Planting potatoes on the first day of April

On this first day of April I have been busy planting potatoes in my "huge" kitchen garden. This part of this sentence is not at all related to April Fool´s day, while the second part describing the size of my garden should be read having April Food´s day in mind !

My "kitchen garden " is made of a selection of various pots (ceramic pot with herbs and plastic pots with potatoes), a capillary box, two apple trees, one raspberry bush and 4 rhubarb plant in planted in small corner of the garden.

As usual I received a small collection of seed potatoes from a good working colleague, as I am planting potatoes in 6 plastic potatoes pots. If I had to buy my own seed potatoes, when I would not plant potatoes at all, as I only have a need for very little amount of seed potatoes.

This year I receive 2 Sava, 2 Artemis and 2 Ariella potatoes. According to my colleague I should now be able to harvest home-grown potatoes in beginning of June !

While planting the potatoes I also gave a spring clean to the herb pots (cutting dry herb parts and giving new earth to the pots). As over wintering herbs I have garden mint, mint, lemon balm, rosemary and thyme.





While I busy  watering the potatoes pots and herb pots Hannibal the Cat took refuge inside in the window looking out to all the many planting pots. Otherwise he had spend most of the time outside in the garden, while I was busy planting and pruning, but water is not a favorite thing for most cats !

Apple harvest of 2016 is in house

My "big" apple harvest is in the house or rather the harvest is stored outside the house :-)

I have two apple tree in my "little" park. One unknown apple tree in pillar sharp and the second tree is a "family" tree, which should have 3 different sorts of apples, however I can see two different sorts (Philippa and Ingrid Marie).

Today I have harvested all my apples, as the apples have been tumbling down, when the wind is busy in the garden. The apples harvest has been divided into two portions. One portion of apple, which will be stored, and the second portion of apples with damages, which will be juiced.

Two years ago I brought some old fashion looking apple storage boxes.

The first I stored my apples in a small outbuilding, where the mice held a big party, where I and Hannibal the Cat were not invited.

Last year I decided to store my apples next to the kitchen door outside the house, so Hannibal the Cat could take care of the mice. Here the blackbirds had an apple feast of their own, again without issuing any invitations to me.

This year I am trying out a new storage place, this time on the balcony on the North side of the house, and placing some newspaper on top. Hopefully I have an apple feast for myself this year. And if you come around you are invited to taste one of my home-grown apples :-)

While I was harvesting I could see how many figs from the second fruit setting, which my fig tree is having. However, the second fruit setting will never mature in Denmark due to our climate. So I can only harvest figs from the first fruit setting of the season, which also was quiet big this year, so I actually made fig jam of figs from my garden.

Raspberry liqeuer

My raspberry in my little garden was until a few minutes full of raspberries, this is not the case any more, as I have started the process of making raspberry liqueur using this recipe.

When I was picking the raspberries I was was doing regular quality control. If in doubt, if the raspberry was good enough to end up in the raspberry liqueur, I placed the raspberry in my mouth ! If it was not good enough I spat it out on the grass and it was good enough I enjoyed the taste of it !!!

Raspberry liqueur:

• 210 g fresh raspberries
• 210 g sugar
• 3½ dl vodka

1. Start by putting boiling water into the storage jar for 5 minutes.
2. Empty the glass.
3. Put the raspberries into the glass, check that each individual raspberry is good without any mould.
4. Afterwards place the sugar on top.
5. Finally fill the vodka into the glass.
6. Close the glass and shake it.
7. Store the glass dark.
8. Shake the glass regular until the sugar has been dissolved.
9. After 2 months storage in the dark remove the raspberries.
10. Pour the raspberry liqueur in a bottle.
11. Store the filtered raspberry liqueur for another month.

Garden in Spring dress

The garden is bursting of Spring here in May. My two apple trees are in full blossom, I really like this sight of apple trees in fully covered by light red floweres :-)

Both the raspberry and rhubarbs have turned their spot in my garden into a green jungle. So I can again start using my own rhubarbs for new creations in my kitchen.

While I was busy yesterday in my garden using the sunny weather to full extent (before the rain of today arrived), Hannibal the Cat as usually has making himself useful in a warm sunny spot.

The potatoes have also made their presence noticeable by putting the first small green tops above ground.

