Macclesfield Pub Quiz League: 1 April Questions Macclesfield Pub Quiz League 1 April Questions Specialist set by TheLamb (please note that although these are all the questions, the subjects are not in the order in which they were asked) SPORT 01. Q. Which Irn-Bru Scottish League team recently became the first British football team to be promoted in the current 2007/2008 season ? A. EAST FIFE (Division 3 Champions) 02. Q. On what date is the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games ? A. 8th AUGUST (08.08.08) 03. Q. At which course will the 2008 (British) Open Golf Championship take place ? A. ROYAL BIRKDALE 04. Q. Who trained the first, second and third placed horses in the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup ? 05. Q. At which weight is boxer Joe Calzaghe considered to be the undisputed World Champion ? 06. Q. In which park is the Melbourne Australian Formula 1 motor racing circuit situated ? A.

ALBERT PARK 07. Q. Dwain Chambers was banned by UK Athletics in 2004 for the mis-use of which anabolic steroid ? 08. Q. England fly-half Johnny Wilkinson was replaced in the starting line-up for the final 2008 Rugby 6 Nations test against Ireland by whom ? A. DANNY CIPRIANI (a) Q. What colour jacket is worn by the No. 1 dog in greyhound racing ? A. RED (b) Q. Which British girl gymnast became European and World Champion on Bars in 2006? A. BETH TWEDDLE (c) Q. In the recent Test Cricket series in New Zealand who was the first England batsman to score a century ? A. TIM AMBROSE QUOTATIONS 01. Q. Which author said “In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king” ? A. H. G. WELLS 02. Q. Who said of Lord Byron “He is mad, bad and dangerous to know” ? A. LADY CAROLINE LAMB 03. Q.

Which American poet, famous for her wisecracks, said “Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses” ? A. DOROTHY PARKER 04. Q. Which former Prime Minister said, in 1921 “Love your neighbour is not merely sound Christianity, it’s good business” ? A. DAVID LLOYD GEORGE 05. Q. Which Conservative politician said, in 1974 “Harold Wilson is going around the country stirring up apathy” ? A. WILLIAM WHITELAW 06. Q. Which inventor said “Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration” ? 07. Q. Which early American politician and author said “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes” ? A. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 08. Q. Which former US President said “I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency, even if I’m in a cabinet meeting” ? A. RONALD REAGAN (a) Q.

Who or what did Oscar Wilde describe as “The unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable” ? A. FOX HUNTERS (b) Q. Who said “I never forget a face, but in your case I’ll make an exception” ? A. GROUCHO MARX (c) Q. Who said “This case has had full analyzation and has been looked at a lot” ? A. GEORGE W. BUSH THE MUSIC ROUND For all you lovers of pop, this one’s about classical music ! But cheer up, there are plenty of clues. 01. Q. Which anthem by Handel, also used for the UEFA Champions League and P&O cruise adverts, has been sung at every coronation since that of George II in 1727 ? A. ZADOK THE PRIEST 02. Q. From which composition was the music for the Rugby World Cup’s ‘World in union’ taken. It is also sung as an alternative national anthem entitled ‘I vow to thee my country’ A. JUPITER (From the Planets Suite by Gustav Holst) 03. Q.

The first four notes from which world famous symphony were used by the BBC during WWII to introduce their radio broadcasts, because they evoked the Morse code for V, symbolising victory ? A. BEETHOVEN’S 5TH 04. Q. To who’s wedding march, from his music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, have more brides walked down the aisle since 1842, than any other composition ? A. FELIX MENDELSSOHN 05. Q. Music to the films ‘Out of Africa’, ‘Dances with Wolves’ and arrangement of the James Bond theme have one thing in common. Name it. A. JOHN BARRY (He wrote the first two and arranged Monty Norman’s original Bond theme) 06. Q. Augustus Jaeger was Edward Elgar’s best friend. Jaeger being German for ‘hunter’ inspired Elgar to write which of his Enigma Variations named after a patriarch in the Old Testament called The Mighty Hunter ? A. NIMROD 07. Q.

To which music did many a little boy or girl in the 1950’s thrill as they saw Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels ride onto the screen as The Lone Ranger and Tonto ? A. THE WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE (Gioachino Rossini) 08. Q. Which piece of music by Gabriel Faure was used by the BBC as the title music to it’s coverage of the 1998 World Cup ? A. PAVANE (pronounced PAVANN) (A dance popular in sixteenth century Europe) SUPPLEMENTARIES (a) Q. Who wrote the music to the following films : Star Wars, Schindler’s List and Jurassic Park ? A. JOHN WILLIAMS (b) Q. Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 was used to great effect in which 1945 film starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard and written and produced by Noel Coward ? A. BRIEF ENCOUNTER (c) Q. In which country is Puccini’s opera Turandot set ? A. CHINA SCIENCE 01. Q.

Name the watchmaker who invented an alloy of copper and zinc resembling gold, used for cheap jewellery. The alloy bears his name. A. (Christopher) PINCHBECK 02. Q. How is the larvae of the insect ‘bombyx mori’ better known ? A. SILKWORM 03. Q. Which rapidly depleting metallic element, used in the manufacture of flat screen TVs, is named after the colour which appears twice in the element’s spectrum ? A. INDIUM 04. Q. Which trademark name is given to the synthetic fibre of high tensile strength used mainly in rubber products, notably tyres and bullet-proof vests ? A. KEVLAR 05. Q. What is the variety of fluorite found only in Derbyshire ? A. BLUE JOHN 06. Q. Which metallic element is named after the Scottish village where it was first discovered ? A. STRONTIUM (from the village Strontian) 07. Q. What is the name given to a quadrilateral with all sides equal but with no right angles ? 08. Q. The elements with atomic numbers 57 to 71 are grouped as lanthacides.

How are they also known ? A. RARE EARTHS (a) Q. What class of animal is the woodlouse ? A. CRUSTACEAN (b) Q. In physics and astronomy, what is defined as the apparent difference in position of an object when viewed from a different position ? A. PARALLAX (c) Q. The boll weevil is a pest in cotton growing. What is the boll ? A. THE COTTON SEED CAPSULE HISTORY – Your dad’s old car The answer to each question is a motor car which is no longer manufactured. 1. Q. The state capitol of Texas. A. AUSTIN. 2. Q. Complete the first line of the hymn ‘Jesus wants me for a ___________ A. SUNBEAM 3. Q. Another word for win, overcome, success, victory. A. TRIUMPH 4. Q. It’s only future was in ‘Back to the future’. A. DE LOREAN 5. Q. Sharing a name with the Irish washer-woman portrayed in music-hall and film by Arthur Lucan in the 1930’s to ‘50s. A.

