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The ups and downs and ins and outs of growing your own, 2018
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Dinner success.
So I inherited a 5 kilo sack of onions a few months ago, that were going to be chucked out. About 15 of them had green shoots coming out of the top so I planted them just to see what would happen.
I just harvested the half the shoots today at sort of baby leek diameter, wrapped in ham and baked in a cheese sauce. Awesome dinner, from a waste product
Have also harvested enough broccoli, courgettes and dwarf french beans for 30 5 a day portions. So 3 more days for us 6.
Need to rejuvenate my perpetual spinach which looks very bedraggled. But at least managed to get all the runner beans out and under 8 foot wigwams of bamboo.
My top tip this year for securing the tops of them is those pale brown elastic bands the postie drops. They are the same colour as the bamboo, and less fiddly than raffia/wire/posh plastic connectors.Save 12 k in 2018 challenge member #79
Target 2018: 24k Jan 2018- £560 April £26700 -
zafiro1984 wrote: »Wow Dizzy Ditzy I can see how excited you are, but what hard work.
I have my plot at home and cultivated it successfully for quite a number of years but last year I did nothing as I had health probs so I know how much work is involved in getting it back into shape. Mine is 75% there but it had been a serious struggle and I too had to resort to weedkiller.
Today:- weeded half of one of the unplanted beds - I plan to put my leeks in there next month. watered copiously especially the tunnels.
I must start planning a large bed (5' x 25') in one of the tunnels as I want to overwinter some brassicas in there but it needs a serious amount of muck adding to it as the level has sunk quite a lot. Planted 4 more melons I just need to find space for the last two.
Does anyone grow an apricot, I fancy a go and we live in the south. Also I came across a kiwiberry in the current magazine, has anyone tried to grow one of these. I'd be interested to know how easy/hard they are and what sort of crop do you get.
Picked some more backcurrants and froze them, a few mangetout, a few purple beans, one yellow courgette, 4 gerkins (to be pickled) and a load of peas so all in all there was enough veg to have with tea for the 2 of us.
I inherited an apricot tree on a south facing wall in the East Midlands - it is fantastic. Last year was a bumper year, this year hardly anything which does happen after a good year, they have a bit of a rest. The apricots make fantastic jam if this was a bumper year they would be sweet enough to eat raw after all this sun. If I moved I would plant another it is wonderful to walk down the garden and just pick apricots.0 -
Cooled down a little bit and overcast for most of the day so I managed to get outdoors. Planted out the remainder of my peas, and gave the bed my onions were in a good hosing down with the flame gun. Picked some raspberries and a couple of tomatoes. Glad I'm able to water the tomatoes (in greenhouses) at a sensible time today instead of waiting until the sun is down behind the rooftops
Why am I in this handcart and where are we going ?0 -
Broad beans now finished and the few peas I planted. Still harvesting soft fruits, courgettes and cucumbers.Spend less now, work less later.0
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Blimey - my beans haven't even started yet (well they're flowering at least)
Why am I in this handcart and where are we going ?0 -
Went to water the sweetcorn and all that is there is a block of little stumps. B****y rabbits!Save £12k in 2024 - #2 target is £5000 only £798.34 so far
OS Grocery Challenge 2024 31.1% spent or £932.98/£3,000 annual
I also Reverse Meal Plan on that thread and grow much of our own premium price fruit and veg, joining in on the Grow your own thread
My Debt Free Diary Get a grip Woman0 -
Just injured myself picking a courgette. Nice one right at the back of the plot next to greenhouse so I balanced myself between the courgettes and the cabbage bed, yanked hard and the veg fell into a gap next to greenhouse. This meant rearranging myself and holding on to the netting frame, which couldn't hold my weight obviously, so I fell into cabbage patch, catching my leg on wooden edging at the same time.
It hurts.Spend less now, work less later.0 -
tootallulah wrote: »I inherited an apricot tree on a south facing wall in the East Midlands - it is fantastic. Last year was a bumper year, this year hardly anything which does happen after a good year, they have a bit of a rest. The apricots make fantastic jam if this was a bumper year they would be sweet enough to eat raw after all this sun. If I moved I would plant another it is wonderful to walk down the garden and just pick apricots.
That's made my mind up - I'm going to get an apricot this Autumn and put it in the polytunnel as there's loads of space. I spend an absolute fortune on fruit so at the back end of this year I'm going to invest in more types and try to become self sufficient as far as possible. I already have apples, blackberries, blackcurrents, blueberries, crab apples, gooseberries, medlar, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries, rosehips, hazelnuts, sweet chestnuts plus melons and passion fruit in the polytunnel. I know it sounds a lot but I will have to increase the amount of some of the fruit eg I've only 15 strawberry plants so I'll need more of those. I've made an ambitious list so depending on cost will be how much I buy. My argument to DH will be I've saved a lot already this year on veg so 'what's the problem'
On the veg front, I've already harvested or I'm picking on a regular basis. New potatoes, dwarf beans, cucumbers, salad things, kohl rabi, baby turnips, rocket, basil, courgettes, shallots, onions, garlic, fennel, beetroot, gerkins, carrots, peas, mangetout, asparagus and celery, parsley. Loads more things to come and I'm already planning the winter stuff.
Last weekend I did a complete home grown meal (well almost) roast turkey thigh (home grown turkey) carrots, potatoes, mangetout and the last picking of the asparagus followed by strawberries, raspberries and blueberries in a meringue nest (own eggs) I only needed to add sugar and cream. Not only has my food shopping dropped hugely but the temptation to spend has gone because I've not much need to visit the supermarkets.
Somewhere on here I said about being ill last year. Pleased to say I had my four month check-up with the heart specialist last week. The 11hr op earlier this year was a complete success and I'm rapidly getting back to normal - growing veg etc has given me a focus and apparently it's one of the best exercises/hobby I could have.0 -
Well done !
I recently went from three month scans to a four month schedule. Unfortunately the hot weather had me laid low (I can't handle much more than 20 degrees) but I've been able to get out in the last few days and tinker, move rocks, prune stuff, admire carrots etc etc. Last night I finished last year's Longor shallots and I'm looking forward to stringing up this year's crop. Got a lot of oak springing up in the garden, so I'll rescue them and pot them up along with any ferns that have sprung up in the wrong place
Why am I in this handcart and where are we going ?0 -
RAIN !!!
Nice gentle shower, not so heavy that it'll just bounce off the parched soil - so hopefully it'll soak into the ground quite nicely
Why am I in this handcart and where are we going ?0
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