Courtyard Garden Allotment (almost) #courtyardgarden #allotment #gardening @MishaHerwin @nic_writer @BarryLillie1 @CorrineLeith @razumova

In the vague hope that our weather will warm up soon today has been all about starting off various seeds.
Today I have started off  some French Marigold – Naughty Marietta. Not because I like their smell – it can be a bit much – but for deterring aphids both around root crops and in the greenhouse in between the tomatoes.

I have put in a tray of Petunias – Grandiflora F1 mixed and Lobelia – String of Pearls for hanging baskets and filling in large pots.  I shall sow the Sunflowers next month. Other annuals will be sown outdoors.

Sweet Pea – Bouquet Mixed went in around two weeks ago and have a good showing so far.  A generic variety but wanted more for scent than show in the Courtyard garden.

On the veg front there are Cucumber – Bohemia F1 and  Cucumber – Marketmore.

Both are small outdoor varieties, which we much prefer to the longer cues as they are ready quicker and usually less prone to bitter skins. I grew Marketmore last year and was picking fresh cucumbers right up to the first frost.

No Cucamelons this year as they are too prolific and we ended up throwing so many away!

Last year’s Honey Boat winter squashes did really well and were excellent keepers. We used the last one only a fortnight ago! This year I am trying Honey Bear – another F1 variety (far right) to see how they fare in comparison. We decided not to bother with pumpkins as they take up a lot of space for little reward.

Also in pic (top left) Hot Lemon – a variety of citrus cayenne chilli pepper – listed as 6 on the pepper scale so hot but not burning.

Finally there are two varieties of tomato. Crimson Crush F1 – a medium sized blight resistant variety  and Goldkrone – yellow cherry tomato.

All sown and tucked away beneath propagation lids and laid out in the conservatory -which is unheated so may shift them to the back bedroom if it gets chilly!
There are more seeds to come but quite enough for this afternoon.

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