leaves.

clubroot.jpgMore on blight from these links

ÌýI won't go on about the club root (right - ugly, eh?) unless people would like me to, but I can say one thing about it. Contrary to what my boyfriend tried to convince me, eating plants affected with it will NOT give you club foot. He must think I'm born yesterday.

Hope I'm the only one suffering. If you've got any tips on dealing with blight, do let me know!

Ìý

Constant (veg) Cravings

Chris Howard Chris Howard | 10:37 UK time, Tuesday, 28 July 2009

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I'm afraid that it is just going to be a very quick one from me today as I have spent the day out in the Arizona desert in temperatures exceeding 100F, and frankly, I am a little fried.

And that just about sums up the food over here too. I have found myself striving, reaching, grasping for anything with a decent veg content. Chips ceased to count after my fourth meal, and fourth bucket-load of fries that arrived it.ÌýOther than the three carrots and five asparagus, it has been hard work to find anything green. Lettuce is always hidden under an inch of mayonnaise (why is that?) and while I do love gherkins and jalapenos, there is only so many you can take.

So to read about all of your lovely, home grown, succulent veg has suddenly made me sick with envy (or is that the fifth beef burger in seven days?). I am very jealous and would love to see some more of your photos to keep me going.Ìý I know it is supposed to be the other way around, and it should be my veggie pics that encourage others, but frankly, right now, I need your help. Send me veg!

Also lovely to see Sara's daughter, Lola getting involved. Let's hear some more tales of young people and their green-thumbed exploits. Enough of us old-un's. I want to hear how the new generation of garden-mad kids are getting on!Ìý

I hope to have more news on my patch nest weekÌý - I have forgotten to ask Susie for the latest news and that fact that I haven't heard anything is starting to make me worry. No news is good news, right? Time will tell!

Carrots, glorious carrots

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Sara Cox Sara Cox | 10:21 UK time, Friday, 24 July 2009

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carrots_sara.jpgAhh, glorious carrots, IÌýhold thee aloft to the sun and bathe in thy eternal orange beauty. Oh fruit of the gods, worshipped by mere man.

And rabbits. And ponies. Ok, I'll stop now, though you can't blame me for waxing lyrical about carrots as today we pulled some up and had them for dinner. They were a huge success, even my homemade cottage pie which is usually pretty self-assured about its deliciousness seemed to hover shyly at the side of the plate, in awe of the sensational tastiness of the small mound of steamed carrots.

WhenÌýI started this veg patch lark,ÌýI saidÌýI wanted to do it partly to get my little girl Lola involved and to get her to see for herself the journey from seed to plate.ÌýI don't want her to think vegetables just come scrubbed clean and wrapped in plastic from the supermarket.

sara_lola.jpgSo far, Lola hasn't really been too involved in the patch, some might say its because I've jealously guarded it and I'm a complete control freak, and they'd be right. Today though, Lola donned her birthday gift, bright pink gardening gloves, for the first time and we headed down to the bottom of the garden.ÌýI plonked baby Isaac on the damp grass, and me and Lola got stuck in pulling up the carrots.

We had a slight stumbling block, 'cos silly me didn't realise you had to dig round the little beggars to loosen them;ÌýI thought you could just pull them straight up like in the .ÌýI ran and grabbed a trowel, and once I'd removed the fast-moving baby from top rung of the climbing frame ladder (eeek!) we got down to business.ÌýI loosenedÌýthree carrots and Lola got the glory moment of heaving them out of the ground. They were smallish, but perfectly formed, and we dashed to wash and steam them.

All through dinner Lola kept marveling at the miracle we had witnessed and saying with wide-eyed wonder "I can't believe we grew these in the garden!" Truly lovely.

Orange peril

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Ann Kelly Ann Kelly | 22:23 UK time, Tuesday, 21 July 2009

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So, Chris has got a carrot.Ìý And a tomato.Ìý Hrumph.Ìý Well, two can play at vegetable oneupmanship.Ìý I may not have a tomato - yet - but take a look at this beetroot/carrot combo.

