Help MBE grow his dinner 2012

mrbadexample

I am still getting tomatoes:





but they are somewhat small and quite disappointing. I did pick enough last night to make some of the roasted tomato sauce though:



I seem to remember making about 8 lots last year. This time I'll be lucky if I get two.

mrbadexample

My new asparagus bed is looking reasonably promising:



Squash, walking onions, a cabbage and a few young caulis at the far end:



Courgette's still productive. I just wish I liked them.



PSB:



A few parsnips at the front. Between them and the courgette is where the beetroot was. There are still a couple left to pick, and I've planted 3 Duke of York spuds for Christmas in the space:

mrbadexample

A few onions and competition carrots. Next year I don't think I'll grow nasturtiums, as they've gone a bit mental. Just the marigolds methinks.



Runner beans are still producing well. Late to start but pretty good all the same:



For those worried about their tomatoes, these wrecks are still giving me something. One of them snapped a few weeks ago, yet the fruit is still ripening. These are the spares that I didn't have room for so they've been neglected and are in very small pots.

mrbadexample

Chillies and peppers a bit disappointing too. Hasn't really been hot enough for them I don't think.

Wenks Yellow Hot:


Purple Venezuelan:



The others have produced a few, but not a huge amount. The fatali were nice and hot. :eek:

Little_Vics

I think I've got everything possibly edible out now, so here's my summary:

Successful:
Strawberries (although not as many as usual)
Loganberries - very pleased about this because it's the first year. Had a handful and they were yummy
Tomatoes. I know they didn't turn red, but I got 1.5lbs of green ones so I know I can grow them
Pepper - the plant is still going strong, 3 years on, on my kitchen windowsill. I've had at least 8 fruit off it, and it's still flowering
Aubergine - kind of successful in that the plant isn't dead. It's tiny though, but I've put it inside and it seems to be doing ok. I have hopes for it next year.
Herbs - all good, although I really should use them more
Mange tout - didn't do too badly.
Potatoes - grrr.

Disaster:
courgettes. Didn't get big enough to establish before they got munched
all salad leaves. They never appeared
many other things that I've wiped from my mind.

So, I guess I need to be thinking about what I would do differently next year, and what I can do over the winter.

I'd give myself a just-scraped-through-pass.

RedLass

mrbadexample wrote: »

I am still getting tomatoes:

Your tomatoes have given me ideas for next year. I grew two bush type plants this year, and I have enjoyed the fact that I haven't had to do any of that complicated pinching this and sideshoot that :cool:. But... they do take up a lot of room, for just two plants.

This was earlier in the year after I'd already started yanking off dead looking bits:



The pot is 50cm diameter so all in it probably takes up a square metre easily. I wonder if I tried a similar approach to you, with separate pots lined up against the fence, I might get a lot more in, with other stuff in front of the pots as well. These guys did produce well for me though...

How tall does the average cordon type grow? Or do you decide? Is there a sort of minimum height to let them get to?

RedLass

Little_Vics wrote: »

I think I've got everything possibly edible out now, so here's my summary:

Successful:
Strawberries (although not as many as usual)
Loganberries - very pleased about this because it's the first year. Had a handful and they were yummy
Tomatoes. I know they didn't turn red, but I got 1.5lbs of green ones so I know I can grow them
Pepper - the plant is still going strong, 3 years on, on my kitchen windowsill. I've had at least 8 fruit off it, and it's still flowering
Aubergine - kind of successful in that the plant isn't dead. It's tiny though, but I've put it inside and it seems to be doing ok. I have hopes for it next year.
Herbs - all good, although I really should use them more
Mange tout - didn't do too badly.
Potatoes - grrr.

Disaster:
courgettes. Didn't get big enough to establish before they got munched
all salad leaves. They never appeared
many other things that I've wiped from my mind.

So, I guess I need to be thinking about what I would do differently next year, and what I can do over the winter.

I'd give myself a just-scraped-through-pass.

I think you ought to give yourself a little more than that :beer: Given how rough everybody keeps saying it is, to pull in anything half edible has to be an achievement!

Does your pepper plant live on the windowsill all year round? How tall has it got?

As for herbs, I throw rosemary in just about anything that's about to get roasted, I love it. Not sure OH would agree but as I do all the cooking he doesn't get a say I cut my oregano right down to about 1 inch high once all the flowers and leaves had dropped... there are signs of life, so I'm hoping it will come back strong again.

mrbadexample

RedLass wrote: »

How tall does the average cordon type grow? Or do you decide? Is there a sort of minimum height to let them get to?

About 6' outside, more in a greenhouse I would think. You can pinch the tops out whenever you want though.

jollyanna

mrbadexample,
"in other respects quite memorable"
Wouldn't be in lurve would you ?

aliasojo

I'm amazed some of you still have things growing. I had to scrape frost off my car windscreen this morning for the school run!

It's baltic here most days now.

I bought a plastic plant to cheer up my very cold porch.