Goosegogs

There's an intriguing little conversation going on at Allotment2Kitchen about the word 'goosegog'. I'd idly used the word in Mango's post about elderflower - thinking that everyone would be familiar with my mum's word for gooseberries. But no - seems it's not as well known as I thought. A quick Google turns up the info that it dates from around 1815-25, and it's a British colloquialism (so not an import). And I found a couple of other gardeners using the word and being met with puzzlement. I think it's a lovely word and will continue to use it at every opportunity. And Mango's blog is always worth visiting.

I inherited a goosgog bush on my allotment plot last year - it didn't fruit too well last year as it's been neglected for quite a while. This spring it got a dose of farmyard manure and so far, there's a mass of fruit. I presume that the variety is Invicta, as it's the most common.

One of my winter purchases was a Hinnonmaki Yellow from Thomson and Morgan. It's much more spreading than the Invicta, and T&M promise that it has a hint of apricot. I shall report back at harvest time.

Here's a lovely print of goosegogs by Janie Pirie.

Angel trumpets

My brugmansias from Thomson and Morgan turned up today. They were half price in the T and M sale, and I couldn't resist them. Many years ago, when they were called daturas, I rescued one from a garden centre and it turned into the most wonderful beast with masses of white trumpets. They exude the most heavenly scent - very heady if you keep them indoors as I did in my south London flat. My new babies are a bit bedraggled after their transport in a box, but they look healthy and ready for a new life in Tottenham. They're tender so they'll need to overwinter in the study. I must ask Big Bro if there's anything else I need to know about them.

Tomatoes by the gallon

Seedlings at home

Spent a sunny afternoon potting up more tomatoes. At the last count, I have over 50 seedlings...the little darlings have had an astonishing germination rate. I'm a bit tomato bonkers, and this year I'm growing:

• Gardener's Delight - always a favourite, and last year's from the allotment were the best I've ever tasted


• Tigerella - another lottie hit from last year


• Sungold - my favourite yellow/orange cherry


• Sun Cherry - meant to be even better than Sungold - we shall see


• Golden Sweet - another orange contender


• San Marzano - didn't do too well in the damp of 2008


• Costulutto - ditto


• Black Russian - new for me this year


• Black Cherry - so is this one


• Rosada - top in the RHS taste trials last year, so I'm looking forward to tasting this one


• Millefleur - lots of tiny yellow fruit and no pinching out


• Bicolour - huge yellow/red fruit - another new one for me


• Amish Paste - another heirloom and apparently grows very big

Seeds are from Thomson and Morgan and The Real Seed Catalogue. Real Seeds are great - all heirlooms and none are hybrids so seed can be saved for next year. They do amazing veg, including the Fat Baby exploding cucumber and Dead Fingers chilli - both waiting in my pop-up greenhouse to be potted on.
I thought that 13 varieties of tom was enough until Big Bro showed me the Plants of Distinction catalogue - I was smacked gobless by their collection of tom seeds, which is the best I've ever seen. Lots of varieties from the US and eastern Europe and many I'd never heard of before. So even though it's nearly May, I went a bit mad and ordered their black tomato collection, comprising Chocolate Cherry, Black Sea Man, Cherokee Purple, Black Krim, Japanese Trifle Black and Nyagous. Please let it be a long hot summer so that all these little beauties do well.