RILEY (Old Mother Riley) 6. Q. English country dancers. A. MORRIS 7. Q. Another name for a Viking. A. ROVER 8. Q. Executive transport of Trotters Independent Traders. A. RELIANT (Robin) (a) Q. First name of a current British formula one driver. A. JENSEN (Button) (b) Q. Underwear for a cardinal, possibly. A. WOLSELEY (c) Q. Maker of Mercedes motor cars before 1926 A. DAIMLER (Benz did not have a ‘Mercedes’ model until the merger with Daimler) 01. Q. Which is the largest land-locked country in Europe ? A. HUNGARY 02. Q. In which country are the Dolomite Alps ? A. ITALY 03. Q. How is Lake Tiberius also known ? A. SEA OF GALILEE 04. Q. In which US state is Omaha ? A. NEBRASKA 05. Q. Which is the largest city within the Arctic Circle ? A. MURMANSK 06. Q.

The line of which river, rising near Sainte-Quentin and flowing into the English Channel, was of great strategic importance during WW1 ? A. SOMME 07. Q. On which river does Balmoral Castle stand ? A. DEE 08. Q. What is the name of the whirlpool in the Lofoten Islands off Norway ? A. MAELSTROM (a) Q. In which English county is Brown Willy the highest point ? A. CORNWALL (b) Q. Which country has its north west coast on the Ligurian Sea ? A. ITALY (c) Q. The name of which Japanese city is an anagram of the capitol ? A. KYOTO 1. Q. Which British bird was declared extinct in 1844 ? A. THE GREAT AUK (Accept Auk) 2. Q. Which British mammal has species called Daubenton’s, Natterer’s, and Whiskered ? A. BATS 3. Q. What is the scientific name for ‘Mare’s tail’ clouds ? A. CIRRUS 4. Q.

The Red Backed and Great Grey Shrikes impale their prey on thorns. What nick-name have they earned ? A. BUTCHER BIRD 5. Q. The Ambrosia beetle lays it’s eggs under the bark of certain trees. What is its claim to fame or infamy ? A. IT CAUSES DUTCH ELM DISEASE 6. Q. Which insect nymph produces ‘cuckoo spit’ ? A. THE FROG HOPPER 7. Q. What is the purpose of the hooks on Burdock and other plant seed-heads? A. SEED DISPERSAL (To catch onto animal fur, etc.) 8. Q. Which pre-industrial revolution mechanism had three common forms named, over-shot, under-shot, and breast-shot ? A. WATER WHEELS (a) Q. Of which organism are Devil’s Boletus, Destroying Angel, and Fly Agaric all types ? (b) Q. Which is Britain’s smallest bird ? A. GOLDCREST (Accept also subspecies FIRECREST) (c) Q. Which is the third British snake after the Adder and Grass Snake ? A.

THE SMOOTH SNAKE (Not Slow Worm which is a legless lizard) ART & ENTERTAINMENT 01. Q. Which Parisian artist died of syphilis in French Polynesia in 1903 ? A. PAUL GAUGIN 02. Q. Which 18th century artist’s works included ‘The Harvest Wagon’ ; ‘Portrait of a Lady in Blue’ and ‘The Watering Place’ ? A. THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH 03. Q. Who played Annie in Woody Allen’s classic film ‘Annie Hall’ ? A. DIANE KEATON 04. Q. ‘The Driving Instructor’ and ‘Walter Raleigh’ are famous comedy pieces by which American entertainer ? A. BOB NEWHART 05. Q. Who designed the celebrated cover of The Beatles ‘Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ album ? A. PETER BLAKE 06. Q. The novel and film ‘Seabiscuit’ tell the true story of what kind of animal ? A. RACEHORSE (accept horse) 07. Q.

The song ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ became the anthem of Liverpool FC, but from which Rodgers & Hammerstein musical was it taken ? A. CAROUSEL 08. Q. Name the disk jockey who introduced the first edition of The BBC’s ‘Top of the Pops’ in January 1964 ? A. JIMMY SAVILLE SUPPLEMENTARIES (a) Q. Which epic film, starring Omar Shariff, was based on a novel of the same name by Boris Pasternak ? A. DR. ZHIVAGO (b) Q. Which piece of music was first presented on a Thames barge in 1717 with King George I as guest of honour ? A. WATER MUSIC by George Frederick Handel (c) Q. In which novel would you find the characters Yossarian, Milo Minderbinder, and Doc Daneeka ? A. CATCH 22 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE Set by The Waters Green Rams (Correct order now) 1. Alfred Nobel, the man after whom the Nobel Prizes are named, was originally well known for inventing what? A. Dynamite 2.

Before Ringway Aerodrome became Manchester Airport, where did the City of Manchester build its first airport? A. Barton Aerodrome, (built 1929 and which has recently been re-named “City Airport, Manchester”) 3. Who holds a trumpet on the album cover of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" by The Beatles? A. Ringo Starr 4. Which is the only X rated film to win an Oscar for Best Picture? A. Midnight Cowboy 5. Which English city stands on the river Nene? A. Peterborough 6. Which type of food is named after the French for "twice cooked"? A. Biscuit 7. Alicante, Cardinal, Cassidy, Niagara and Palamino are all varieties of which fruit? A. Grape 8. London, Edinburgh and Manchester are three of the four British cities to have hosted the Commonwealth Games. Name the other. A. Cardiff 9. In what branch of science would a unit of distance called a "Parsec" be used? A. Astronomy 10. What nationality was Robert Bunsen, after whom the Bunsen burner was named ? A.