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ann_veg.jpgThe observant amongst you will notice a couple of cucumbers - no, they're notÌýDig In veg, but I can't resist showing them off.Ìý They taste a thousand times better than the shop bought version, despite being suchÌýwatery things.

This year, I've got a bit carrot mad.Ìý As well as the Dig In carrots (Early Nantes), I sowed Carson, a posho expensive F1 hybrid*, Amsterdam Forcing which is an early variety, Autumn King (just gone in), a late variety, and Red Elephant, a rare old variety which I got from GardenOrganic's Heritage Seed Library..

strange_carrots.jpgMyÌýDig In carrots seem to have gone a bit comedy-shaped,Ìýand I'm not the only oneÌý-ÌýHannah Dennis posted this collection of Carry OnÌýcarrots to the Dig In Gallery.ÌýÌýBut I don't care,Ìýbecause this year I'mÌýwinning my yearly battle with theÌývile carrot fly.Ìý

It's got to be one of the most infuriating pests, because you don't know it's there until you harvest.Ìý Then you discover that yourÌýorange loveliesÌýare riddled with the nasty little wormholes of the flies' burrowing larvae.Ìý Or "maggots" as I call them.Ìý The actual fly itselfÌýyou hardly ever notice, it's a small drab thing.Ìý But the littleÌýhorrors can smell carrots from a distance,Ìýand come flying in ready to layÌýmaggot-eggsÌýif you breakÌýanyÌýwhen you're weeding or harvesting.

carrots_mesh.jpgThis time around I'm using a mesh coverÌýto foil them, which I put on immediately I'd sowed the seeds.Ìý It's worked well so far, although it does make weeding tricky.Ìý Last year I grew my carrots in big, high tubs as I'd heard the carrot fly, as well as being vile, is also pathetic and can't fly higher than a couple of foot.Ìý It must be partly true at least, as I only lost a few carrots to the fly.Ìý Other tricks include growing strong scented plants like marigoldsÌýaround your carrots to put the rancid little midges off, and trying to .

But this is one of those areas where I think everyone's got their own tips.ÌýÌýIf you've got one, share itÌýin a comment.

From Canada with love

Chris Howard Chris Howard | 17:20 UK time, Tuesday, 21 July 2009

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Well, a warm welcome back to Sara! I had begun to worry just a little, over the apparent lack of work seemingly going on in the garden, but it sounds like we are back on track and I'm delightedÌýthe Radio 1 audience is getting to hear about Sara's exploits.

As for myself, I am afraidÌýI have little or no idea how my veg are doing.ÌýI am away for a few weeks now on a shoot in Canada, so am only getting sporadic updates from Susie.Ìý It sounds like you've all had some pretty harsh weather (it has been glorious out here in Canada. Sorry, but it's true.) andÌýSusie is ever-so-slightly worried.ÌýIf Sara's experience is anything to go by, everything should beÌýfine.ÌýSusie is also convinced that our house is now being overun by creepy crawlies because of the veg, andÌýI am yet to convince her that this can only be a good thing...!


chris_canada.jpgWe have been filming a geology series about man and the planet, and have been looking at some things which, for me, really sum up some of the the troubles we face today - a massive oil operation in northern Alberta and the shrinking glaciers of the rocky mountains (see pic). Dont worry, I don't intendÌýa massive climate change rant here,Ìýbut the contrast between the two was striking. It made me think that the scale of what we face is really quite scary - but there has got to be hope. For me this hope is in the little things, like a small army of people who, maybe for the first time ever, areÌýfeeding their own tomato plants and harvesting their first carrots.Ìý So a big pat on the back to everyone!


Incidentally, if you are interested in all things ''climate'' related, check out ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ blog called . I love it.

Ìý

Tuning into veg

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Sara Cox Sara Cox | 11:16 UK time, Wednesday, 15 July 2009

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Hellooooo! I'm feeling very proud today. I took some of the fruits (well, veg) of my labour into work this morning and proudly presented a small spring onion each to my producer Stu, and assistant producer Cara, live on radio 1. Stu promptly munched the onion and declared it worthy of an 8.2 out of 10 rating, due to it having "a bit of a kick." I was most pleased as I was expecting some gentle mocking for my small onions, but they were genuinely impressed.

