Grow your own dinner 2014

Fruittea

Hi Annie


I just looked at the toms they look really good. I'm always keen to try new toms. This year I've gone for some heirloom varieties growing about 6 different types with a neighbour - we intend to have a taste test latter on in the year and decide what to grow for next year. I've also potted up some of the Tesco Finest varieties just to see how they do. Would you be interested in a seed swap later on?


Meanwhile bad news for me on the plot as all the potatoes now have a bit of blight and will have t be haulmed but hey ho I might get something from them. Only growing blight resistant next year. All the squashes have taken off now and I did manage t keep one pumpkin all the way around to April this year. So I'm hoping for a good supply this year.


All the best

EndlessStruggle

I harvested my first peas! I'm very new to gardening and I'm having limited success at the moment but I am learning.

annie123

Fruittea wrote: »

Would you be interested in a seed swap later on?

Always happy to swap seeds. If these taste as good as the reviews I'll be happy to pass some on to anyone who wants them and remembers in October to come back to this thread and ask.

mrbadexample

annie123 wrote: »

Always happy to swap seeds. If these taste as good as the reviews I'll be happy to pass some on to anyone who wants them and remembers in October to come back to this thread and ask.

Will you remember for me please?

zafiro1984

Just catching up with the postings

Parsnips resown, I know they'll only make baby ones, more carrots sown, more sweetcorn sown - I'm taking a chance but the pesky pigeons had the last lot. I'm busy collecting blackcurrants at the moment, I chop every third one down, take some of the currants off and give the branches to the chickens - they love them, got loads more to do. I've chopped the josaberries and white currants back, I know it's the wrong time of the year but they had taken over - what survives will survive and I'll dig the rest up.

I've had an idea - I've always wanted a polytunnel but I need to find out how much veg growing I can do and still keep it reasonably tidy (2 hips done last year). This year I've set my goal to try and get everything straight and just concentrate on the raised beds - so far so good, 16 out of 22 beds completed. However I was in the fruit cage yesterday - there is nothing in it except dead weeds - and came up with an idea of lining out one of the bays with plastic and getting DH to make me raised beds along each of the long sides as well as a central bed (the fruit cage is made from wood in a series of bays). It should give me an area of 36' x 12' and be quite cheap to make into the bargain. Need to discuss it with DH but I'll wait until the right moment

Love the idea of seedswaps

Has anyone used the 'Plants of Distinction, Simply vegetables' seed catalogue. I just love it. It's a small catalogue not covering the whole range of veggies but they seem to focus on peppers and tomatoes. I've had a quick count up and they have 44 peppers listed and over 60 toms listed, the majority of which are heirloom toms. Great names too like:-
'German Red Strawberry, described as "An heirloom handed down by a Marjorei Morris from Indianna. Huge 2-3lb (yes lb) fruit with mega sized strawberry shaped fruit of the most lovely flavour. Cordon 90 days from planting. or:-
Blue Ridge Mountain-very old standard heirloom from the Appalachian Mountains. Heavy yield of 1.4lb fruit which are pink and globe shaped. An excellent sweet taste. Cordon 75-85 days from transplanting.
It's worth getting the catalogue just for the pictures and descriptions.
Peppers are similarly described - one is called 'fish' - Afro American antique......
Just in case anyone wants to look at their website ;-www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk

Gosh I didn't mean to write so much.

MargH

Do a Google (or other) search for whichever fruit you are interested in eg thorn free blackberry plant suppliers. Sign up for the newsletter from several suppliers. Wait a while. You will get several emails over a period offering ever cheaper prices for plants.
Two years ago I bought thorn free blackberry bushes for about £5 each (primocane varieties give the quickest crops). The first year I got 1lb or so fruit from each bush, the second year several pounds from each, given that the price for the fruit in the supermarket is about £5 per lb/ 500g they had paid for themselves the first year! I know collecting free brambles from hedges is even cheaper, but you have to factor in the shoe leather and cost of torn clothes and plasters for torn hands. Home grown are very easy, as the plants grow just like brambles. You can multiply them by slicing a notch half way through a stem and burying the stem in the earth or a plant pot and a new plant will root. Excess can be washed and frozen or turned into jam and any you miss are donated to the local birds.

Dizzy_Ditzy

I'm so excited, I've just pulled up my first allotment produce :j

Two beetroot :j :j :j

Ok so technically it wasn't all my own doing as I put them in as plug plants but I planted them and tended them and now they've rewarded me :j :j

Jazee

I finally have some cucumbers growing, but still no courgettes. Think I am going to wait till I return from holiday and harvest all the potatoes that are left. Have arranged for watering to happen whilst I'm away, so fingers crossed the tomatoes will survive.

zafiro1984

MargH wrote: »

Do a Google (or other) search for whichever fruit you are interested in eg thorn free blackberry plant suppliers. Sign up for the newsletter from several suppliers. Wait a while. You will get several emails over a period offering ever cheaper prices for plants.
Two years ago I bought thorn free blackberry bushes for about £5 each (primocane varieties give the quickest crops). The first year I got 1lb or so fruit from each bush, the second year several pounds from each, given that the price for the fruit in the supermarket is about £5 per lb/ 500g they had paid for themselves the first year! I know collecting free brambles from hedges is even cheaper, but you have to factor in the shoe leather and cost of torn clothes and plasters for torn hands. Home grown are very easy, as the plants grow just like brambles. You can multiply them by slicing a notch half way through a stem and burying the stem in the earth or a plant pot and a new plant will root. Excess can be washed and frozen or turned into jam and any you miss are donated to the local birds.

Great idea - I notice this is your first posting

keon

Little_Vics wrote: »

Given that MBE has resigned from his position of leadership, I have started a new thread for 2014.

So, let's start.

What do you hope to grow this year? What worked well last year and what didn't? What will you try again?

And, as always, can someone please tell me what to do in January - or come and do it for me?

xLV

my redcurrants products an amazing amount of fruit last year, the broadbeans and potatoes were also good. This year my raspberries and carrots are the top performers. I try to grow all the things that are expensive to buy (or just hard to get here) that will tolerate a very wet and mostly cool climate. Just planted up some blackberries and jostaberries. My kale and courgettes, and beans are well behind this year. I really love the crocus,hayloft and King seed companies.