The ups, the downs and the insides out of growing your own in 2024!

-taff

They are ok to sit in a little water for a while, as long as it's not too deep. The roots on mine grow out into the gravel that is usually wet at the bottom. If you have them indoors or in a greenhouse, give the flowers a shake or a tap to simulate wind because they are self polinating [ or you can go all adventurous and mix some pollen for your own variety ]

FreeBear

FreeBear said: Checked the plumcot, and just one fruit is hanging on. It had been covered in a mass of flowers, most of which had set. It is only in to its second year since planting, so I didn't expect anything from it..

been waiting for that one fruit to ripen. Went out to check on it today, only to find a bit of rot has set in.. Picked it and cut the bottom third off. Whilst not quite ripe, it was sweet with a firm apricot texture. Fingers crossed, next year will be more productive.

alicef

This week: did a last rake over of the areas designated for the yellow rattle seed, then sowed.  Then planted out plugs of wildflowers I had grown from seed - field & wild pansy; chicory and hawkweed.  Harvested some knapweed seed, (we have masses of goldfinches, (charms), here and they LOVE knapweed seed), plus I'm keeping an eye on the teasels, as this seed is also much in favour with said goldfinches.  Collected and re-sowed ox eye daisy.  Did some veg harvesting - watered the polytunnel; checked on ripening fruit & veg.  Did some weeding, pick sweet peas.

@FreeBear the wet weather certainly hasn't helped with rot on stone fruit. 

FreeBear

alicef said: @FreeBear the wet weather certainly hasn't helped with rot on stone fruit. 

That's what I was thinking. The cherry plums appear to be ok although the crop isn't as large as previous years.

Hoping next year is a bit dryer, the plumcot sets more fruit, and I can put my feet up outside without fear of being attacked by slugs.

Suffolk_lass

None of our crops are particularly big this year, with the one exception of garlic. I will buy another head from the same place (Kings Seeds) for October sowing I think.

alicef

Tea break time! 

@Suffolk_lass - my garlic harvest was truly dreadful.  I left it too late last year to put in a garlic order, (probably was holding out for the sales), so used cloves from spare heads.  I think I need to sit down, have a look at the offerings and do a pre-order. 

Suffolk_lass

alicef said:

Tea break time! 

@Suffolk_lass - my garlic harvest was truly dreadful.  I left it too late last year to put in a garlic order, (probably was holding out for the sales), so used cloves from spare heads.  I think I need to sit down, have a look at the offerings and do a pre-order. 

I used the garlic food they offered and it is the best harvest I have had

droopsnoot

As I don't seem to have any luck with onions in the vegetable patch - both the onion sets and the onion seeds I've planted look promising and then disappear - I planted some in a couple of pots that I had lying about. I've got some signs of green shoots now, after about a week. Let's hope that whatever is finishing them off in the vegetable patch doesn't find them.

FreeBear

FreeBear said:

FreeBear said: Checked the plumcot, and just one fruit is hanging on. It had been covered in a mass of flowers, most of which had set. It is only in to its second year since planting, so I didn't expect anything from it..

been waiting for that one fruit to ripen. Went out to check on it today, only to find a bit of rot has set in.. Picked it and cut the bottom third off. Whilst not quite ripe, it was sweet with a firm apricot texture. Fingers crossed, next year will be more productive.

Having thought about it, I'm not sure this is a plumcot. Flavor King is supposed to be a purplish skin with a red flesh. This one was definitely yellow flesh... Waiting for the nursery to respond to an email sent this morning.

alicef

Working in a polytunnel - free sauna; I've had enough for today though.

@Suffolk_lass I'll check out Kings; I  often had seed from them, back in the day when I had an allotment, as we would get a 50% discount on list price.  I need to find another area for the alliums, as I don't want to risk white rot making an appearance, and I've used the current patch of ground for far too long.  Hence I was hoping the pots would have worked - c'est la vie.

@droopsnoot that's interesting - I wonder what's snacking on the onions? 

@FreeBear I didn't know about plumcots until you mentioned them - I've been reading up, on wiki, about them, (and pluots; apriums) - some fascinating sounding cultivars; I'm wondering if I can shoehorn another fruit tree in.  The plant nursery should replace your tree without quibble I would have thought.