The all new 2019 growing your own thread!

zafiro1984

Karmacat wrote: »

I found a really interesting article about eating immature hazelnuts: https://www.francetoday.com/food-drink/hazelnut_harvest/
And another one, that mentions ripening them once picked http://theurbaneforager.blogspot.com/2011/09/blog-post.html .

Thank you so much for the links, I've just read both articles and I'll be out this afternoon picking them in the green. I'd be interested to know how you go on when you've picked yours. The previous owners planted a whole area with hazelnuts. We uprooted many of them several years ago as we needed a new barn but there's still loads of trees left. I'm determined to get there before the squirrels this year - they can have the ones high up that I can't reach.

Karmacat

Glad it helped - I'm off on a trip with my local horticultural society this afternoon, so mine won't be today, but it will be great to do.

silverwhistle

Well! I'm off to see a vacant allotment plot this afternoon. "It's very overgrown" I was told but I'm a sturdy lass with wood burning stove shoulders. :-) My next door neighbour has a plot up there so that's holiday watering sorted if I get it. :-)



I'll be back here if I get it, but any initial suggestions are welcome. Apparently the organiser has put some fabric down but there might be a need for a machete, I suspect!

Primrose

Just perhaps concentrate on clearing enough space to start being productive on a small scale as soon as yiu can so you get the psychological benefit of feeling you're producing something.

Then cover what you can with black plastic as weeds are still growing fast at this time of year.

Do you have any family or good friends who you could supply with beer and spades who would help with a clearing party for a few hours? Or your local scouts who would have a digging day in exchange for donation to their funds? If you're going this on your own it will often feel an overwhelming task.

I have a friend who covers a lot of her plot with growing winter squashes like butternut squash during spring and summer because they cover a lot of the ground area and smother the weeds. Luckily she likes butternut squash which store for months.

unrecordings

Made it out finally. Three hours of deadheading, pruning, and (erm) supervising the picking of potatoes. Still a lot to do, but it's a good start and my legs hurt from being inactive for so long. More tomatoes to pick later too

silverwhistle

Got my allotment! Bloomin 'eck, it's a big plot: a whole pole I suspect: 8.3mx14m approximately. Off to Wickes for a tub and some weed supressant fabric!


* or rod, perch, furlong or summat..

Mnd

Congratulations. Slow and steady is my advice.

A rod, pole or perch is a unit of measurement 16.5 feet.
A furlong is a eighth of a mile 660feet.

That would be a huge plot! Yours sounds a good size. Enjoy

Karmacat

Silverwhistle, congratulations! Shutting down as many weeds as you can, and knowing what you want to put in during the winter dormancy good luck!

zafiro1984

unrecordings - welcome back to the great outdoors (providing it's sunny)

silverwhistle - congrats, exciting and sometimes frustrating times ahead.

Hazelnuts collected yesterday, they're quite small. I cracked a couple and tried them, they are delicious. Fortunately I only use them in cakes so I don't need vast quantities. I've decided to chop them and freeze them as I suspect they may go moldy otherwise.

Blackberries also collected, they were quite big and juicy - just one traybake tray full - now frozen. I'll go and get another tray today. They are on the edge of the muckheap field so they get well fed.

Today rain is forecast so I'll stay under cover and probably do some tidying up. It's one of my least favourite jobs.

Pablosmummy

Haven't posted on here for a while! Everything still growing, loads of tomatoes now, just need some to ripen! Loads of raspberries starting to show now so I'm really excited about them aswell.
This year's sunflower has been the biggest one yet! Over 7 foot tall, going to save the seeds from it for next year.
Also I know it's not growing for food but my two dwarf magnolia trees have grown really well considering they were bare root and bought very late in the season , shall see if I get any flowers next year!