Blog: Finally, the propagator is on…
With my world in a mess after my mam’s death, I’m trying to get back on track in the garden as sowing seeds late has put me back. For one thing, the rituals of the seasons are very comforting. Getting out there and doing something normal is so good for your mental health and stress levels.
After coping reasonably well, there have been a few difficult days. Six weeks after her death, the numbness seems to be wearing off, and the simplest of things are upsetting me. Most of all is the task of clearing out the house with a timescale – beware equity release, folks. Once again, gardening has come to the rescue – out with the heat mats. Sown in the last week were:
Tomato choices
Tomato Cherry Apero: Rich red, slightly elongated fruits with great taste. They are long-lasting on the strong and fast-growing plants and have excellent disease resistance, www.chilternseeds.co.uk.
Tomato Rosella: My favourite tomato, a cherry I always return to. Deep pink cherry fruits and a sweet, fruity flavour with a good balance of acidity, www.chilternseeds.co.uk.
Tomatillo Purpleino: This can be grown like an outdoor tomato, but faster-growing, cold-tolerant and more productive. They have purple-blotched yellow flowers followed by golf-ball-sized, sticky, purplish fruits enclosed by a papery husk. The ripe fruits can be eaten raw, in salads, or used in pies and jams, 75cm, www.chilternseeds.co.uk.
Chilli Trinidad Moruga Scorpion: See more on this hottie.
Sowing seeds late – rare and unusual chillies
Chilli Palivec: A new variety from the Czech Republic. It’s a long ‘goat’s horn’ style chilli, which starts pale green and ripens to a dark red. Very productive, with a good flavour. Height 60cm x 30cm. This medium-hot chilli has the heat mostly concentrated in the seeds, allowing you to control it easily, www.realseeds.co.uk.
Pepper Dedo de Mocha Sweet Aji: A hot pepper without the heat, from expert Jeff Nekola. Aji is a different species, Capsicum baccatum. One of the largest Ajis with shiny, deep red fruit and subtle, smoky undertones. Grow in a polytunnel or greenhouse and overwinter. If plants get stressed, they produce heat near the seeds. The name translates roughly as ‘Amputated Fingers’, www.realseeds.co.uk.
Passion Flower Mix: leftovers from last year.
Nicotiana Only the Lonely: An old variety for a partially shaded position. It has towering candelabras, hung with very fragrant, narrow-tubed flowers all summer. It can survive winter in some areas and is a self-seeder, 1.5m, www.chilternseeds.co.uk.
