T&M - Goji Berry 'No.1 Lifeberry'

Thompson & Morgan have added Goji Berry 'No.1 Lifeberry' to their catalogue this year and have very kindly sent me a 9cm Plant to trial. 

A high-performing variety favoured by Chinese commercial growers, Goji Berry ‘No.1 Lifeberry’ bears heavy crops of large, shiny, orange-red fruits, 2-3cm in diameter, with a very sweet flavour. 

The Goji Berry has been revered in China as a ‘Super Food’ for centuries. Packed with antioxidants and vitamin C, Goji berries can be eaten fresh, dried like raisins or used for jam. 

As well as being edible, the Goji berry makes an attractive shrub for the border, with purple flowers in late spring/early summer followed by bright red berries that are reading for harvesting in August. Goji ‘No.1 Lifeberry’ can be grown in the open border or in a large container. Its arching branches can also be trained against a sunny wall or trellis, showing the attractive fruit to advantage and making it easy to harvest. 

Flowers in June 

Harvest in August 

Height and spread: 2m (6.5ft).

How To Grow

Pot up plants and grow them on in frost free conditions until large enough to plant outside in their final positions. Prior to transplanting them, acclimatise goji berry plants to outdoor conditions over a period of 7 to 10 days. Plant goji berries in any well drained soil in full sun. When growing goji berries in patio containers use a soil based compost such as John Innes No.3.

Water goji berry plants regularly until they are fully established. Once established, they are drought tolerant and cope well in poor soils conditions. Goji plants benefit from some winter protection during their first two years; however with maturity they become increasingly hardy, tolerating temperatures down to -15°C (5°F). Prune goji berries in winter or early spring by removing any damaged or crowded growth and pruning the stems to fit the available space.

Clean Up & Coffee Grounds

This afternoon, it was nice and sunny and thanks to my sister popping in I managed to get to the allotment and hit the potting shed and the plot 1 shed and had a good tidy up.

Sorted out the compost into buckets in the potting shed. Starbucks free coffee grounds chopped up and placed in aluminium trays. My little sister picks it up for me when she gets her coffee in the mornings a couple of times a week.

Trays placed in the Plot 1A Greenhouse it was over 30C in there this afternoon when I opened the door. I love the smell of drying coffee grounds

Bindweed in the climbing frame greenhouse sprayed with weed killer, I don't normally like using it but at the moment I can't get down on the ground to just weed it.

Bindweed on the Cantilever Runner Beam sprayed, but I'm going to have to get down and weed around the young tree and the grape vine manually, or find someone who can weed it for me.

Dry Coffee grounds spread on Bed 5 as the snails and slugs hate coffee grounds and it also act as a fertiliser.

3rd Bed Of Red Baron Onions

A swift visit to the allotment late this afternoon with Emma to get the next onion bed ready and 105 more Red Baron Onion Sets planted, watered them in and gave the other two beds of onions a drink.

Again I've leaned the inner hoops in opposing directions so when the wind blows one hoop goes into Tension and the other in Compression and hopefully the structure remains upright and does not start leaning or falling over one way or the other.

Hoops & Debris netting fixed to keep the birds and mice out. The mice have been pulling Andy's sets up and gathering them in a pile on his plot. The pile of hoops needs to be distributed four to a bed ready for when whatever goes into the bed can be covered over. The aim at the end of this year, is to have all the beds covered for the winter months with the hoops and lateral bracing members there ready for action for next year.    

I need to get some weed killer for the bind weed that is making its way up my cantilever runner bean or French climbing bean frame. Bind weed is also making its way up my grapevine, that needs to be dealt with my hand, however the problem is at the moment I can't get down that low to deal with it. 

Third bed on right is what is left of a bed load of broad beans that were over Wintered, I will not be making that mistake again, Next visit loads of beer traps, and blue pellets of death to be put out all around the plot. 

Daleks on Bed 5

The idea last year was to compost on the bed and then this year just empty the contents and bring the level of the soil inside the bed frame up, and feed the bed. I was up at the crack of dawn (lucky Dawn) and got dressed and ready so I had assistance getting the medical boots on, from Kelly before she went to work. Shame I don't have long arms like a gorilla or better mobility to be able to do this myself.

