This post is a little bit corny...

A couple of years ago, in 2012, I read an article about the so called 'Glass Gem' corn that had become a bit of an internet sensation. When I first saw the images of it, I thought they must have been photoshopped. Intrigued I thought I would try and grow some. I finally managed to source the seed from somewhere in America, for a paltry $3. So, this spring, a little dubiously, I sowed up the shrivelled little kernels that arrived. I planted them in a grid with my normal sweetcorn, due to the fact that sweetcorn is wind pollinated and this is meant to be the best way of getting the best pollination results, and therefore, more importantly succulent cobs! Many months passed with anticipation. But come the autumn the cobs were ready to harvest. The anticipation was replaced surprise and I was really impressed with what I found.

The cobs were filled with lots of multicoloured kernels. There seemed to be three types; the two shown in the photo and a third pink and white type. When freshly picked the kernels were a really translucent, but went milky over time. The variety was selected by Carl Barnes, a part-Cherokee farmer and breeder from Oklahoma, over many years by crossing several traditional corn varieties and saving seed from the most translucent kernels. For more information see:


http://www.businessinsider.com/the-story-behind-glass-gem-corn-2013-10?op=1&IR=T.


I didn't try the cobs this year as I wanted to save the seed for next year, but then, they shall have the all important taste test!

That's Shallot...

After a nice long Honeymoon it was time to get back in the garden. So at the end of October I planted my shallots, garlic and some overwintering onions.

The onions were 'Senshyu' sown on the 18th August. This apparently is the date to sow to make sure they are big enough for the winter, but small enough not to bolt. Time will tell.

I decided to try and produced garlic from saved cloves from last years harvest. These were either 'Christo' or 'Germidour' (I can't remember which, showing the importance of labelling what you plant!). I have read that garlic can acclimatise to the conditions in which it was grown so by saving an replanting you should be able to increase the harvest. As garlic needs several months at a low temperature I always try to plant in the Autumn.

As for the shallots I had a problem. In order to be able to save bulbs to replant every year, I needed the traditional shallots that act like garlic and produce several bulbs from a single bulb. I wanted to grow from seed to save money, and I also fancied growing the 'banana' types. However, after doing a bit of searching it seems that a lot of the modern 'banana' shallots from seed are actually onion/shallot hybrids and therefore only produce a single bulbs from a seed. Not ideal if I wanted to save them! The varieties I bought from seed were 'Red Florence' and the round 'Ambition', which appear to be the single bulbed types. Therefore I also bought 'Jermor', but these had to grown from sets. This will hopefully be the self-perpetuating I longed for...

Lettuce get what we want!

As the nights starts to draw in, and winter approaches, I always think the time for sowing seeds is over until the New Year. However, I always like to have fresh salad throughout the year. In order to fill the winter 'gap' I am going to have a go at sowing some salad crops now. On the menu are lettuce 'Arctic King' and 'Valdor', salad onion 'Parade' and 'Ishikura', a winter salad mix (which is mainly hardy brassicas) and some corn salad. All have been sown in the glasshouse for a bit of protection. Hopefully I can be having fresh salad over the festive season!!

It begins…

After years of being a frustrated gardener, growing things in pots, as I moved from place to place in rented houses, we finally bought a house last April (2013). After doing most of my gardening in books and any small spaces I could find, it was nice to finally spread my wings! The garden with the house is a ¼ acre plot, which was mainly grass lawn when we moved in, with the odd tree here and there, a greenhouse, a shed and a pond.

Since then I have made some veg beds, built a poly-tunnel, planted fruit trees to make an orchard, started to make a woodland garden, dug some flower borders and bought some chickens.

Now after a full growing season I thought I would start this blog in order to document and share my successes, failures and musings in the garden.