My sweet peas are really stunted this year - got them in nice and early too but they are only about 2 inches tall and have been this way for weeks:(
Just finished filling up our veggie patch with some cauliflower seedlings but due to my SIL letting the hens out this afty we now have no strawberries to look forward to as they have eaten everything down to the base of the stalks - can't shout at her though as she looks after the kids while I am at work:D
Thanks for the carrot post - was thinling it was too late but am going to put some more in as we love our carrots.
I have 16 spud bags dotted around due to my garden centre / online bargains - has anyone else had any issues with tomatos, mine are really quite small still (maybe 12-18 inches tall)?
My first lot of sown parsnip is total pants; I blame the hot April, and an animal scratching up the ground. May as well sprinkle the remainder of the packet soon as they are no good for saving, and see what happens.
Alan T says in one book they can be sown until May, and tomorrow will only be one day out.
Quite frankly, a nice large carrot sized parsnip is far more manageable than a 'snip that looks like the elephant man's limb when it comes to cooking.
Despite digging mine up last year, have found at least 15 I missed, as they are now shooting up to set seed.
I'm finding that veg in tubs is really drying out quickly, put an upturned pop bottle with the bottom cut off into the soil, and after early morning or evening watering - fill up the "resevoir" so that the water will go down to the roots when the plant needs it.
I'm finding that veg in tubs is really drying out quickly,
oh me too, watering is so time consuming and tricky at the moment and I am so glad I don`t have a lawn but the pots and planters take ages
I sowed some carrots yesterday in clay soil vacated by first early lady christi, probably the wrong rotation but I want carrots and that is the only spot I had left. I was on my hands and knees on a hard plank, making sure that the soil was friable. Anyway fingers crossed. I put resistafly down as I couldn`t be hastled with netting
We are picking and eating masses of peas, oskar, they are lovely and all pods are full. They are only taking up about 4 sq` and were thickly sown. I cannot believe the amount of pods hanging there. I also put several in a planter and they are also podding. I want to save oskar seed for next year, do I just let some pods mature? Then what do I do? I have never done it before but the plants in the planter will be easy to look after for seeds
lunch today was a medley of roasted: lady christi potatoes, boltardy beetroots, marion carrots, turnips and onion. All from the allotment and peas from the garden. It was heaven. The turnips are called petrowski and they are a find and a half, lovely and creamy. Well loved by flea beetle but I read that it pays to keep the seedlings damp whilst they get a good start over flea beetle. Same tip appears to be working for swede
Tea tonight is hm made garden soup
I put in a few radish seeds today and a couple of pinches of spring onions, so easy to forget and then there would be a gap later
How is everyones kohl rabi doing? I have lots of leaves but not much else yet. I think it was a mistake as they are taking up a lot of room but time will tell
I need to sow autumn king carrots in a raised bed at home but have to wait for the peas to finish. I cannot believe how many peas I have and how nice they are. It was only an experiment but I am growing them properly next year, on the allotment. In the meantime, I am keeping the carrot seeds in the fridge as the ones I put in the fridge germinated very quickly and they will have to get a move on
I am panicing a bit about the sheer number of onions, garlic and shallots I have. I am getting through the overwintered onions very well and have prepared some to store in the freezer but the ones left on the plot are at least 8 oz each, huge. Anyway they aren`t the problem but I also have dozens of spring planted fen globe onions, so I have to store them properly. I have overwintered garlic jolimont as well as spring planted solent wight and ditto re shallots grise and then topper. I bunged the overwintered ones in quickly as it was a new plot and I wanted to get something growing.
I don`t have greenhouse space for drying nor a shed but we do have an airy garage and we are generally very hot here as we live in a rainless micro climate (so it seems). I have 2 spare trellises and will be stapling chicken wire on them so they can go on the gravel if dry or in the garage if needed
I am assuming that it will soon be all systems go for the overwintered onions as they are folding. How can I tell when the garlic and shallots are ready and how long do they need to dry?
I cut the aquadulce broad beans down to the top bean today and must admit to being gobsmacked at how very many beans there were. I went back today and tested one and it was ready to harvest so I took about 1/6 of the crop and they are now in the freezer. I`ll go back each day this week and do some more. I didn`t blanch them this time as I`ll use these aquadulces first but I have got quite a lot more coming called witkiem manita and I`ll blanch those as I assume I`ll be getting loads again. I am very pleasantly surprised and they are proving to be good value for the space. I also took the tops off the wm beans
I think I`ll pick and blanch some sugar snaps for the freezer. Its amazing how quickly they are producing and we cannot keep up
Today I picked and roasted: kohl rabi, beetroots, first earlies, shallots and elephant garlic all served with oskar peas. The veg are being very very productive at the moment
:)First year as allotmenteers - and we inherited blackcurrant bushes, raspberry canes and a strawberry beds. (along with a years growth of weeds)
I am baffled with the blackcurrants - when are they 'ready'? I've picked the big black siny ones today but are very hard and tart.
