The last harvest

The season is nearly over. Just harvested a stack of tomatoes but everything is looking pretty bedraggled and on its last legs. I'm leaving the carrots in the ground until I want to use them. I reckon they will keep better there than anywhere, until we get a frost anyway.  Still got a few courgettes growing and my monster marrows are still to be harvested. Not sure that the squashed will get any bigger now so might harvest them in the next few days but they don't really look ready! Loads of green tomatoes of course so out with the paper bags. As suspected the peppers/chillies never came to much and its not gonna happen now. I did get one decent looking pepper which is still growing on the kitchen windowsill. Gonna leave it a bit longer to see if it gets any bigger... This picture makes its look quite a decent size but its only didi at the moment... bless it!

The courgettes have arrived

The courgettes definitely arrived! You have to catch them quick or you end up with Marrows like the monsters below but that's ok as we have developed a taste for stuffed Marrow rings.  The tomatoes are just beginning to ripen now and taste oh so sweet. The carrots are still on their way but the french beans have arrived in handfuls. Gotta keep remembering to pick them or they will stop producing. We also have apples galore (and blackberries too in the hedgerows... time to make some pies) but the peppers/chillies are not as far on as I feel they should be to produce any actual fruits before the summer is over. I have tried them in a variety of places, kitchen windowsill in smallish pots, inside by patio windows in large pot, outside in large pot, outside in flower bed.  None of them are doing very well least of all the one in the flower bed. They are all healthy enough and some even have flowers on now so that's promising but as I say whether they will actually make it to maturity before the Autumn...?  I some how doubt it.  I am also trying to grow a Pineapple plant from the top of a shop bought one. I know its possible but to be honest I don't hold out to much hope of being successful and if I EVER get any actual pineapples from it I will literally eat my hat.

 

Courgettes are a comin...

I have two baby courgettes coming along and loads of flowers ready to be pollinated. Its so exciting when you actually get edible food from something you have grown form a seed. The plants are enormous now too, a whole family of fairies could live underneath the leaves and be sheltered from the elements. The Squashes by comparison are not so mature.. maybe they just take longer to get going... it will be interesting to see. Also it makes a big difference as to where the plants are grown. Those in the raised beds and individual pots are doing very well where as those outside the plot and in the garden boarders have either disappeared or are very puny indeed. I know its fairly obviously really as the ones on the plot have been 'feed' with loads of organic material but its good to see that it actually does make a difference.

Toms are a go!

Planted out my Toms today into their permanent growbag homes. Looking good and strong and the plants I transplanted a few weeks ago have now got flowers forming so Toms are are their way...

This year I didn't sow that many tomatoes plants but did go for 'blight resistant' seeds which were, for seeds, very expensive but if they are blight resistant they will be worth it.. my Toms ALWAYS get blight.... I have far more plants than I had intended though as i have my 'rouge' plants which, Yes I know I should discard, but last year I got some good fruits from them so I cant see why I should just pull them out and throw them away! I now have about 12 plants on the go so hopefully should get a good crop.  All I have to do is wait.......

Strawberry Season

Its Strawberry season and I have my very own plants to pick my fresh juicy fruits from...



The raised beds are all planted up now - Courgettes, French Beans (which have finally decided to show them selves), Carrots (which have failed to show them selves but I am still hoping....!) lots of rouge Tomato plants which I am allowing to grown even though I know I shouldn't... Spring Onions, & my Sweetcorn Plantation.



Everythings a Sprouting

Well almost everything... The Courgettes & Squashes are coming on very well, as are the Sweetcorn, Lettuces, Strawberries (the ones Jake hasn't eaten!!) and the Carrots in the tub.  The Beans & Cauli's on the other hand have failed to emerge! Its has been funny weather for April/May and I think perhaps it was actually too hot for them in the greenhouse and they just decided they didn’t want to come out to play this year.  I have tried again and sown some more both in the greenhouse and in the raised bed but still no sign as yet...  The Carrots in the tub are coming along nicely but the ones sown at the same time in the raised bed are very few and far between, not sure if they will make it! My Tomatoes seedlings have been disappointing. A few just didn’t show their faces and a couple got Jaked but I have three strong plants and a possible fourth. The Peppers are coming along slowly but whether they will actually get big enough and strong enough to produce fruits before the end of the summer only time will tell.  I'm keeping the Peppers and Toms inside at the mo they need the heat, the Courgettes, Squashes & Sweetcorn or out during the day and in at night, although I think I am going to put them in their new homes today... I hope they will be ok..... slugs slugs stay away.....   

The second raised bed is now in place. I am so proud of myself, I made them! out of old fencing. The bottles are ok but I thought I'd try something different again for the 2nd bed.

I treated the wood, saw the posts, nailed them together and dug them into position. They look the business (if a little 'special'). I just need to dig the soil over, add some compost and chicken poo and it will be ready to go.  I'll just need to find some crops to put in them (that wont be hard).

Oh the Peas!! I almost forgot about them... they are emerging now and starting to find their wigwam canes.  I'll need to plant some more if I want more than a small meals worth... Do they carry on producing as long as I carry on picking like the French Beans?? not sure... will have to do some homework.

Well signing off for now to go and transplant those Courgettes etc... wish me luck  that they survive...

P.S.

The Brussels didn't make it.... poor things they may have been OK for a sparrows Christmas dinner but they just never got any bigger... At least the caterpillars enjoyed them..
Not sure if I'll bother this year? If I do I need to do some serious netting!

Better late than never....

I realise its a bit late but as the title says better late than never and April always seems to be the first opportunity that I really have to get my veggies going. Today I went seed crazy with Courgettes, Squashes, Peppers, Sweetcorn, French beans, Toms, & Cauliflower all sown in a variety of pots and trays. 

The raised bed is coming along now too (we managed to drink sufficient amounts of wine to complete one bed at least) I have now emptied the compost bin into the bed and raked it all over (dame them egg shells they never break down! I still insist on composting them thou on the basis that they cant do any harm and if I break them up they will probably help with the overall consistency of the soil.... no idea if this is at all true but its my theory and I'm sticking to it...).  My plan is to sow some carrots soon in the bed and also transplat the corgettes, cauli's etc whren they are big enough.

I did manage to sowe some rocket about three weeks ago and this is coming up a treat... oh I DO LOVE veg growing... the joy of seedlings growing never fails. Mother nature sure is clever....