Help MBE grow his dinner 2012

mrbadexample

annie123 wrote: »

and I will be spending on the motorway driving to see mum.

Wave to my folks as you go past please?

annie123

Will do

Pre-war_babe_33

I also had a thunderstorm yesterday afternoon, very windy too with horizontal rain at one point - about 4.45pm I think it was. I was watching the storm roll in over the fields for quite a time before it reached me. I think I am a few miles north of you Annie so it was probably the same storm. The distant hills and motorway disappeared from view for a while until the first glimmer of sun broke through the clouds again as the rain gradually eased.

I do so love watching the clouds and beautiful sunsets up here on the hill. I have been here just over three years now since moving from the Harrow area to be near my children.

Mad-Frog

I have forgotten to update on here Radish, turnip and lettuce all gone to seed.

I have thrown five tomato plants in the bin, not one flower amongst them, note to self don't bother with florentine next year. Out of 9 plants surviving I reckon I have about 10 red toms :mad:

My mini pumpkin plant had pumpkins as has my squash, they are about an inch thick, is it worth persevering with them?

My runner beans and runner french beans are okayish, my red cabbage is storming on, not so with turnips and swede :mad:

Everything else has been dismal if I am being honest

mumof3plusoh

Runner beans and French beans are doing very well and getting a healthy amount on a daily basis:T

Quick question, never grown iceberg lettuce before, some of them have curled into the ball shape and rotted but some are more open.Is this normal that they can grow either way. Just wondered if it was due to the amount of rain we have had. Many thanks;)

annie123

Pre-war_babe_33 wrote: »

I also had a thunderstorm yesterday afternoon, very windy too with horizontal rain at one point - about 4.45pm I think it was. I was watching the storm roll in over the fields for quite a time before it reached me. I think I am a few miles north of you Annie so it was probably the same storm. The distant hills and motorway disappeared from view for a while until the first glimmer of sun broke through the clouds again as the rain gradually eased.

Think you're north and west of me, I'm near Crystal Palace.

Mad-Frog wrote: »

My mini pumpkin plant had pumpkins as has my squash, they are about an inch thick, is it worth persevering with them?

Everything else has been dismal if I am being honest

Always try till the first frost, nothing to lose and we've all had a bad year with something so don't give up.

mumof3plusoh wrote: »

Quick question, never grown iceberg lettuce before, some of them have curled into the ball shape and rotted but some are more open.Is this normal that they can grow either way. Just wondered if it was due to the amount of rain we have had. Many thanks;)

Never bothered with iceberg as guaranteed slug food here but found this on the web:

Iceberg lettuce is a cool weather crop that requires a long growing season. In many areas, it begins to mature just as warm weather hits. The result can be splitting bolting, or rotting of heads. So, we recommend an early, indoor start in the spring.

So it looks as though the warm spell caused it, bummer!

My 1 baby BNS didn't get pollinated as there were no male flowers but there is now, typical, never a bloke around when you want one then several come along all a once :rotfl:

Picked some peppers, more toms, another courgette, and cucumber x 2 and in spite of the rain I need to water the pots tonight.

RedLass

annie123 wrote: »

I grew 3 types this year, patio star.....bred for containers and not worth growing, Nero di Milano I think, not near seeds at the mo, a regular shaped one and produces well, but I'm a convert to http://www.thompson-morgan.com/vegetables/vegetable-seeds/pumpkin-squash-and-courgette-seeds/courgette-de-nice-a-fruit-rond/797TM

It really is prolific and boy do they grow quick, heaviest one so far 850g :eek: and small football size but still very tasty.
Any courgette raw is lovely and tastes best when small eaten this way. But courgettes are great to bulk out spag bol, have roasted, grilled bbq, quiche, and cakes! also makes nice chutney.
From now on I'm only going to grow these ones, they taste nicer than others I've tried over the years and due to their growing habit they could, I think, be trained upwards, which I'm going to try next year.

Thank you, I've bookmarked that as one to try next year I was looking through a cookbook tonight and saw an interesting recipe, something like "courgette and rice filo pie". I'm starting to see it has more uses than just flash frying.

I know someone who has grown mini cucumbers this year, rather than the full size ones, and they've done really well. I may try them instead of the burpless next year, if only because I hate having to bin a third or so because we've not eaten it all in time.

I've picked runner beans almost every day for the last week now. And so I'm realising that perhaps I need to be more flexible with my meal planning if I'm going to avoid wasting any of our garden delights!

Our first tomato is ALMOST fully ripened. OH can't wait to gobble it up - I don't like raw tomatoes so these were grown purely for his enjoyment.

morwenna

annie123 wrote: »

, but I'm a convert to http://www.thompson-morgan.com/vegetables/vegetable-seeds/pumpkin-squash-and-courgette-seeds/courgette-de-nice-a-fruit-rond/797TM

It really is prolific and boy do they grow quick, heaviest one so far 850g :eek: and small football size but still very tasty.
Any courgette raw is lovely and tastes best when small eaten this way.

Our best (round) one is 1530g, tasted great and the smaller ones (picked when you are supposed to ) are lovely stuffed and baked - let me know if you want the recipe.

mumof3plusoh

Thanks for your help Annie;) It was my OH who wanted me to grow it so wont bother next year.

Pre-war_babe_33

Annie you are further south than I thought. I pictured you as being in North West London somehow. I am indeed north west of you though, in a place where the Red Kites fly. It is truly a pleasure to see these beautiful birds so close in to London.

News from my garden today is that I have lots more flower buds forming on my only surviving sweet pepper so I am not giving up hope just yet. It seems strange that the seeds were sown on the same day as my tomatoes, 8th March, yet the tomatoes have finished producing before the peppers have even begun.