As a newbie, I not sure if they should be like this or not - would appreciate some advice
:heartpuls The best things in life aren't things :heartpuls
2017 Grocery challenge £110.00 per week/ £5720 a year
How is everyones kohl rabi doing? I have lots of leaves but not much else yet. I think it was a mistake as they are taking up a lot of room but time will tell
My Kohl Rabi are all leaf at the moment too, though a couple of them are beginning to look lik they might 'bulb' up. They do take a fair bit of space considering the breadth of their leaves, but i have managed to sow/grow thm fairly close together in the raised bed. Don't know how their proximity to one another will afect their development, but as it's my first time growing them and potentially eating them (let's hope), it's a bit of a learning curve for me.
Replies
Just finished filling up our veggie patch with some cauliflower seedlings but due to my SIL letting the hens out this afty we now have no strawberries to look forward to as they have eaten everything down to the base of the stalks - can't shout at her though as she looks after the kids while I am at work:D
Thanks for the carrot post - was thinling it was too late but am going to put some more in as we love our carrots.
I have 16 spud bags dotted around due to my garden centre / online bargains - has anyone else had any issues with tomatos, mine are really quite small still (maybe 12-18 inches tall)?
Alan T says in one book they can be sown until May, and tomorrow will only be one day out.
Quite frankly, a nice large carrot sized parsnip is far more manageable than a 'snip that looks like the elephant man's limb when it comes to cooking.
Despite digging mine up last year, have found at least 15 I missed, as they are now shooting up to set seed.
oh me too, watering is so time consuming and tricky at the moment and I am so glad I don`t have a lawn but the pots and planters take ages
I sowed some carrots yesterday in clay soil vacated by first early lady christi, probably the wrong rotation but I want carrots and that is the only spot I had left. I was on my hands and knees on a hard plank, making sure that the soil was friable. Anyway fingers crossed. I put resistafly down as I couldn`t be hastled with netting
We are picking and eating masses of peas, oskar, they are lovely and all pods are full. They are only taking up about 4 sq` and were thickly sown. I cannot believe the amount of pods hanging there. I also put several in a planter and they are also podding. I want to save oskar seed for next year, do I just let some pods mature? Then what do I do? I have never done it before but the plants in the planter will be easy to look after for seeds
lunch today was a medley of roasted: lady christi potatoes, boltardy beetroots, marion carrots, turnips and onion. All from the allotment and peas from the garden. It was heaven. The turnips are called petrowski and they are a find and a half, lovely and creamy. Well loved by flea beetle but I read that it pays to keep the seedlings damp whilst they get a good start over flea beetle. Same tip appears to be working for swede
Tea tonight is hm made garden soup
I put in a few radish seeds today and a couple of pinches of spring onions, so easy to forget and then there would be a gap later
How is everyones kohl rabi doing? I have lots of leaves but not much else yet. I think it was a mistake as they are taking up a lot of room but time will tell
I am panicing a bit about the sheer number of onions, garlic and shallots I have. I am getting through the overwintered onions very well and have prepared some to store in the freezer but the ones left on the plot are at least 8 oz each, huge. Anyway they aren`t the problem but I also have dozens of spring planted fen globe onions, so I have to store them properly. I have overwintered garlic jolimont as well as spring planted solent wight and ditto re shallots grise and then topper. I bunged the overwintered ones in quickly as it was a new plot and I wanted to get something growing.
I don`t have greenhouse space for drying nor a shed but we do have an airy garage and we are generally very hot here as we live in a rainless micro climate (so it seems). I have 2 spare trellises and will be stapling chicken wire on them so they can go on the gravel if dry or in the garage if needed
I am assuming that it will soon be all systems go for the overwintered onions as they are folding. How can I tell when the garlic and shallots are ready and how long do they need to dry?
urban myth
(I desire) ‘a great production that will supply all, and more than all the people can consume’,
(Sylvia Pankhurst).
I think I`ll pick and blanch some sugar snaps for the freezer. Its amazing how quickly they are producing and we cannot keep up
Today I picked and roasted: kohl rabi, beetroots, first earlies, shallots and elephant garlic all served with oskar peas. The veg are being very very productive at the moment
I am baffled with the blackcurrants - when are they 'ready'? I've picked the big black siny ones today but are very hard and tart.
As a newbie, I not sure if they should be like this or not - would appreciate some advice
Perhaps they need a while longer, but make sure the blackbirds don't get them before you do.
Jamming, pie filling or cooking down into a sauce with a bit of caster sugar might do the trick.
My Kohl Rabi are all leaf at the moment too, though a couple of them are beginning to look lik they might 'bulb' up. They do take a fair bit of space considering the breadth of their leaves, but i have managed to sow/grow thm fairly close together in the raised bed. Don't know how their proximity to one another will afect their development, but as it's my first time growing them and potentially eating them (let's hope), it's a bit of a learning curve for me.
NSD Challenge: October 0/14