The ups and downs of growing your own dinner 2016...

thriftylass

My peas have their first fruit but my beans grow very slowly and the leaves have brown spots.

Purple kale has sprouted now and I can finally identify my seedlings that I didn't label and planted out anyway. They are purple broccoli , swede, and cabbage.

Will transplant my brussels and leeks to another spot soon as we want to cut the hedge behind them but I'm afraid the guy won't take enough care not to damage them.

I have a question about potatoes. I used commercial seed potatoes this year. But also had the odd potato sprout that I must have overlooked in last year's harvest. Do any of you keep their own seed potatoes. How do you store them? Or do you just leave some in the ground?

Thank you

Fruittea

Morning Everyone
I had my first strawberries last night! They are a little late as I transplanted them this year. Lovely though. Rhubarb in raspberry jelly set for lunch today. It looks really pretty - I have so much rhubarb at the moment I'll have to put some out at the gate to sell. We had a little bit of rain last night which was good - so the plants are looking ok. Jobs for today pot-on my peppers and chilli's. I have a new trick I'd like to share with you. I'm quite a fan of watercress and am growing Aqua in a tray but I'm finding it quite slow to go. Anyway the trick: buy a bag of watercress from the supermarket - put some into a large glass of water (rainwater preferred) wait a few days until all the little white roots spring to life. Then pot up in free draining compost and watch it grow. It seems to go really well and continue to grow - well I don't know for how long - but it seems very strong. Take cuttings to eat when you want to. I don't think I'll be buying watercress anytime soon!
Hi Thriftylass good to hear things are moving on. About the peas are they irregular yellowish to brownish spots on upper leaf surfaces; greyish powder or cottony mould on undersides; dark spots on pods. Give us a bit more detail as it might not be good news.
I usually find some Volunteer potatoes but tend the take them out as they are often in the way of another crop. Ad you need to think about crop rotation. But at my Mum's she has had volunteers coming up for a few years now and find them quite amusing. The only time I save seed is from my first earlies which I keep in the veg box in the fridge until August - I then plant them up in pots for Christmas potatoes.

thriftylass

Fruittea wrote: »

Hi Thriftylass good to hear things are moving on. About the peas are they irregular yellowish to brownish spots on upper leaf surfaces; greyish powder or cottony mould on undersides; dark spots on pods. Give us a bit more detail as it might not be good news.
I usually find some Volunteer potatoes but tend the take them out as they are often in the way of another crop. Ad you need to think about crop rotation. But at my Mum's she has had volunteers coming up for a few years now and find them quite amusing. The only time I save seed is from my first earlies which I keep in the veg box in the fridge until August - I then plant them up in pots for Christmas potatoes.

Thank you,

I'll pop go out tonight and take some pictures of the bean leaves. I think it's just evenly distributed brown spots on the lower leaves (but upper side of them). I'll double check.

zafiro1984

Fruittea wrote: »

Morning Everyone
Strangely I never seem to have much luck with carrots but fingers crossed.

I find my early sown carrots don't do well but those sown late June romp away, maybe it's something to do with the soil temperature, but I always water them twice a day until they have germinated as I've read that the seeds die if not kept moist.

runner beans planted, courgettes have survived the night under buckets, strawberries doing really well I just might have enough for some jam first of the potatoes eaten yesterday, I stole six tubers from under the plants, completely slug clear

Bought some glycerine and I'm going to preserve some copper beech branches, my mother always used to do it and they lasted most of the year. She used them as a backdrop to any flowers she picked from the garden, they always looked good so I thought I'd give it a go.

raining.....:j:j:j

Fruittea

zafiro1984 wrote: »

I find my early sown carrots don't do well but those sown late June romp away, maybe it's something to do with the soil temperature, but I always water them twice a day until they have germinated as I've read that the seeds die if not kept moist.

runner beans planted, courgettes have survived the night under buckets, strawberries doing really well I just might have enough for some jam first of the potatoes eaten yesterday, I stole six tubers from under the plants, completely slug clear

Bought some glycerine and I'm going to preserve some copper beech branches, my mother always used to do it and they lasted most of the year. She used them as a backdrop to any flowers she picked from the garden, they always looked good so I thought I'd give it a go.

raining.....:j:j:j

Thanks Zafiro I'll try that. Great news about the potatoes
Just managed to re-pot the chilli's - it's so hot here! I've decided to come in and have a TV night. Gardening for others I the morning so must keep my strength up. Have a lovel evening Everyone.

thriftylass

Well, here are some photos of my bean leaves. It's just like wilted dry spots on the leaves no powder etc.

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Fruittea

Hi Thriftylass Looks like you maybe have a case of brown spot which happens naturally and often when it's humid. You can treat it a copper mix something like Vitax which is about £4.50 from Ebay. The copper mixture can be useful on many plants to treat or prevent blight - so it's a useful thing to have around. You might think about growing next years potatoes in a different place. Without treatment you might get damaged beans. Copper mixture is still classed as organic as it's from natural resources and it won't harm you - just spray the bottom leaves early and I'm sure the beans will grow on.
Do others have any ideas.
Good luck with it. Of to do a bit of gardening.

thriftylass

Thanks Fruittea. Yes it has been rather humid/wet and only summery the last week. I'll get some of the copper mix.

Some of my potatoes have been flowering for over a week now and I got impatient and dug one up. Only 5 tiny potatoes. But you're right, I might have to give the potato plot a rest. That is the third crop on it (last year's was poor but I thought due to the weather) so it might be exhausted. Will look into crop rotation. Can't put the tatties anywhere else but might grow sth else instead and leave the tatties for a year.

sazzlebgood?

been and hoed today it was hard going due to the heat. Sown 4 different types of lettuces, trying to vary what we eat. Normally we stick to cut and come, but recently tried lollo rosso and really enjoyed it. We call it the m and s lettuce as my MIL enjoyed it more than her standard lettuce:j and that is where she normally shops. Labelled the new ones we' re trying as potential m and s lettuce:rotfl:.

zafiro1984

I'm learning a lot re diseases from here, something I never bothered about before.

Picked a good 2lb of strawberries today - jam beckons, also just enough new potatoes for tonight tea. The dwarf french beans have started to set, tiny tiny beans should be coming on line in about 3 or 4 days - can't wait.

Potted on fennel, celery, more peppers and lettuce, sowed more lettuce, beetroot, cucumbers and climbing French beans. I think I'll get out there again after tea and net the baby leeks before the rabbits eat them. I just love this time of year when things start to happen.

Not sure if my parsnips are going to germinate, they have been in the ground since early May. last year I had a good crop so I'm not sure where I'm going wrong this time.