Ah, the humble tomato! That luscious, juicy, fruit that pretends to be a vegetable. Its etymology is a tale of intrigue and linguistic confusion. So, where does the name Tomato come from? You see, the word "Tomato" has quite a globetrotting history. It all started in Mesoamerica. The wild species originated in the Andes Mountains where the tomato plant originated. The Aztecs called it "tomatl," which roughly translates to "the swelling fruit,...
Introduction Earlier this year, I had a conversation with a fellow plotholder at our allotment where I complained about my lettuce being munched by slugs. Their lettuces were doing great and they proudly announced they had Nematodes. I thought that was a medical condition! Quickly googling what are nematodes, I was immediately fascinated with them. Enough to write this article! The Kettle Whistle allotment is a special place. Not only a place...
Introduction: Tomato blight can be a tomato grower's nightmare. After nurturing your tomato plants from seedlings, the last thing you want is to lose your entire crop to this troublesome disease. Knowing what does tomato blight look like is the first step. In this guide, we'll share practical strategies to help you safeguard your tomato crop from blight and ensure you enjoy harvests of delicious, juicy tomatoes year after year. Understanding...
This is one of our family favourite salads for a summer BBQ - Watermelon Salad with Feta and Broad Beans. Where we want to have an alternative to the standard garden salad or bulk the salads out with some variety - this is that salad. The Watermelon gives a refreshing texture, especially if it's nice and cold. The sweetness of the Watermelon is the perfect partner to the tang of the Feta cheese. We LOVE Broad Beans (fava beans). We grow in...
This year (2023) was the first we have tried to grow Tomatoes at the new Allotment. I was aware of the risk of blight. As soon as I mentioned tomatoes to my fellow allotmenteers, it would be followed swiftly by "Oh, good luck". Then some murmuring about blight. Suffice it to say we well and truly got blight! However, all was not lost we had Primabella to the rescue. For those not in the know, and I wasn't until this year, Primabella is one of...
We have talked a lot on here about the benefits of growing Primabella tomatoes. Their blight resistance is frankly, incredible. In our opinion, they are the new saviour of tomato crops in the UK. Sounds a bit grandiose I know. They certainly rescued what would have been a poor harvest, if left to the normal varieties and the wet and humid summer of 2023. We made a short video to show how blight resistant they really are. We can see them...
This easy Plum Cake recipe is one of our go-to family favourite cakes. Easily eaten as a snack as much as it can be a warm treat with a cup of coffee and a dash of ice cream. Equally delicious in the spring or summer. With a nod to the Nordics with the abundant cinnamon, delicious as an Autumn warmer. I switched the fruit to Plums from apples as we had a huge amount of plums this year and I didn't want them to go to waste. Super easy to make,...