The Daleks had been continuously topped up with alternating layers of Greens and Browns including Comfrey and coffee grounds. The last layer was shredded paper to act as insulation as we went into winter, and that's what remains un-composted, the rest of it looked adequately composted to feed the soil and full up the bed a little because the beds are not really raised more framed to separate and delineate the beds from the paths. With my current mobility issues I will be looking at making the beds higher in the future. 

The Kent & Stowe long handled fork and trowel and plastic shovel worked well getting the spoil that fell on the weed membrane as I lifted the Daleks up and off the Compost. With my current mobility issues I can't get down on my knees at the moment and these long handled tools are proving very useful. 

I skimmed the un-composed layers off the top of the two piles and put that material into the Hotbin.

I cut some more of the brassicas up from last years bed that I had not cleared to give my worms in my Hotbin some spring food, and then added another layer of un composed material from these Daleks. I have two square flower buckets with the un-composted material nearby to add when I gat another green layer of kitchen vegetable offcuts. 

Removal of the Heavy Duty weed membrane after cleaning up the top of the weed membrane.

Then I took a fork to both heaps and broke them up and spread them around the beds timber frame.

The Comfrey is now growing and giving the bluebells a run for their money.

Potting On Germinated Parsnip Seeds

Parsnips have started to germinate in the three Chinese takeaway containers on damp kitchen roll, so its time to fill those toilet roll cardboard tubes and get transplanting the seeds with little roots showing. This will now be a daily exercise until I have 210 of them. Then I may do another 105 and have a third bed of parsnips this year.

The Lidl trays with modules are an ideal size for the cardboard toilet rolls

I stuck the small coke bottle in a loo roll marked the bottle with a Sharpe and then cut just below the line so the bottle sits nice and snug on top of the roll. I then made another cut further up the bottle. It works so well as a funnel to get the compost into the toilet roll. 

And with an appropriate sized scoop we are off

The coke bottle funnel is a game changer and makes filling the cardboard tubes nice and easy

Lets play a game of spot the roots

The arrowed seeds are what we are ideally looking for to transplant into the top of the cardboard toilet rolls filled with compost. The circled seed the root is just about acceptable, but way too long really. Now I have spotted germination I will be looking for short roots on the seeds and transplanting them on a daily basis.  

I made a depression (hole) in the middle of each tube ready to transplant the seed with root down into the compost.

What you couldn't see them in the last picture? Here is a better view 

And after transplanting 16 seeds with roots into the toilet rolls it was time to water using another small coke bottle with five small holes drilled in the cap. The water shows in the cardboard tube.

Here is what's left to keep an eye on daily for the next transplanting sessions

The 16 cardboard tubes on the right of the tray are now nicely damp and indicating they have been adequately watered in. Another tray of toilet rolls is ready for the next couple of days of transplanting.

National Frog Month

April is National Frog Month? Frogs are amazing amphibians, and they should be celebrated! Also, keep your eye out for frogspawn - there are loads about at the moment - you're bound to spot some if you or a family member have a pond or if you go for a nature walk near any body of water.

To celebrate Frogs, here are some Fantastic Frog Facts for National Frog Month;

1. Not all frogs have webbed feet
2. A group of frogs is called an ‘army’ or a ‘knot’
3. Frogs can live up to 10 years in the wild
4. Frogs have sticky tongues
5. Frogs sleep with their eyes open
6. Frogs don’t have to drink – they can absorb water through their skin
7. A frog’s call can be heard up to a mile away
8. Female frogs are mainly silent – it’s the male that mainly croaks
9. Frogs can breathe through their skin and live up to several months underwater
10. Tadpoles have teeth
11. One clump of frogspawn can contain up to 4000 eggs
12. Some frogs eat their babies.

First Early Potatoes In Buckets

 

My sister popped in to help me get my socks and medical boots on and I took myself to my allotment for a couple of hours, I worked on getting some nice two year old compost out of one of my Daleks and into buckets and planting my 8 first earlies.

The plan was to ring and let my Daughters know I had arrived safe and sound, problem was I forgot to take my phone and I didn't find that out until I was in the potting shed. 

I thought, I'm only going to be here a couple of hours, and my Plot Neighbour is on site so I'm not alone should I fall or need help. I will let them know when I'm back home.

As advised by the Royal Marsden I cover myself with sun cream and have taken to wearing a hat on the plot which is something I've never really done in the past. 

Unfortunately the mares tail had made its way into the composer bin, but had gone around and around the inside of the Dalek so the middle was basically free of the mares tail.  

