SCHWOIT

Today I was innocently working away on the day job when next thing a plant is dropped next to me. Upon looking at it I immediately realised it was another pot of Chives. We currently are using these infrequently so I was confused as to why we needed more. Upon turning to my Mum and saying we already have Chives she pointed out that these are Garlic Chives.

After a Google search (see its still my friend) I found that Garlic Chives are often called Chinese chives, Chinese leek, Ku chai, Oriental garlic chives or Nira (Japanese). The plant also has a garlic like flavour, hence its name and is great in many Asian dishes such as stir fries, noodles and soups. I will definately be trying that theory in the coming week when I cook up some grub when I am on leave to give the usual cooks a break.

Another difference is the plant itself has a more strappy leaf appearance, unlike the tubular structure of regular everyday chives. I will probably be growing the Garlic Chives and standard Chives side by side once my new planters arrive from Deals Direct in the coming days. Once planted I will take some happy snaps.

Addendum
We have decided that we will adopt the Ku Chai name for the plant.

Update: Hot off the press is the impending return of the Wheeled Planter. I may wait for its return and grow each variety of Chives in a dedicated tub.

Update: The status of the Wheeled Planter has once again changed and it appears that it will not be returning. I did find an eBay shop called DiscountDeals_Store selling them, but at a much higher price.

Certainly not paying for their extortion. Funnily enough the categories and products on offer from that shop map almost exactly to Deal Direct. Further all the text and images within their eBay advertisements are also plagiarised from Deal Direct.

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Today we went back to Mitre 10 to exchange a Mr Fothergill’s Sunflower pack that was infested with bugs. The switch was painless, however I could not resist looking at what else they had in stock. As happens with me in a garden “toy” shop at the moment I ended up walking out with more plants and supplies. I will not bore you with the supplies, but in terms of the plants we walked out with another tomato variety and another chilli variety.

The tomato is a Grape Tomato and was bought bearing fruits. So it has been planted in a tomato specific potting mix and well watered in. Hopefully this will soon be bearing edible fruits. It should do as it will be spoilt.

The chilli is an Ebony Fire chili which is a real ring burner. It is a black/red fruit with exceptionally dark foliage. Very different to the Jalapeno and “Hot Chilli” that I suspect is another Jalapeno. The Ebony Fire is laced with ripe fruit and is basically at its maximum height of 30 cm. I will wait a few days for the plant to adjust to its new home and then I shall be harvesting. I will let you know how the ring goes after consumption. I will also upload a photo of this plant soon.

I also took delivery of a Wheeled Planter pictured above from Deals Direct, I am a bit of a sucker for their products. It is now the home of the green lettuce, red lettuce, and the spinach (picture to come once I get some time and dry conditions to take one). It is a great size and the plants have a lot of room to grow. I would be purchasing at least one more, but unfortunately they are out of stock. I certainly will be keeping my eye out for more of this product. In the mean time I have ordered some barrels and wash tubs instead.

I am also considering the purchase of some cucumber and zucchini seeds for planting in the coming barrels. I have a nice sunny location in mind for these in the back yard. Should be another interesting experiment.

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