TopVeg is a blog where we talk vegetable growing in all its forms, good and bad. The site discusses growing delicious, fresh vegetables for the family, planning for a constant supply to the kitchen...
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Brussels Sprout Care
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TopVeg !.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Gardening
Brussels-sprouts will provide vegetables for the winter months and deserve some extra care.Pull off any yellow leaves, which will develop at the bottom of the stalk as part of the natural ageing process. Cart them well away.Make sure the sprouts are secure on their stakes, to withstand the winter winds.Be prepared & protect the brussels...
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17.5% off Thompson&Morgan Seeds Today
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TopVeg !.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Gardening
Beat the credit crunch with Thompson & Morgan ’s 17.5% discount off vegetable seeds ordered before midnight today.T&M also have a value seeds range which helps vegetable gardeners who are stretched in these difficult times.Click this link to go to the Thompson & Morgan site.growseedvegetable gardengrow, seed, vegeta...
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Black Sooty Moulds on Brussel Sprouts
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TopVeg !.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Gardening
Black sooty moulds are appearing on Brussel Sprouts.The black sooty mould can be sticky and is the result of a whitefly attack.Cabbage whitefly overwinters on brussel sprouts as adult insects. Adult whitefly and their nymphs suck sap from the sprout plant and excrete a sugary substance (honeydew) onto the leaves. Sooty moulds then grow on...
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Hygiene & Cleaning Plastic Seedtrays
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TopVeg !.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Gardening
Injection moulded plastic seedtrays are easy to clean and can be reused if proper hygiene is followed. Plastic seedtrays which are rigid:dirt and disease can be washed off.trays can be stackedwhen stacked still have a small gap between trays for air flow(more…)diseaserecycleseedtoolsdisease, recycle, seed, tools
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Fantastic Celariac!
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TopVeg !.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Gardening
Carol has commented on fantastic celariac:Celeriac is fantastic if you like the taste of celery. Easy enough to grow but give it space to expand. Cleaning it up is a bit of a job and you can waste alot peeling it. Makes great soup and good roasted. You can also bake it sliced with cheese, grated in salads or mashed with potatoes. celariaccookc...
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Thrive - the Gardening Charity
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TopVeg !.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Gardening
Thrive is a horticultural charity, founded in 1978, that uses gardening to change lives. Gardening can help individuals accomplish many things. It can help rebuild a person’s strength after an accident or illness, and can provide a purposeful activity for someone coping with a difficult period in their life. Gardening provides an enjoyabl...
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Living Willow Hedge as a Wind Break.
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TopVeg !.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Gardening
Chris has commented on our wind break post asking if a living willow hedge would be suitable:I was thinking of a living willow hedge, such as Salix Viminalis, for my veg patch, can anyone tell me if this is a good/bad ideaTopVeg replied:The advantages of using willow as a wind break are:willow is vigorous - growing quickly, thickly, withstandin...
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Plant Raspberry Canes Now
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TopVeg !.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Gardening
Now is the best time to plant raspberry canes. The canes must be free from viruses and other diseases, so it is worth buying canes from reputable suppliers who have disease free stock.November is the best month to plant raspberry canes, because they have all winter to get established. Bare- rooted canes are usually planted.(more…)
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Bayonet Shaped Parsnips
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TopVeg !.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Gardening
John has grown these magnificent bayonet shaped parsnips on his allotment in Yorkshire.There are 3 main shapes of Parsnip – (Latin name -Pastinaca sativa ssp. sativa )bulbous types with rounded shoulderswedge types which are broad and longbayonet types which are long and narrowClick the image to enlarge the photo of this bayonet parsnip a...
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How to Grow Nasturtium or Indian Cress
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TopVeg !.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Gardening
Nasturtium or Indian Cress(Latin name - Tropaeolum majus) annuals or perennials, but in the UK neither type is hardy.Plant Height - 20cm/8in, spreads to form a carpet – will climb and trailCrops -June to first frostWhere to Sow - Outdoors, directly into ground, where they are to flower.Sowing time – after frostsHow to Sow Nasturtiums...
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How to Grow Borage
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TopVeg !.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Gardening
Borage- (Latin name - Borago officinalis ) AnnualPlant Height - 70cm/ 27″, spreads 30cm/12″Crops - June to first frost Where to Sow - Outdoors, directly into ground. Does not like being transplanted Sowing time - early spring to summerHow to Sow Boragethinlyon to cleared, raked soilleave on top, as needs light to germinateAfter ...
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Free Vivaldi Potato Seed
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TopVeg !.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Gardening
D T Brown are offering free Vivaldi Potato seedPotato Vivaldi :Second Earlyknown as ‘weight watcher’s potato’ - has up to a third fewer calories and a third less carbohydrate than most other varietiesknown as the ‘butterless baker’ as its creamy texture and flavour mean that as a baked potato, it does not even n...
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Why french & runner beans curl
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TopVeg !.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Gardening
People are wondering why both french & runner beans go curly.TopVeg spent a whole summer at Penn State university measuring the angle ofthe curve - for plots of beans which were grown with different amountsof trace elements!But there does not seem to be much literature available about this,so we asked the Pea Growing Research Organisation wh...
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Bracket Fungus kills Ash Tree
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TopVeg !.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Gardening
The bracket fungus on the Ash Tree, ( reported last year ), has killed so much of the tree that it was unsafe and had to be felled. There were many more bracket fungi on the tree than we had seen from the ground.
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Ten ways to Cook Beetroot
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TopVeg !.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Gardening
window.google_render_ad();Prepare for cooking:Pull the beetroots on the small side, as they have a better taste & textureTear off the leaves leaving 2″ of stalkLeave the roots onWash the beetroot in cold waterCooking methods for Beetroot:Boil - Leave an inch of stalk attached to the beetroot and cook it with its skin on & roots...
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How to Pickle Beetroot
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TopVeg !.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Gardening
To Pickle Beetroot you need:2kg beetroot, washed, with 1″ of stalk1 1/2 litres malt or wine vinegar1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns 10 whole cloves 1 bay leaf (dried) 100g SugarMethodWrap beetroot in foil and bake at 180 degrees C for up to 2 hours, until they are tender.Prepare the vinegar mixture...
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Cutting Tops off Potatoes
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TopVeg !.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Gardening
window.google_render_ad();Cutting the green tops off potatoes has to be done if the leaves are still green at the start of October.Potatoes should be lifted in the next few weeks, but they will not store well if the potato leaves are still green and the potatoes are still growing.The potato tops, or leaves, are cut off:to stop the potatoes growi...
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Why do Carrots Split?
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TopVeg !.
Posted in: Blog Posts in Gardening
Reasons why carrots do split:A lot of water after a dry periodirregular wateringheavy rain after droughtvery rapid growth carrotgrowharvestcarrot, grow, harvest
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