Thursday 21 June 2012

On squatting courgettes and scottish veggie gardening tomes

Midsummer's here and the land of eternal light, is well, a bit light to be honest. Not much in the way of dark nights here at the moment. The 'Sim-dim' or twilighty light hours at night have allowed me to get a bit more reading done. In celebration, Mr Flowers bought me a new book. The courgette is home grown and explained in paragraph 5......after a peedie divergence.

To be fair - I attempted to buy the book myself in the local Orcadian Bookshop - but as I clutched my copy a wee old lady was bemoaning how difficult it was to get vegetable gardening right in Scotland and it made her guy wabbit trying. I stood and eavesdropped in amazement, I could have been listening to myself, she went on to tell the nice sales lady none of the 'proper' books were really quite right, the magazines downright depressing as they showed pictures of things growing happily in the midst of England, in seasons which escape most of us in Scotland, never mind in the far north. Never mind she said trying to watch a gardening programme on the telly - its like watching some alter-ego of a garden watching national programmes on gardening. [Except the Beechgrove of course (sensible programme) which at least is based and grows sonsie cabbages and alike, in Scotland.]

I'm sorry chaps but the rest of the gardening books/programmes based in the UK just plain lie, they tease, the timing's are wrong often by a month or more, the varieties are often wrong and its really no ones fault - those are just the facts. If you're trying to learn to grow veggies in Scotland using a generalised non Scottish book, you'll probably depress yourself trying to follow the rules. And, I'm by no means a veggie nationalist!

For many of us up here, its like a tease really all this gardening stuff in the national media, reassuring to hear this poor old sweet lady also shuns such things and talks back to the TV and the Radio when they're on - telling them how different it is here. Like getting up and giving a seat on the bus, I handed my book over to the lady and said that this was probably what she needed. A book written on growing veggies and fruit in Scotland. Whilst I've not read it cover to cover - its got to be more relevant than most other things written in main stream publishing and I had it in my sticky mitt for about 10 seconds. I guess, maybe, if its contents live up to the cover, I did my good deed for the day. So my own copy came home and now its here. I've leafed through it - it appears to be quite sensible, so I introduced it to my first courgette of the season, so they could get acquainted.

The first courgette of the season is quite exciting isnt it? Hardly a glut the first one, but the promise of a glut to come. I've got two fish boxes planted with one courgette 'Green Bush' in each. Not outside of course, not here in my wall-less windy garden. They're safely snuggled up, squatting in one of the polytunnels at the local college. Warm and wind free, growing beautifully. Who say's squatters rights aren't fruitful and of course I'll not keep on about the benefits of fish box growing will I, its a love affair deeply matched for me!

I'll let you know how I get on with the book - the courgettes not withered thus far, so that's a good sign. Another are the 14 references to Orkney, acknowlegement of windy weather's affects on attempts to grow vegetables, a general inability to grow runner beans outdoors up here and even the mention of Planticru's (which will please Janet). Finally of course - my old tutor, Mr Anderson's advice for many things including the ability to correctly plant a cabbage or any brassica is by testing with a pull to said brassica's leaf which should break off before you can tug it out of the ground (as so also say's Mr Chaddock garden guru of Orkney who also calls this the 'rabbit test', is as always deeply sensible. Lovely to see so many lovely Scottish growers mentioned Including Mr Chaddock and Mr Hutichson (of the giant Orkney vegetables!) and I'm going to enjoy reading more of it during the 'simmer dim' we're currently experiencing in the land of the eternal light.

Whilst I thrust it into the ladies hand at the bookshop without thoroughly reading it - and I didn't bludgeon her to buy it (she was an old lady after all) - I've heard plenty about it as it was being written to know its a potential gem and it should do her vegetables a good turn.

I may bore you all heartily with a review - but thus far the book gets a big tick, as does the courgette although 'courgettes' are not included in their 'Indoor fruits' chapter......although they acknowledge some of the more tender veggies can be grown with cover.....

Will it do what it say's on tin - 'The only guide to growing fruit and vegetables specifically for Scotland's climate' -  I certainly hope so, otherwise I may have short changed a little old lady.however the same authors have written another deeply sensible Scottish gardening book, so it's looking hopeful......

*I'm sure it will prove very helpful but until I've read it cover to cover I can't really say if it does what it says on the tin*

As for the 'A horticultural compendium second to none' - by the Scottish Field, well they've not read my windswept almost finished horticultural manuscript yet, have they!

26 comments:

  1. Ps I should point out, the old lady took my email address, so if I've let her down, she does have some redress.......:-)

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  2. perhaps she'll give us her spin - via your blog?

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    1. Oh, Diana maybe - perhaps I should edit 'old' to 'a lady of mature years'.........I'm sure she's never come across me and perhaps was a little overwhelmed at the scruffy wellie clad overenthusiatic lassie in the book shop!

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  3. We're in the middle of the house-buying process in France - a few months before we get in and have control of the large garden. So, we've decided to grow as much as possible in big pots again this year. Off to market on Saturday to gather whatever we can, though I've still got loads of Chillis in the freezer, so might not grow 'em again this year. The light is amazing, though, is it not? One thing we miss about northern Sweden.

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    1. Still got chilli's in the freezer here too! Although we've just used the last of the tomatoes - great stuff on inheriting a walled garden - pots are certainly excellent at growing veg in - wonder what you'll end up from the market. The evening light at this time of year is second to none I think - 20th had the most amazing sunset whilst last night was beset with gales and sideways rain *deep sigh* Goodluck with the new house!

