Autodoor, 12V supply and power settings

[Mrs Frugal]

We're collecting plums every day now as they are starting to fall as well as blueberries still, runner beans, courgettes, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbages and squashes.

[sjp]

dug up spuds more spuds and even more spuds oh and 2 tomatoes

[Mrs Frugal]

Two rows of second earlies dug, sorted and stored. More runner beans, tomatoes, plums and blueberries and a cabbage for the girls.

[chickencam]

Our first James Grieve apple and more plums.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Not picked, more picked up .

 

... the entire contents of my mini greenhouse which had been blown totally over . Luckily all the plants were intact .

[chickencam]

It's a bit blowy here too.

 

Glad the plants were ok.

[Redwing]

A cauliflower, (more) runner beans, two types of carrots, peas and lots of onions

[Ain't Nobody Here]

A tiny carrot, half a dozen courgettes and enough sugar snap peas for a small portion each .

[chickencam]

Sweetcorn enough for the 5 of us and some for the chooks, there are some later plants that are much more healthy and they will be ready in the next week or so too.

 

More courgettes, but they are slowing right down now, I was almost a bit sad

 

A couple more caulis.

[Mrs Frugal]

Loads of runner beans and tomatoes, some new potatoes, curly kale, windfall apples and pears, plums, carrots and 3 gorgeous little yellow pattypan squashes.

[Lesley]

If I never see another tomato it will be too soon

[Abbey Road Girl]

A handful of purple dwarf French beans, one yellow squash and a courgette which would have become a marrow in no time at all (didn't know whether I should let it become a marrow so that it could have become marrow brandy--recipe from here involving toothpicks, brown sugar, raisins and tights).

 

Since there has not been (as worried) a super abundance of courgettes I decided to harvest and eat. You can always get brandy from your off-licence, though not as amusingly made!

 

And a nice curly lettuce which I demolished tonight with caesar dressing and black olives. Fresh is always amazing!

 

Also raspberries and blackberries from the allotment and more windfall apples in the back garden. Before I let the chickens out to free range in the early afternoon, I give the tree a good shaking.

 

I do not want to lose a hen to an apple zinging down without warning. Even though I shook the tree today, I saw one apple come down near a rather startled lady. I am hoping that they have good reflexes if my tree-shaking isn't enough of a safeguard.

[Abbey Road Girl]

I wanted to add that I SO envy those of you who have too many tomatoes! (Kate and Koojie, does this mean you?)

 

I keep trying to grow them from seed and end up with spindly long-necked plants which I have ended up feeding to the chooks. Maybe next year I will order plantlets from Organic Plants near me. I find growing basil and other herbs even more frustrating!

 

I have occasionally grown tomatoes (Gardener's Delight especially) with success. This is not one of the (rare) years. I do so miss enjoying a warn sun-kissed tomato straight from the garden.

 

Psychologists would say that we are hooked through random reinforcement--like gamblers we continue the quest for a win because there is no certainty, only the random pay off.

 

When you fail it may even make you try harder!

[Mrs Frugal]

Not me as I have all my tomatoes earmarked for use so I can't have too many . I had great plans for them all last year as we grew loads of plants at the lottie but they ended up getting blight and I lost 3/4 of the crop. This year, we've grown blight resistant varieties as well as Sungold for snacking (nicer than sweeties!) and they are all being bottled for use throughout the winter. Failing dismally last year certainly made us try harder this year and it seems to be paying off so far (hoping hard that I'm not tempting fate here!!) . Good luck with yours .

[sjp]

I keep trying to grow them from seed and end up with spindly long-necked plants which I have ended up feeding to the chooks.

do you grow them on a window sill by any chance

I f they get to spindly just plant them deeper in the pot or ground they soon fatten up

got one in the green house that did that for no apparant reason not starved of light or in the pot to long. its got a good crop on it also the first to start ripening

[Snowy]

I now have loads of tomatoes, but the blasted caterpillars are getting to the ripe ones before me

Just been to the lottie and come back with:

3 sweetcorn cobs (they went straight into the pan and then got eaten drenched in butter - oh my goodness, )

all the onions (now drying on the garden table)

a massive bag of spuds (what do I do with them now? )

runner beans

yellow dwarf french beans

a summer cabbage (complete with caterpillars )

[Abbey Road Girl]

I keep trying to grow them from seed and end up with spindly long-necked plants which I have ended up feeding to the chooks.

do you grow them on a window sill by any chance

I f they get to spindly just plant them deeper in the pot or ground they soon fatten up

got one in the green house that did that for no apparant reason not starved of light or in the pot to long. its got a good crop on it also the first to start ripening

 

Hi Sarah Jessica Parker!

