Help MBE grow his dinner 2012

Lotus-eater

greenval wrote: »

You sound like Baldrick MBE!

Looks a bit like him too. :rotfl:


I looked at some details from last year and saw I had my first courgette on the 5th of June....
I hadn't even put my plants outside by that time this year.

mrbadexample

I popped in to the Gardener's World Live and Good Food Show yesterday.

It's just too big together - why don't they hold them separately? I spent about 2 hours in there before I lost the will to live. Some nice garden displays, but I didn't find anyone selling seeds - maybe I missed that bit.

Came home with some cheese, an overpriced grater and some overpriced drill bits. Smashing. :wall:

Drea

Slugs!!!!!! Wind!!!!!!

mrbadexample

Drea wrote: »

Slugs!!!!!! Wind!!!!!!

What? Got no rain? :eek: :rotfl:

Drea

mrbadexample wrote: »

What? Got no rain? :eek: :rotfl:

Rain!!!!!!

annie123

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

I picked broad beans, victorian purple podded peas, yellow mangetout, an onion, lettuce and some strawbs today. And had a potato harvested yesterday.

Show off:p

mrbadexample wrote: »

The squash given to me by the squash fairy seems to be doing quite nicely, although it's only been outside for a couple of days. It's still got time to sulk.

Squash fairy should have given you the lot! next year I'm going to set up a cold frame of some sorts, I need something bigger and brighter than my kitchen windows and 1/10th the size of a greenhouse to house my squashes. A good size removable home made cold frame should do it.

Lotus-eater wrote: »

I looked at some details from last year and saw I had my first courgette on the 5th of June....
I hadn't even put my plants outside by that time this year.

Just looked in my journals and June, along with May and July, seems to be one of the many months I forget to write in, it's the same this year:o

I'm happier today as London seems to be mainly dry for the next few days:j
I realised I haven't feed anything as I add plant food to the bath water when I water the garden, but so far this year I haven't had to do that since March I don't think.
I'll sprinkle some granular feed, must have some somewhere. Although I did put a banana skin in each tomato bucket/soil, my nan used to do that, said it gave them a good feed all summer. I've always done it and have no idea if it makes any difference or not.

annie123

I've been flicking back through last years journal and there's a note in October that says:

"remember to ask Lotus-eater about his french beans"

I have no idea what so ever what that's about

Lotus-eater any idea?


*Note to self to write meaningful notes or don't bother!*

Mad-Frog

Little_Vics wrote: »

my my my, we're a grumpy lot!

I have flowers on my toms I have no flowers
I have peppers on my pepper plant I have no flowers
I have flowers on my quince I am not growing quince
I have flowers on my strawberries Zi have green strawberries
I have flowers on my sugar snaps (although they appear to have migrated towards each other for support rather than the canes) me too

AND I have potatoes. Even if I didn't plant them. Or want them.

I want mineb:T

Have been on slug patrole ug yuck right on my doorstep a few of them, so who is eating the leaves on my squash, courgettes and carrots
Is it slugs?

Lotus-eater

annie123 wrote: »

I've been flicking back through last years journal and there's a note in October that says:

"remember to ask Lotus-eater about his french beans"

I have no idea what so ever what that's about

Lotus-eater any idea?


*Note to self to write meaningful notes or don't bother!*

Umm, it could be that I'm developing my own range of hybrid french beans?

If it is, it's turning out to be a longer process than I thought, hopefully, this year they should be settling down and the 2 strains I am growing on, will stop diversifying and become a useful strain in themselves.

I'll only really know after this years harvest, although the conditions could hardly be worse atm.

I'm growing about 30 plants of each, I just need to wait and see what happens. Hopefully, I should have a variety of climbing french bean that eats well fresh, dries well, has a decent dry harvest and also the bean itself looks really nice.
The original cross was between a dwarf pinto and a trail of tears, the TOT doesn't dry well and the pinto isn't that great fresh.
The best of the bunch is one I've called the freckled bean and it looked great last year, I just need to prove it will come true this year again, then I think it will be an F4.

30 plants is the most I can manage of each, but if the freckled does what I hope it will this year, I'll do 60 of it next.



Either that, or you wanted to know what are the best french beans to grow?

annie123

That sounds really interesting and exciting. I love french beans and wish I had space to grow more. Really hope your F4 works well this year.Wish I had the space to try something like that myself.

And which are the best French beans to grow?

I've no idea which of your answers it was but very interesting all the same.