The highs and lows of growing your own dinner 2015

Dizzy_Ditzy

I found that my pentland javelin potatoes taste fab if I have them any other way than straight boiled- as chips they're fab, as roasties they're divine and they're pretty good as mash too, but I just can't get on with them boiled

Bit silly when I have so many of them :rotfl:

zafiro1984

soooo hot, only did watering.

Think blight may have struck :mad:

Dizzy_Ditzy

zafiro1984 wrote: »

soooo hot, only did watering.

Think blight may have struck :mad:

Funny you should say that because I thought the same last night...

wishus

Lots and lots of rhubarb - will it never end?

But my squash - are they growing at all in this heat? What happened to my salad - it's stunted!

I'd think it was the soil but the dandelions are fine!!

Ken68

Scorchio here, covered up as much as possible. Water in the late evening.

WantAnOrange

My little ones are getting me up at the crack of dawn at the mo, so 6am this morning and I was out of slug patrol. They are destroying everything green! Otherwise, the courgettes are starting to go a bit mad and the rhubarb!

I bought a little rhubarb plant a couple months ago and it is now enormous. I've been told to leave it alone the first year. What will happen over winter? Will it die back or something? I presume it will just slow right down?

Another question, how do I get pumpkins to grow big? I had a perfectly formed little one that got a bit bigger than a blueberry then dropped off, still green.

Hope you are all enjoying the summer. x

Dizzy_Ditzy

Everything except the pie for tonight's dinner will be off the plot - peas, cabbage, potato and carrot :j

This is where the hard work finally pays its reward

Ken68

Rain is welcome, time to freeze up the broad beans, leave some for seed.
Orange..rhubarb will die down for the winter then ERUPTS from the soil in spring, a bit like peonies. I usually stop eating from June. Not sure about your pumpkins, unless maybe you have overwatered.

zafiro1984

No rain as yet, threatens but nothing happens, the grass is crispy yellow.

Blight has definitely struck, dug up all my 'swift' potatoes - one tuber had blight, - the stench from it was horrible. I have also started to dig up my Red Duke of York potatoes as well. I was hoping for enough potatoes to last us until the main crop are ready but I don't think they will stretch that far. Maincrop, Sarpo Mira, are looking good, keeping fingers crossed.

Blackcurrants are terrific this year, all of a sudden they are ready to be picked - they were still red last week - so picked a whole bucket full and there are plenty more. I'm cutting down to ground level every third bush. I keep the currants and the hens get the prunings - they love the leaves.

Lettuce, courgettes, radishes, mitzuma, rocket a plenty, just waiting for the first tomatoes and cucumbers to start - then I'll be happy. Salad and more salad, maybe I'll lose some weight!!!

Eventually I would just love not to have to visit the shops for vegetables and possibly fruit - does anyone of you actually manage to supply all of what you need or is it a pipe dream?

Ken68

Yes Zaf... quite possible, though means some preserving and depends a lot on ph of your land and whether hard or light soil. Mine is light and growing full headed brassicas is a struggle.
Heavy rain the other day, then sunshine and intermittent showers since, ideal. My Sarpo Mira last year took a while to get going but brilliant results.