German 11. Which Carry On star died on the stage of the Sunderland Empire in 1976? A. Sid James 12. Which rugby union team won the 2007 EDF energy cup? A. Leicester tigers (full name required) 13. Name either of the two South American countries that are landlocked? A. Bolivia and Paraguay 14. Which country contains the largest number of active volcanoes? A. Indonesia 15. Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola are all part of which island group in the West Indies? A. The Greater Antilles 16. Which actor played the title role in `Oh no! It’s Selwyn Froggatt? ` A. Bill Maynard 17. Two English football clubs play at St James Park, Newcastle United is one. Name the other? A. Exeter City 18. May Day first became a bank holiday in which year? A. 1978 (Accept 1977 to 1979) 19. What is the more common name for the medical condition `epistaxis`? A. Nosebleed 20.

Turin in Italy stands on which river? A. The Po 21. Which London football team’s ground is on South Africa Road? A. Queens Park Rangers 22. What did Henry Beck famously map out in 1932? A. The London Underground 23. In which decade was insulin first used to treat Diabetes? A. 1920s 24. Rn is the chemical symbol for which element? A. Radon 25. What is a Flemish giant? A. rabbit 26. In which sport is there a York round? A. Archery 27. What was the name of the character in `Wacky Races` who drove the ‘Turbo Terrific`? A. Peter Perfect 28. Who married Timothy Lawrence in 1992? A. Princess Anne 29. What did Mario do for a living in the video game `Super Mario Brothers`? A. Plumbing 30. In which American state is Harvard University? A. Massachusetts 31. Name one of the only two countries in the world that have a square, not rectangular, flag ? A. Switzerland or the Vatican 32.

Name the female backing group to Bob Marley (not the wailers)? A. The I Threes, 33. Where did this year’s world indoor athletics take place? A. Valencia 34. In the film ‘Notting Hill’, where did Hugh Grant work when he first met Julia Roberts? A. In a book shop. 35. What did Paddington bear eat instead of marmalade sandwiches in a recent TV advert? A. Marmite sandwiches 36. Which singer was chasing pavements? A. Adele. 37. In which city did the spice girls begin their world tour in 2007? A. Vancouver 38. What is the name of the European re-supply space ship launched in March 2008 ? A. Jules Verne. 39. Which group of 10 islands lie 300 miles of the coast of Senegal Africa? A. Cape Verdi Islands. 40. From where in Macclesfield does ‘Silk fm’ broadcast ? A. Bridge street 41. Who is the current manager of Macclesfield Town FC? A. Keith Alexander. 42.

In which city did the spice girls finish their world tour in 2008? A. Toronto 43. Which Shakespeare play begins with the line “Now, is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this son of York. ? A. Richard the Third 44. What is the name of Paddington Bear’s aunt? A. Lucy 45. Which king of England was known as the “Hammer of the Scots“ and brought the Coronation Stone to Westminster ? A. Edward 1st 46. Royston Vasey is the fictional town in ‘The League of Gentlemen’ but is the real name of which comedian? A Roy “Chubby “Brown, (Accept Chubby Brown) 47. Which musical film takes place in Denton, Ohio? A. The rocky horror picture show 48. What is the name of the Orang-utan king in the 1967 film of The Jungle Book? A. King Louis 49. An ORCHIDECTOMY is the surgical removal of what? A. Testicles. 50. In what athletics event do you have to go backwards to win? A.

Tug of war 51. Whose autobiography in 1993 was entitled “Taken on Trust” A. Terry Waite 52. Which airline operated the first A380 “super jumbo” flight into Heathrow on 20th March 2008. A. Singapore Airlines 53. Which motor manufacturer gives it’s name to the iconic stainless steel clad skyscraper in New York. A. (The) Chrysler (Building) 54. Published after her death, whose moving story was entitled “The Diary of a young girl” A. Anne Frank 55. Which property empire owns The Trafford Centre. A. Peel Holdings 56. The New York skyline is dominated by famous skyscrapers named after the Company which built them, but which 1963 built tower is now occupied by MetLife Insurance, but still referred to affectionately by it’s now defunct former owners, whose famous blue logo once adorned the façade ? A. PanAm (Pan American Airlines) 57. Which motor car manufacturer tells us their car is “full of lovely stuff” A. Skoda 58.

In the plane crash, which killed Buddy Holly, were also his two touring acts, both of whom also died. Ricky Valence was one, who was the other ? A. Big Bopper Richardson (accept ‘The Big Bopper’) 59. Who is the Governor of Florida (both names required) A. Jeb Bush 60. April 2009 sees the creation of a new Unitary Authority for East Cheshire, but in which year was Macclesfield last involved in Local Government reorganisation. A. 1974 (accept 1973 to 1975) 61. On which motorway are you now required to drive on the hard shoulder at times of heavy traffic. A. M42 62. Who is the female singer on the American Idol judging panel. A. Paula Abdull 63. Which medical textbook shares it’s name with a Channel 5 drama series A. Gray’s Anatomy 64. Which motorway links the M6 with The Fylde Coast. A. M55 65. Which is the National Airline of Oman A. Gulf Air 66.

Part of the rebuilding of Manchester following the IRA bombing, what is the futuristic looking exhibition centre behind The Arndale Centre. A. Urbis 67. A new indoor ski village now dominates the skyline between the Trafford Centre and the Manchester Ship Canal, what is it called ? A. Chill Factor-e. 68. Who wrote the Thomas the Tank Engine series of children’s books. A. Reverend (Wilbert) Awdry 69. And who wrote many illustrated storybooks for children, including The Snowman A. Raymond Briggs 70. Derby County have only beaten one other team in the premier league this season as of 22nd March. Which team did they beat? A. Newcastle United 71. How many dots are there in total on a pair of dice? A. 42 72. Which South American capital city has a name that means `our lady of peace`? A. La Paz (the capital of Bolivia) 73. Who sang Walking In The Air in the original version of the Snowman? A. Peter Auty 74. What do Germans do with a `handy`? A.

Make a phone call with it (it is the German name for a mobile phone) 75. The Savoy Grill; Boxwood Café at the Berkeley Hotel; and Maze are all restaurants owned by which famous chef? A. Gordon Ramsay 76. Which actor played `the Ugly` in The Good, The Bad And The Ugly? A. Eli Wallach 77. Henry VIII is buried alongside which of his wives? A. Jane Seymour 78. Who won ITV’s “Dancing on Ice” in March this year? A. Suzanne Shaw 79. According to the lyrics of the song by the Weather Girls, it will start raining men at just about what time? A. Half past ten 80. Phasmaphobia is the fear of what? A. Ghosts 81. Which is the oldest of the royal parks in London? A. St James`s Park 82. Maddox, Zahara and Shiloh are the names of which famous actress’s three children? A. Angelina Jolie 83. From the Marvel Comics, who is missing from the following names of the Fantastic Four? Mr Fantastic, Invisible Woman, and The Thing?

