from Sussex, with love

Vegetable Trough Challenge – Week 2 and #HDYGG

Happy Vegetable Trough Thursday people!

The vegetable trough we made a couple of weeks back (or “The Troff” as I am now referring to it) has had two full weeks to start growing its delicious vegetable wares and as I’m sure you can see from the above picture we are already seeing some fantastic growth! Actually we’ve had to thin the seedlings out a bit because things came up so quickly and densely!

Lettuce & Radish.jpg

As you can see we have a couple of lovely thick rows of Lettuce (left) and Radishes popping up! I’m really excited about the radishes – I love the sweet peppery flavour but they are something I always forget to buy when I want salad bits. We’re also beginning to see the other three veg pop up too which I’m so pleased about (I honestly thought we wouldn’t grow a thing – though I realise we have a long way to go yet!) They are (left to right) Carrots, Onion & Spinach. I’m most excited about the perpetual spinach – I would put it in every meal if the OH would let me (have you ever tried spinach mash? It’s a bloody revelation!).

carrot onion spinach seedling

“The Troff” isn’t home to our only veg though! Oh no… I’m growing and entire produce aisle in my garden.

At least that’s what it feels like having only grown cress once

twenty years ago

and it died

ahem.

We’ve also got some lovely Chilli and pepper plants coming along a treat – they are currently living on the spare bedroom window sill which is South facing so keeps them lovely and hot! We’re growing 4 types of Chilli – Hungarian Hot Wax, Jalapeno, Red Cherry & Scotch Bonnet – we actually planted the seed for the scotch bonnet from a chilli we bought at the supermarket so I’m a little surprised it’s working so well (I’ve been informed that it can be a temperamental strain). The pepper we’re growing (the super healthy looking plant both left and right below) is our Frigatello Pepper which we just chucked in as we had a spare couple of pots but is going great guns!

chilli plants growing from seed

We have some fruit on the go too – our Blueberry Bush is doing it’s second year and is really flourishing at the moment (despite dodgy macro lens pictures). We’r going to buy a second shortly so they can help pollinate each other (that’s a thing, right?). We also have a lovely little Plum Tree which is budding too.

blueberry bush and plum tree  blossom

Lots of other bits are really starting to come to life now the suns coming out like our Butternut Squash, Aubergine & Olive Tree  which are all thriving with a bit of warmth – and our Bay Leaf cutting and Garlic pots which get bigger by the day!

I’m really enjoying watching all my seedlings spring up all over the place and seeing my vegetable trough come to life – I just don’t think I can wait so many months to eat it all!!

Mammasaurus and How Does Your Garden Grow?
About 
Kelly is a twenty-something lover of all things nerdy. Cocktails and lie ins are her favorite things, neither of which she can enjoy since becoming a mum for the first time. She writes about everything she loves and loathes (with a little indifference thrown in for good measure!) She also blogs over on the BabyCentre about life as a new mum.

28 Comments

  1. Emma

    April 3, 2014 - 9:13 am
    Reply

    Love this!! Every year I make the mistake of sewing my seeds too close together. It’s great that you’ve managed to thin them out at an early stage. Looking forward to BBQ salad at yours!

    • Kelly

      April 3, 2014 - 9:49 am
      Reply

      hehe Oh yes Emmy – BBQs a plenty!!

      We totally went overboard! We used a whole packet in each line (woops!) but at least we’ll have a ridiculous amount of veg now 😀

    • Kelly

      April 3, 2014 - 11:21 am
      Reply

      It really is, isn’t it!

      I feel like standing over them all rubbing my hands together, whispering “grow my pretties, GROW”

  2. Rollercoaster Mum

    April 3, 2014 - 10:41 am
    Reply

    Love your ‘Troff’ – my OH built one a couple of years ago but it’s now been given over to strawberries. Those peppers look massive already – we have some on a windowsill too but they’re only just coming up!

    • Kelly

      April 3, 2014 - 11:23 am
      Reply

      Oooooh Strawberries YUM

      We’re going to try trailing strawberries I think – practically living in the garden centre at weekends buying the things we’ve though about in the week :p

  3. Iona@redpeffer

    April 3, 2014 - 10:55 am
    Reply

    It’s so exciting to see the seedlings appear and I love your troff! One of my plum trees has died and I’m gutted as I’m not sure we’ll get fruit with just the one as they’re not self fertile, I’m gutted. That’s the thing about growing your own-so many highs and lows 🙂 #hdygg

    • Kelly

      April 3, 2014 - 11:24 am
      Reply

      Wait…what??

