James Wong - Homegrown Revolution

arbroath_lass

auntyS wrote: »

Can I ask how you are supporting your Cucamelons? I have mine in large tomato pots and put a tall cane in as I thought they would grow from a single stem like a cucumber plant , but they are producing lots of shoots at the bottom and trying to cling on to anything they can reach.

I am delighted they are actually growing now and am pleased you are having success with yours. They do seem very difficult to get going but are thriving in the warm weather.

Mine are just staked at the moment too. Yours sound like the are a bit bigger than mine so maybe I'll need to rethink that. I have some mesh for peas I can try.

auntyS

arbroath_lass wrote: »

Mine are just staked at the moment too. Yours sound like the are a bit bigger than mine so maybe I'll need to rethink that. I have some mesh for peas I can try.

These plants are really picking up now - they must like hot weather, and I have found flowers on mine now too. They are still growing up a 6ft cane and I am encouraging them to cling on to each other rather than the plants next to them, but I don't know what happens when they reach the top. It's a whole new experience for me. I just hope they taste nice as everyone is looking forward to finding out what I've been talking about.

Off topic, I used to live in Arbroath many years ago when my dad was in the navy at Condor and have many happy memories of the place. I'm guessing from your name that that is where you are from. Hi :wave:

arbroath_lass

Whoops my cucamelons were actually tomatilloes! I'm sure when I googled (OH lost the labels) it was the other way round, lol.

Anyway, I have three plants with fruit - the one that I thought was gone (eaten!) actually grew back and has a couple of fruits in it too.

Big wave from Arbroath to AuntyS :-)

Leif

I believe one of his hyped plants is Gaultheria procumbans. I bought some plants without knowing about Mr Wong, as I wanted something that would grow in the shady clay soil on one side of my house. I threw in some ericaceous compost and to my surprise they are thriving and pushing out runners. The berries have a strange flavour, like old style mouthwash in dentists, and what Americans call root beer. They have attractive white flowers at this time of year, bright red berries in winter and evergreen leaves, making for an attractive plant.

This James Wong Revolution business seems to be a bit of a marketing wheeze to sell plants.

welovemarmite

it may be a marketing weeze but its bringing my attention to plants that I can grow that I wouldn't have been aware of without him. I also met him and he is a fantastic bloke. Very passionate about his stuff and human rather than a celebrity. He has even got my anti gardening husband enthused.

neet87

Our tomatillios have done exceptionally well. I grew rather a lot, presuming most would not make it but they have an we now have 8 large plants on the allotment. All have lanterns on them now with the fruit inside. I grew them in a seed tray, transplanted into larger pots when big enough to handle then put them in the ground in May/June.

I now need to work out when they are ripe and what to do with so many tomatillios...

Our gojis on the other hand are looking very sad. They are still tiny in pots and I am not optimistic they will survive the winter, even indoors.

kizkiz

Grew on three tomatillos in the end, two in the greenhouse and one outside.
The two inside ones are massive, at least 5 times the size of outside. All are setting fruit.
Have two cucamelons in greenhouse that have gone beserk! I have a load of mesh up the walls and canes. They're like a thick mat of plant in every direction.
One runner has gone across to an adjacent chilli and is climbing up that cane. Another runner snuck out of a side vent without me noticing, and is now about 5' long and halfway up the garden fence. lol.
Had a few fruits already, but shed loads growing now

Leif

neet87 wrote: »

Our gojis on the other hand are looking very sad. They are still tiny in pots and I am not optimistic they will survive the winter, even indoors.

I was tempted by goji, given all the hype, but searching the internet I could not find one single account of UK grown specimens fruiting.

auntyS

Oooh, just ate my first 2 Cucamelons today, once I managed to find them. They are very well camouflaged and growing in a tangled heap outdoors in two large pots standing in a raised trough.

I think the seed packets need better growing instructions on them because they didn't grow at all the way I thought they would.
I found some useful videos on YouTube (from Claire's Allotment, search for Cucamelons) and realised they do just do their own thing and grow in every direction, clinging to anything in their way

They tasted good but I hope they aren't all ready at the same time cos there are loads of them flowering and growing now.

Hi to Arbroath Lass :wave:

anniemf2508

I spoke too soon about the fiesta sweetcorn failing, i have 3 plants that are well over 4 foot tall and got 3 ears of corn on each!