Help MBE grow his dinner 2013.

annie123

mrbadexample wrote: »

I went looking for spuds yesterday. A bit early, as they've only been in 10½ weeks (I've just worked that out - took me ages trawling through the thread!) so results were predictably disappointing.

Pulled up just four little 'uns, which already show some signs of slug damage. Since I have no wish to lose as many as I did last year, I've ordered a Nemaslug treatment pack.

Anyone here tried nematodes? Did they work? Slug pellets are all very well but don't get the ones underground.

You should have had more than that after 10 weeks, rummage harder We are eating 2 dinners worth a night from April 7th planting. Had the swift from March and the rocket from April 1st and currently eating Foremost.

I've tried nemaslug ( years ago) and didn't find a lot of difference, but I have mainly snails and I've never had damaged spuds. If you've got a lot of slugs probably worth trying. Have you tried beer traps? I find them very good for slugs and they even like sainsburys own brand beer.

mrbadexample wrote: »

I've just finished making 10 big jars of curried rhubarb chutney. I need to make jam next.

Never eaten nor made that, what does it go with? and recipe please

annie123

Stage 1 of new shed done :T
Took ages to clear everything and some stuff has ended up in neighbour's gardens and here indoors too.
Made moulds for concrete footings, made footings, dug holes for footings....this took some time even with a pick axe as it's rock hard clay that we've never dug in 20 years, nor had the 90 year old lady who lived here since the 30's.
Footings sitting over night then posts in tomorrow.


I did notice I have some red cherries :j not enough to eat yet but enough to net to keep the pigeons off.
And there's a few big juicy looking strawberries that are going to get eaten tomorrow, might even let hubby have one

fiftyeighter_2

mrbadexample wrote: »

It would appreciate a bucketful of rotted manure during the winter months. Put it around the crown rather than directly on top of it. Works for me.

Thank you, I guessed maybe that was why. Just needed a professional to tell me
Blimey you,ve done well with all the bottling. I,m waiting for all the red currants to ripen so I can make some lovely jam. That's providing the birds don't get to them first.
Well I,ve taken some pics of my garden. Now await my DD to put them on here for me.
Oh sorry if I,m thick but do you have to wait for the flowers to die off on potato's before you can dig them up? Thanks.

mrbadexample

fiftyeighter wrote: »

do you have to wait for the flowers to die off on potato's before you can dig them up? Thanks.

I think that depends on the variety to a certain extent, but by and large, yes.

mrbadexample

annie123 wrote: »

Never eaten nor made that, what does it go with? and recipe please

Cheese, mostly. :drool: Cold meats, or in sandwiches too.

I use this recipe. The post says that the recipe is halved, so I doubled it back up but left out 1lb of sugar. It's a bit too sweet otherwise.

lemonjelly

planted more lettuce this week.
Just repotted 9 tomato plants into bigger pots.
Also moved up some of the chilli plants.
I now appear to have a major pot shortage. May need a wilko's trip this weekend as loads more needs moving up!

djohn2002uk

lemonjelly wrote: »

May need a wilko's trip this weekend as loads more needs moving up!

Morrisons at about 8 for a £

annie123

Due to 6 hours of rain yesterday, very little progress made on shed, but did get the corner supports in. The rest required the extension lead for the chop saw and drill and not having a gazebo to work under, rain stopped play.

He's outside already working on it and I'm off on an introduction to chicken keeping course. Not that we have room for them but I want free range eggs when we move eventually.

The strawberries tasted wonderful with lots more ready over the next day or two

Pre-war_babe_33

Just eaten my first strawberries today and they were gorgous.

Grandmasam mentioned her raspberries were ready so I went out and had a quick look - no, not ripe yet but there will be loads when they are. Gooseberries - plenty of them too but not ripe yet but still have lots of last years crop in the freezer to use up.

Little Vics I think the cherry is Marello not marcello or was that a typo you did? I seem to remember making wine with them many years ago and pretty strong stuff it was too!

Fiftyeighter - you are a mere youngster at 63 and have plenty of gardening years left yet. I will be 80 in August and it is only these last two years that I have not been able to do much. In fact this year I haven`t done any due to vertigo and then a mild stroke that sent me into hospital for a while. Slowly recovering now and hoping that next year I will be able to plant just a few things, maybe some tomatoes and beans like last year.

Annie, I grew purple spuds three years ago and wasn`t too keen and won`t be growing them again. I found that if I peeled them they disintegrated when I cooked them but were OK if I left their skins on.

Anyone who has not read MBE`s adventures into cooking really should take a look - I was in stitches the whole way through. I think I will go back and read them again - if I can find them that is!

grandmasam

Afternoon all,
Been picking a few raspberries daily now and and the blushed strawberry went red .. so I ate it:D More to ripen , the bramley tree has loads of small apples,so looking forward to lots of fruit this year, if the june/july drop isn't too heavy.
Tomatos setting well, but another here who has to go to Morries for some buckets for the outside ones! Cucumber shimmying it's way along the wires in the greenhouse, climbing french beans [the blue ones] are nearly at the top of the frames i made.
Gooseberry sawfly has decimated the one red fruited goosgog i had, overnight.:mad::mad:
Still unable to post pix [have a mac laptop] so waiting for db to come over a teach the aged [me!] how to.:o
Caz