Help MBE grow his dinner 2011

Fay

Very big bean, well done. How is the rest of your crop going? My first year has been quite hit and miss, my chillis and peppers have been a big success and I have harvested lots and will continue to do so. My tomatoes plants grew really well but I haven't had many tomatoes on them and I think one of the reasons is that when not many developed I got a bit fed up with them and haven't paid them as much attention as I should of in the last few weeks...so there were lots of buds ready to flower and they haven't come to anything due to my neglect :(My potatoes were a great success and really tasty as were my spring onions and salad leaves (didn't successional plant though, so will remember this for next year). Carrots grew but not brilliantly well. I also managed to get parsnips to grow (only 6) but when I pulled them up they had some very strange little white bugs all nestled near the tops (almost like white/milky aphids...anyone know what they were?).I currently have leeks in but that's about it apart from my peppers and chillis now. I am going to get some green manure for the rest of the veg plot as I don't think funds are going to allow for my raised beds this year as I had hoped. Oh and blueberries were a big success-for us and the birds. The birds totally stripped my early bush but we harvested our mid season bush last week and I made some nice muffins with them, yum!

mrbadexample

Fay wrote: »

How is the rest of your crop going?

:think: Usual story - some good, some bad. The rest of the beans weren't very good, but I'm still hopeful for a few more.

Onions seem to be doing ok. Swede have cabbage root fly. Carrots quite good. Cucumbers - had a few, doesn't look like I'll get any more. Gherkins dreadful, I'll be lucky if I get one. Gooseberries were good. Chillies doing quite well considering they were sown late.

Tomato factory now in full swing, cherry ones doing particularly well:



:whistle:

djohn2002uk

That Tomato has Tesco written all over it:o

It's just too perfect.:cool:

lemonjelly

Some of my toms appear to have a problem, as the bottom of the tom develops a brownish circle which expands. I've binned those, but don't know what it is?

Spring onions have exploded into life again & had a growth spurt.

Bean crop doing quite well.

Carrots I'm not sure about. 2 of the tubs seemed to have wilty style carrots. Can't see the tops of them, so it is all guesswork!

Pepper plants are flowering, but no fruit on them yet. I fear it is too late in the year now!

Very busy period starts next week, so apologies to all if I'm, not around as much.

mrbadexample

lemonjelly wrote: »

Some of my toms appear to have a problem, as the bottom of the tom develops a brownish circle which expands. I've binned those, but don't know what it is?

Blossom end rot, usually caused by erratic watering / not enough water.

mrbadexample

djohn2002uk wrote: »

That Tomato has Tesco written all over it:o

It's just too perfect.:cool:

Ok John, just for you, the less attractive side:

djohn2002uk

OK, now we've got that sorted, how about getting rid of the weeds between the slabs in the first pic.:p

Actually it looks better than my Sweetie seedless ones but I said earlier that I probably wouldn't grow them again but changed my mind now. Best Toms I've ever grown for taste, juiciness and of course as near as dammit, seedless.
Beans are virtually over now and I think we made a big mistake sowing them too early. We may have had beans before most people but those that didn't get picked certainly got tough very quickly and now the season is almost over whereas in previous years I've been picking through the whole of September.
Potatoes in bags were so so. Tasted lovely but not a good return which I think I am probably responsible for in the main. But I have mixed plenty of growmore in with the compost from 3 of the bags and put 3 more Charlottes in each for Christmas.
Both types of Lettuce (Little Gem and Webbs Wonderful) have been great and we haven't been without since middle of May. Spring onions have been more than we wanted but Beetroot have only just been enough but that's all. Usually give Beetroot to a lady at the Bowls Club but haven't had enough this year.
Onions were just about OK. Put 50 sets in and 46 matured and of those 2 had to go in the compost bin and 6 have to be used 'cos they won't keep. Got 10 Spring Cabbage and 10 Winter Cabbage plants to go in place of the Beetroot and Spring Onions next week.

That's about it.:D

mrbadexample

djohn2002uk wrote: »

OK, now we've got that sorted, how about getting rid of the weeds between the slabs in the first pic.:p

My mum said that too.

mrbadexample

Wahey! A gherkin!



I think it's meant to look like that.

Lotus-eater

Is that a Ferline tomato?

I've got lots of gherkins, like lots of small cucumbers and a few large. And a couple that look like a large gherkin blown up with a large football pump These are the ones I found after missing them for ages


You can still use the BER tomatoes btw lemonjelly, just cut the bad bit out.

John I've had the same problem with my beans, I think because I haven't kept properly on top of picking them. I sowed too many.