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

moneyistooshorttomention

Just started brewing up my rhubarb leaf pesticide to protect my brassicas and all ingredients in there in my giant preserving pan.

Then started googling this - as I was wondering whether I needed to strain the leaves off afterwards or whether they would have completely broken up into the water.

So that's answered one question, ie I do need to strain the leaves off afterwards. But created another question - one website tells me not to use my cooking pot again afterwards for anything else. Another website doesnt mention that (ie one is obviously expected to do so). The thought had never occurred to me not to use it afterwards and I'll be doing so again soon - oh well.....I'd better give it a VERY good wash then in its own washing-up bowl of water and detergent....

Think I might stir in the soap flakes I'm using after the rhubarb leaves have had their 30 minutes boiling time next time.....rather than throwing it in at the start.

Logic tells me any residue of oxalic acid wouldnt be a problem - as sorrel has oxalic acid in and we eat that and I've duly got some growing in my garden. Logic also says - "Well I'm spraying it on leaves I'll be eating - so duh!!!" Must be that over-cautious 21st century protect backside "Warning - sharp knives are sharp" thing we've had going on the last few years....

Will have to have my first experiment with it tomorrow morning - at daily water the garden/pick the caterpillars off my brassicas time. Duh! and it took me several days to realise picking those caterpillars off doesnt have to be a yukky:( task (well not too much so....) if I put on a pair of those thin disposable gloves first. <Slap head smilie> - as I'd been there thinking that I must have to do things bare-handed (ie as garden gloves are too thick for it). Lives and learns...

This is a "how can you tell someone who has only recently started "proper" gardening?" again day. Extent of previous gardening was having to grow plants in containers in (euphemism) "courtyard garden".

Fruittea

Hi Money - I use the same pans all the time - doesn't seem to do any harm - mine are stainless steel. I made a batch up last night for me and a neighbours. Beware the smell! But I guess by the time you read this - you'll know.
Nothing new on the allotment for me - just lots of the same great vegetables. Did a bit of pot washing and stacked up about half of the pots I use - ready for next year. Won't need any veg from the supermarket this week and I've got 6 veggie bakes to go in the freezer. All good.
Good to see you posting Determined blackberry wine sounds lovely - I'm seeing a few almost ready for picking but not that many yet - so you must be in a warmer spot. I usually have to wait until September for blackberries.
Happy growing everyone

zafiro1984

determined_new_ms wrote: »

All in all my hobby has now cost me £27 for the year (as the rest has been offset by produce) but am guessing by the end of the summer I'll be in profit :T

Hi Determined, I'm sure it was the same for me, spending more at the start of the year on items and then catching up when the produce started to come through. Unfortunately, I didn't start adding up the cost of produce until quite late so I'm not quite sure exactly what was what. Not that it really matters as I'm just amazed at what I'm saving at the moment, a real feel good factor. - next year I'm going to be more accurate - expense cost against produce cost. Nice to have a hobby that pays for itself!!!

Fruittea:- A bit like yourself, trying to use just what I've picked from the plot, however, had to buy some potatoes as I've used everything dug up from this year and I don't want to start digging up the main potatoes just yet.

Too many runner beans so I've sold some at the gate and will add it to the total.
I think one or two Roma tomatoes had blight so I've pulled them up, my 'gigantica' tom is huge can't wait to weigh it.
Made cucumber and avocado soup, plus courgette/potato and cheese soup for the freezer, it felt very strange to be making soup in this weather!!!
I usually grow Little Gem lettuces but I tried Chartwell, I'm going back to Little gem as Charwell were slightly bitter and OH complained.
Sweetcorn should be ready in the next couple of weeks, can't wait
Took my eyes off the sp broccoli and cabbage seedlings - slugs had a feast, so resowed today.

moneyistooshorttomention

Just done a garden inspection and still a few green caterpillars around. Last night a couple of hours after spraying rhubarb leaf spray on the plants I found a noticeable number of caterpillars there lying as if drugged and duly disposed of them and also a few tiny sorta stripey/hairy ones for the first time.

This morning I found that the butterflies have obviously been back since - as there were 3 clusters of yellow eggs on underside of leaves and a few green caterpillars were obviously alive. So they've had another tidy-up and keep fingers crossed that this mornings ones were stragglers. Looks like I'll have to keep removing those egg clusters and I'm hoping that this mornings stragglers were hiding deep at the centre of the plants and I've got the last of them now.

It would be problematic (as well as costing money) to put up those small net hoop tunnels in this area I feel - as it's such a windy area and I cant see them lasting. So fingers crossed.

I guess those disposable rubber gloves have dual use - as I was wearing them this morning when I spotted a couple of enormous slugs. I definitely wouldnt have been able to pick them up if I hadnt been wearing those - and would have had to either go and find a couple of my mini-trowels to belt them one with or leave them be. With those gloves on I managed (just,,) to pick them up and sling them some distance outside my garden.

