The ups and downs and ins and outs of growing your own, 2018

Grandmama

Regarding potatoes on compost heap. Many, many years ago , single parent, lack of funds my teenage son invited a friend to dinner. Looked in cupboards, could manage a meal but no spuds. Looking out of kitchen window i saw a potato plant growing on the compost heap, probably from peeling s. Gave son the garden fork, to dig! Dig he did, enough for the meal. His friend asked why my son was digging the garden. Son came in and said ' digging up dinner' and very nice it was too.

stoozie1

thanks both, I'll persevere

unrecordings

Picked damsons today. My first proper crop from a bare root sapling I planted in April 2014. Last year I got three damsons, this year I got 40+
Two of them had some kind of canker on the skin and seemed to have started fermenting (but not rotting as such - they didn't seem overripe on the outside) - going to have to look that one up...

Forgot to add, they were Merryweather, they're just a little more tart than a dessert plum

Suffolk_lass

I believe Merryweather originated in France and there are a range of small plums and damsons, as you say - they are definitely for culinary rather than fruit-bowl. If you have 12oz you could make damson vodka/gin for Christmas...

unrecordings

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

If you have 12oz you could make damson vodka/gin for Christmas...

I've been banned from doing that until we've drunk the stuff I have made in previous years. The best one is something I made from peppermint leaves - it's like drinking Kendal Mint Cake

On a similar theme I'm a bit disappointed that my Blackthorn (Sloe) flowered for the first time this year but didn't fruit - maybe a bit early I just checked and they were planted from bare root in Spring 2016

We apparently have some kind of French cake/pudding recipe to use some of them, there might also be a chutney on the cards

tootallulah

Flower folk I need some help. Spurred on by Sarah Raven I have planted loads of hardy perennials seeds to overwinter in the greenhouse. But despite books and googling I don't know what to do next. Do I just pot everything up and leave them in the greenhouse? Presume I need to water? What do I actually need to do to overwinter the plants?

stoozie1

unrecordings wrote: »

I've been banned from doing that until we've drunk the stuff I have made in previous years. The best one is something I made from peppermint leaves - it's like drinking Kendal Mint Cake

Would it be possible to have the recipe for this please?

unrecordings

I normally at least write down quantities, but I'm struggling to find this. I must have followed another recipe and just swapped xxx for peppermint. I'll have a further rummage...

zafiro1984

unrecordings wrote: »

I've been banned from doing that until we've drunk the stuff I have made in previous years. The best one is something I made from peppermint leaves - it's like drinking Kendal Mint Cake

Yes please if you find the recipe

Anyone got good ideas for crab apples, we've a huge crop this year I think they are 'John Dowie' I make jelly flavoured with lemon and some flavoured with cloves - good in sponge puddings over the winter. So any ideas (but not jelly) would be good, thanks.

Just continuing to harvest and pull out spent plants, things have started to slow down now.

zafiro1984

Ousted the melons yesterday, growing them was a disaster. We didn't even get to eat one of them. All started well, all put on loads of growth and had fruit but something was waiting for them to ripen because as soon as they looked good to eat but were still hard something bit into them and ate all the seeds even though I'd netted them - suspect rabbits as we're overrun by them. I have just come back from the plot this morning and counted 4 rabbits on the path and 3 in the veg plot - just too many to feel sympathetic towards them.