A. The Human Torch 84. What was the name of Tonto`s horse in `The Lone Ranger`? A. Scout 85. By what name was Henry McCarty better known? A. Billy the Kid 86. What are angels on horseback? A. Oysters wrapped in bacon 87. What is the hard tag at the end of a shoe lace called? A. Aglet 88. What is the capital of Sudan? A. Khartoum 89. What is the correct way to address a Duke? A. Your Grace 90. From the bible story of David and Goliath, what was Goliath`s race? A. Philistine 91. Which author`s first works were published under the name Currer Bell? A. Charlotte Bronte 92. What was the name of the cabin boy in `Captain Pugwash`? A. Tom 93. Which breed of dog was the first to win Best In Show at Crufts? A. Greyhound 94. What name is given to a matador on horseback? A. Picador 95.

In which American State did the battle of Gettysburgh take place? A. Pennsylvania 96. As at 2005, who was the United States last Democrat President? A. Bill Clinton SUPLEMENTARIES 1. According to Edward Lear`s poem, how long was the sailing trip undertaken by the Owl and the Pussycat? A. A year and a day 2. How many points are needed to win a game of Cribbage? A. 121 3. What form of sentence was introduced to the UK by the 1972 Criminal Justice Act? A. Community Service 4. Which company brews Harp lager? A. Guinness 5. Miracle, Kelvedon Wonder, and Meteor are all types of which vegetable? A. Pea 6. What name is given to the cabin below an Airship? A. A Gondola 7. Since its inception during World War II, the Dicken Medal, which is the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross has been won by which creature the most times? A. Pigeons 8. How old does a road vehicle need to be to be described as a classic? A.

25 years old 9. Which society has its headquarters at The Lodge, Sandy in Bedfordshire A. RSPB 10. `Share Moments. Share Life` is the slogan to which worldwide brand? A. Kodak Peas | LoveTheGarden.com Peas Peas Pisum sativum Nothing beats home-grown peas for their tenderness and taste. That’s because when they are picked, their sugars start to turn to starch and so they quickly loose their sweetness and flavour. Pick them when small, steam within an hour of picking with a sprig of mint and you won’t taste better. How to grow peas Cultivation Peas need a sunny position that is sheltered from strong winds, to ensure insects can pollinate the flowers. Improve the soil with lots of garden compost to help keep the soil moist, but free draining. Peas, being legumes, prefer an alkaline to neutral soil (pH7 and greater); add lime to acidic soils in late winter. Peas need plenty of soil moisture, especially at flowering and when the pods are filling, otherwise the crops are poor and the peas are small, dry and tasteless.

To ensure they don't go short of water, dig a trench approximately 30cm (12in) deep in autumn and fill it with moisture-holding material, such as garden compost, shredded newspaper and un-rotted garden or kitchen waste. Fill the trench with soil a fortnight before sowing or planting out to. Pea varieties There are lots of different types of peas and numerous varieties. To produce crops all summer long, start by sowing an early variety, followed by a maincrop. Mangetout peas are eaten pod and all, picked before the peas have developed. Sugar snaps are also eaten whole, but once the peas have swelled. Both are generally easier to grow than podding peas, and are definitely worth growing if you’ve had problems with podding peas in the past. Early Early Onward, Feltham First, Hurst Greenshaft, Little Marvel Maincrop Cavalier, Kelvedon Wonder, Onward Mangetout Delikata, Oregon Sugar Pod Sugar snap Sugar Ann, Sugar Snap Sowing peas You can start sowing in March, providing the soil is warm enough. You can pre-warm it by covering with cloches or sheets of polythene 2-3 weeks before sowing.

For an earlier start, you can sow the seeds indoors in small pots or modules filled with potting compost. The easiest way to sow is to dig out a flat-bottomed trench 5cm (2in) deep and 20-25cm (8-10in) wide. Lightly fork over the bottom of the trench, water the soil and then sow the seeds evenly, roughly 7.5cm (3in) apart, pressing them lightly into the soil. Fill the trench with soil and lightly firm down. Sow at fortnightly intervals to give a succession of crops throughout summer. By growing different varieties and sowing at different times of year, you can pick fresh peas from June until October. How to care for peas Water well during dry periods, especially during flowering and pod set, giving the soil a good soaking once or twice a week. Mulch the soil around the plants to preserve soil moisture. You can also feed weekly with a high potash liquid feed to promote bigger crops. Apart from dwarf varieties, peas need supports for the plants to grow up. Insert twiggy branches alongside the plants when they’re 7.5-10cm (3-4in) high.

Pea netting supported by stout canes is another option, but it's very difficult to untangle the plants at the end of the growing season. Chicken wire is a better option. Lightweight wooden trellis or willow panels are attractive alternatives, especially when growing peas as an ornamental feature. Harvesting Podding peas are ready to pick when the pods are well filled, fresh and green and haven’t started to dry out. Start picking at the bottom of the plants and work upwards. Pick regularly or the plants will stop cropping. Flower Top 10 vegetables to grow over winter | Thompson & Morgan Top 10 vegetables to grow over winter Top 10 Vegetables to Grow Over Winter Don’t let your vegetable plot stand empty and neglected over winter. There are plenty of winter vegetables to grow throughout the coldest months. Winter vegetable growing allows you to extend the season and many vegetables that can be grown in winter will produce earlier crops than spring plantings. If you were really organised in late spring/ early summer then you will have already grown some winter vegetable plants such as Winter Cabbage , Kale and Brussels Sprouts . These will be well under way by autumn and you will already have started planting your winter vegetables outdoors.

