Epiphyllum crenatum flower and Vegetable seedlings update .

 I went up to the greenhouse early ,  to open up the windows , it 's going to be another sunny day, still a cold breeze though .
  The flower on the Epiphyllum crenatum is still not fully open . Isn't she lovely ?

                                    Are you getting the fragrance ?

                               So now to see how my beans are doing .

              I,m growing Montecute Runnerbeans from Adam Alexander  .
These were once grown in the kitchen gardens of Montecute House in Somerset .

            Ryder's Top O'the Pole , a climbing French  Bean ......that I am growing  for it's connection with golf and to get my husband interested in growing vegetables  .
    It is a good and tasty old variety of bean that needs to be grown more and seeds shared to keep the variety going . I certainly hope to save the seeds from it and grow it again next year . We'll see how it goes ..or should I say ...grows !
    It is named after Sam Ryder . Samuel Ryder was a Sunday School teacher and gardener , who had a small business selling mail order "Penny Packets " of seeds in the 1890's.     
   Later in life , after an illness he was encouraged that he might take up golf ...the fresh air would do him good . ( I know you 're beginning to fall asleep now aren't you .... lol ! me too ! ) 
   Well , it seems he really got involved with it , as chaps do and in the interest of making something more of the competitive side of golf , and encourage more young  British gentlemen to the sport , it was he who donated the now famous and highly coveted Gold Ryder's Cup in 1927 .
 Anyway ....this is a Climbing French Bean that was bred by his seed company .
 Golf mad husband is now interested and it was his finger that poked these bean seeds into the 3" pots of compost  !
I bought these seeds from "Beans and Herbs" www.beansandherbs.co.uk ....and it looks as if they are all coming up !

 Now this is another very old variety called "Coco Sophie" a flat  Climbing French bean from the late 1700's  . Poldark time !  I wonder did Demelza grow them in her little vegetable garden at Nampara ? Did Demelza even have a vegetable garden ? We certainly never got to see it ! Worth growing and saving the seeds from these ! A real taste from the past . Hopeless romantic me !
    I bought these from The Real Seeds Catalogue www.realseeds.co.uk .  The name Coco Sophie .. sounds more like a luxurious French perfume than a name for  humble French beans .
  On the back of the seed packet it says that this looks like a Runner-bean but really isn't ! It is said to have a unique and wonderful buttery texture when cooked .  It sounds so good !  I cant find any more information about it anywhere , so if you know anything more , please let me know ? Like where it was originally bred and grown ?
  Only a couple of them are breaking the surface..it is definitely slower than the other beans.
 French  Beans in general but especially these Coco Sophie , I have found that they don't like too much watering in the early stages of germination  and need to be warm . They wont stand for any cold . I,ve been covering them over with a piece of fleece at night .
   I did sow them all at the same time ...but it is always such a relief when they begin to come up . I,m keeping a close eye on them !

                                My little Yellow Tree Lupins , so sweet !

 Tomatoes are doing well , I need to top up the compost in their pots and keep them watered .

                                        We will soon have Tomatoes !

 Butternut Squashes and Cucumbers growing fast, to go out next week or the week after ,when they have three or four leaves and the weather is not so breezy .

 Sweetcorn doing well , the under-gardener , golf maniac loves his Sweetcorn ! These will be planted out in a block for wind pollination .

                    Kalettes all grown from seed are just about ready to go out .

 Actually I have grown lots of varieties of Kale...we love them better than Cabbages ....although I have grown a few Cabbages as well this year .

 So much planting out to be done and I,m just not feeling too well today, a bit of a cold coming I think . I watered everything early this morning and now I,m going to rest up .