No. 162: Tension and Expectation

Do you also follow the Sinterklaasjournaal (Sinterklaas News)? We do, and I suspect we would even if we didn't have grandchildren... It's so much fun to build up the excitement every year! Schools are always happy when December 5th has passed, as the children are in a constant state of "storm mode."
And as the Sinterklaas bustle slowly subsides, another period begins: the period of ever-shortening days, plans for the upcoming Christmas, and the Christian community celebrates the first Sunday of Advent on November 30th.
So, I look forward to this time with anticipation... in my own life, I always find small or large hopeful things ("there is a crack in everything..."). On a larger scale - nationally and internationally - bright spots are sometimes harder to find. I long for a time of greater solidarity!

You see them popping up everywhere: advent calendars with various themes! We may have created the most hopeful and adventurous calendar, and you still have a few days to order it: the Seed Advent Calendar!
A daily surprise, from the beginning of December until Christmas, 12 types of flower seeds and 12 types of vegetable seeds – it's a celebration with every breakfast. I'm proud of my colleague Mila, who came up with this botanical surprise, and you've already surprised us with a stream of orders.
This weekend is your last chance for this original gift.

Dry weather is forecast for the next 2 weeks (except possibly next Sunday), which is great for some odd jobs in the garden! Of course, you can still plant plenty of flower bulbs. Have you bought them already? Are they stored indoors? Bad idea... immediately put them outside under a shelter or in a shed and preferably unpack the bags, even better: plant them quickly. Trees, shrubs and perennial (hardy) plants can be moved or planted, trees and shrubs even with "bare root", see further on in the Newsletter.
The trees and shrubs now clearly show their skeletal structure, so you can prune where necessary: apples, pears, grapes, kiwi, berries, espalier trees. Each type has its own pruning method; find a clear, not too commercial website, or even better, buy a good book on pruning, for example this one.

With some risk of a harsh winter (but who remembers that anymore?), you can even sow some cold-hardy varieties outside, such as:

• Turnip greens
• Leaf cabbages such as Amsoi
• Arugula
• Winter cress
• Winter spinach
• Pigeon beans
• Saladini (a fine mix)

If you have a tunnel or a greenhouse, you can extend the above varieties with:

• Lamb's lettuce
• Winter broad beans
• Winter peas
• Winter purslane

Perhaps you still have a beautiful patch of ground lying fallow, practically screaming for useful growth...? Covered soil remains healthier in terms of structure and soil life, somewhat comparable to a protective blanket of snow in winter. During our current winters, you can actually still easily sow these ground covers:

• Winter wheat
• Winter rye
• Fodder radish
• Yellow mustard
• Winter rapeseed
• Nootzoet rapeseed

After winter, you can dig in the young growth with our handy cultivators; we will have all sizes again, a few are currently in stock.

Our plant team receives new supplies almost weekly from our reliable, passionate growers. Next week, an extra-large winter shipment will arrive, allowing us to make many varieties available on our website again, a great feeling and good news for you! We also purchased some special varieties, which we will offer as a one-time special, more to follow...

Since our Sea Kale and Perennial Kale plants have been restocked, we can still put together a few dozen of our unique "Aesthetic & Palatable" packages. Do you remember what I wrote about this special collection in previous Newsletters? With these 10 bulbs and 6 plants, you plant a promise of breathtaking colour and flavour combinations.
Take your time to read the text and order the last packages.

Order the "Aesthetic & Palatable" package

Peonies and Special Roses are two very different types of plants: peonies are underground in winter, and true roses are shrub-like and have a woody skeleton (whether pruned or not).
During flowering, they look similar to many people, but either way: now is the ideal time to plant both types, our stock is currently optimal, you plant them with "bare roots." We have been buying peonies from our specialised grower for years, who regularly introduces beautiful new varieties.

You can find our (currently available) assortment here

We select true roses mainly for their usability for the scent and taste of the flowers and the most delicious rose hips. Place the plants in the sun, enjoy their healthy growth!

You can find our 6 varieties here

Have you ever heard of the Kiwiberry? It's a relative of the well-known hairy Kiwi, but without the hairy skin and much smaller, yet so delicious. You don't have to peel them and you can just bite right in...
Just like in 2021, we can again make a special offer: with a heavy heart, a Belgian grower is parting with his (over) 500 mature umbrella trees. They are 15-18 years old and already yield a good harvest annually. We are the mediating party and will not stock or ship them ourselves. The top varieties in the field are: 'Geneva', 'Weiki', 'Gefima' and 'Flipke'.

Do you have a large garden, a nursery, a food forest? We would be happy to put you in touch with the grower; the pick-up price is around €30.00 per tree. The minimum purchase is 10+1 pieces; you need approximately 1 male bush per 10 females. For every 50 trees, the price drops to €25.00. This is incredibly cheap when you consider how much care and time has been invested in these trees!
Email me if you are interested (info@vreeken.nl); we are happy to make great deals between you and the grower.