But don’t worry if it slipped your mind - there are lots of tasty vegetables to grow in winter that can be still sown this autumn. Vegetables to grow outdoors in winter Most winter vegetable plants are fully hardy and will cope well with cold winter weather, but if hard frosts threaten then you can always throw some fleece across them to provide some extra protection. Most can be planted or sown directly outdoors to ensure that your winter vegetable garden is fully stocked. 1. Onions and Shallots Autumn planting onion sets are easy to grow and will virtually look after themselves over winter. Onions have a long growing season and won’t be ready for harvesting until next summer, so you will need to plan carefully as they will still be in the ground when you start planting other crops in spring. Onion ‘First Early’ is a popular and reliable variety or for a brightly coloured red onion try Onion ‘Electric’ . In recent years Shallots have become more popular with the trendy gardener. Autumn planting ‘Echalote Grise’ is a particularly choice variety for its intense and concentrated flavour. 2. Garlic Growing garlic couldn’t be easier and there are lots of varieties to choose from for autumn planting.

Like onions, they have a long growing season and won’t be ready to harvest until next summer, but it is well worth the wait! ‘Wight Cristo’ is well suited to most culinary dishes, but if you enjoy the fuller flavour of baked garlic, then try the attractive variety ‘Chesnok Red’ for its delicious creamy texture. For true garlic fans (and customers with vampire problems) T&M offers a full collection that will provide you with bumper crops of garlic. 3. Spring Onions Winter hardy varieties of Spring onion make a tasty accompaniment to winter salads. They are a fairly quick growing crop and early autumn sowings should be ready to harvest by early spring. Spring Onion ‘White Lisbon’ is a popular and reliable winter hardy variety. 4. Perpetual Spinach Perpetual spinach makes an excellent ‘cut and come again’ crop that will produce huge yields of tasty leaves. Early autumn sowings will keep you supplied with tender young leaves throughout winter and with regular harvesting it will continue to crop well into summer! Be sure to remove the flowers to prevent it running to seed. 5. Broad Beans Autumn sown broad beans can be harvested in spring up to a month earlier than spring sown plants.

Broad Bean ‘Aquadulce Claudia’ is one of the best for autumn sowings, being particularly quick to establish. Once the plants are well grown you can even use the plant tips - they are delicious wilted with a little butter. 6. Peas Enjoy an early crop of peas next spring. Autumn sowings of rounded varieties such as Pea ‘Kelvedon Wonder’ and Pea ‘Meteor’ are particularly hardy and will give you a head start next season. You will be the envy of the allotment when you start harvesting peas 3 or 4 weeks earlier than other growers! 7. Asparagus If you have plenty of space then why not plant a permanent asparagus bed this autumn. Choose an autumn planting variety such as Asparagus ‘Pacific 2000’ or the colourful variety ‘Pacific Purple’ . Although asparagus beds take several years to establish, each asparagus crown can produce up to 25 spears per year and will continue cropping for 25 years. You will need to be patient with this crop as it will be 2 years before you can harvest them properly - but the promise of tender, home grown asparagus spears is well worth the wait.

Vegetables to grow in the greenhouse in winter Growing winter vegetables outdoors will make good use of your plot, but there are some crops that will need a little protection from the cold. These vegetables to grow over winter can be sown into cells and transplanted later into the soil borders of an unheated greenhouse, or grown under polytunnels , cloches and cold frames. 8. Winter Salads Salads are not just for summer! Sow tasty ‘cut and come again’ mixes such as 'The Good Life Mix' under cover for harvesting throughout the winter months. Plant rows of Lambs Lettuce, Land Cress and Mustard alongside to add a spicy, peppery flavour to your winter salads. For tasty, crisp heads of Lettuce you can also try Lettuce ‘Winter Gem’ . 9. Carrots For an exceptionally early crop of carrots in spring try growing Adelaide . This fast-maturing variety can be sown as early as November in the greenhouse and as late as July outdoors. 10. Pak Choi This dual purpose oriental vegetable can be harvested young throughout the winter as individual salad leaves, or let the heads mature and add the succulent stems to stir fries.

Pak Choi is quick to mature and packed full of healthy vitamins A and C as well as Calcium, Iron and Folic Acid. Although it is often grown as a summer crop, Pak Choi can still be sown in late summer for transplanting under cover in autumn. Return to Pea Seeds - Enjoy our heirloom and traditional peas Pea Seeds fantastic Seeds to grow great pea pods fantastic Seeds to grow great pea pods Picking the green pods and shelling out the fresh pea seeds is one of the highlights of the growing season. There are many different varieties of peas available; we have purple podded, mangetout, sugar snap, early and maincrop types. And the seeds differ in size and shape too of the different varieties, there are wrinkled, smooth and even purple, so it is a great fun even just to sow them in the spring. Growing great garden peas is relatively easy as you can sow the seeds direct outside when the soil warms up in the spring; make sure that you don't sow in wet, cold soil as the seeds tend to rot in these conditions.

Just make a few centimetre deep trench with the end of your rake or with a stick and sow the pea seeds in there about 10 cm apart, cover with soil with the help of your rake, and water well. Peas will need some support during the growing season, use some long sticks for this or nets. View: How to Grow Peas | Garden, Containers and Indoors | Gardenseeker..com Gardenseeker Main › Vegetables Main › Peas and Beans Main › Sowing and Growing Peas How to Grow Peas – Garden, Containers and Indoors! Peas are an easy vegetable crop to grow, but tend to take a lot of space and generally need support. To counter that, they taste absolutely yummy when freshly picked and cooked right away. They are also delicious uncooked and are a good way of getting the kids interested in growing vegetables! In terms of overall value as a crop, they can take up a fair bit of your allotted vegetable gardening time - not simply in cropping time terms, but also the time with preparing supports etc.

Types of Peas to grow Basically there are three types of garden peas that we grow, being; Garden peas – are those normally taken out of the pod for cooking, and so beloved by the frozen food market. Mangetout - which are eaten with the pod still on, and before the pea inside swells. Sweet tasting, so often called sugar peas, Sugar Snaps - halfway between the two above, but more like the Mangetout, which are harvested as the seeds swell, but still eaten complete with pod. All three types have the same cultural requirements, so will be grouped together. L-R Garden Peas with full pods | Harvesting Mangetout Peas on farm | Sugar Snap Peas | Soil for Peas – How to Prepare Good news for those with poor quality soil, for peas will normally grow in any normal garden soil. Ideally light soil that also holds moisture, but heavy soils can also produce good crops. All soils will benefit from the addition of organic mulch material and soils for peas are no different. You will not need any specific preparation by way of tedious digging, unless you have a very heavy soil. If you can rake or hoe a shallow trench for sowing – that’s good enough.

