Highbridge

13/03/2019

07/06/2018

23/04/2018

Leeks. I only post her to remember stuff I posted in other sites.

First, plant seeds in DEEP pots. Like, 12 inches deep (30something of your modern centimeter rubbish). You can sow pretty thickly, by which I mean, chuck loads of seeds into mud.

They develop really long roots. So, when you want to plant out (which will be when they are 15 modern centimeters high and as thick as a pencil..but quite a thin pencil), but the whole soil/root tangled mess into a bucket of water. Lots of water.

You need to separate them all out in the water, being careful with roots, but they can take a bit of rough handling. Think of them, and handle them like skinny spring onions, but with longer roots. Just tease them apart carefully. Takes a few minutes, but it is easy and intuitive when you try.

Then, get a stick, as thick as a spade handle, and poke holes in the mud, 6 inches (15 rubbish moderns) deep. Gardeners call it a dibber. To me though, that sounds like some sort of Northern English insult. "Eeh,stop being such a dibber!".

Anyway, then, you kinda twist and twirl the leeks into the holes. Don't worry about roots curling about too much, just make sure a load of leek is underground. That will be the white bit. It won't grow deeper, ever, and the only white bit you will get is the bit that is underground. Want a supermarket style leek, with 8 inches of white? Go deeper with your holes then.

Do not bother to fill earth into those holes, just flood with water after planting, and soil will eventually fill it all in.

11/03/2018

Snow gone. 17 degrees! Can get some outdoors work started at long bloody last

01/03/2018

Minus 12 for the last few weeks but in the warm of the house..with a few fluorescent lights thrown into the mix...most early sowings are doing well.