Work in the veggie gardens is picking up and constantly changing. I recently harvested the raapsteeltjes for the last time and dug the stubble under in preparation for the next crop. I believe that raapsteeltjes are known as "turnip greens" in english. I am very fond of these, and we eat them raw, mixed with mashed potatoes and bacon bits with gravy... or boiled. My partner makes a sauce to mix through them. Here is the small bed before their last harvest. ...and a trug-full of the harvested leaves ready to be taken home. That was a quick task, but there was loads of weeding to do and planning for the coming brassicas and beans that must still be planted out...but first I wanted to try making an espalier for our new Gooseberry bushes. Granted, this technique is something that the Victorians popularized and perfected...for fruit trees like pear, apple and so forth. Having said that, I always like to put my own twist on things and I really like trying something new. Doing things my way is fun but not always without a bit of scepticism from fellow gardners..and sometimes my owen partner. hahaha....I just plod along though. This espalier idea is the latest. Here is what it looks like. I know that it is not easy to see at the moment because of the background and I can't get a good camera angle because of the blueberry fence, but perhaps you can see what I am trying to do here. Hopefully as the plants get older and the branches grow longer, I can select and train them to the effect that I want. Why I am altering the habitus of my gooseberries? Well to begin with, to make fruit picking easier...and to lessen the danger of being pricked by the thorns. Further, I feel that the fruit of espaliered plants are constantly exposed to the sun's ripening and not partially consealed by leaves. The Victorians did this against a brick wall--I do not have one surrounding my lottie, so to begin with, I am not using any wall. I may well fashion one behind the plants with the onset of winter. I shall see. Here is the simple structure made of small bamboo canes. You can see a little better looking at just one of the plants. It just occurred to me that some of you folks may not know what I am talking about when I speak of making an espalier for the bush. An espalier is a form uses to tie the branches to, in order to train your tree or bush to grow in a certain way. Generally speaking, along specific horizontal and verticle lines. Because I am doing this with bushes, the typical model will not be easy to achieve (in the beginning, at least), so I sill use transverse guidence for some branches instead of proper form. Doing an espalier presents a bit of a problem when the object is an bush rather than a tree, but I'm not letting that stop me. I'm not one to be limited by conventionality purely for conventionality's sake. Ok then, so after the long day's work it was late and we were tired...so we elected to head off to the harbour to have a fish meal. There is a bloke who has a small stand next the old harbour tower. His "Lekkerbekjes" are the best that I know of. Here is are a couple of pics of the entrance to and the inner harbour. The entrance to the inner harbour. The inner harbour Finally the old harbour tower dating from the 1500's. Ahhh (stretching)...it feels good to work hard and eat well.
I like the idea of an espalier for your gooseberries Sjoerd. Anything that stops you from being pricked repeatedly whilst picking the fruit is a good plan. :-D Maybe I should move my two bushes and see if I can erect something along the same lines as you have? Trouble is the gooseberries are already about 15" tall and full of thorns. Mmmmm I think I'll wait until they die back then transplant them for next year.
Heh heh heh....are you thorn-shy, Eileen? Well, I don't blame you there--they are mean. However you could try doing just one although I agree with you that uprooting a plant to move it during fruiting is not a good idea at all. If you elect to give it a try I would be interested in seeing the results. Let me know how it goes, please.
Sounds like a delicious day in every way, Sjoerd. I so like you home town. I hope to see it myself some day. And your lottie, of course.
Well thanks alot, Droopy. What a nice thing to say. I hope that you can see it too--you are welcome at any time...and if you have time you can see the lottie as well. hahaha.
If you don't try something different you never know if it will work. Looking forward to updates on the Gooseberry experiment. The harbour is so pretty, very picturesque. A good meal, especially a good meal that someone else cooks, after a day of hard work is always a good thing.
Looks like you had a great day that was productive and fun. A meal of fish is the best any time for me - very cute town and I like seeing where other people live. Your "lottie" is very fascinating to me -- we don't have anything like that in this area, though in the city of Baltimore, there are some community gardens where people have small veggie patches. I would imagine it is nice to have your lottie to work and your lottie neighbors to interact with. Do you have to travel far from your home to get to it?
Well Daisy, I bike for 10-15 minutes to get to the lottie...depending on the lights and if there is a headwiund or not. Having an allotment is good for all the reasons that you outlined. Especially the "social" aspect. I enjoy conversations and having tea with my co-gardners almost as much as I enjoy gardening itself. It is such an important aspect of the whole "lottie experience" for me. Thanks for saying nice things about my town. It's old but quite charming, I find. I have posted other stories in the past with piccies. I can't recall the title of my posting though. :-?
I agree on the social aspects... I am lucky to have a couple of neighbors who are always outside too, and we encourage one another. For years, my neighbors were non-gardeners and it was kind of lonesome out there on my own! But now, new neighbors, new gardens, new friends. Very nice.
I miss that social aspect of gardening. You gardenstewers fill that need for me. However, my hubbie enjoys helping with the veggie garden. We learn together.
I learn so much from you Sjoerd! I grew Turnip's last year and really enjoyed them. However, I didn't realize you could eat the greens too!!! I'll have to remember that this year (if my veggie patch ever dries up enough to plant anything this year!). How about posting that recipe for mashed potatoes with those greens and bacon? Please?
Sjoerd, do you not get bothered with flea beetles turning your turnip greens into net curtains? They decimate my turnips and radishes completely, so much so it is a struggle to grow them. Good idea with the goosegogs. I have a standard one which is nice as I can grow strawbs underneath it. It is also a lot easier to pick from. I got to the plot at the weekend for a couple of hours before meeting Pat at Hyde Hall and it is all looking ship shape. At last the peas have all germinated now I have netted them to stop the pigeons, and the first sowing of beans are up. YAY!
Sjoerd your stories, pictures, etc. are always so interesting. I still remember the beautiful pictures of your gardens last year, and the stroll that I took and thoroughly enjoyed. Love your village. So picturesque and quaint.
