Grow your own dinner 2014

CAFCGirl

I'm so jealous of your allotment.

I managed to save quite a lot, thankfully.
My runner beans seem to have exploded but dont seem to be producing any beans.
Two of my tomato plants have flowers on. Everything needs more space, and I cant seem to figure out how best to do that LOL

zafiro1984

queen_of_cheap wrote: »

This allotment malarkey is hard work!

Agree, so much so I've decided to chill out today, too hot.

May find enthusiasm later when it's cooler and then again.............

CAFCGirl I'm hoping to save too, veg and fruit is so expensive now, I'll hopefully freeze any surplus.

Dizzy_Ditzy

CAFCGirl wrote: »

I'm so jealous of your allotment.

I managed to save quite a lot, thankfully.
My runner beans seem to have exploded but dont seem to be producing any beans.
Two of my tomato plants have flowers on. Everything needs more space, and I cant seem to figure out how best to do that LOL

Maybe look at interplanting. I've seen lots of people on the allotment do it, and I'm having a go, with beetroot planted around sweetcorn.

zafiro1984 wrote: »

Agree, so much so I've decided to chill out today, too hot.

May find enthusiasm later when it's cooler and then again.............

CAFCGirl I'm hoping to save too, veg and fruit is so expensive now, I'll hopefully freeze any surplus.

I just slap on the suncream, drink plenty of water and just do as much as my body can handle. Half a day is the most I've ever spent there, sometimes it can only be an hour or so. Some days I slog, some I don't

There is one very nice side effect- my tan :j:j

[Deleted User]

I am on the last planting or sowing sessions now. Caulies for over winter are growing on in modules at home, under shade net which helps with too much sun and cabbage white prevention. I decided on two varieties this year as all of one variety matured exactly at the same time last year. Just planted some sutherland and dwarf curly kale out and also a few at home in large pots, grand for winter greens. Sowed some dwarf french beans after the shallots, which are now drying at home. Garlics lifted and are huge and gorgeous this year, replaced with a few lettuce seeds so far and more later

Picking has started of broad beans and will follow with the caulie plants under net. Beetroot picking has started and also harvesting nicola spuds to be followed by charlottes

annie123

Evening growers :hello:

I like my new neighbours who rent the flat below, and who's garden is next to mine, they know that ground elder is a weed :j
The owners who have gone abroad for a few years just used it as ground cover but it didn't know to stop at the fence :mad:
The new tenants now have tomatoes, courgettes, strawberries, and french beans. Knew I'd get rid of my spares eventually.

Last year not a single cherry was touched on my little tree, this year it's been a fight between me and the blackbirds. Now I know I could net it but I've seen birds stuck in nets and it's not nice so I've picked 80% and left the rest for them, well they have munched most of the ones left.
Some were ripe and others needed a few more weeks but I'll turn them into tasty puddings instead.

The courgette glut has started, plenty of baby green tomatoes, and a few chillis too which is early for me.
The squashes are romping away, no idea what type the biggest 2 are as they were from a packet marked assorted squashes but it's nice to get a surprise sometimes.

My water melon is slow but alive and looks better than last year, runners growing as they should, and I'll thin the recent extra sown parsnips this week as I can see the strongest ones now.

Big raspberry crop this year but redcurrents looking a little down on recent years.

Every year I say I'll grow less toms but I couldn't resist one called blue bayou @£2 for 12 plugs at a local plant sale.
It would appear to be a fairly new one and very tasty too. Apparently it will be navy blue to purple colour if it gets enough sun. Now with my garden that's probably not going to happen so I've given 8 of the 12 away hoping someone's garden I can have a nosy in will.
They were in tiny plugs until a week ago so I don't expect much of a crop but I hope they live up to their reviews.

Happygreen

Here the first cougette is showing and growing! I had tickled the flower/s so it will become food . The first lot of potatoes does have no intention of flowering but they must be soon ready as the second lot has started to flower....maybe different varieties behave differently?
Salad is plenty but I must remember to plant lot 2 out before the holidays and pot on the last tomatoes, courgettes and cucumbers! Time flies and the rain looks like it's going to stay but there's plenty to do in the greenhouse...

CAFCGirl

Husband gave up a 5ft stretch of flower bed so I have ground space for some veggies

I planted in some french beans at the back so they can climb up the fence & stakes, and some courgettes in front of those. Got about 2.5ft left to decide what to put in there. Quite happy with my toms', cucumbers, chilli and sweet peppers to stay in pots, as that means they're in the sunny spots...

Might raid the seed bag later and see what else I can start off

Happygreen

CAFCGirl wrote: »

Husband gave up a 5ft stretch of flower bed so I have ground space for some veggies

I planted in some french beans at the back so they can climb up the fence & stakes, and some courgettes in front of those. Got about 2.5ft left to decide what to put in there. Quite happy with my toms', cucumbers, chilli and sweet peppers to stay in pots, as that means they're in the sunny spots...

Might raid the seed bag later and see what else I can start off

Lettuce? It's so expensive to buy...
Glad to see your babies are doing well!

zafiro1984

Agree with lettuce but also how about sowing curly kale or sprouting broccoli in a few weeks time to take over from the courgettes - loads of pickings off curly kale, would be good to have something for early next year.

Spent my one hour on the plot today:- got two more beds de-docked and ready for sweetcorn, DH laughed when I told him what I was going to plant, neighbour has a 20 acre field next to us full of sweetcorn, but I don't think Neil would appreciate us 'stealing' some.

Staked my runners, tied in the toms, sowed some salad leaves as I couldn't find any 'living salad' to buy anywhere (I was going to take some advice from Happygreen and split it into smaller plugs and plant out). Picked the first of the blackcurrants, jostaberries and white currants, made a pudding with them for tea.

Happygreen

zafiro1984 wrote: »

Agree with lettuce but also how about sowing curly kale or sprouting broccoli in a few weeks time to take over from the courgettes - loads of pickings off curly kale, would be good to have something for early next year.

Spent my one hour on the plot today:- got two more beds de-docked and ready for sweetcorn, DH laughed when I told him what I was going to plant, neighbour has a 20 acre field next to us full of sweetcorn, but I don't think Neil would appreciate us 'stealing' some.

Staked my runners, tied in the toms, sowed some salad leaves as I couldn't find any 'living salad' to buy anywhere (I was going to take some advice from Happygreen and split it into smaller plugs and plant out). Picked the first of the blackcurrants, jostaberries and white currants, made a pudding with them for tea.

I grow flat kale - it's lovely as a salad veg and very healthy! I leave them over winter and have a very early vrop and it's a brilliant self-seeder, very easycare :rotfl:.
Living salads I buy from Lidl and here they still stock them - with the veg!
Rest assured that your sweetcorn will be much nicer than your neighbour's - his is most likely grown as animal feed.
My currants are only showing a very slight colour and the blackbirds are having a feast already! Never got around to building a proper cage yet! one of the many projects....