Error message

  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: addressfield. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: backup_migrate. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: calendar. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_addressbook. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_autosku. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_cart. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_checkout. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_customer. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_customer_ui. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_custom_product. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_email. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_features. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_flat_rate. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_giftaid. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_hide_shipping. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_line_item. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_line_item_ui. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_message. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_order. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_order_ui. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_payment. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_payment_example. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_payment_ui. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_paypal. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_paypal_wps. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_price. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_product. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_product_pricing. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_product_pricing_ui. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_product_reference. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_product_ui. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_sdf. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_shipping. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_shipping_ui. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_sp. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_ss. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_ssr. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_stock. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_stock_ui. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_ui. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_fancy_attributes. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).
  • User warning: The following module is missing from the file system: commerce_file. For information about how to fix this, see the documentation page. in _drupal_trigger_error_with_delayed_logging() (line 1143 of /home/bobflowe/new.bobflowerdew.com/includes/bootstrap.inc).

Sweet corn success

You never taste the finest sweet corn unless you grow it yourself. Buying frozen or 'fresh' cobs, from the supermarket or even a farmer's roadside stall, will not guarantee you really fresh. Even if you grow sweet corn yourself it's likely you may still not have had it absolutely fresh. You see in only a matter of minutes sweet corn starts to deteriorate, in particular it becomes more starchy and less sweet. The drive home in your car is long enough to reduce the quality noticeably.

Seed crops, not for seed but to eat

Of all the plant parts we eat the most generally nutritious are probably the seeds. All the requirements for new lives are packaged inside and most seeds are thus very rich in nutrients as well as carbohydrates and or fats. World-wide we survive on seed crops, and their derivatives. Many are grown on an immense scale such as wheat, barley, rice, maize etc. In general these are hardly practical on a garden scale, it's not that we can't grow them but that they are awkward to harvest and process, and we need far greater quantities than most kitchen gardens can supply.

Now I want salads….

One of the perversities of our human condition is the desire for foods when they’re out of season. When our strawberries, asparagus and tomatoes stop producing at home foreign ones continue on the supermarket shelves till our next crops arrive regardless of their air miles. Many bewail this apparent waste of resources, others the lack of seasonality. The former critics forget the need for developing countries to sell us something- and surely fresh fruit and veg. are better than bush meats and drugs.

Fixed beds, raised beds, rows and record keeping

The way we lay out our vegetable beds should not be random or haphazard as it can have a strong effect on the behaviour of various crops and make a great difference to our workload. For example simply by aligning rows north south so that the land on either side of a tall row receives equal sunlight we can get very different results to east west arrangements where plants on the north side of a tall row live in perpetual shade whilst those on the south roast (with luck and in the northern hemisphere).

Rotate or just move stuff around

We almost all attempt to practice some sort of rotation though I suspect in practice expediency often messes up our plans. Many different examples are given in textbooks but unfortunately they are little use as guidance and can rarely be fitted to any gardener's particular needs. Individual tastes vary and few of us want exactly the same combination and quantities as are proffered in most textbook rotations. This is the main problem; these worked examples require you to sow, grow and then use the same vegetables in the same proportions as the originator.

Carrots are not the only roots

In terms of glamour root crops seem to score pretty low. Very often seen as a bit boring and mundane, we recognize them as worthy yet hardly ‘interesting’ horticulturally. Yet as with any area of gardening there is always more to be found out and discovered than at first seems. The root crops are quite a varied bunch with a long history, and there are more than you may first suspect.

Nitty gritty methods on my 40 beds

I'm often asked what differences there are between growing on fixed beds like mine compared to the usual allotment row by row plan, in particular I'm asked about my use of block planting. (For the advantages of fixed beds and block planting Vs rows please read my article in last December's issue entitled "Fixed beds, rows and record keeping'.) In this piece I am going to deal with what I do in practice -bear in mind my parameters are to minimise work and that I'm growing in a very dry area; in a richer moister soil things might be different.

Pretty and edible, or oh no not another spinach

Those who’ve read my works before may have noticed a certain prejudice against most garden designers. To me too many are failed artists fiddling about with gardens because they’re not good enough to follow their original leaning. When these non-gardening gardeners turn their attentions to the kitchen garden they often come out with ineffectual ideas that would hardly credit a complete novice. In particular that long abused term ‘the cottage garden’ allows them to pander all manner of poor plantsmanship.

Potatoes and all their wrinkles

The potato is one of our most important kitchen garden crops. It’s the mainstay of home production; from new potatoes loved by everyone to the long-storers keeping us through the lean months. Unknown before the Americas were discovered it was not the most rapid success when first introduced and many other alternatives were tried before the spud triumphed.

Spuds you like; cunning ways to improve your crop

The 'usual' way of growing potatoes is well known to most of us and though good enough it is a compromise based on commercial practices. We gardeners have more time and skill at our disposal than the average farmer and we can use these to look after our potato crops in more careful ways.

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