The kitchen garden is getting ready for a new season

My "kitchen garden " basic consist of a selection of various pot, a capillary box, two apple trees, one raspberry bush and 4 rhubarb plant in planted in small corner of the garden.

I have received a small collection of seed potatoes from a good working colleague, as I am planting potatoes in 8 plastic potatoes pots. So if I had to buy my own seed potatoes, when I would not plant potatoes, as I only have a need for 8 seed potatoes.

This year I receive 2 Sava, 2 Linzer, 2 Erica and 4 Ariella potatoes.




When I planting potatoes I also planted a new lemon thyme and a new oregano in my green ceramic pots, so the overwinterting herbs (mint, lemon balm and rosemary) could get some new company.

While I busy outside in the garden Hannibal the Cat was taking an afternoon nap inside.

I am keeping an open eye with my garden everyday, so I see, if the apple tress have started to bloom. And the tulips I am keeping an open eye with.

Tomato ketchup

My tomato plants have not been a big success this year, as they have been struggling with potato blight coming from my potato plants. Therefore I will next year be placing my tomatoes in the part of my garden facing, whereas the potatoes will be placed in their pots in the Northern part of my garden.

Any way one of the tomato plants has been full of smaller cherry tomatoes, so I decided to make my own tomato ketchup every using produce from my kitchen garden in form of tomatoes, chilies and apple using this Politiken´s tomato ketchup recipe as starting point.

It was actually the first time for me to make my own tomato ketchup. I decided to adjust the viscosity of this ketchup of adding in some pectin. If you do this, you need to blend eveerything after addition, so you ensure, that the pectin is dispersed homogenous.

Before addition of the dark brown sugar, the colour of the tomato ketcup was quiet light red. After addition of the brown sugar, the colour became much more dark red !!! Interesting colour changes.


Tomato ketchup a la Politiken:

• 500 grams of fresh and ripe tomatoes
• 1 small apple
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• /2 teaspoon of ground allspice
• 125 g dark brown sugar
• 100 g apple cider vingear 
• pectin - optional for viscosity adjustments.

1. Roughly chop all the ingredients.
2. Put them into a small cooking pot together with vinegar and spices.
3. Boil everything until the apple pieces are soft.
4. Blend everything together using a blender.
5. Taste the tomato ketchup, Adjust to desired by adding the dark brown sugar little by little. Vinegar can also be used for taste adjustment.
6. Pour the tomato ketchup into jam glasses, which have been prepared by addition of boiling water in advance.
7. Store cold.

Potato jungle in my kitchen garden

The potato jungle

The potato pots next to the herb pots

The potatoes, which I planted approx 6 weeks ago, have almost turned their potato pots in a green potato jungle !!! I have gentle looked into the inner pots to see, what is going in the earth, but it is still to early to start eating my own potatoes.

Also the strawberries plants are having small greenish strawberries growing, so more patience is demanded by me, before I can enjoy my own strawberries as well.

Small green strawberries

And this week-end two small tomatoes plants moved into the terrace area, where they are standing next to the south facing house wall. I have got hold of a cherry tomato plant and a balcony tomato plant. So no Greek tomato this year, after the Greek tomatoes declined to growth unprotected in the traditional Danish Summer.

After two though Danish Winters in row, the fig has decided to stay in my garden for another year and I have noticed at least two small figs, which are growing on the fig.

The two apple trees are also having small apples on them, so all in all it looks like a fruitful Summer in my little kitchen garden/park.

Two small tomato plants

Two figs in evening sunshine

Spring time for full volume in my kitchen garden

"Little" apple tree in full bloom

One week after my potatoes were popping their heads up in kitchen garden, they are having full speed on their growth, almost getting bigger and bigger day after day.

"Big" apple tree, rhubarbs and raspberry living in symbiosis

Besides from full speed on my potatoes, the two apple trees in my garden are in full bloom with their beautiful flowers, really bringing life into my garden. My "big" apple tree are living in symbiosis with various rhubarbs and one raspberry plant in one corner of my little park.











Among my herb pots three strawberries are also showing their small flowers bringing promises to me about future freshly harvest strawberries from my own garden.  

The only plant not really participating in this spring time for full volume is the fig tree, how was been through yet another very cold winter in my garden. I imaging the fig is considering if, it will active or not this year bearing fig fruits. I and the fig are hoping for some warm weather this summer.

