THE GROWING CHALLENGE (1)

I am going to take on the challenge to grow something(s) new, that I haven't grown before. The most different things to enter would be the aquatic plants but I think they will die down as summer comes to a close. Another option is the cut-and-come-again salad leaves that Joy Larkcom wrote about and now is the ideal time to begin. I have been putting it off due to indecision about where to sow them - shade, sun, seed-frame? Well I will have to decide pretty soon and document what I do. I have 3 packets of chicories I will trial first up. They are zuccherina di Trieste ( a special one meant for cut and come again), rossa di Verona (a red hearting type) and variegata di Castelfranco (a cream and red variegated, loose-feaf type).

After removing my disasterous tomatoes, I do have available a whole semi-circular bed inside my dry stone wall. But it is very hot and sunny. Looks like time to out up some shade. Always something to learn as a curator of chaos (my new answer for when people ask me what I do!) Only problem is that the weekend is going to be hot and it is difficult to get Roger out into the garden around dawn - the coolest time of the day!

Click on The Growing Challenge picture at right to read the details. I doubt this person will take this on as it has got bigger than Ben Hur but I am going to do it anyway. Anybody want to join me in our own challenge? Prizes yet to be announced!