I have promised them a beetroot each, when the time comes, and it goes without saying they were incredibly excited. I'm hoping my beetroots may now grow to a decent size. Last night I took the plunge and ventured down to the patch, which until recently I'd developed some irrational fear about doing. I think the more it grew out of control the more I became unable to face up to sorting it out. I know, I know; completely mad!

sara_snoop.jpgSo last night I decided I needed to have a word with myself and go and do some actual gardening and, in all honesty, I really enjoyed it and I'm massively relieved that it was largely salvageable. One positive aspect is that at least I've proved that it's easy to grow vegetables -Ìý given I've been massively lazy over the last few weeks and the vegetables have effectively grown themselves with little or no input from me.

So, last night I dug up all the sorry looking lettuce and decided that that area is now, not unlike an out of work actor, "resting". I did a mini cull of the beetroot in the hope the remainder will grow into beautiful plump specimens and I tied up my tom plants, which had kind of gone freestyle and sprouted all over the shop and resembled something one might encounter in the greenhouses at Hogwarts. Although I don't want to tempt fate by saying I've been ''bitten'' once again by the gardening bug, the good news is that I've definitely been gently nibbled, so fingers crossed.

A no-frills guide to lettuce

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Ann Kelly Ann Kelly | 10:00 UK time, Wednesday, 15 July 2009

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Don't know about you, but I've got lettuce coming out of my ears right now.ÌýIt was only a few weeks ago thatÌýI decided my perfectly formed Lollo Rosso were big enough to pick for a nice side salad with me tea.Ìý Now, suddenlyÌýthey're so big that a really quite large snail managed to hide inside the last one I harvested, and was found just in time to stop it having a little explore of the fridge.

I'm pretty proud of the deep red colour they've gone - there's been a few comments from people whose lettuces have stayed light green, which seems to happen if they aren't in full sun. Crispy and quite strong, they go well in a salad alongside my other lettuce variety, a tall green "romaine" type called Pinnokio.Ìý Who comes up with these names?Ìý And why have so many potato varieties got women's names?Ìý Anya, Cara, Charlotte, Nicola (a nice one that, very tasty), Juliette, Francine, Vanessa... .ÌýÌý Answers in a comment please!

Every year it's the same - I can't resist sowing and planting too many of them, and end up with an insane lettuce glut.Ìý I worry I won't get enough seedlings and then, when I do, I can't bear to kill them - hence I've got a dozen Lollo Rosso about to bolt.Ìý It's slightly better than last year's lettuce hedge, but not by a lot.

ann_lettuceflower.jpgSo, what to do with them?Ìý Well, I've already brought a sackful into work to hand out, like some vegan Santa Claus, but this year I'm going to deliberately let a few do their thing and go to seed (which is what happens when they bolt).Ìý First, they start growing taller and taller, then start stretching out stems ending in small flowers - often yellow, but they can be other colours.Ìý They look like some sort of Doctor Who alienÌýthis point, and are pretty bitter.

Eventually the flowers will become seed pods, which . This is how far mine have got, and now I'm waiting for the pods to to darken and dry out.Ìý Once they have, I'll bung 'em in a paper bag, then give them a good thrashing - that'll teach them to bolt!Ìý It , which I'll save and sow (too many of) again next year.Ìý Not a huge money saver, but worth it for the sense of satisfaction!

Then, if you can't be bothered with the hassle of saving lettuce seed, apparently you can !Ìý Not tried it myself as it seems barking, but if anyone knows better, post a comment!