Fig tree awaiting some more warm weather

Potatoes popping their "heads" up

17 days after I have been planting potatoes in some special potato pots, they are clearly popping up their "heads" above the soil surface. It is so rewarding to see the growth of vegetables, which you have planted yourselves instead of just buying everything in the supermarkets.

Since I have been re-potting my various herbs late April, two new herbs have been moving into empty pots. So now flat-leaf parsley and rosemary are members of my "herb family".

Planting potatoes 2013 in my little kitchen garden

This year I have again received the "usual" supplier of potatoes from a good working colleague, which I have planted this weekend in these potatoes pots, which I invested in last year with great success. Instead of dicking up your potatoes, you actually picks the needed potatoes from below the earth surface.

Besides from planting potatoes I used the good weather during the week-end to give some loving attention to my herb pots by supplying them with some fresh potting soil.

As herbs I have chives, Swiss mint, garden mint, lemon balm, lemon tarragon and oregano. I need to buy some basil and rosemary to the two remaining enpty pots. And I exchanged an older strawberry with strawberry of the Ostara variety, which is remounting.

In the first row (closest to the window) I have planted Arielle, in the second row I have planted Cerise, in the third row I have planted Ditta and in the fourth row I have planted Sava.

My Greek tomato dislikes living in my garden

An un-happy Greek tomato living in my garden still waiting for the summer to come bye

The first day, when the Greek tomato moved into my kitchen garden as it´s new home, kitchen garden is perhaps not the right description, as the tomatoes is living in earth bag on top of water basin on a south facing terrace.  However, everything look sunny and bright in the beginning of June. Here in beginning of August, the Greek tomato is not a happy tomato living in my garden situated in cold Denmark.

A few tomatoes is visible, but you can not call this tomato a happy plant !!

A more pleased chili

The chili is having an OK time on the cold terrace, It arrived with 3 chilies, and now is having 7 chilies.

Tomato plants and chili on the first day of arrival on the terrace

The two other tomatoes plants are enjoying themselves on the terrace being neighbours to the fig tree. It look like one big tomato jungle, when though I am doing my best to remove all the small side shoots from the tomatoes. I see plenty of tomato flower as well as green tomatoes waiting for the sun to turn them red in the face.

Two tomatoes (free land and cherry) hanging out with the fig tree

Hey Sun - please us red, so we can be eaten

Apple trees with growing apples

For the first time ever my Family apple tree is actually bearing apples. I am looking forward to taste them later on in Autumn time.

My column apple carrys apples again, but fewer as starting point compared to last year.

Harvesting potatoes from my own kitchen garden

Finally my potatoes, which I have planted in some potatoes pots, have been growing and multiplying into many potatoes. I took the inner pot from the potato pot and removed the potatoes from below, which should allow the potato plant to keep growing. Now it will interesting to see, if the potato plant will continue to produce more potatoes.

Uuuhmmmm - I enjoyed fresh potato for my evening meal this night :-)

Planting tomatoes and chili in the kitchen garden

Chili and three tomatoes just planted in their home for the Summer of 2012

Last week it was finally time for me to plant tomatoes and chili in the little kitchen garden. As these plants NOT are being protected by glass or any other type of shelter standing on the terasse against a south facing house wall, I have to be patient and wait until beginning/mid June, so I am sure the last chance/risk of night frost is over.

Planting my tomatoes so late also means it is quiet tricky to find someone actually selling tomatoes plants, as most Danes are growing their tomatoes in green house or in shelter places and therefore buying these tomato plants already in end April or beginning of May. However, I noticed, that the market gardener is selling tomato plants, chili plant and various herbs at the local market in my town centre, so I have been using the options for the last years for finding the plants for my kitchen garden.

This year I have brought a chili plant and three different tomato plant, one free land tomato, one cherry tomato and one Greek tomato. I am planting these plants in a bag of planting earth, which is placed on top of box full of water (approx 70 liter of water). This means, that you only have re-fill these planting box with water every 8-14 days depending on how warm the weather is.

Fig three with two figs June 2012

My fig three has again been having a cold winter this year, so it first now, that I am starting to see some fig leaves and two thinny small figs

And approx 7-8 weeks after planting potatoes I am having pots looking like a jungle. So soon I am hoping to picking my very own potatoes from these pots. I will keep you posted on this progress.

Potato "jungle" June 2012