The April 2018 edition of 'Kitchen Garden' magazine dropped through the letter box yesterday and with it came two free packets of seeds. One was for Rainbow Chard and the other for Yellow Delight Tomatoes. I'm not sure whether we will grow either of these this year as with 45 tomato plants still on the window sill we might be alright for tomatoes for this year ! We had also decided not to grow Chard this year as only MrShoestring really likes it. However, the multi-coloured stalks are very pretty so if we have some space I can imagine putting a few seeds in. Chard is also very reliable and with this very cold end to the winter it might take a bit of time for the soil to warm up, so it could be a good crop to sow later on.
The feature about rhubarb reminded me that I still have lots in the freezer from last year. I appear to have been saving it for a special occasion ! But if we don't hurry up and use it then the next crop will be needing picked ! There are a couple of good recipes in the magazine, one for rhubarb jam to fill a Victoria sandwich cake and one for an apple and rhubarb cake. Since we also have lots of apple in the freezer, this could be a good way of using up some of both kinds of fruit.
The other article which caught my eye was one about slug control. We have had terrible trouble with slugs eating the later sown lettuce and have been very annoyed about it. All the usual things like beer traps and picking them up by torch light do not appear to put a dent in the population. So I was delighted to read about a product which deters them and encourages your crops to grow. It is called 'Slug Gone' and these are wool pellets which expand around the plants so the slugs can't slide up to them. It is completely safe for children and pets and helps to hold nutrients in the soil. I'm going to look out for some the next time we are at the garden centre !
So this month's free edition of the magazine has given me lots to think about and 2 free packets of seeds. So far the subscription seems like a great way to spend the Tesco vouchers !
You got good value on the magazine! I bought seeds for cabbage, kale and chard. Since we’re nearly always cold, these seemed the most likely to grow. Nothing free, though!
ReplyDeleteI, too, have rhubarb in the freezer. No apples, sadly. Do you make the rhubarb jam, then use it for the cake? I had to rearrange the freezers yesterday and found two large bags of crushed raspberries, enough blackberries for a pie and several small bags of wild blueberries. Like you, I think I may also be saving all this fruit for something special. I just need to figure out what that is!
Debbie
I think the 'special' days have arrived, with it being the back end of winter and us all needing cheered up ! Yes, I am going to make some rhubarb jam and use it for the cake as we have had crumble every week since September and I think people are getting a bit tired of it !
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