A very busy bee

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Chris Howard Chris Howard | 12:46 UK time, Tuesday, 14 July 2009

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Well, thank you Ann for depressing us all with your tales of perfect beetroot, garlic displays and bizarre flowers (although I do agree that bat flower is amazing!). There I was, all smug after last week's tomato triumphs, and you go and put a set of pictures up like that to really make me feel inadequate!

chris_carrot2.jpgHaving seen the carrot picture I decided that I would see what state my own crop was in. The results, as you can see, are quite spectacular! OK, not exactly an award-winning specimen I grant you, but it was certainly delicious and there's nothing like the taste of a raw vegetable straight from the ground (after a quick wash). I think that perhaps with the hot weather I may have been under watering slightly, so now it is time to up their quotient again.


On an unrelated note, when I opened my balcony doors this weekend I saw that I had another visitor. Once again, the natural world had astounded me and a butterfly was in amongst my tomato plants. Now I am fairly sure it was a cabbage white, and as caterpillars are no great concern for tomatoes, I wasn't worried.Ìý But, it did remind me of the value of flowers.

chris_squashflower.jpgWith the tomato flowers out, and my squash starting to bloom magnificently (have a look!)Ìýthere will be a glut of flowers around the country at the moment, perfect for insect life. This is particularly important for our bees which are a vital part of the food web in the UK and are in some serious trouble. I answered a questionÌýin the blog a few weeks ago about bees so I wont go on about it now, but do see what you can do to helpÌýour ailing bee population, or if you fancy taking up a spot of beekeeping (something I plan to do once I get a garden). They are magnificent creatures which we rely on to pollinate a third of the crops in this country. So we should do all we can to help them.ÌýOK, lecture over!


susie_carrot.jpgI am away for the next 3 weeks but will be trying to keep up with the blog as best I can. My better half Susie (seen here with carrot) will be keeping up the watering and feeding while I am away. Nervous? Me? Never...

Visit to Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

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Ann Kelly Ann Kelly | 20:39 UK time, Friday, 10 July 2009

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I'm writing this with my feet still aching from a day spent wandering around miles of flowers,Ìýtrees, ferns,Ìýshow gardens, food stalls, statues, fountains, and of course veg at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.ÌýÌýAlongside the prize dahlias and venus flytraps there was plenty for people growing their own to look at too. In fact, using your garden to grow food seemed quite the trendy thing - even was there looking interested in tomatoes.Ìý Here'sÌýmy snaps of a few of the highlights.ÌýÌý

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hampton_carrots.jpgHere's a pic of part of the "allotment" on display at the show - look at those perfect carrots and beetroot!

hampton_chickens.jpg

Some very sweet fluffy-footed chickens on display in the allotment section.ÌýÌýA great addition if you've got the time and the space - free eggs, and they make a lovely noise.

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hampton_vegpic.jpg

A colourful display of fruit and vegetables - who saysÌýflowers are the prettiest things in the garden?

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hampton_garlic.jpg

Possibly one of the strangest displays at the show - The Garlic Farm'sÌýarrangement of garlic bulbs and flowers.

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hampton_soap.jpg

Here's an idea if you find yourself with too many lettuces or carrots.Ìý Make them into soap.ÌýYes, that is carrot and lettuce soap in the picture.

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hampton_batflower.jpg

And finally, this isn't a vegetable, but I had to share this pic.Ìý It's a , and I can assure you that it isn't a fake - I touched it to check for myself.Ìý This has to be the weirdest plant I've ever seen.

Did anyone elseÌýgo along, or has anything at any other show caught your imagination?Ìý Share your thoughts with us by adding a comment.

Ìý

Ìý

How your tomato thinks

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Ann Kelly Ann Kelly | 17:42 UK time, Thursday, 9 July 2009

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The longer I grow my own, the more I realise how important it is to understand your plants' point of view to get the best out of them.ÌýÌýIt may sound like a bit of a weirdÌýPrince Charles-ey, talk-to-the-trees sort of thing, but thinking about what your plants actually want can give great results.

ann_tomato_pinch.jpgTake tomatoes.Ìý In the past I've always been a bit vague about growing them, because I didn't really appreciate how they were trying to grow.ÌýÌýI half-heartedly pulled off sideshoots (known as "pinching out")Ìýbecause I'd read you had to, but I didn't know why.Ìý (By the way, there's a great video showingÌýhow to do it at , a blog all about a guy growing what looks like a year's supply of veg on a balcony).Ìý

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Result - bushy plants, few tomatoes.Ìý And then they got the Ìýand died anyway, boo hoo.