 

Thanks! That's good advice and worked for me when I bought potted plants from Homebase. When I potted up this year's grown from seed plants I planted them deeply up to the first set of leaves. The compost wasn't very nice (non-peat all purpose) so maybe that made the difference. Also I didn't feed them as I had read that you don't start feeding them until the flowers appear.

 

I just read today that this is the time to earth up dwarf French beans. Anybody do this?

[sjp]

I keep trying to grow them from seed and end up with spindly long-necked plants which I have ended up feeding to the chooks.

do you grow them on a window sill by any chance

I f they get to spindly just plant them deeper in the pot or ground they soon fatten up

got one in the green house that did that for no apparant reason not starved of light or in the pot to long. its got a good crop on it also the first to start ripening

 

Hi Sarah Jessica Parker! not funny but been called worst

 

Thanks! That's good advice and worked for me when I bought potted plants from Homebase. When I potted up this year's grown from seed plants I planted them deeply up to the first set of leaves. The compost wasn't very nice (non-peat all purpose) so maybe that made the difference. Also I didn't feed them as I had read that you don't start feeding them until the flowers appear.

 

I just read today that this is the time to earth up dwarf French beans. Anybody do this?

[Abbey Road Girl]

 

 

Hi Sarah Jessica Parker! not funny but been called worst

 

 

Sorry, sjp, I didn't mean to offend.

 

Today I'm looking forward to an apple and blackberry crumble. What I won't be picking is courgettes. Had been afraid that I'd have a glut, but no such luck.

[sjp]

none taken

picked first 4 sweetcorn (Indian Summer a multi coloured one) this morning more beans 4 purple cauliflower heads 1 large courgette left the extra large one for next weeks display

 

the courgettes are a bit thin on the ground our way this year some plot holders have lost they're plants already mine have more male the female flowers on

[Blackrocksrock]

I envy you all your tomatoes - just picked my first 3 ripe ones today and loads and loads of green ones if we get the sun to ripen them in the windy chilly north to-day!.

I love what you can make with tomatoes and sauces for the freezer are one of my favourites.

[sjp]

I envy you all your tomatoes - just picked my first 3 ripe ones today and loads and loads of green ones if we get the sun to ripen them in the windy chilly north to-day!.

I love what you can make with tomatoes and sauces for the freezer are one of my favourites.

have you removed the lower leaves ? I had to do it to mine 2 weeks ago then again on monday due to blight. just got the very top leaves on most of the plants

it started the fruit ripening

[stoice]

Our first carrots!!!

 

 

And they were yummy!

 

We've only got one courgette, several weeks ago from two plants. They seemed to just give up. So i planted some more seeds pronto. I now have four plants with big healthy leaves so hopefully they won't be too far away with some flowers and fruits.

We've had a few toms (From our tumbling toms hanging basket) but the plants in the troughs i have and in the ground are a lot later so only have green fruits at the moment.

 

My OH made us a veggie curry with our tomatoes, chillis, our only courgette, and some of our runner beans (Plus some spuds a friend gave us) Was very tasty. And very satisfying to eat something you have grown yourself.

 

Is there anything apart from the raddishes, carrots and lettuce i have, that i could sew now or a little later to crop in autumn?

[Happy chickens!]

Picking more runners, purple french beans, parsnips, baby carrots, courgettes, onions, potatoes, herbs, cabbage and spinach. Hardly need to do any shopping! Toms just starting to ripen.

 

Getting loads of flowers on the butternut squash, but never grown them before, how long do they take to set fruit?

[Blackrocksrock]

I envy you all your tomatoes - just picked my first 3 ripe ones today and loads and loads of green ones if we get the sun to ripen them in the windy chilly north to-day!.

I love what you can make with tomatoes and sauces for the freezer are one of my favourites.

have you removed the lower leaves ? I had to do it to mine 2 weeks ago then again on monday due to blight. just got the very top leaves on most of the plants

it started the fruit ripening

 

 

I have taken some off which were looking a bit foosty but not too much but there is plenty of light round them - I will take more off tomorrow - we are a bit slower up in North east scotland for all our stuff and my crab apple tree is far far from ripe and ready yet