Waving Bye Bye To Old!

Every year I always grow the same 'old' fruit and vegetable's,  this year my plan was to go 100% Homegrown Revolution. Which I am yet to write about!  I think I am making you all wait lol... To be honest I'm still working on it! 

I kind knew I couldn't go 100% HGR due to some people of my family, wouldn't like the new and cool stuff. e.g my Brother. 

Anyway I knew I still wanted to grow tomato's, I only wanted to have TWO tomato plants. Keeping this in mind I sowed six seeds  of 'Allicante' tomato. Within seven days I had little seedling's appearing.  After a few weeks I potted the little plants up and put them into the greenhouse.  At first I was giving some away to family (plant swap)  But then no one wanted any - so I know this will sound very bad I then was secertly hoping a snail would munch it self few one or two, bad I know. 

After a while I re-planted all six of the tomato's into the famous black pot's and then placed them outside!  In the end I only had four plant's that product tomato's, the other two plant's that didn't have a single tomato on so I decided to get rid of them two. . . .

The four became three as my wish became true - via a snail.  In the end I only got a hand full of tomato's.  So next year I will not be growing any tomatoes at all, due to poor growth this year!

So out with the old and in with the Homegrown Revolution!

Yep I have joined the HomeGrown Revolution....

It all started last year when I told you all about my new adventure with the Oca (Nz Yams).....
The only thing is I have not told you all how I got on. . . .

Where should I start.... Ah yes growning the Oca (yams) went really well I had heaps of leaves... 

Tubes for this year (2013)

As you can see how well the five yam plant's grew!  I even got flower's - which where white.  I later found out that the flowers are suppose to be yellow! 

In mid August I learnt that botanist James Wong was coming down to Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens to do one of his HGR ( Homegrown Revolution ) talks and book signing in late September...  

The day of the talk and book signing arrive I went with my aunt and mum to the talk - I wont go into too much detail about it, I'll most likely end up boring you all about it! 

Anyhow, I got my book(s) signed - yes I was a tad cheeky and took my copys of 'grow your own drugs' with me too!  Also I was given some advice about what to do next, while at the HGR talk by the man himself James...

Once I got home, I did as I was told. . . . . LOL!!

Some think I have mention before about is the very bad weather we had.   Anyhow I waited as long as I could with letting the yams to grow!  I was hoping and praying all the wet weather hadn't effected their growth to much! 

Crunch day came. . . . . . . . . 

Once I had cleared the dead leaf's off and collected the lil tubes for next year (for this year) I started to lifted the soil.  I got to the bottom of the sack, to my shock horror there was not one to be had!!!

I was completely un happy - what had gone wrong? Did I do Some think wrong? Once I had spoked and emailed Thompson & Morgan, plus asked some one else.  We all decided it was due to the weather.. :( 

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2013 Last attempt at growing the yams! 

I was on two mind's of trying this year and thought no wait why should I give up.. So I decided to not follow the Homegrown Revolution book ( Sorry James, if you read this) on growing them this year and do it my way... 

I got my little brown paper bag out that I had kepted them in and found out two tubs to plant them in. Tub one was of my collected tubers and T&M send me some more to try so they went in tub two... Dont laugh I used two twiglet tins to plant them.. 

A few weeks later I planted the yams out side in a potato sack. 

I was so worry that the weather would effect them again I even got them.  Their own pop-up greenhouse..   One thing I learnt was with them was to treat 'em mean and they will cope with you.. Which was and is a good thing for me at time's, due to work and stuff!

Dont worry I did water them well, I took the little greenhouse of them and let the rain do it for me.. ( oh god - dont I say bad) 

To cut it short everythink went well, I got stems/ leaves. I didn't see or maybe I didn't noticed the flowers and look what I got! :-) 

I have to say I have still not tryed them, instead I have sorted them out and kept the good ones. I think I will bee growing these little ones again in 2014.. 

Fingers cross I will finally get to try them then...

Please let me know what you think via Facebook or Twitter or leave a little comment at the bottom of the page.. 

The Tale Of The Lemongrass

Last June (2010) a friend and I had a go at growing some lemongrass.

We both bought the stick's of the grass from a Supermarket.

You can pick them (sticks) up for about 67p from your local supermarket.

You can also get them from farm shops (which for about £1.50) maybe more.

Also the local asian / ethic supermarket, but I do not know ruffly how much they sell them for.

I got an old empty jar (don't laugh a mint sauce jar) from the cupboard,

 and put some water in.  Then I put the fat end of the stick in the jar of water.

After about a week the lemongrass had roots and green shoots

But..... I ended up running out of compost.  So I ended up keeping the grass in the jar of water.

Then the weather changed outside!  Which effects temperature of my bedroom (like most people).

One morning when I went to check on how my lemongrass was.  I had a shock and was sadden,

to see mold had moved in.  :'(  So I ended up taking off some of the leaves.

I thought I had won.....  But a few days later the mold came back.  :(

I was sad about this. So in the end, I ended up saying bye bye to the molded lemongrass...

My mate's lemongrass did really well and still is.

2011!

In 2011 I tryed again and so far was so good.
Til you guess it the evil mold re-appeared.
But I have beaten it again, woohoo!!

Picture was took today Friday 13th Jan 2012

I am now planning to planted up in the next couple of weeks, early feb!

My Adventure With The Goji Berry / Wolfberry

I first heard of goji berries on ethnobotanist James Wong program Grow Your Own drugs or Backyard Medicine

(as it is known overseas)

I searched high and low to find them. It was only when I went shopping in Tesco (Please note Tesco don't sell them anymore) I came across them. Yep I got hooked!!!

I even looked at garden centers and nurseries, to have a plant in the garden. But I weren't happy about the price, anythink from £6.95 to £9.99

So last year I set myself a challenge.

To grow one from seed.

I was told goji are hard to grow. But I know for a

fact: Goji berries grow in the South Of England.

On the 4th of March, I sowed some seeds I had gather. Within a week germination happen. 

Picture of one of the pot's

It weren't long til I had to pick out the best. I moved only three to my little propagator.

Two of them shot up really well.

On the 12th April I enjoyed potting them up.

This is how there looked on the 19th April.

I took this picture today.. Look how well my little goji's are doing!!