The ups, the downs and the insides out of growing your own in 2025!

Suffolk_lass

So I returned from hols and the chillies needed picking. All three in the window box have been returned to the greenhouse now. I'm in two minds whether to dig up the jalopeno that's (accidentally) in with the strawberries, as I prefer these. I have stripped the tomato plants and all the green fruits are in trays in the greenhouse, and I am regularly removing those that begin to ripen, to the second stage ripening in the kitchen, on the sill before freezing, ready to make another batch of passata. The courgettes are done but there were lots of beans and I might have to compost most. I will collect seed too. I plane to cut these down this week, and weed and cover the beds. There are also strawberry runners to remove and plant (they are rooted). I'm going to leave them out for winter, in the bed where I intend growing them. 

My garlic is due to be delivered this month so I need to decide where that is going too.

Just general winter prep really, I hope to get one more winter from the old carpet rectangles

Suffolk_lass

Garlic is here. Asparagus has been removed, along with tree roots and raspberries, so I am ready to plant the garlic in that bed. It's a good job it's a big bed as I have two bulbs each of hard neck (Maddock Wight) and soft neck (Carcassonne).  One (different, obvs!) bed weeded and covered in carpet for winter, and of the two higher, smaller raised beds, I have moved all the strawberries from one to the other, so they are all spaced out, and just need the ones out of the fruit cage to be moved.

I removed the courgettes and picked (probably) the last but one runner bean picking. When the runners go, I am in the habit of chopping them about a foot above the ground and leaving the roots in the ground for winter. They have nitrogen-fixing nodules that fix nitrogen in the soil, ready for the next crop rotation, next year. I have ordered a bag of pelleted chicken manure too, to top-dress my veg beds with.

The French beans have been composted, the climbing rose pruned, and the large euonymus reminded of its' proper location by removing the path overhang and a hedge trimmer haircut on top. Much better and no more wet legs as I go into the veg garden from the patio. Autumn planting of trugs if there is time today!

EssexHebridean

I bought a head of garlic for planting from the lovely folk on the Garlic Farm stall at Dartmouth Food Festival at the weekend, of course, like a twit, I forgot to note what variety I bought, didn't I... I *think* it may have been Mersley Wight, and may just have to proceed on that assumption...! 

We need to tackle some of the finished beans at the weekend - and may well follow your lead on cutting down and just leaving a foot or so of them in place. 

In other news, our cabbages currently seem to be surviving slug and snail attacks - how much longer for if the damp weather continues though I don't know! 

droopsnoot

I picked all the tomatoes from my plants - many of them still green - and dumped the plants last weekend. I did the same for most of the chilli plants, but I've kept some that have small fruit on them, and one Scotch Bonnet that is still green. The fruit I picked is now in a dish with a banana. For the number of tomatoes I got, I might not bother next year, but I think I said that this time last year as well. Some potato plants are coming up, as usual some are in areas that I was certain I'd cleared.

rtandon27

I'm amazed that my chilis are still growing!  One plant (Fresno) has given up on ripening the fruit any further so have harvested and brought into the warm(er) kitchen to ripen on the window-sill.  Another, mystery supermarket variety still has at least 1/2 dozen fruits on it still ripening happily.  Quite a surprise for the last week of October.

All the summer potato bags are going over, so time to harvest, empty bags and wash them in preparation for next year.  The pot of xmas potatoes is growing nicely, along with the dwarf sunflowers that I started from seed.  I think the location on the warm patio area is helping to keep them going.  This time of year always amazes me, so many things still grow without any special treatment.

EssexHebridean

I think I'm going to go that route with our toms this weekend. I'm not particularly pleased with our crop this year, but I reckon that's to do at least in part with the very dry and periodically hot summer months, plus they didn't get going until a little later than I would ideally have liked.

I think next year I will grow either Gardeners Delight OR Moneymaker, plus my favourite little bush "minibel" variety, and probably Roma again as I've enjoyed having plum toms. Then I will probably see what I have in terms of trying one new to me variety as well. I've not been wildly impressed with Alicante in our garden, though. 

fionaandphil

We took our toms out before half term holiday and are hoping they will be ripened in the drawer on our return. We haven't had huge crop but they've been a good size with few blemishes. I've made a few batches of pasta sauce with them got a bit tired of tomato salad and sandwiches. I tried Alicante this year but they didn't have a huge amount of flavour though good size and nice and firm. I'm hoping some more courgettes will have grown too as I picked a batch before leaving. We took off the majority of apples too and have them stored for winter. I am sure the rest will have blown down by now or our neighbours may have picked some more as we had a big crop this year.

carinjo

Planted 2 raised beds with tulips and narcissi. The Isle of Wight garlic went into another 2 boxes and the 3rd got elephant garlic. 
More chillies and padron peppers from greenhouse and the last cucumber harvested and 2 small aubergines. First year for all of the above, will try again next year.
Harvested ⅓ of the leeks and a handful of chard.
Still need to go forage some apples, but just no time at the moment.