Tuesday 31 December 2013

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...

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