Full sun is best, but again, all types of peas will tolerate a little shade or dappled shade. Light is all important, so being heavily overhung by trees is not ideal. Sowing and Growing Peas It is possible to get a good succession of peas for the kitchen by staggering the sowing times. Sowing from late winter through till midsummer, ensures around 6 months of peas. In mild areas, some can even be sown in autumn, but the results are variable and dependent upon cold or wet winters etc. Far better to delay until end if March for most areas. The variety names will give a good idea of early planting types - Felthan First, Meteor and the like. So, early varieties to be sown in late march followed my main crop being sown in June or even July. To sow, simply ease out a slit in the soil of no more than 5cm deep, and sow the seeds at 5cm apart. Cover the seed with fine soil, or if in heavy soil areas sand or peat. The early varieties will start to pop through in 3 weeks, depending upon the weather.

At that time if you are using pea sticks, you can push the sticks into the soil about 8cm from the small plants. Pea sticks are best left until after germination, just in case you have to net the rows to stop the birds and mice from digging up the pea seeds. If you plant the low growing varieties, no need for supports, or maybe just a few strings or wire down the length of the row. If you want a double row, then 30cm between rows is about right. Quick Check Sowing to Cropping Sow direct in open ground either March to June for current year crop or October through November for following year crop. Harvest June through until September. Sowing to cropping time 12 to 18 weeks according to planting time (Summer or Winter). How to Support Peas in the garden. The one thing most have against growing peas in the garden is that they have traditionally been grow and supported on pea sticks. Lea sticks are bushy small branches of either Hazel or Silver Birch. Nowadays peas tend to be grown and supported with special pea and bean netting sold at garden centres.

These are fine, but are an absolute pain at the end if the growing season - trying to untangle the pea haulms from the nets. If you are going to use netting, then far better to use galvanised wire chicken net which can be simply rolled up at end of season and stored for the following year. The real good news is that all three types have dwarf varieties that crop nearly as well, and far less trouble to grow. How to Water and Feed Peas Watering the established pea plants is rarely necessary other than in the driest summer months. They are surprisingly tolerant of dry conditions. However, crop yield can be increased by ensuring the plants do not dry out. Feeding is generally taken care of by the simple addition of an organic mulch , for peas belong to the Legume family and are able to fix the all important Nitrogen themselves from the air – via their little Nitrogen fixing Nodules on the roots. Harvesting Home Grown peas. Pick the normal garden peas as soon as the peas have swollen the pod. It's a good idea to try them out by taste regularly! Mangetout should be picked as soon as the pods are an edible size and in any case before the seeds inside start to swell.

Sugar Snaps on the other hand are harvested as the pods start to swell and you can feel the peas inside. Pea Varieties to Grow. Garden Peas – Early Varieties: Felltham First, Meteor, Kelvedon Wonder – picking just 12 weeks from sowing! Garden Peas – Main Crop: Pea Oasis, Balmoral and other main crop peas normally take 15 weeks from sowing to picking. Mangetout Varieties: Oregon Sugar Pod, Delikata, Reuzensuiker Sugar Snap Varieties: Look no further than Sugar Anne – or Sugar Ann. Container Grown Peas. All the low growing varieties can be planted in assorted containers. You can even grow your peas on a sunny balcony. I have seen them grown in a deep window box and been allowed to 'dangle'. Most general purpose potting composts are suitable, but the addition of some top soil from the garden or from a soil based compost will help. If using peat based compost, then weak liquid feeds every week will be necessary – Tomato food will be fine as it is the right chemical combination. As above, peas will look after their own Nitrogen needs!

Growing Peas Indoors Peas are not suitable for growing indoors – other than as salad leaves and shoots – Very tasty and healthy Problems Growing Peas They take a bit if time! Birds and mice are partial to the seeds and Pigeons in particular enjoy nipping out the new shoots - and also enjoy the peas when they are near to harvest! Mildew happens, and is best ignored. Too late for you to do anything once the plants have it, and it seems to do no real harm. Most of the growing is done before the mildew takes hold! Pea maggots – those nasty little maggots that show up inside the peas - can be a problem. The early crops seem to be less affected owing to their early flowering time, for the pea moth is active laying her eggs in the flowers in the late sowings. Copyright ï¿½ Gardenseeker.com - 2000 - 2017 How to Grow Amazing Vegetables How to Grow Amazing Vegetables How to Grow Amazing Vegetables with GardenGuard™ The new way of crop protection – No sticks! No mess! Access your crops in seconds! With GardenGuard you can boost growing and acheive amazing results. Growing your own has never been as satisfying.

All about GardenGuard Now, at last, there is a better way to protect your precious plants. It’s called a GardenGuard, and a single structure will cover an area up to 3m long, 1.5m broad and 0.8m high. The whole thing goes up in a few seconds! With GardenGuard there are no limits! The module can be extended to any length by inserting extension panels which simply zip into the main module in 1.1m long sections. The beauty of the GardenGuard system is the ease of assembly – you can protect a whole row of crops against frosts or pests in just a few moments, and remove the cover just as easily next morning, avoiding any danger of crops overheating. If you want to leave the cover in place, all areas of the crop can be reached simply by opening a tent-sized zip, putting an end to pest damaged crops! Stop pigeon and other bird damage Stop beetles and other pests Stop slug attack Stop frost damage to flowers and vegetables GardenGuard comes in three types, each with a specific use. The All Round Cover This is a fine mesh which will allow transmission of light, air and water but give protection from hail, strong sun, winds and heavy rain.

The mesh will not provide total frost cover but raises the temperature around the plants slightly during winter, and has a cooling effect by slight shading during summer. The mesh also protects against birds, pets and children as well as insect pests. The Frost Cover A horticultural fleece to protect developing crops from sun, rain and drying winds, as well as frost. Increases temperatures by up to 2º C, yet still allows light and air to penetrate. Secure anchoring prevents it from blowing away unlike conventional fleece lengths. Can also be used to increase humidity and shading for protecting cuttings or newly transplanted subjects. The Frost Cover prevents attack by carrot root fly to umbelliferous crops such as parsnip, carrot, coriander and parsley. The Hotbed Cover A clear PVC cover, lasting over 4 seasons, creating a 1m high minipolytunnel. Increased air space helps prevent sun scorch and related problems caused by poor ventilation. Ideal if allotment site rules or lack of space in your garden prevent you from having a greenhouse. When and where to use GardenGuard Spring to early Summer Protect your Potatoes.

