Help MBE grow his dinner 2011

djohn2002uk

mrbadexample wrote: »

Does it not make any difference if you pinch the tops out?

Been there done that lol. Try it. They sprout more shoots from lower down but the top keeps going up for some reason. Don't know any other plant that does that. This year I'm going to pinch them out at around 7ft and keep doing it regularly after that. I don't want them going through the top of the sparrow proof frame which is seperate and I need it to dismantle easily.

Lotus-eater

They do stop when you pinch them out, but it then produces side shots from the leaf axil everywhere, which you then have to stop in turn.

John, that is a pretty amazing cage, you must have some persistent sparrows around you! That's alot of canes in that.

I'm half tempted to post a picture of my 2 runners and lots of french beans

mrbadexample

Lotus-eater wrote: »

I'm half tempted to post a picture of my 2 runners and lots of french beans

Go on, be whole-tempted.

mrbadexample

Lotus-eater wrote: »

John, that is a pretty amazing cage, you must have some persistent sparrows around you! That's alot of canes in that.

I think that's a cage born of repeated crop-loss. I have a feeling my garden will end up like that at some point, if the fox and cats continue to give me grief.

djohn2002uk

Lotus-eater wrote: »

They do stop when you pinch them out, but it then produces side shots from the leaf axil everywhere, which you then have to stop in turn.

John, that is a pretty amazing cage, you must have some persistent sparrows around you! That's alot of canes in that.

I'm half tempted to post a picture of my 2 runners and lots of french beans

Yes, it grows no more from the tip that you pinched out but the plant seems to keep pushing upwards. I pinch mine normally just before they reach the top and still they go on through the top netting. Off to bowls now will look in again about 10ish.

mrbadexample

djohn2002uk wrote: »

Off to bowls now will look in again about 10ish.

Have a good evening. Bowl well.

mrbadexample

See those? They're FLOWERS! :j

Galina - probably my earliest variety.

Lotus-eater

What did you take that with, a microscope? :rotfl:

<pride> I have an actual tomato </pride>

nopot2pin

My tomato plants are still tiny
Not a sniff of a flower
I think I put them out in the green house too soon.
Ironically, I bought one back in the house today to see if it came on any
I haven't been able to spend alot of time doing anything recently, because of all the rain
Here's hoping it will get better

LilacPixie

mrbadexample wrote: »

You've just said that to wind me up, haven't you? :mad:

Yup although on inspection today I notice i have a small green tomato too. Leaves look all droopy but its still flowering well so happy.

Other than that i'm struggling with alot, my youngest has chicken pox at just under 3 months old so time at allotment has been impossible this week. Thankfully i have some nice plotty neighbours who have been keeping my tomatos up there healthy for me and one even told me he has popped a morrisons bucket of carrot seedling on my plot because his wife told him that being so heavy pregnant in Feb there was no way i would of managed to riddle a bed for them which i though was very nice.

Lets talk courgettes mine is behaving like a runner bean. I put them in a 12 section seed tray in an unheated blowaway in an unheated propegator then took the lid off when we had leave but they just keep growing tall despite being outside. could the reletive shallowness of the seed tray be an issue?