      Not self-fertile? Are they really not? I didn’t realise that at all and we only have space for 1 🙁

      Although saying that, the in-laws only have one Victoria Plum and they got loads off it last year

      *runs off to google plum trees*

  4. Kirsty - Hijacked by Twins

    April 3, 2014 - 11:51 am
    Reply

    It is so rewarding when you see the shoots starting to come through! I is great to be able to go outside and pick fresh veg 🙂 x #HDYGG

    • Kelly

      April 3, 2014 - 9:07 pm
      Reply

      Isn’t it Kirsty 🙂

      I can’t wait x 😀

  5. Emma @ Tales of a Greenwood

    April 3, 2014 - 12:55 pm
    Reply

    Love it! I recently saw a ‘troff’ on a gardening site and really want one, great to see yours. I am later with seeds this year and have only just planted ours.
    Interested to see how the butternut squash grows, have you grown one before?

    • Kelly

      April 3, 2014 - 9:12 pm
      Reply

      Thanks for your comment Emma 🙂

      Yes we spotted one locally too but they wanted £450 for this size?!?!? (absolutely no way was that happening!!)

      No we’ve never grown anything – We have 5 Butternut Squash on the go at the mo and they are all looking very healthy and big but we will see what happens – are they hard t grow?

  6. Hellie's Corner

    April 3, 2014 - 1:37 pm
    Reply

    Lots of lovely great growth in your garden. I have wondered about planting seeds from my peppers and chillies, but have never tried it.

    • Kelly

      April 3, 2014 - 9:13 pm
      Reply

      Oh do it Hellie!

      It’s so easy – we don’t often buying Chilli seeds (unless we want a specific strain or heat strength) – just take a few out and pop them in a wee pot 🙂

  7. Claudia

    April 3, 2014 - 2:04 pm
    Reply

    looks like you will be having lots of delicious salads. we are growing peppers as well and there are 5 visible ones already. exciting! 🙂

    • Kelly

      April 3, 2014 - 9:15 pm
      Reply

      I think you’re right Claudia – I’ll have to munch it all myself too as the boy doesn’t eat salad!!

  8. Gemma

    April 3, 2014 - 2:33 pm
    Reply

    Loving your trough! It’s great when everything starts to sprout and you can see your hard work. I grew chilli plants last year and we didn’t each much chilli at the time, but we do now 🙂

    • Kelly

      April 3, 2014 - 9:16 pm
      Reply

      Thanks Gemma 🙂

      chilli is VERY addictive so I’m not surprised 😉 I can’t live without it a couple of times a week!

  9. Jenni

    April 3, 2014 - 4:17 pm
    Reply

    Wow your plants are looking amazing, my chilli seeds have barely even germinated! It’s just such an exciting time isn’t it!

    • Kelly

      April 3, 2014 - 9:17 pm
      Reply

      Thanks Jenni – not having grown them before, I honestly have no idea if the progress is good or not so lovely to hear positive comments 🙂

  10. Charmaine @ weald

    April 3, 2014 - 6:57 pm
    Reply

    wow, a trough… looks amazing! We’re planning raised beds and have loads of veg to sew once they’re made… I can’t wait! x

    • Kelly

      April 3, 2014 - 8:58 pm
      Reply

      Thanks Charmaine!

      Oooh raised beds sound fab! We’ve just dug out some potato borders but raised would have been really pretty! x

  11. Mammasaurus

    April 3, 2014 - 8:44 pm
    Reply

    Blooming loving your new blog layout and logo – a lorra lorra!

    Trough skillz are yours, it’s so exciting seeing the little shoots poking up through the soil – and chillis rock my socks 🙂 Loving looking in your garden sweet cheeks!

    Thanks for joining in again and sharing!

    • Kelly

      April 3, 2014 - 8:55 pm
      Reply

      Yay! Thank you! It’s still not 100% what I want but it will do till I can figure out how o bring my brain to life!

      It’s amazing! I am secretly more excited about the Chilli’s though (despite it all being about “The Troff”) – I just want to make everything in my life spicy!

  12. PODcast (@The_Doves)

    April 3, 2014 - 11:28 pm
    Reply

    Look at you go! The troff is doing brilliantly, you must be doing well with the old watering. I think if I tried this everything would shrivel and die. Amazing stuff though, I must try harder 🙂

  13. vicky myers

    April 4, 2014 - 7:22 am
    Reply

    Love you trough:) Looks like loads of space for growing:) #hdygg

  14. Jenny from Cheetahs In My Shoes

    April 4, 2014 - 7:37 pm
    Reply

    Love the Troff! Top tip with the perpetual spinach for you (says she speaking from bitter experience) – you really need to keep on top of it and eat the small leaves quickly – once they’re huge they need casseroling for days!

  15. Honey

    April 9, 2014 - 10:45 am
    Reply

    Your plants are looking AMAZING! Lovely to see them all growing! x

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