How many gardeners have watched a late TV weather forecast and realised with a sinking heart that their thriving potato crop is likely to be checked severely by an unexpected frost – and it’s too far advanced in growth to be simply earthed up? The extra height and width of the GardenGuard means a whole row can be protected in minutes of an evening, and just as easily dismantled in the morning. Use the All Round Cover to prevent sparrows from pecking young shoots, a common problem on allotments. Dwarf cultivars such as ‘Meteor’, ‘Feltham First’, or the sweeter ‘Avola’, ‘Kelvedon Wonder’ or ‘Waverex’ can be grown through to cropping size inside the cover, which will also help you pick them slightly earlier, due to the extra protection against wind chill and heavy rain. Don’t forget to open the zips during the daytime when the plants flower to allow bees to pollinate the blooms. Close zips overnight to deter the early birds eying up your peapods for a quick breakfast! Dwarf French beans can be grown under cover for an extra early crop.

Warm the ground using a Hotbed Cover, and once the plants have two true leaves, open the guard using the zips for ventilation on sunny days before removal as the plants develop to the five leaf stage. As the GardenGuard only takes moments to erect, you can always tuck the beans up again overnight using a Frost Cover if an unexpected frost is forecast. Early crops of leafy vegetables such as spinach, beetroot or Swiss chard can often be checked by cold winds. Use the All Round Cover to filter airflow through the crop canopy and allow leaves to develop healthily. Lettuces grown under fleece often develop problems with Botrytis (grey mould) due to poor ventilation and in changeable spring days plants may suffer from sun scorch. An All Round Cover allows water to evaporate, good air circulation and slight shading, producing healthy plants. Young Asparagus spears are very prone to frost damage, sometimes even being killed outright - a serious loss when the best F1 crowns are expensive to buy. Protect your valuable investment with the Frost Cover on cold nights, or advance the crop a few days by using the Hotbed Cover. Sweetcorn seedlings can be transplanted extra early under a Frost Cover.

The extensive height of the GardenGuard means that protection can be extended to early June to give your corn the best possible start. Run out of windowsill space for all your half-hardy bedding plants? Tuck the toughest ones such as Pelargoniums, Bacopa, Lobelia and Tagetes up on chilly evenings under a Frost Cover, leaving your windowsills safe for the more tender Begonias, Impatiens, Heliotropes and Petunias. Earlier crops of Courgette, Tomatoes, and Cucumbers can be grown easily using the Hotbed Cover. Sow seeds under cover in the usual way, approximately 2 weeks before the date when last frosts occur in your neighbourhood – usually this is late April for London, early May for the South, mid May north of Oxford, two weeks later north of Nottingham and a fortnight later again for Scotland. In domestic gardens cats often soil newly prepared seedbeds, causing damage to young seedlings as well as a possible health hazard. Prevent this by covering newly sown areas until the plants are about 15cm tall, when the area will no longer be attractive to cats. Use any of the three covers, depending on the crop.

Summer to Autumn Children and vegetable patches don’t always work together in small spaces – but by using an All Round Cover, footballs and stray feet are deflected from your crops Increase the temperatures and humidity for growing superior Cucumbers and Melons by using a Hotbed Cover. Raise plants indoors and transplant outside when frost danger is past. A single length of cover – a full 3m - will enable you to grow up to 5 plants. Make sure it’s you, not the birds who enjoy your first delicious strawberries by covering plants with an All Round Cover as soon as all the flowers have faded. You can force early varieties such as ‘ Alice ’ by protecting with a Frost Cover - but always unzip during mild days while the plants are in flower or the bees can’t pollinate. The mesh All Round Cover will deter flying pests such as large and small white butterflies, diamond back and cabbage moths, as well as cutworm larvae. No more cabbages looking like dartboards! Even if you don’t have a greenhouse, you can still grow Aubergines, Sweet Peppers and Chillies using the Hotbed Cover.

Plant out when the normal frost danger is past, and zip up the covers overnight or whenever the temperature falls below 18 ºC/65ºF GardenGuard will protect gooseberries from the devastating effects of Gooseberry Sawfly. Keep your bushes safe with the All Round Cover as soon as the flowers have faded to enjoy heaviest crops. Sweet Potatoes can be grown to their full potential with the extra heat produced in a Hotbed Cover – plant out rooted slips in late May to early June and keep covered all summer. Harvest as late in the autumn as possible for maximum yields. As the days shorten and nights get chillier, a Frost Cover gives instant overnight frost protection for Cauliflowers, Calabrese, Dwarf French Beans, Florence Fennel and Tomatoes. Ripen off drying beans and pumpkins on upturned slatted boxes for winter storage under the cosy warmth of a Hotbed cover – open during the daytime when it’s dry, and close at night to complete the ripening process quickly and easily.

Autumn to Winter Prolong your growing season by sowing cold tolerant lettuce varieties such as ‘Winter Density’ ‘May King’ and ‘Valdor’ as late as September under a Frost Cover to crop for Christmas and beyond. Protect overwintering salads such as Chicory, Land Cress, Oriental Brassicas, Corn Salad and hardy winter lettuces grown in open ground with the Frost Cover, to give better quality and earlier crops. Don’t forget to open the zips for ventilation in mild winter weather, even if only for a few hours at a time. Brassicas such as winter cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and sprouting broccoli which stand overwinter are favourite targets for woodpigeons. Formerly only a pest of country gardens, over the last few years these birds have moved into cities, and can wreak a crop in hours. A single pigeon can eat over a kilogram of greenstuff a day, so prevent decimation of your winter greens with an All Round Cover. The flexible frame allows the height of the guard to be altered according to crop size up to a full 1m above ground level, covering almost all types of winter green with ease.

Protect vulnerable vegetables from rabbit damage by using an All Round Cover Keep borderline hardy plants dry and less liable to frost damage by plunging their pots in soil to three quarters of their depth under a Hotbox cover. Open the zips to allow a few hours ventilation whenever conditions permit, and in this way you can keep plants such as autumn sown sweet peas, Brompton stocks, lemon verbena and myrtle safely through most winters even in the north of England. Use the Hotbed to protect November sowings of ‘Auqadulce Claudia’ broad beans too! Hyacinths, early tulips and narcissi such as ‘Soleil D’Or’ grown in pots can be forced into growth early – put them under a Hotbed Cover after at least two months growing in a dark, frost free shed. Keep well ventilated, and enjoy a foretaste of spring. Use a Hotbed Cover to keep logs dry for winter firewood, or as a temporary cover to prevent valuable nutrients being washed away from manure or compost.