I used the the long Power Planter and the Ryobi drill to break up the compost so I could empty with a large trowel it into buckets. 

The face of my daughter in this photo, looks just like my late wife when I was in trouble.  She sent her sister this photo with a message that I had arrived safe and sound.

She had phoned me 12 times and funnily enough I had not answered because my phone was at home! 

My plot neighbour Andy was on site so I was comfortable not having a phone with me and I had arranged to leave the same time as Andy so I didn't have to get in and out of the car to deal with the gates. 

Now she knows how a Dad worries when his daughters are going somewhere and why I ask them to let me know when they leave and arrive at their destination. 

I heard the gate go, and the thought "I do hope that's not Emma." 

It was, and I got a good dressing down for not obeying my own rules, on letting people know you have reached your destination in one piece. 

This was another photo she sent to her sister. With a message she had found me playing with the dirt. 

The two square flower buckets with lids are my first early spuds 

Four large buckets of 50% New compost and 50% old compost ready to go into square flower buckets for the second earlies to be planted at a future visit. 

Andy gave me a five minute warning that he was going so I could gather the last of the tools and put them away in the shed and we left about 12:15pm 

Getting The Onion Sets In

The aim today was to go the allotment in the morning, find as many of the 105 hole planting membrane sheets as possible, plant the Blue Suede Blueberry (Vaccinium) plant, come home for lunch and then return in the afternoon with Emma to plant as many beds of onions as we could. 

Ericaceous compost used for Blueberries, tamped down into a square flower bucket with drainage holes made with a soldering iron 10mm up from the bottom so it can hold water at depth. 

I used a pot the same size to form the perfect hole in the compost for the plant to be placed in. 

Plant firmed in then a covering of more Ericaceous compost. I have 3 more blueberries ordered and they will be going behind the climbing frame greenhouse.

Emma and I got the first two beds of Onions in before the rain started this afternoon, Strawberries Covered with debris netting, this morning Blueberry plant potted up, and rubbish taken to the skip.

Thanks to Wally for his assistance this morning getting the old rusty incinerator with a broken chimney and no bottom anymore and all the contents into the skip, in the drop off and pick up area. (aka the Car Park)

Beds 4 5 & 6 had been ear marked for the onion sets, however two Daleks were placed on bed 5 last year and both were filled to the very top as the vegetation of the allotment was stripped back.

Photo of Beds 5 last year. These two Dalek were continually topped up with greens and browns including coffee grounds and comfrey and were topped off with shredded paper.

Note to self

Always top of with greens as the the very final layer had not completely decomposed but both bins are now only half full showing that nature has done it's magic and I have some nice compost to extract from these bins to be used on the potatoes in buckets this year.

As a result of Bed 5 still having the Daleks on, an alteration to the plan in that beds 11 to 14 will now be Onion Sets and the brassicas planned for those beds will now go into beds 4 to 6 and possibly 7.

With the change in plan Beds 14 & 13 both now have 105 Red Baron Sets in each bed and I need to clear bed 12 ready to get another beds with in, plus I need to make two more 105 hole Planting Membrane sheets.

The beds in the greenhouse climbing frame need weeding and the return bed needs completing before the need to plant in there is with us so that's a job on my to do list. The mesh panel was put in place as Mr Fox had been in there and dug in the bed.

The area behind the greenhouse climbing frame needs to be cleared of weeds and a floor of woodchips needs to go in as that will be where the Blueberries will go so that I can net it to keep the birds off them.

Wally took the Rhubarb from the bed that I have now planted strawberries in and have put some netting over to keep the squirrels out off because last year they ate and dug up my plants.

Atlantic Garden Organic Peat Free Seaweed Enriched Compost

 

There is much debate regarding the demise of peat compost and how poor results are being had by using the peat free range of composts now available to nonprofessional gardeners and allotment holders.

There are many discussions on gardening and allotment forums with complaints of composts being over woody and full of un-composted materials whilst we all look for something akin to what we used to be able to purchase. 

I've found this new organic peat free seaweed enriched compost / soil improver and I will be adding it to the soil and compost I'm using on a number of my vegetables. 

Below is a little about the man, the company he formed and the product he is selling and I'm going to trial this year. 