Then I learnt a few facts about tomatoes that made me realise where they're coming from.Ìý First off, back home in their native South America, tomato plants live for several years, growing into a big sprawling vine.Ìý It's the cold that kills them in the UK - you can actually keep them alive over winter in a heated greenhouse, if you can be bothered.Ìý Second, you have to ask yourself what the tomato plant wants out of its little life.Ìý Answer - it wants as many tomatoey children as possible.Ìý And it manages that by having lots of tomatoes, all full of seeds.Ìý

So, why doesn't it just go all out and have huge bunches of tomatoes right away?Ìý Well, it doesn't know it's not in nice balmyÌýMexico, does it, especially after being kept on a nice warm windowsill until summer.Ìý For all it knows, it's got years of steady, unspectacular tomato production ahead of it, so it reasonably gets on with growing itself into a big strong plant that can survive for a while.

That's where we come in, thwarting all its attempts to grow bushy with our snippy fingers, and stressing it out.Ìý "Oh no," it thinks, "I'm in a dodgy situation here," and so it changes its tactics.Ìý Instead it goes all out for tomatoes, to make sure there's a next generation to take its place.Ìý Result - loads of tomatoes!

Word of advice - don't try this with "bush" or "determinate" types of tomatoes, which have been specially bred to only live one year.Ìý They know they're doomed anyway, so they go for the many tomato tactic straight off.

Amazing tomato fact

This isn't very useful, but I couldn't resist putting it in.Ìý Did you know that if you get a , and stick them together, they'll survive and grow?Ìý It's not much good though, because you have to dig the potatoes up before the tomatoes are ready, or leave the potatoes to rot to let the tomatoes ripen.

ÌýP.S. The Hampton Court Palace Flower ShowÌýstarted on the 7th and runs until July 12. Apparently, there's a section this year devoted to growing your own produce. I'm going along tomorrow to have a look so I'll report back next week. In the meantime, if anyone else managed to get over there, let us know your thoughts!

Tomatoes: the top ranking seed

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Chris Howard Chris Howard | 12:06 UK time, Wednesday, 8 July 2009

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I think it was jealousy; All the blazing sunshine, combined with Wimbledon and all that goes with it, (how about that final by the way, epic) meant that suddenly the fruit of choice was strawberries, strawberries and more strawberries.

chris_tomatofruit.jpgBut my tomato plants weren't going to stand by and let this happen. On no, they heard the war cry from south London and have bravely, magnificently, gloriously started to fruit themselves. Yes, I have my first (well seven) tiny green tomatoes.

It was on Sunday that I first noticed the little fellas, and the small squeal I may have let out had my girlfriend scurrying out to see what I had dropped on my toes this time. Happily, it was only a splash of water due to the excitement, which, for the first time since I started this blog, was actually shared!

ÌýSo now I am manically checking on things I probably should have been doing all along. Had I ? Yes... but not really.

Had I been feeding them as per Ann's excellent advice? Yes, but not as often as I should.

Had I nipped the top off once there were four or five trusses of flowers? Definitely not - but that can also happen later. Did I know that the tomato was the ? No!

But do I have tomatoes? YES I DO!

So the moral of the story is, you should definitely look at the pages and pages of advice available (a good place to start for a collection of links is in our very own Dig In tomato page. Feeding is a must if you are growing them in a pot or grow bag, and taking out side shoots diverts energy into growing up, and flowering, whilst taking the top off does the same for the young tomatoes. But overall stick with it, because those first fruits are totally worth it!Ìý

Ìý

Carrot countdown

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Sara Cox Sara Cox | 11:11 UK time, Tuesday, 7 July 2009

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Well, its all been a bit of a blur since Glastonbury to be honest...a completely mad week that's not left much room for gardening. News reaches me though, that the carrots should soon be ready to pull up! I'm really excited. The kids eat loads of carrots so I'm really looking forward to letting Lola do the honours and dig them up. Hopefully, we'll have bundles of them and I may even attempt a carrot cake...well, I like to live dangerously. Now harvest time is growing close, I'm a bit worried my rather relaxed attitude towards watering will come back to bite me on the bum and I'll pull up some sorry looking spindly numbers. The broccoli plants are huge, as are the holes that have appeared in the leaves...don't know about snails munching my veg, it looks more like a rogue alsatian has been using my patch to get its 5-a-day!

