Help MBE grow his dinner 2013.

mrbadexample

tootallulah wrote: »

I picked my gooseberries two weeks ago, got home last night and all the leaves on my gooseberries havebeen eaten. I am guessing this is sawfly but I cant find anything. What s hould I do? I've never had a problem before is there anything I can do after the fact so they wont come back next year?

Not easily. They overwinter in the soil, so you could carefully dig it up round the plant to expose it for the birds to pick over, or try a barrier such as weed membrane. I find that spraying when they're actually eating the leaves to be the only decent method of control, and I've had a bush stripped this year too.

mrbadexample

Little_Vics wrote: »

MBE, I've seen 2 frogs in my garden in the past 3 days. One was happily sat on our front door step!

In other news, I've only got 1 courgette on 3 plants. The flower has fallen off the end of it, and there are no flowers to be seen anywhere else. Is this normal?

Have you got a pond?

I always take my courgette flowers off once the fruit has started growing, as I find that if they start to rot it can transfer to the fruit. So falling off is good. Don't know why you haven't got more flowers though. How big are they?

Little_Vics

nope, no pond. Just Yorkshire weather.

How big are the plants? Big - um, about 75cm across?

mrbadexample

Little_Vics wrote: »

nope, no pond. Just Yorkshire weather.

How big are the plants? Big - um, about 75cm across?

Dig a pond then.

I think it's just a case of waiting for the courgettes.

annie123

Everyone should have a pond

I wish he had bought a shed from B & Q, fed up listening to him complain about how long it's taking.
Ignoring the shed 'till it's finished from now on.

I don't like the taste of Lidl yellow French beans so not bothering with those next year. Courgettes are being picked daily and the now awake cucumber is putting out flowers.
So too has one of the squashes but as the vines have intertwined I've no idea what type it is.
It's a bumper year for red currents, picking daily and eaten straight from the plant, might bring some in for hubby to eat.
All types of toms looking great and the tumbling one is giving me a few red ones weekly already. One of the plum toms is giving me 1 per week, but not a lot you can do with 1 plum tomato!

mrbadexample

I have a tomato ripening.

annie123

mrbadexample wrote: »

I have a tomato ripening.

Well that's a start. Any flowers on the BNS? I think you had squashes by this time last year.

My tiny watermelon plant that has a half munched stem and is 8" long in total has put out a flower! and it's a female one. Now not wanting to waste this opportunity I found a male courgette flower and tried that

Speaking of courgettes the rounds ones have out performed all others again, and yes you can train them up a cane, makes it easier to pick the courgettes. I did notice MBE I said I'd send you some seeds for them and forgot, sorry but if you don't have any already and want some let me know.

Feels odd not having any runner beans yet but I sowed them later due to the weather so I'll just have to wait.

Edit: My neighbour over the road, who's front garden is in full sun all day, already has 4 Butternut squashes around 6" long goes off sulking...........

mrbadexample

annie123 wrote: »

Well that's a start. Any flowers on the BNS? I think you had squashes by this time last year.

Flowers, yes. Not much else happening. My other squash is trying to take over the world, but none of the fruit is setting.

Dizzy_Ditzy

I am picking cucumbers off and every tomato plant has got fruits on

I've put on of my chillies in tonight's curry

And I've acquired a blueberry plant

lemonjelly

My cucumbers have grown bigger than I've ever had cucumber plants grow before. They have a multitude of flowers, & I think I can see a fair few fruits appearing!

Harvested a pot of carrots today, in preparation for salads this week.

Planted out a few beetroots that were left in pots. They looked like they were struggling - perhaps space was an issue? Anyhow, just hoping they take well & quickly in the soil.

Repotted the last of my tomatoes, and also repotted my chillis. Think that is likely to be it for the repotting now this year. Merely a case of harvesting later.

Spotted the first tomatoes appered on the plants! Good times!

mrbadexample wrote: »

I have a tomato ripening.

Oh get stuffed....:p