Birds in the boxes!

This week has not been a good one but I have learnt a lot so as with all experiences I will take it all on board, learn from it and move on.But firstly let me a share a little. There is a depression issue running through the ladies in my family-my mum suffered horribly, I struggle with it and so, unfortunately, does my daughter. This week we had a mental health "crisis"which saw a rush to A&E and a frightening few hours. All is calm now but what I have picked up from people is that there are countless folk working in and around horticulture and gardening who are affected by these issues and the common denominator is that being outside with plants calms issues like these. Reconnecting with the earth you see. So to any of you out there suffering, get outside, grow something, get your hands dirty-I really hope it will help you and I would be really interested to hear from you.
So, I hear you ask, why the picture of the Blue Tit? Well not only do we have them nesting in the boxes at work but a couple of them have started to nest in my box in the garden-its the first time it has been used. And they are so beautiful that I felt the need to share. At work we also have a Mistle Thrush which sings to us every morning from one of the apple trees in the orchard. The song makes you glad to be alive!

On a planty note lots of seedlings are popping their heads through and we are deperately running around trying to make space for everything!!! All my windowsills are full as are both our greenhouses and my coldframe, so today we are taking the hardier things such as Calendula and Lunaria over to the allotment to sit for a while. And then I think it will take us about 10 minutes to refill the spaces we have made!And this week we have ordered even more seed. Oh well, well find space for it somewhere....In the mean time heres a picture that will raise the temperature on a grey day.

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The Wonders of the Chilli

Chilli Cherry Bomb

Chillies. I absolutely love them. Not just for their culinary uses but because they are beautiful plants that fruit in a way that makes them look jewel encrusted. You can have really small plants to plants that are up to and over a metre in height, that are variegated, that have deep purple leaves and that have variegated fruit. You can buy seeds of well known varieties such as Joes Long to really rare varieties that have been bred by folk who are far more obsessed than I to the infamous Chilli that looks like a willy!!. There are a wealth of chilli seeds for sale online-just Google chilli seeds and the world of chilli seed will open up in front of your eyes. I can strongly recommend www.simpsonsseeds.co.uk, www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk and www.dartmoorchillifarm.co.uk as great chilli people but there are countless folk out there whos lives revolve around the fruits of the plant and what to do with them.

With that in mind, there are lots of chilli festivals around the country each year, with more popping up every year. The biggest festival of the year is the festival at West Dean Gardens which this year is from 27th to 29th July. You can find more info at www.westdean.org.uk. Here you can see everything from chilli based pickles and sauces to chilli beer and vodka, alongside great chilli growers selling plants, including Michael Michaud of Sea Spring Seeds www.seaspringseeds.co.uk who has regularly been seen as the River Cottage maestro of chillies.

Chilli Fish-variegated leaf and fruit

So once youve chosen your varieties they are easy to grow as long as you keep on top of them. The seeds need to be sown early in the year-I always sow mine on January 1st, as the plants need a long growing period to ensure fruiting. I put mine into a heated propagator as Ive found I achieve a quicker and more even germination rate. However a warm windowsill above a radiator will work too.

Once the seedlings have a true set of leaves they need to be pricked out which I do into 3inch pots and they can then sit on a warm windowsill and grow away. The important thing to remember is that chillies hate to be pot bound so as soon as they appear to have stopped growing, pot them into a larger size pot and watch them start to grow again. Some varieties will end up needing up to a 5ltr pot but they will thank you for this by rewarding you with lots of fruit to do with as you wish.

A quick side note is that they will reward you further if you feed them well!! A good dose of tomato food once a week once the flowers start to be seen will encourage the fruit to set well and keep the plants looking healthy as well as keep them fruiting for longer. The other thing to remember with these plants is that they like to be keep moist so need regular watering. They will thank you for it.

Chillies are, of course, seen as being annual plants that need warmth to grow well. However there are several different types of chilli and some of the South American varieties have been found to cope well overwinter in a cool greenhouse on a heated mat. I am experimenting with Chilli pubescens Rocotto this year to see if they will overwinter here in sunny Bucks. I shall let you know!!

Joes Long Cayenne

So thats how to grow a chilli plant in one easy lesson. They grow beautifully in pots outside, are a great gift to give to people and you can make fantastic recipes from Chilli con Carne to pickles and oils. Its not too late to get them going now and once youve grown them once, youll be hooked. to quote one chilli grower I spoke to at Waddesdon Chilli Festival last year, "I started with 30 plants and now grow 3000+ each year"
Why not join in-its a great thing to do!!!!

In other news in the 52 week salad challenge my seeds are germinating away nicely and Im looking forward to sowing lots more in the next few weeks in the window boxes underneath our kitchen windows, There I shall be planting sorrel. peas for pea shoots which I adore and lots more mixes. And I shall be following the advice of someone from Twitter, who took all her old salad seeds, mixed them together and sowed themas her own mix, using up old seed which usually would have just sat around until thrown away.

In the mean time, were nearly at the end of January. Roll on Spring.

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