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

DiggerUK

Seasons turning. First I'm sad, then I just go with the flow that this is what we do, especially when the place starts to look tidier. 

Picked Bartlett pears two weeks back and eating now, bottled some up when still a bit firm. Lots of windfall from other trees, have to hope they ripen off the tree or will feed them to the horses.

The hanging baskets have all been rejuvenated with new plants for winter and everywhere is weed free. Starting the process of clearing pots and replenishing the ones that stay out over winter, no room in glasshouse for the ones that need to overwinter for now. 

New veg is going in as old veg is harvested.. Toms are slow here, cues few and far between, peppers looking good.

One big job done is dividing all the pots of alpines and give them a sprinkle of new grit. Have managed to triple our stock of alpines in the process (got a show off project in mind for them) Have been collecting old clay pots for ever from skips and freebies outside houses. This year has been brilliant because  it seems many have had the extra time to clear garages and sheds.

All in all, it's just another day in the garden..._

Suffolk_lass

We continue to harvest and store or process the produce from our garden. I need to do something with the crab-apples - I might make a jar or two of jelly now I have some cane sugar. Our Autumn fruiting raspberries have come really early this year and some are looking yellow-leaved and done - at least six weeks earlier than normal. I have now picked all the developed squashes and every window-sill is housing propped up squashes to let the skins get more yellow (green) and harden for storing in a sack in the larder for the autumn and winter. 

The commercial freezer I bought last month is almost full of garden produce and when the tomatoes finish (not long) I will be cooking them and bottling them to store for chillies, stews, bolognese and soups through winter, so I will have room for the Christmas turkey when they are bargainous! (is that a word?)

Lots of clearing and the sixth compost bin (palettes) is rapidly filling. Going to go blackberrying today as my neighbour has offered some more Bramley apples and I will mix and freeze some for "free" crumbles.

I want to plant broad beans and garlic this autumn and might go for a few additional cabbages or other greens, but these are so cheap from the SM I might leave the cabbages. We have potatoes still in the ground and leeks are progressing well (with two large ziplock bags in that freezer to start us off. 

The range (electric) is off until October (consumption rule) so I must keep my powder dry. Slow cooker might come out later though

Ganga

Suffolk_lass said:

We continue to harvest and store or process the produce from our garden. I need to do something with the crab-apples - I might make a jar or two of jelly now I have some cane sugar. Our Autumn fruiting raspberries have come really early this year and some are looking yellow-leaved and done - at least six weeks earlier than normal. I have now picked all the developed squashes and every window-sill is housing propped up squashes to let the skins get more yellow (green) and harden for storing in a sack in the larder for the autumn and winter. 

The commercial freezer I bought last month is almost full of garden produce and when the tomatoes finish (not long) I will be cooking them and bottling them to store for chillies, stews, bolognese and soups through winter, so I will have room for the Christmas turkey when they are bargainous! (is that a word?)

Lots of clearing and the sixth compost bin (palettes) is rapidly filling. Going to go blackberrying today as my neighbour has offered some more Bramley apples and I will mix and freeze some for "free" crumbles.

I want to plant broad beans and garlic this autumn and might go for a few additional cabbages or other greens, but these are so cheap from the SM I might leave the cabbages. We have potatoes still in the ground and leeks are progressing well (with two large ziplock bags in that freezer to start us off. 

The range (electric) is off until October (consumption rule) so I must keep my powder dry. Slow cooker might come out later though

Normally in January when the shops are full of the ones not sold at xmas   

Suffolk_lass

Our local last year's frozen turkeys did not all get sold in January and may appear in November (they did last year). If not I will keep my regular review of the freezers going. My bargain was moving from fresh to frozen last year. Now I am not working, I need all the help I can get!

carinjo

My tomato plant at home in a bag has got early blight. The last few tomatoes almosy ready so was thinking to get it cut down Asap. Is the soil safe to use in the garden to top up a flower bed? And i searched, but can't see if any flowers plants can get infected, like rose bushes.

Suffolk_lass

There are quite a few flowers in the same genus as the tomato and potato (as well as other vegetables like aubergines and peppers) - I know all the tobacco family, petunias, nightshades, potato vines and browallias are the same genus and so potentially vulnerable. Roses are not.

We used to put all our spent tomato compost on the heap but this year's use of our own compost has demonstrated the ability of some seeds (and therefore potential diseases) to survive - tomato seedlings in flower beds. I am going to put mine on the rotation bed of roots that follows potatoes from now on. The four year rotation should be enough to ensure all is well.

carinjo

Suffolk_lass said:

There are quite a few flowers in the same genus as the tomato and potato (as well as other vegetables like aubergines and peppers) - I know all the tobacco family, petunias, nightshades, potato vines and browallias are the same genus and so potentially vulnerable. Roses are not.

I ended up researching the main 3 flowers in the flowerbed. Unfortunately Hydrangea can suffer from tomato ring spot virus. I am sure of I try and research any further my head will start hurting, so best to use the soil somewhere else. Thanks @Suffolk_lass. And also thank you for the Williams Pear tree advice last year. Last year we got 4(!!) pears. This year we got enough to do bottling, liquers and desserts. This year I will be tackling the fig tree and all the gooseberry bushes.
On a more personal note: I have been forced to take a break from work. Being a key worker and a carer became a bit much. Thank goodness for a manager who noticed the signs. But now everything is a bit overwhelming to deal with including my allotment. So for those who feel that they need to have a perfect veg patch because they "have more time now", nonsence, it will still be there later. In the meantime, try and look after yourself first. And thank you to this board who have been an escape on rough days. 

-taff

I put blighted tomato stems on the compost heap, not had a problem with anything from that, but then, I don't have flower beds. Tomato seeds will usually sprout in home made compost, along with squash/pumpkin seeds and potato 'eyes' because it just doesn't get hot enough to kill them off. I just pull them out when they're big enough...

I've been making compost or years and studiously avoided putting in any cooked food etc, but this year I have been chucking in any small amount of food leftovers [ manky soup? fine, it's all veg...Small bits of chicken? Chucked them in too] so we'll see if that makes any difference to the final compost next year...

Suffolk_lass

@carinjo sorry to hear you reached your overload point. I don't think we see it in ourselves, we do rely on a manager or other person to bring it to our attention. Take care of you, and as you say, no need for it to be perfect!

@taff it is more a hint of potato blight we had this year but that is OK. I will still add the spent tomato compost (they are all in pots, in the greenhouse or against the outside of the house) as I like the idea of the four year rotation, with the next crop using the nutrients or conditions left by the previous one 

carinjo

At home redone my two salad boxes with lambs lettuce, winter lettuce and black radish. Got some fleece put aside for when needed. 
Put shelves up in the shed next to the window, ready for next season. Ms Marple, our cat munched her way through a lot of the seedlings this year.
Put a lovely shelf up in kitchen window and started loads of herbs from seeds as practice. 
Having a go at propagating: lavender and sage. Waiting for the basil to get a bit bigger before cutting and replanting. 
Repotted the oregano in bigger pots ready to go to herb boxes on allotment next year.
On allotment harvested some courgette, tomatoes and Ms C rummaged through the runnerbeans' leaves for a couple of large handfuls. She wants to make soup with it. Good luck to her, think it will be too stringy.
Christmas potatoes coming along nicely, but the autumn bed an epic fail. Only a few of the chard and beetroot have come up. None of the cabbage or chinese cabbage. Think the bed could do with a good dig and feed and try again next season.
Tomorrow going to prepare a long bed for cut flowers and earthing up the potatoes.