What unbelievably strange times we’re all going through. Along with many others, I’ve been self-isolating at home as one of the household has suspicious symptoms and I feel very lucky to have a garden, albeit a small London pocket-sized version. And with so much spare time at home, it’s going to be a bumper year for sowing seeds.
As ever, trying out new lettuces seems to be high up on my agenda, and I didn’t even realise this was a space-age variety when ordering. Cor blimey!
I find that Real Seeds always has the most tempting choice of the lot, and as well as some of my favourites, Reine des Glaces (pictured above) and Flashy Butter Oak, I’m also trying out Red Iceberg on the lettuce front. Once on their site it’s hard not to have a good look around, and Summer Crookneck Bent Summer Squash looked so tempting with its nobbly fruits and Dazzling Blue Kale and Asparagus Kale beckoned me too. As with many other seed and gardening sites at the moment, they’ve been overwhelmed with orders, but they have a lovely note saying to hang on in there, and they will get to your orders eventually. Bravo! And we’re only at the beginning on the growing season, so there’s loads of time to sow during spring and summer.
I’m trying to sow little and often, so these two lots of seedlings have been planted 3 weeks apart in my green house (you could also use a sunny windowsill or plant out directly from now on) and hopefully the top ones will be ready to be planted out in about a week or so. But I ‘ll still have too many seedlings to plant out in my petite London patch, so will have loads to share with neighbours all around, who are, unsurprisingly, all very keen to grown their own this year.
I always over order on seeds, so I really liked the idea of the Mixed Climbing Bean packet from Thompson and Morgan that I saw at the Garden Press Event in February,
with purple, green and pale yellow varieties all in one pack. These will definitely make a handsome trio growing in the front garden this summer, with lots of beans for dinner too.
And Suttons Seeds kindly donated 60 packets Reisetomate tomato seeds for our community gardening project to trial (wanted to put on a link to these, but there was a 10 minute wait to get onto the Suttons website!). These look intriguing, as a number of cherry tomatoes are fused into a larger fruit, which can then be snacked on a piece at a time. Sadly, we could’t meet up for one of our regular ‘Cake Sunday’ community get-togethers to give the seeds away, but instead we’ve posted them through letterboxes, and have had lots of positive responses from neighbours who are growing tomatoes form the first time ever!
And I’ve posted a short video on Instagram about potting on tomato seedlings should you be in doubt on what to do once your seedlings have filled their trays.
Another disappointment is that we’ve had to postpone our Chelsea Fringe Dog Show to Autumn instead of May (here’s hoping!),
and I’ll be so very happy to spend time with friends and neighbours when the dust has settled.
Out of my shed 
Good for you, how you doing?
T x
Sent from my iPhone
Hi Tania, doing ok. Even though isolating, I’m surrounded by lovely neighbours, and have been having some great chats over the garden fence while out tilling the soil. How’s things with you? Xx
Love the notion of Space Lettuce. Good luck with growing. It seems those of us who ordered seeds early were v. lucky. Very hard to come by now. I love Real Seeds too. Their Lord Leicester climbing peas are sprouting in my allotment which luckily I can still get to.
Lord Leicester peas looks like one to put on the list for next year! Yes, feel very lucky to have seeds, and even more fortunate to have a garden. Hope all grows well at your allotment in this strangest of years. V.Best. Naomi
Cheers, Naomi. Happy growing.
Hi Naomi
I’d gathered already from Sallie that you were self-isolating. I hope the ‘suspicious symptoms’ don’t flare up and you stay well.
V much envy you the garden. Currently I just have a small, bare balcony. But guess what, invited to join the ‘house’ WhatsApp group, for the small number of flats here, I discovered that Mary of Fringe fame is also part of it, and lives next door! We then had a long charm
All the best
x Rossana
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Hi Rossana, Amazing that you are now living next door to Mary!!
Do feel blessed to have a garden right now (actually, I feel very lucky all of the time, but especially during these strange times). Hope you can green up your balcony so that you have a patch of green space to enjoy. V.Best Naomi xxx
just thinking of you yesterday
Good to see that the blog is up and running! Thank you. I’ll see about getting it on to an on-line Chelsea Fringe page soon (hopefully)
Are you appreciating the rest time? Although you were probably planning to be much more active now ? Good for you all in a way that your Dad’s funeral was able to go ahead – it’s probably the last event that I went to!
I’ve just finished sub-titling a film (occasionally comes to me when the person who normally does it is away) Ann was in Peru, just about to go up to Machu Pichu when the lockdown happened, so she never got there and eventually got back on one of those chartered planes
Because of that I haven’t done any gardening at all – but that’s my next big project… lots of clearing, digging should be good exercise. And the other extraordinary coincidence is that Rossana has just moved in to a flat next door. Of course she might as well be in Argentina, but we’ll be able to wave to each other!!!
Hope you don’t catch anything… Lots of deep breathing seems to be the latest thing!
Love Mary
_________________________ Mary McHugh mob: 07970 680 495 mmchugh366@gmail.com @mmchgh
Hi Mary, Such a shame about this year’s Fringe, and many, many other events.
Amazing that another Fringer is now next door to you. What are the chances!?!
Now the sub-titling is over, may you enjoy many hours in your fabulous new garden. Wish I could be there to work alongside you, but hopefully, will be there in the not-too-distant future. Naomi xxx
Enjoyed reading this. Have just bought a mini propagator and sown some free tomato seeds which came with Gardeners World. Liz in Spain
Hi Liz, I think your tomatoes should go wonderfully in Spain. Hope you have access to outdoor space during lockdown over there too.
Really enjoyed your blog today. I grew the mixed climbing beans last year, they were delicious, I loved the fact it was small amounts of three varieties, a brilliant idea by T & M.
Hi Sally, yes a really good idea to have 3 in 1. Will start mine off in the next couple of week. Lovely weather right now, but looks like it’ll cool down again next week. Ah, the British weather!
Yes indeed the British weather. I am hoping for a sun filled Easter, so many little projects need starting.
Love the three bean packet – going to grow some in my front garden too. Thanks for the inspiration.
Hi Angelica, glad to given some inspiration during these troubled times.
Just read you lovely article about the Curate’s garden in Chedigny. I visited the village back in June 2015 during the Rose festival- a sight to behold, and now eager to visit again to see the Curate’s Garden. Not this year maybe, but soon…
Lovely to have a post from you to enjoy. Stay well and stay sane.
Love Naomi x
How lovely to see that all is thriving in the Triangle Naomi!
There is a lively young man in Brent called Hari, who has been in touch with me about gathering neighbours and working on their front gardens in the street. I have forwarded this blog to him, and I hope you will be able to give him some pointers if he is in touch with you.
Hi Fern, lovely to hear from you and hope all is well with you and yours.
Look forward to hearing from Hari. There’s nothing like community to help you get through these strange times. Naomi xxx
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