The all new good, bad and ugly of growing your own in 2020

MysteryMe

So far harvested about 10 strawberries and similar amount of raspberries. All taste wonderful.
Got at least a couple of courgettes growing, plenty of flowers on my forest of tomato plants so at the minute it is going OK. I have been lazy and not fed anything yet but I will try and do that over the weekend, the weather has been so hot that by the time it's cooled down in the evening I'm more inclined to just sit outside with a drink!

Jazee

I've been harvesting lots from the garden but have had to give some away as there's too much for the two of us and I've run out of freezer space.  Greens, various lettuce, two types of gooseberry, raspberries, strawberries and courgette.  The courgette are pretty tasteless.  Blueberries are just beginning to ripen.

Charly27

Morning all - busy time at work so I’ve been early to allotment (pre 7am) and late in the garden/yard. I had one handful of the most delicious cherries from my tree. Own fault never did net and the Cd’s didn’t work! But it’s a handful more than last year and they were SO good. Harvesting lettuce steadily now. Shouldn’t have to buy any. 

First earlies should be ready soon. I was late planting them out. Radish, rocket, salad onions, beets all thinned and growing well. Beans and sweet peas getting there. 

Looking good and I’m enjoying my plot. Feel like it’s under control again.

Suffolk_lass

I picked one side of the gooseberry bushes (one large plant, two small) and got a trug full from the big plant and a punnet each from the other bushes. I need to trim them and freeze most. Courgettes a-coming (glut).

First potatoes dug - I had two or three blemishes on three or four potatoes and I fear blight - so I cut the foliage off all the other potato plants. They can stay in the ground and I just hope the blight is not well established - this year for the first time ever, the plants collapsed in the middle of the bed, outwards. No sign of blighted leaves but when I started to chop them I found a few leaves with tell-tale brown bits on. I was hoping it was just lack of water but not wanting to lose them I have erred on the side of caution. I don't want huge potatoes so size won't be the issue. I am leaving them in the ground at the moment but I might dig them early and then pop them in fresh compost to store them, when I can see if they will keep.

Jazee

I have been sowing lots of seeds in the greenhouse this morning while it's cooler in there.  Haven't been able to sow anything else outside yet as there is no room in the beds currently.

greenbee

Stewed blackcurrants with cream tonight. I'd forgotten how much I like blackcurrants. 

To be fair, I'd also forgotten about the blackcurrant bush - it has managed to survive in a bed that has been completely taken over by autumn raspberries. I'll have to dig it out later in the year and find a nice space for it!

MysteryMe

Fed the fruit, veg and flowers. Picked another 3 strawberries. Some welcome rain this weekend too

carinjo

Had a quick session this evening. Cut some grass under new plot's gooseberries, laid 2 tarpaulins down next to it. Trimmed grass on paths of first plot. Beetroot starting to pop their heads through. 
Tomatoes have a lot of flowers, the feed and picking of side stems seems to have helped them along.
The row of charlottes and nicolla potatoes only got a few flowers, should i be worried?
Sprayed runnerbeans, will do another spray tomorrow. 
Having the last of  harvest of rosso leaves from last week tonight. Little goes a long way, will only cut a bit next time and leave the rest to grow further. 

Suffolk_lass

@carinjo, if you are worried about your potatoes you could rummage to pull a couple up to check on them. I was worried about mine and chopped all the tops off (to stop any impact from blight) and they are just the right size for us. no bigger than a computer mouse!

carinjo

Suffolk_lass said:

@carinjo, if you are worried about your potatoes you could rummage to pull a couple up to check on them. I was worried about mine and chopped all the tops off (to stop any impact from blight) and they are just the right size for us. no bigger than a computer mouse!

Went straight after work and dug one up! Got 7potatoes ranging from golfball to (small) computor mouse 
Runnerbeans have started making beans and tomatoes starting to fruit too. Small harvest again of salads, radishes, pak choi and leaf spinach. 
Ms C gave everything a good feed and water while I harvested and we measured the new plot afterwards, a good 8.3m by 8.5m. 
With the pub opening on saturday I'll be starting up my second job again, so careful planning of a doing a little every 2/3 days for next couple of months needed.