Growing Peas and Mangetout from Seeds in the UK No Tags No Comments The garden podded or shelling pea [ Pisum sativum ] is a favorite in the vegetable garden, and growing peas is recommended even for the novice gardener. There are only a few vegetables quite like freshly shelled peas. Included in this family are mangetout and sugar or snow peas, these varieties are grown for their edible pods which are eaten whole. Marrowfat a variety is grown to produce mature seeds for drying. This veg is quite easy to grow and if the right varieties are selected, fresh peas can be harvested from June to October outdoors as the use of cloches, greenhouses or polytunnels can extend the season so you can grow peas for a longer period. Preparation For the best crops, the plants need an open sunny site, with good drainage. They like their roots cool and moist, so a soil rich in organic matter will give the best results. If your soil is acidic, you will need to lime. Don’t sow the seed into cold wet soil as it will most likely rot. Sowing early can be done under the protection of cloches or fleece. Peas are grouped by harvesting time and the shape of the seeds.

They are either round or wrinkled, round seeds tend to be hardier. The varieties are grouped as early, second early and maincrop. The first earlies are generally sown from March to early June and are ready to pick in 11 – 13 weeks from sowing. Second earlies are sown from March to June and are ready in about 14 – 15 weeks. Maincrop varieties are sown from April to June and should be ready to harvest from 16 weeks. By making several sowings from each of the groups, you should have fresh peas all summer. Sowing Make a flat bottomed trench about 2 inches deep and 5 – 6 inches wide. Sow evenly along the trench, about 2 – 3 inches apart in all directions. Cover with soil and firm lightly. If you want to sow a second row, the spacing between rows should be the mature height of the variety grown. If the weather conditions don’t allow for direct outdoor sowing, you can start them off in pots or modules of multi purpose compost. I do this as mice always eat my direct sown peas and I do love growing peas and picking the fresh pods in the summer months.

I sow between 3 – 4 pea seeds per large module [ 4 for earlies, 3 for maincrops ]. When the seedlings are 3 – 4 inches high, I plant the groups of seedlings without splitting in a staggered row with 3 inches between each group. Another way to sow is in guttering, fill a length of plastic guttering with compost, sow seeds staggered along the guttering at about 2 inch spacings. When the seedlings are about 3 – 4 inches high, make a shallow trench the width of the guttering, then slide the whole row of seedlings into the trench. Water in. Sow mangetout and sugar types in exactly the same way as ordinary peas. Growing peas by starting them in the Greenhouse in the Autumn I do this for an early summer planting of peas and also for my winter crop this year. This winter crop will only be ready in Spring/Early Summer probably giving me early peas about a month before the normal Spring sowing would be ready. So if a harsh winter hammers them I can still get in and do another sowing in early Spring..

I use the variety Douce Provence for the winter sowing and also for an early Spring sowing. Both the above sowing will be done in my greenhouse and sowed in lengths of guttering. (My second early will be Kelvedon Wonder, and thereafter a few other varieties staggered from April to May) The method I use for the guttering is as follows: I get guttering (from building sites and skips) and cut it into 1 mt lengths so I can handle and transport them easily. I tape up the ends with gaffer tape or fit end caps if I have some. Fill with compost and pat the compost down – then lay them in the greenhouse on the table. Then I place the them in a diagonal pattern to get the spacing – not critical but I’m a fussy geek. They normally end up about 2″ apart in 2 staggered rows. This is about 12 per foot of gutter which is the ideal seed count. Then I make small holes about an 1″ deep and plonk a seed in each. Cover with new fine compost and give a watering.

The winter peas will now sit in the greenhouse till they are about 4-6″ high and have a good root system then get planted out. This is simply by digging a small trench the size of the guttering and sliding sections of the plants complete in their soil into the trench. I may hold them over in the greenhouse till early early spring before I plant out. Just depends on the weather!! The Winter sowing ideally should be about mid November and can be done directly in the bed but I’d rather coddle them a bit then plant out without affecting the roots. Growing peas this way give the plants a head start so I can harvest the pods earlier in the season. My early Spring sowing will be done the same way around beginning of March and planted out a few weeks later. The variety Douce Provence is frost hardy so no problem planting out early.. I’ll probably give them some protection if the weather is really bad. Supporting The growing peas, with the exception of very dwarf or self – supporting varieties, will need some form of support to climb up. Short varieties can be supported with shrubby ‘pea sticks’ these are short twiggy branches or pruning and are the traditional way of supporting peas.

I myself can’t often get sticks so I use netting and canes or string. You can use anything as support, trellis, wire or plastic mesh. Bean poles or canes tied in a tee – pee are good for the tall climbing varieties. Just remember that mature maincrop plants will require good strong support and don’t forget that the growing peas have plenty of tender tendrils which are actually a modified leaf to help the plants to support themselves as they climb up on the supports you provided for them. Watering Keep your plants well watered during flowering, a mulch around the base of the peas will help to retain moisture. Make sure that your plants get lots of water when the pods are swelling. Harvesting The pods are ready to harvest when they are plump and well filled, if you are growing peas regularly you will get a feel of it when exactly to harvest your pods. Pick them regularly to keep the plants producing more flowers and pods. When all the crop has been picked and the plants have finished cropping, cut down the foliage leaving the roots in the soil. As peas fix their own nitrogen on their roots, leave the roots in the soil to benefit the next crop sown.

If you are growing peas for drying, leave the pea pods on the plants till the foliage starts to yellow. cut the whole plant and hang up to dry. If this is not possible, pick mature pods and place in an airy place to dry before shelling. Start harvesting mangetout pods from 2 inches as the main crop of pods come quickly. Sugar types can be eaten when young and flat or when the pods are swollen a bit. These can also be used like shelling peas when mature. A Selection of Varieties

Question: Miracle, Kelvedon Wonder, and Meteor are all types of which vegetable?
Answer: PEA