Water palaver

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Ann Kelly Ann Kelly | 11:27 UK time, Wednesday, 1 July 2009

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As we're now , I thought it was about time I tackled the subject of watering.Ìý Hot weather may be good news for ice cream sellers, but for the gardener it means lots more watering, and that's a job you can't put off.Ìý

What do plants need water for anyway?

watering.jpgLugging watering cans is hard work, so you'll want to make the most from your effort.Ìý That means getting the water to where it's needed most - at the roots.Ìý Water evaporates from plantsÌýall the time they're growing,Ìýlost fromÌýtiny holes called stomata found all over their leaves and stems.ÌýÌý You can get an idea how much a plant loses byÌýsticking a plastic bag over it - you'll soon see condensation.Ìý To make up the loss, more water is sucked up by the roots, helping keep the plant stiff - which is why they wilt when they're thirsty.Ìý

How much, how often?

Effective watering needs to get down to root level - a little sprinkle might make the soil look wet, but it'll just evaporate away into the air without doing the plant a blind bit of good.Ìý I learnt this the hard way, as did my pepper plants.

It's better to give your plants a really good soaking a couple of times a weekÌý-Ìýa litre or two for a tomatoÌýplantÌý- than a light shower twice a day.ÌýÌýWater onto the soil at the base of the plant where it'll sink into the earth.ÌýÌýWater can't be absorbed through the leaves, andÌýmay even causeÌýscorchingÌýby focussing the sun's rays onto one spot, aÌýbit like using a magnifying glass to burn ants,Ìýnot that I ever did that.ÌýÌýA good trick is to sink a bit of pipe or a pot next to the plant, so water you pour in is guaranteed to hit the roots.

Because of their small space, growbags and pots can't hold that much water, so they need to be topped up more frequently.Ìý As a rule of thumb, if you can poke your thumb into them and not feel moisture until the first joint, they need watering.Ìý Alright, that's a rule of finger, but you get the point.

When?

Plants need water most when they've just been moved and haven't established good roots yet, and when they're flowering and fruiting.Ìý Don't neglect them then, or they may grow nice and big, but not bother to crop.Ìý A bit like my allotment neighbour Kev's enormous broad bean hedge - lovely to look at, but it doesn't have a single pod on it.

Watering is best done in the morning or evening.Ìý Not only will youÌýnot getÌýheatstroke (make sure you wear a hat if you're out in this heat), but you'll also avoid the sun beating down and dessicating your plot the moment you've left.

Muck and moisture

How much you have to water does depend on your soil as well - clay grabs water, while sandy soils just let it dribble through.Ìý But you can improve on what nature gave you - bung a load of good honest muck like compost or rotted manure on the soil.Ìý It's full of organic matter which is packed with tiny pores that hold onto water, making your soil work like a sponge, not a sieve.Ìý Plus,Ìýmulching, or coveringÌýthe soil with a thick layer of muck, bark chippings or even grass cuttings will help keep the water in, and it'll add fertility too.

If you've got the room, a water butt is a must.Ìý All that free water, coming out of the sky and just draining away?Ìý What a waste - you might as well save it for your own use.ÌýÌýOn the subject of waste, it's worth knowing that you can use your bath or washing up water on ornamental plants, so long as you vary which plants get it, but it's best not to use on vegetables.Ìý Who wants to eat a soapy carrot, eh?

Remember, as a gardener, you've got an advantage over other people.Ìý Unlike them, you're happy when it rains!

More info from:

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