The Atlantic has played a pretty significant role in Guy Grieve’s life. From living at sea aboard a boat with his family to working as a scallop diver for 12 years running the Ethical Shellfish company in the waters surrounding his former island home on Mull.

To assisting in the formation of a 3km sugar kelp farm on the Isle of Mull & working with the Scottish Coastal Clean-up charity. In 2023 Guy formed Atlantic Garden and started creating 20% Seaweed compost & soil improver ready to start this year.

“For twelve years, as a scallop diver, I swam through Kelp forests in the pure beautiful waters of the North Atlantic around my home off the coast of the West of Scotland. I used to gather seaweed on the beach beside my house to fertilise a little veggie patch on the Isle of Mull.

The results were always wonderful. It got me thinking…

 I now want to bring the incredible benefits of seaweed to anyone, anywhere who is growing anything! No chemicals just pure natural goodness. My compost even makes itself-aged naturally in Scotland, like a fine whisky, for every gardener in the UK.”

Atlantic Garden’s compost ingredients are 100% UK sourced, including seaweed grown and gathered off the West and East coasts of Scotland. 

They use seaweed from storm wash onto harbour facilities and infrastructure where it has to be removed, so are helping the community by keeping the harbours clean and clear.

 20% Seaweed and 80% brown and green horticultural clippings are from parks and gardens from twelve council areas of Lowland Scotland are added together. These natural composting ingredients are shredded, mixed, stirred, aerated and formed into composting windrows. Atlantic Garden monitor the process to ensure that temperatures are achieved which kill off any weeds or pathogens.

The rest is up to Mother Nature, they just wait, like Master Whisky distillers, for the natural ingredients they bring together to gradually form into a very lush looking special soil improver. This seaweed enriched compost contains 80 minerals, essential trace elements, vitamins and natural plant hormones including Cytokinins, which all stimulate plant growth and so much more.

There’s nothing artificial in their compost it is organic as they add no inputs at all during the growing and collecting and processing of their compost. As the company is newly formed they aren’t certified yet… But they will be as soon as they can.

Atlantic Garden is working closely with partners on the West coast of Scotland to grow seaweed. They have already established a 3km sugar kelp farm on the Isle of Mull from which they hope to harvest 30 tonnes of gorgeous kelp this summer.  They also bring in sustainably hand gathered seaweed and seaweed from other farmers in Scotland.

By buying a bag of beautiful seaweed enriched compost from Atlantic Garden you are helping them to play a small part in repaying our great debt to the sea.

Without the sea, Atlantic Garden is nothing. So they decided that every bag they sell will lead to a serious contribution to The Scottish Coastal Clean-Up which is an incredible charity which is profoundly dedicated to clearing marine plastic waste from beaches in Scotland.

 Atlantic Garden hope that you will be proud to know that you help them, to help this great charity with every purchase you make.

Atlantic Garden Organic Peat Free Seaweed Enriched Compost (40 Litres) Cost £13.99 and that price includes the shipping costs. If you order two of more boxes then there is a 10% Discount applied to your order.

Your order for each 40 litres will be packed into two bags of 20 litres each, and placed in a single box.  The bags, box, tape and label are all 100% home compostable.  thus Zero waste.  Atlantic Garden are not interested in flashy packaging or shiny plastic.  It’s what is in the bag that counts.

In fact Atlantic Garden are one of the only compost suppliers who has taken the time to ensure that you can compost your bag.  However you need to help them too.  When your beautiful Atlantic Garden compost arrives you have one week to keep it in the bag…  Any longer and it will actually start to compost!!  

If you don’t plan to use it straight away just pour the contents into a holding bag or container and cover it.  Atlantic Compost packaging will home compost in 180 days.  Please do tell them how it goes as they are somewhat obsessed by the subject!

The Atlantic Garden website has a FAQ (Frequently Asked Question Page) which you can get to by Clicking Here

 If you are already sold on buying some of Atlantic Garden’s compost Click Here

The Small Print I have not been paid for this article, Guy has very kindly sent me some Atlantic Garden Compost to trial and I will be writing about it again on manvslug.uk and going into more depth on how it is made etc. I will be posting about it again, especially when I use it on my tomatoes, and I may even do a bit of a trial against other composts this year..

I love to see an ethical, newly formed UK based companies launch and thrive and as someone who formed his own company ten years before I retired, I’m always happy to assist in promoting new companies that have a great service or product, and I wish Guy and Atlantic Garden every success.