This is the journal of my endeavours to grow a range of fruit, veg and flowers from seed, grow organically, and my attempts to create a personal paradise with 1/2 acre of maintained gardens and 1/2 acre wild meadows. Northern Ireland's average daily high temperatures are 18 °C (64 °F) in July and 6 °C (43 °F) in January. Soil type: Clay

Thursday, 12 April 2012

Fruit, Veg, Herbs Update

I'm relatively new to growing herbs and last year I started a little container with parsley, fennel and lavender - now coming up again. 

I'm thinking the fennel needs a new home as it gets quite tall and the parsley and lavender are quite low growing. Perennial herbs are super - great to see them come up the 2nd year without having to sow!

Variety (grown from seed last year):
Parsley Plain leaved 2. Fennel.
Lavender (either 'Lavendula Verea' or 'Lavendula angustifolia').
Lavender from seed last year. It was very slow to grow at the start, but I'm happy with the growth in a year. I'll be sowing more this year to eventually create a lavender border within the garden. (Variety is either 'Lavendula Verea' or 'Lavendula angustifolia' - I think it's True Lavender.)
Thanks Egretta for the lavender seed!   
Rhubarb stalks hiding underneath large leaves.
(pictured below) - looks ready to harvest.
Leeks looking a little shabby but not flowering yet so still on the dinner menu!
Poppy coming up amongst the leek and chives coming up in the background. 
Speaking of flowering, pictured above and below flowering kale. It's now complementing my flowering broccoli (and off the dinner menu)!
Looks like I need to clear the veg box!
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15 comments:

  1. Jo12 April 2012 at 01:15

    I don't grow many herbs, I have the odd one or two in the garden but that's about it. I should really use them more in cooking and then I'd have a reason to grow them.

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  2. Mavis12 April 2012 at 01:36

    Fennel is such a beautiful herb I think I am going to try and grow it this year. Are there any special requirements?

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    1. Kelli13 April 2012 at 01:23

      Hi Mavis, sowing from seed is fairly easy. I follow the guidance on the pack and generally do ok. I use a warm sunroom (indoors) to get seed started as I live in a coldish climate. There are some great tips below on fennel from other bloggers (things I didn't know). Good luck!

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  3. Sue Garrett12 April 2012 at 01:38

    The fennel will produce huge roots too. Make sure you plant it where you can let it stay - it's really difficult to uproot when it becomes mature. Parsley is a biennial and so will die off in it's second year so you really need to sow seed every year. It makes a good edging plant too.

    If you want to increase your lavender try taking cuttings - I have a post coming up about this later.

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    1. Kelli12 April 2012 at 01:56

      Thanks for the tips Sue, very much appreciated. I've put these on my to do list.

      I hate to admit it, but I never propagate plants from cuttings. It always looks complicated to me. I need to start. I've watched Carol Klein so many times on TV make plant cuttings but the closest I ever come is pulling up a piece of shrub form the ground and sticking it in a pot to root.

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    2. Rainy Day Gardener12 April 2012 at 09:11

      Double Thanks Sue, I've started parsley this year and didn't realize it was biennial. I'll be looking forward to the post on cuttings as my attempts failed this winter.

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  4. Martyn12 April 2012 at 01:50

    That rhubarb is looking good and ready for a crumble. Our leeks are still in the ground and still look OK for the pot. I can't imagine them lasting much longer though.

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  5. Karin / Southern Meadows12 April 2012 at 05:34

    What will you make with the rhubarb...pie? We eat cooked rhubarb over ice cream, delicious! My fennel is almost gone now...the swallowtail caterpillars have been munching away. I need to get more so they don't go hungry! I can never have enough parsley. I plant it more for the butterflies/caterpillars than our own use.

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  6. Rainy Day Gardener12 April 2012 at 09:12

    Hi Kelli, I love your pots full of great herbs! You are an inspiration to grow from seed :) Cheers, Jenni

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  7. Mark Willis12 April 2012 at 11:13

    Looks great, Kelli. As you know, I'm a major fan of herbs. They are useful, decorative and easy to grow.
    A point worth noting: Fennel is one of those selfish plants that exudes chemicals that act as growth-inhibitors for nearby rivals, so it's best kept well away from your veggies.

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  8. HolleyGarden12 April 2012 at 19:51

    I've never tried growing lavender from seed! That's wonderful! And I love your herbs, and the rhubarb looks beautiful.

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  9. elaine 13 April 2012 at 06:59

    I love growing herbs - useful and beneficial what more could a gel want. My parsley has seeded itself all over the place this year so I wont have to re-sow. I took cuttings of my lavender and now have half a dozen more plants to put in the garden.

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  10. Egretta Wells blog13 April 2012 at 13:00

    Everything looks so pretty and healthy! I hope your lavender blooms and you can harvest it....buying lavender for sachets is quite dear!I have a plant but it doesn't look as healthy as yours! I have planted seeds, too.
    I enjoy rosemary and basil in my garden, using them in cooking all the time!

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  11. Malar16 April 2012 at 17:57

    Most of the flowers in your garden is new to me! so lovely!
    Fennel procude huge bulb?

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