The highs and lows of growing your own dinner 2015

Jazee

Greenhouse is now clean and DH hosed down the shelves. I still need to clean the pots so they're sitting on the patio for now.

Yesterday I planted the garlic and put up a frame ready for the early spring peas. In this mild weather, they're already growing. Last of tomatoes harvested, also some more carrots, the parsnips are not quite ready yet.

Need to harvest the celery and make soup, probably next weekend now.

unrecordings

I've an eye on my celery, I think next weekend sounds about right for harvest. A quick glance at the BBC weather forecast for our area seems to indicate we'll be frost free next week

zafiro1984

Jazee wrote: »

Yesterday I planted the garlic and put up a frame ready for the early spring peas. In this mild weather, they're already growing.

Jazee are your peas under cover or outside (I could do either as I've space). I rather fancy growing some peas but unsure as to what variety. Also when will they be ready. I really want to get to the stage of being able to go out 24/7 and get enough veggies for tea so anything to buck the trend is welcome knowledge.

zafiro1984

Busy planning the beds for next year. Getting the rotation going but I tend to grow more of one group than the other two, so may look at a four year rotation. Started to clean the greenhouse - it's so dirty, the toad seems to have left - do they hibernate, if so where?

Kantankrus_Mare

I replanted some daff bulbs that we found while clearing the new plot and some of them have shoots coming up already. Think they are confused with this mild weather but having never planted daffs before.....I wouldnt know. Just pleased they have taken.

wishus

Last of my spuds came up this weekend. I want to use the plot now for broad beans - ran out of time to do it on Sunday, will have to be next week!

Scottish_Mike

My productive garden has gone to sleep for the year. Emptied the final 2 tubs of Charlottes last week, made loads (really, tons!) of green tomato chutney, and moved the embarrassing chilli plants indoors. That's it for this year just need to cut down raspberries and mulch my hanging basket strawberries.

Flower-wise, the dahlias are the gift that keeps on giving this year! I feel bad, but I'm willing the frost to come on and kill them now, just so I can get the tubers up and some tulips and daffs down. My pots from last year still seem to have life in them which is encouraging.

Need to find a paraffin heater for my greenhouse (anyone got any recommendations/pricing?). Other than that, is it spring yet?!

Jazee

zafiro1984 wrote: »

Jazee are your peas under cover or outside (I could do either as I've space). I rather fancy growing some peas but unsure as to what variety. Also when will they be ready. I really want to get to the stage of being able to go out 24/7 and get enough veggies for tea so anything to buck the trend is welcome knowledge.

Zafiro, I've tried both this year. Last year I just grew them in the greenhouse and transplanted them out in the spring - success. This year, I planted some directly outside not expecting much so far, but because the weather has been so mild they're growing quite well already. Today though I took the frame down and put a cloche over them to protect them from the frosts predicted tonight. I expect to be able to eat them early spring.

And oh it is so cold today that putting the cloche on the peas was the only thing I did. Noticed that the garlic has started shooting, hopefully a hard frost will help them. Last winter was so mild that only about half separated properly.

Celery still not harvested (apart from one) so I still need to do that and make soup.

Food from garden eaten this week: parsley, tomatoes, garlic, green pepper, carrots, salad leaves.

zafiro1984

Thanks Jazee, I appreciate your input

Food from the garden this week,
salad leaves - a bit limp but nobody noticed in a sandwich.
apples - froze loads, ready for crumbles and pies.
carrots
leeks
parsnip - so big I only needed one
Saro Mira potatoes
Cauiflower - the smallest one imaginable, had to share it with my DH - one bite each!!!
tomatoes - now finished
and wait for it.............. sweetcorn

unrecordings

In preparation for the cold snap (we had snow last night). I pulled my four remaining celery on Thursday, and removed the remaining tomatoes from the greenhouse. I've still a good few kilos of tomatoes that i'm hoping will ripen in the coming weeks - it can be a close run thing between ripen or rot. The celery (Giant Red) was interesting, not at all nice raw but good in stews. I chopped up, blanched and froze the stalks but decided to try 'pesto' with the leaves - ending up with a not unpleasant pistou (i decided against investing pine nuts etc in this in case it was disgusting). The last celery hearts were braised this evening in far too much butter along with a pork chop. In other news, my potatoes are running out, I'm hoping a bag of Pentland Javelin will keep till Christmas, otherwise I'm left with a bag of marble sized Duke of York. Badger footprints in the snow last night, I've moved my trailcam to try and catch them in action