Three Sisters Planting system

This year, I'm going to try something new at the allotment.  I always have the best intentions, then when I get to planting, I get bored with the preparation so I bung everything in a well-it-looks-straight-to-me fashion and I'm totally sure that in a few months time I'll remember what I planted in which half of the bed! It's a system that seems to work for me, but I'm intrigued by this one and really AM going to do it properly.  Honest.

I've got the corn on the windowsill growing nicely, just planted the beans seeds, some squash are coming up - so I'm ready to start this Tuesday 23 April 2013.  There.  Date set.  Must achieve!

And because I'm a very honest person, I'm not even going to pretend that this Native American system is even remotely my idea!  Although I can't remember where I first heard about it, this was the most informative site I found, with plans I could understand (and hopefully follow - which would be no fault of theirs if I didn't!)  How to set out your bed 

Incase you can't be bothered reading about it in full, what I'm basically going to do is have sweetcorn, beans and squashes all growing in the same bed.  In a nutshell there are lots of mounds of mud, the corn is planted first (4 in a diamond shapes leaving space between the mounds) , then when they get taller the beans are planted (4 in a square, in the same space as the corn) then the squash is planted in between the corn/bean mounds.  The idea is that the corn supports the beans and the squash restricts the weeds, and lots of blah, blah, blah about nutrients and water used.

I'll keep you updated and put in photos as it progresses, because I'm quietly confident on this one, and because I can't help but experiment, I'm going to try it with the dwarf varieties as well!

17 Aug 2012 - Finally....there's bean success

 After 3 attempts at growing any kind of legumes this year, we have finally got signs of life!  Our persistance has now paid off!   Therew are broad beans and generic peas on the rows by the stake-ends, and nasturtium in the middle - quite easy to see which  leaves they are!  Very happy!

broad beans

broad beans & nasturtium

peas & nasturtium

There was a visitor to the neighbour's potato patch.... running away when I started taking photos, but I was quicker this time!

2 Aug 2012 - Not giving up on beans!

 So far this year we've had absolutely no success with beans.  I will not give up on them!  I've narrowed it down to what's not wrong:
1) Other people on the same land are growing different types of bean plants
2) We've tried 4 different varieties - broad beans, mangetouts, generic peas, dwarf beans
3) We've tried 2 different areas on our plot
4) We've tried starting the windowsill at home
5) We've bought new packets incase they were old seeds
6) We've tried different suppliers 
Therefore, it must be that the universe does not want us to have beans for Christmas dinner!

Here's the 3rd area we're trying (before pic) - I'm hoping that the wet summer we've had so far means that we're going to have a bit more sun for the rest of the year and it's not too late to try again.....






Same view, with most of the lawn mowed, the cape gooseberries have new protection and there are canes of broad beans and generic peas put in (with nasturtium in the middle so it looks pretty and at least guaranteed something will grow!)



Here it is from a different angle.  I'm eagerly anticipating some seedlings coming up soon!

The empty tyre in the cape gooseberry enclosure is because next year I'm going to have 3 tyres full and I thought it'd be better to cut the mesh to the right size now.

16 May 2012 - Seeds, seeds, seeds

I took today off work as an "allotment day", I'm guessing non-lotties won't understand how fab that is!

Well I ended up not feeling very well on Tuesday, not much better today, so packed myself off to the allotment with coffee and a packet of Tums and thought I'd do an hour of the easy stuff, go home for a bit and come back for another stint in the afternoon.  Yeah, like that's gunna happen!  Four hours later, I'm heading off home!

I forgot my camera, but here's what I got up to:

*  got 20 rows of seeds sown in trays, covered and put in the greenhouse (10 rows are pumpkin, courgette, marrow, melons.  10 rows are mini sweetcorn and late peas/beans)

* weeded the "fruit" bed and planted a lavender in a space there (a bee came along to investigate, but it was a dim one, it was at the wrong end of the bed!) - bed is just behind the blue tarped bed

* weeded round the "roots" bed, we've got lots of turnips and looks like some salsify is coming up too. - bed is just by the greenhouse

* in the "leaves" bed, dug over the rest of the bed, planted out the rest of the brussel sprouts, put in the leeks between those rows, sowed some UK bluebells, nasturtium, purple sprouting brocolli, cauliflower and celery parsley. - bed is under the green netting

* at the fenceline of the "leaves" bed I dug in a tyre, filled it and planted out some of the carnation sprays.

* watered the new seeds/seedlings in place and the ones in the greenhouse too.

I had my "ears" in and was singing away (using the term loosely) and decided at just the right time to stop and look around.  I'm sure the guy trying to mind his own business wasn't that worried about a bad rendition of Twisted Sister and failing to hit the high notes of The Proclaimers, but I'm really glad I decided not to sing along to The Bloodhound Gang!  I may never have lived that down!

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Well here's another first attempt at an Alison Holst recipe from my book that's decades old....do I have to warn you, or you just understand that I probably haven't followed it properly and what I used is in brackets again....
T = tablespoon
t = teaspoon
c = cup


1kg potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
2T butter, 1/2 c grated cheese, Milk - for mashing potatoes
1/2c grated cheese - for topping the mash

1c kidney beans (1/3 each of black turtle beans, marrowfat peas and Pinto beans)
2 large onions, chopped
1 red or green pepper, chopped (orange)
3T wholemeal flour
1t vegetable boillion (bay syrup)
1t dried basil (2t mixed herbs)
1t dried oregano (none)
1t paprika (are they trying to kill me!)
2T parsley (1 T feverfew - I'm new to this herb)
1t dark soy sauce (balsamic vinegar)
1.5c bean cooking stock
2T tomato paste

Because I forgot to soak the beans overnight, I fast soaked them, which means I brought them to the boil for 2 minutes, then let them stand for a couple of hours.  Keep 1.5 cups which will be the cooking stock (above).  I've kept the rest to use in other recipes that need a stock.

Next time, I'll soak them overnight. 

  

check out the colours!

Cook the onions in butter until golden brown, stir in the pepper, then the flour.  Stir over a moderate heat until the four has browned slight then add the boullion, herbs and soy sauce.  Stir in the bean stock and tomatoe paste.  Bring to the boil, stirring constantly.  Add the beans, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.



Put the mixture into an oven friendly pan and cover with mashed potato then sprinkle with cheese.

Cook in the oven at 180c (160c for fan oven) for 20-30 minutes, brown the cheese under the grill (if you want).

Serve with green veges if you like, and maybe a glass of wine or beer. (honest, the recipe said that!)