The all new 2019 growing your own thread!

zafiro1984

Life has been a bit busy this last few days and I've had to spend time helping DH so all I've managed to do until today is water and water.
However today I've had a little more time and so spent it sowing more seeds for succession sowing. The outside carrots are just showing through but I've no idea where the parsnips have gone, I'll have to put something else in their place. Runner beans have started but I'm going to wait until they're a bit bigger before I start picking. Onions looking good, leeks not so good.

Had a bit of a shock as I saw a rat in the polytunnel. Now I definitely know what is eating my kohlrabi, fortunately (because I keep chickens) I have plenty of 'wildlife food' so I shall borrow some of the baited boxes from the chickens and put them in the polytunnel as I really don't like rats at all.

Picked mangetout, new potatoes, dwarf beans, beetroot, radish, carrots, raspberries and blackcurrents. It all sounds like a huge harvest but I've only picked enough to last about two days. Self sufficiency is starting
Tomatoes are still green, plenty more raspberries to come. sweetcorn is now about 5' high but no sign of flowers, courgettes - plenty of male flowers. So all in all I'm quite happy.

Still got to finish digging over 3 (12' x 4') raised beds for my winter stiff but I'm not going to beat myself up about it. The fruitcage is still a nightmare but it can wait until after the raspberries have finished fruiting.

I paced out the area I have for fruit and veg as accurately as I could. I was quite surprised at the size.

unrecordings

First courgette today. Only a tiddler but very tasty (variety Romanesco) Not so lucky with my chard, I'd tucked them away somewhere sheltered - in the sun but out of the rain, so they look like something out of Fahrenheit 451. Got one more wild strawberry and probably the last wild garlic of the season (the remaining seeds are drying, so I'm happy to leave them to eventually do their thing) We also broke out the dehydrator today and have it filled with rosemary tips - the remaining prunings are in a tub drying the slow way, before being tied into bundles for kindling etc

Suffolk_lass

Our Rosemary is being decimated by Rosemary Beetle. We do have a dead and dying Rosemary hedge across the front of our property and it is obviously beetle-central - the local cafe of choice!

We are about to remove a large section of that dead hedge to take advantage of an existing drop kerb. Little of merit inside the hedge since the thatcher used it nearly ten years ago the grass has refused our cajoling to grow back.

zafiro1984

unrecordings wrote: »

We also broke out the dehydrator today and have it filled with rosemary tips - the remaining prunings are in a tub drying the slow way, before being tied into bundles for kindling etc

I never thought of doing that to the tips. How long do they keep. I only have two bushes both are in big pots as our soil is very acid.

It is so hot today but I didn't do much apart from watering. It was also a very sad day. DH put to sleep little Widge our foxing JRT, 15yrs old. I coped with his dementia since before last Christmas but now he had started to go off his back legs so his time had come. Buried in a shady place which I pass every day.

dancing_star

So sorry for the loss of your dear dog. We know when it is time, don't we. Sounds like a lovely burial place for him.


I have my cat's ashes ready to bury next to my apple tree but I can't even bring myself to take the container out of the carry box. I'll be ready at some point.

rosie383

Massive list to do so no time to read through in case someone else has asked this.

I'VE STILL GOT ONLY MALE FLOWERS ON ALL OF MY COURGETTES!

Is there anything I can do? I know that every site says you get male flowers first but this is now getting frustrating. I'm feeding them, watering them (not over watering), the garden has loads of flowers for bees but still not the teeniest sign of a female flower. I've had about 10 flowers on each plant for weeks now. 2 different varieties in 3 different areas of garden.

Is there anything I can do apart from being patient?

Oh, and I planted my strawberries in a spot that isn't getting enough sun so they are looking pathetic. When is a good time to move them to a sunnier spot and is there anything I can do in the meantime?

Primrose

Zafiro. Sorry for the loss of your little friend. Heartbreaking isnt it? They are such a constant part of our lives.

I've just picked my first courgette. A moment of pleasure although by the end of the season I may well be groaning if they come as fast as they usually do and We can,t face eating another one. I try to pick them small enough to also eat raw sliced in salads. By the end of the summer I,m also reduced to eating slices raw with my breakfast toast to use them up and help towards my five a day!

Rosie. - just be patient! Fruits will form eventually and before long you'll probably be so overwhelmed with courgettes that you won!t even be able to give them away? Frustrating though I know only to see Male flowers. Still, they're pretty, so enjoy them too!

rosie383

Thanks Primrose. I remember the gluts from a few years ago when I was giving bags of them away to anyone who would take them!

If they ever appear then I think I will pick them small. Much nicer and I'm looking forward to eating sliced raw ones!

I was just thinking that maybe I was missing something and there could be something to do.

I know that all the websites say to pick some of the male flowers and saute or batter them but mine have too many little beasties. If I wash them they just go limp and inedible.

Mnd

Hi everyone, havnt been around for a while laid up with bad back.

Luckily was very well ahead before my back went, and my wife has been very helpful.

Anyway, I'm fine now, and all tidied up at the plot.

Picking lettuce, spinach, turnips.spring onions and new potatoes (casablanca, 1st time I've tried them)

Everything else seems to be OK, found first 3 1cm long french beans tonight.

Enjoyed catching up on all your adventures, Kmare, I hope you enjoyed Bath, I was born there and still live 10 miles away

unrecordings

Too hot for me again, supermarket run literally crippled me. I was hoping to get out in the cooler weather at the weekend but we'll see. It's my 'good' leg that's gone now. Courgettes doing fine here apart from the one I snapped last week, it seemed to be still fighting so i made another hole in the pot with my finger and shoved the remaining plant in there as deep as seemed sensible - we'll see how that works...

First two courgettes from the other plants still had their flowers in pretty good nick, but I too am a little wary of what might still be in there - anyway I'm steering clear of deep frying as a general rule