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

Sweetbriarrose

only 3 tomatoes ripened from my 6 plants, most went mouldy ripening on windowsill.
I was late planting this year, waiting for the weather to warm up, I’ve saved seed for next year as they have a lovely flavour.
I have dug up a large patch of golden rod to put around the garden to encourage more wildlife and pollinators. 

Still not planted my garlic Its on my to do list next week.
have a good weekend, everyone.

alicef

@Sweetbriarrose - those 3 tomatoes look very fine.  At least you managed to get a harvest - I had nothing at all from my aubergines and garlic this year; very little sweetcorn and the celeriac hasn't bulked up particularly.  

I haven’t done anything GYO, or indeed, gardening related, as we have been away all week. Far, far too much motorway driving, and poor sleep. I am so pleased to be back home.

The broadbeans are starting to emerge, (hurrah) as are my snowdrops in pots. Lots of leaves have fallen, whilst I was away, so the leaf mould bay will soon be filled. I have begun the planting for the cut flower beds, (bottom layer of bulbs). 

Suffolk_lass

Garlic is in, and many raised beds are weeded, ready to cover with cardboard and then compost. No thanks to me. Mr SL did the garlic and my gardener friend weeded the beds. We need to cut down the raspberry canes next so those beds get mulched too

alicef

Excellent timing on the garlic planting @Suffolk_lass - cold snap coming next week.  I've still working on my nascent cut flower beds.  Done enough for today though. 

droopsnoot

alicef said:

Suffolk_lass said:

@droopsnoot Quite a pile of my green tomatoes went on the compost heap.  I haven't had slugs indoors yet but the shield bugs love the sunflowers, so I always have to relocate a number of those back outdoors if I cut a bunch.   

I've put them in the bowl of new tomatoes from a shop, they're going orange, but I think they're also quite soft. I suspect they'll end up in an omelette or on the compost heap.

alicef

@droopsnoot I did compost mine in the end, which probably means I'll get loads of tomato seedlings next year, popping up wherever I spread the compost! 

Snow has come and stopped my bulb planting.

KajiKita

alicef said:

@droopsnoot I did compost mine in the end, which probably means I'll get loads of tomato seedlings next year, popping up wherever I spread the compost! 

Snow has come and stopped my bulb planting.

That’s worthy of a Christmas card  ❄️ 🤩😊

KK

rtandon27

@alicef - how absolutely gorgeous! - Happy hot chocolate & fireplace season!

alicef

@KajiKita - I don't post cards anymore though I do write a Christmas email; it could be a email header - some of the online photo editors have lovely effects - sparkly snow maybe?

@rtandon27 - excellent idea on the hot chocolate - we have the log burners going, (we have had power cuts today - couldn't make it up) - anyhow power back on and I've found found the whisky, so that's going in to the mix.

FreeBear

Planted three tubers of Oxalis (New Zealand yam) earlier in the year in a 12" pot. Waited until the frost killed off the tops and harvested them yesterday. Not too shabby for a single pot.