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  4. Now I feel cheated! My courgettes don't even look like flowering at the moment, let alone producing fruit and I thought that we were warmer and sunnier down south and ahead of the game! Mind you, I think my first lot of squash seeds actually drowned in all the rain, I had to re-sow to get some reasonable looking plants. Have a good weekend xxx

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    1. They are in a tunnel (cossetted and pampered, even if they are squatting) to be fair and its been really sunny here during May (between the downpours) - many of my seeds set sail this year - a common complaint in this dank drooned weather.

      Have a great weekend too! x

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  5. Have you ever come across the book 'Gardening in Orkney and Shetland' by John Burns? It's OOP but secondhand copies appear on Amazon from time to time. I keep it on my wishlist against the day I can afford to buy a copy :-)

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    1. Hi there Wanda - I do also own that to be fair - after I got directed to it in the library from a person in my class - its very useful! Do you know The Impossible Garden - Rosa Steppanova - with her fabulous garden in Shetland? More ornamentals but very interesting.

      I got my copy of John Burns book on Amazon for (?£12) a while back but I see they go for more than that........

      If you ever need a lend, just give me a shout!

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  6. Book looks really good - as an ex-pat Scot I know a few people with the same frustrations about gardening books and seed packet instructions!

    Almost got very jealous of the courgette as we haven't got any yet (however many hundreds of miles south of you - first flowers came out yesterday) but then I read it was in the polytunnel. But I'm still jealous, it's a fine specimen :-)

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    1. Courgette jealousy - yup it was in a tunnel :) by the time I return from holidays in July I may post you some! The glut will be upon us.

      I think between that book and real seed catalogue I may have veggie gardening here just about sussed before I leave...........then we start the games again!

      Great book - lovely to read about so many gardens and gardeners I'm very lucky to know!

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  7. Hi Fay, it's not a new complaint. My 1908 edition of 'Scottish Gardens' says: "General instructions contained in horticultural works and nursery catalogues are mostly calculated for the meridian of London....A wise discrimination in deciding what to grow makes all the difference between struggling and co-opeating with nature." The author also remarks that the summer of 1907 was the wettest for thirty years. I wonder whether it was worse than 2012!

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    1. NO I ken - its just one of my favourite things to pleep (moan) about. I love your edition of Scottish Gardens - who's the author?

      This surely has to be the wettest year for over 40-50 here - so the farmers reckon - seeing water in dreels of fields on slopes is impressive if soggy.

      I'll try and co-operate with nature more - still not had the gumption nor the bravery to put a cover on my tunnel - to feart it will either implode or explode. This 'mixed weather' is doing my head in.

      My carrots have rather sensibly only just begun to germinate, unhampered by the showing off of the courgette.

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  8. It was Sir Herbert Maxwell http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Herbert_Maxwell,_7th_Baronet. His style is rather overblown - even for 1908 - but I thought you might like this:

    'The hand of the Mistress of the Flowers is as ready as her eye is quick'

    I thought you might take that up as your personal motto?

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    1. I do like that motto! I may well find more about the overblown Sir Herbert too - thank you for the link!

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  9. BTW Maybe the answer to the tunnel is to adapt the old black house technique for keeping the thatch on, and fling ropes over the top with a heavy stone tied to each end? Just a thought...

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    1. That was indeed the tactic I was seeking out, I was going a little more hard core (concrete pads with hooks in,to tie the ropes or net too, rather than stones) - however my nerves are still shot - I'm actually considering cutting my loses and taking the frame down. Abject cowardice on my part.

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  10. Now I can use this as an excuse for being reluctant to grow veg in the past, although it seems my grandfather had it down to an art, the veg growing, not the reluctance. Giving up your book in such a way, I knew you were a good quine. Although Kininvie says I should be calling you Hen, I suggested he perhaps thinks Quine is too common.

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    1. Hen's a braw word, from my native toon (the land of jute, jam and journalism) its a well tongued phrase for a lassie of any age. Thanks! I think your grandfather, like yourself clearly knew his own garden well. I did indeed give the book up, like a seat on the train, its how life should be. Manners, I had drummed into me, cost nothing. I bludgeon my offspring with a similar philosphy, as many others do, I hope.

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    2. Never said Quine was common.....just regional!

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  11. Hi Fay, thanks for the weather widget information, just activated it.

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    1. Glad to be of service I borrowed the idea from a couple of the fine island blogs in Scotland - as much as we talk about the 'mixed' weather, the widgets helpful for those visiting our sites to get a flavour I think. I mean, its July, I'm in central Scotland and yesterday to pick the young quine aff the train fae a fencing tournament in Doric, I had my wellies, my woolly bunnet on and a duck down jacket on. Left the sunscreen.........although I may need it today.

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  12. Looks like a great book, hope it gives you some good advice. We have a wee temperature advantage in the shelter of the Great Glen, but nothing to get too excited about. We are having vague thoughts about setting up a pick-your-own soft fruit area in the woodland, we shall see.
    We are also lovers of growing veg in fish boxes and Dad enthusiastically promoted it on the beechgrove radio show recently. Tell us how you get on so I can see if I should send a copy to a friend on the islands.
    Best Wishes Cat

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    1. I thought I heard him! A fellow fishbox lover is not something I wouldn't notice. Goodluck with your soft fruit - shelter and the moisture you have might make for some mighty lovely fruits. I think I'd recommend the book wholeheartedly - its a good guide to the differences in growing on the islands - I'm almost through it.......

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  13. I'm in Shropshire and my courgette plants are about 4 inches high and at the first 2 leaves stage.

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    1. Ah well at least they're growing - its been a rough season all round - and mine are cossetted and indoors. I wish you abundant fruits!

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