Next question - does anyone know whether being forcibly thrown some distance away would have the same effect as it would on us? - ie break every bit of their body and that's them dead. I'm hoping slugs aren't so malleable that they can survive being thrown a distance umpteen times their body length - and then come crawling back again.

zafiro1984

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I'm hoping slugs aren't so malleable that they can survive being thrown a distance umpteen times their body length - and then come crawling back again.

moneyistooshorttomention You may find this link interesting or disappointing depending on your point of view. Looks like they can survive being thrown over the fence.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/10834071/Throwing-snails-20-metres-away-may-save-your-plants.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10856523

moneyistooshorttomention

Persistent little things arent they - ie these pests?

I've just done another tour of inspection on my brassicas in the garden. Now bear in mind I sprayed my plants with my rhubarb concoction again first thing this morning - and I still found several green caterpillars alive and kicking on said plants that I then had to remove.

I have a feeling this remedy isnt working on them....:cool:

Fruittea

Hi Everyone
We have rain here in Gloucestershire - shame as it's too wet to out the surplus beans I have. But all this water will be great for the garden.
Shame about the Rhubarb not working for you Money - it always seems to work for me. Someone else on the allotment sprays them with strong coffee - seems to work for him.
No supermarket veg shopping for me this week my basket looked quite bleak and unhealthy wine, bread, cheese, sugarfree jelly and spread. I bet anyone looking it would have thought - sad! But the place is so full of produce I just didn't need anything - and it's been fresh veggie food at all meals including fried green tomatoes for breakfast from a variety call Aunt Ruby's Green Tomatoes which are huge. Hard to estimate costs when growing specialist toms but I think the bill for this weeks veg would have been around £25 plus I sold 3 lot's of beans at the gate. Plums are now on the menu but still no blackberries for me.
Seeds were marked down to half price - so I bought a couple of packets and I'm getting emails talking about garlic and onions so I'll start a tab for next year to tell me how much I spend.
Happy growing people.

moneyistooshorttomention

Planning to get out there and do another idea I've read about on my brassicas now - ie a 50/50 mixture of flour and bicarbonate of soda dusted on. Fingers crossed that will work.

I was talking to an organic grower this morning and he said he doesnt have problems with caterpillars and thinks its because his brassicas are surrounded by a load of weeds and this confuses the butterflies too much for them to lay eggs on them. So I think what I might do next year is grow brassicas again - but, next time, lower to the ground. So - right down at ground level (rather than in my raised beds) and there should hopefully be enough "other" greenery (of the weed variety or otherwise to confuse these butterflies).

Jazee

Hello all, an update on my list from last week:
Cut grass back and front - did this, now needs doing again
Deadhead flowers - nope
Dig up kale - did some
Put netting over the chard - too late, the bugs have got to them first
Get rid of old strawberry plants and anything else that's been eaten by insects/etc -nope
Harvest potatoes and green beans -potatoes still need digging up
Maybe have the first tomato of the year - I've had three!
Plant some seeds in the greenhouse - nope
Do edging in the garden and weeding - nope
Paint shed and fence - nope

Today it is raining and very windy. Maybe I'll spend some time outside tomorrow. But have now ordered new carpet for hall which is being fitted in two weeks, so I'll have to spend some time indoors decorating.

Dizzy_Ditzy

Hey guys

I'd forgotten just how busy this time of year allotmenting is! One allotment busier than the other one, which is kind of fine because it means that I can concentrate most efforts at the one plot.

Plot A is giving out the occasional brocolli and tormenting me with grapes which are just starting to turn colour :j lots of blackberries too and I'm coming home with around a kilo every few days. Iplanted some Savoy cabbages in a couple of weeks ago and even though I used ultra fine netting, the bloody cabbage white fly have invaded :mad:

I've got some rhubarb leaves in the kitchen so I'll be making the rhubarb spray and hopefully it'll work

Plot B is a completely different kettle of fish - every day I'm coming home with something, whether it's curly kale, sweet corn, runner beans, beetroot or just eggs :rotfl:

Of course, with all the goodies I'm bringing home, stuff must be done with it all! Today I took advantage of the crappy weather and have pretty much been in the kitchen all afternoon. Apple and blackberry jam made, chocolate beetroot cake done and apple pulp currently dripping through a cloth into a big pan ready to make apple and chilli jelly tomorrow.

I have four demijohns full of allotment wine on the side in the kitchen - two gooseberry and two rhubarb. I added some red grape concentrate to one of the rhubarb ones and it is the most glorious deep dark pink colour

I have a freezer full of blanched veg and fruit.

I'm on the scrounge locally for more apples as I'm ever so slightly obsessed :rotfl: :rotfl:

And not to forget the greenhouse full of tomatoes and chillies at home! Roasted tomato and garlic sauce made and frozen waiting for me to have enough space in the freezers for batch cooking.

I'll try and keep up, promise!