Back from USA
So autumn has moved in, heh? It was a shock this morning after the glorious beating down sun of west coast America. I had a wonderful holiday, not just for the blazing sun, but for the wonderful people, gardens and food. In L.A I swam in Hollywood pools, went walking in the hills amongst lilacs and Mexican sage bushes, whizzed around town on the back of a motorbike, drank bourbon in a darked Chinatown bar and wandered around many lovely community gardens. Portland meant more gardens and more coffee houses, a new tattoo, some crazy art and a home made salsa to beat all other salsas.
The most exciting thing was to find everyone growing vegetables. Front gardens have gone from being a boring sea of green grass to cornucopia of courgettes, tomatoes (all of LA seemed to have blight as well Portland, however, was dripping in glossy toms) sweet corn and salads. I saw some interesting methods everything from the squarefoot styles to growing in sheetrock and grass clippings. In Portland there is a movement to rip up the srtip of grass between the sidewalk and the road and plant it up with vegetables free for picking to anyone that passes by. If they didn't have vegetables then they were a riot of Rudbeckias and cosmos. It's law that you had to maintain a boring strip of grass and you used to be prosecuted for not doing so, I'm not sure if the law has changed or this is jsut an little gardening anarchy, but it makes for very beautiful streets.
I saw Small Plot Initiatives where owners give up their neglected gardens to grow vegetables. 50% of the produce is given back to the owners and rest is sold at farmers markets and communtiy assistend agriculture growing food for farmers markets in negelcted urban spaces. I ate my first ever plumicot (a cross between a plum and an apricot) and was amazed by the diversity of vegetables offered at farmers' markets. America's politics might be going up the spout, but its growing is not.
I went on an incredible hike up into the Mutnomah gorge outside of Portland where I found Heucheras and lillies growing in great drifts amongst the giant redwoods and took a chilly swim around a waterfall until my fingers were blue and my feet numb.
Back in the garden and things are changing as Toby is begining to make his mark, it was fun to wander around this morning and see what's going on. The garden looks a little tattered from the rain and I've had to be ruthless with some of vegetables. I am glad to find a good crop of winter squash I just hope they'l ripen properly though I'm not entirely sure how without some sun. THe pumpkins are small and perfect and turning their autumnal hues and the cabbage white caterpillars are out in force. Next year I'll stop experimenting and just buy a bumper crop of fine mesh. I think I'll also make sure I have one F1 courgette in case we get another summer like this as all my Italian varieties have sulked. Still it's very nice to be back. I just wish I could have bought the sun with me.
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~41~RS~)
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Thanks for this evening's helpful programme. I haven't watched for months.
Is Alys Fowler the same Alys from our days at school I wonder.
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Well done Toby, a good confident start.
I liked your approach, a 2 minute intro and then staight into the gardening.
You'll be a great success!
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Hi Alys hope you enjoyed your hols - glad u've brought some good weather back with you. I commented a few weeks back about the idea of Berryfields soul and I think it showed itself last night. 4 great gardeners pottering about and chatting about plants. Think it was Alan Titchmarsh said GW should give you the weekly kick in the pants to go out and garden and thats what i got this week (sun helped) so thanks! Good luck for rest of the series and keep enjoying the garden.
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maybe a little early comment about gardeners world on Friday 12th September, but have to say ,I felt that something didn't gel it altogether, it was like watching just individuals doing some gardening, hope it gets it's spark back. BBC should have left it the way it was with Carol, Joe, Alys and canine friend.
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Hi Alys,
Glad you had a good holiday. The things you saw sound really cool. I like the idea of people planting veg wherever there is a scap of land. We could do with more of that going on in London!
It must feel really cold now you're back! My tomatoes succumbed to blight while you were away (like the rest of the country it seems) and as my beans are over, my potatoes ready to come out my veg plot is looking a bit bare at the moment. Do you have any reccommendations of things I could plant out now for growing over the winter, (baring in mind that my veg plot is really quite small and I couldn't really fit in more than about 3-4 different things!)?
All suggestions very gratefully accepted!
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Hi politegreenbean,
Just a few quick suggestions for things to plant out at the moment:
Pak Choi
Borecole
Swiss Chard
Cabbages (although mine have been hit by the dreaded caterpillars and i'm hoping they're going to pick up!)
Alys, your mention of vegetables being planted by the sidewalks reminds me of the guerilla gardening movement that started in London a little while back, where people are planting up the neglected public spaces in run down areas. Fantastic stuff!
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Hi Alys,
Just wanted to say thanks - when I saw the program with your home garden I was struck by your use of wine cases for growing.
As I run a wine bar, I have no shortage of these so I took a few home and now they are full of quickly growing pak choi and red spring onions!
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Alys
I would love to know where you bought your gardening boots, I hate wellies as i find them restrictive but cannot seem to find any like yours
Thanks
Jo
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Fiona and Ian
Hello, Same Alys.
Polite green bean
This week I've sown Lettuce Winter Density, Lettuce Wintercrop, Lettuce 'Winter Gem', rocket, pak choi, tat soi, soy chum, chop suey greens, mustards red frill, green in snow, japanese bunching onions (a little late, but might get away with it), some cca Kales and turnip tops all for late winter/early spring pickings.
Craig Lockey
You make me a very happy women. Long live the wine box revolution!
Jomo277
they are standard health and safety pull-on rigger boots. Cheap, not very warm, easy to get on and off, get lots of respect when walking past a building site. I have a love/hate relationship as I seem to go through them very quickly due to their basic nature. Am back to my trusty Redwings at the moment.--expensive boots, but have lasted almost 10 years.
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