chickencam Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 I picked a lovely punnet of deep red strawberries from my new raised bed We alos had lettuce from the garden too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 We're picking strawberries, a few raspberries, asparagus, lettuce, carrots and new potatoes. I have green beans in the polytunnel and some small cucumbers are looking good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhotchick Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Today I have sowed lots of different Brassicas into the fibre pots that disintegrate. Cauliflowers, Sprouts, Cabbage (Primo and Savoy), calabrese, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Kale (Cavolo Nero and Frosty). Just 3 of each. It's probably not the right time for most of them, but the weather is so unpredictable I thought I'd give them a shot. Also sowed Mangetout, and some flowers; Nasturtium, Butterfly mix and night scented stock. Planted out some Sweetcorn (Minipop), which I only sowed last week. It grew 6 inches in a week! The slugs are chomping away on my young lettuces. I used to have some pet safe slug deterrent, couldn't find any in the shops today. Will have to bake some egg shells, crush them up and scatter around for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted July 2, 2012 Author Share Posted July 2, 2012 Over the weekend we have harvested and eaten the following, strawberries, raspberries (nearly a kilo picked, some frozen for later jam making) broad beans, a tiny Cucino cucumber (they are lunchbox sized and very cute) new potaotes and lettuce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Having now lost my entire sowing of runners to slugs, along with 2 sowings of courgette, and my broad beans flowered but now the leaves are disappearing so I don't hold out much hope for any pods, I am pleased to report one of the only things I can pick are some enormous raspberries, I've never seen them so big Only slight downer is that I can't even claim the credit for them, they aren't mine - they are rogue ones from next door which have appeared in the hedge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 i was on the allotment last night picking strawberries (not many left) when the lady on the allotment over the way called over. She and OH have what can only be described as a strawberry field - every year they have tons of strawberries. She filled up my container (wish I'd taken a bigger one) as said she was fed up of strawberries. She given loads away and made tons of jam . lesson learnt take a bigger container next time 3 raspberries picked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted July 6, 2012 Author Share Posted July 6, 2012 I now have 4 small courgettes that are nearly ready to eat, the plant is huge so this will be the tip of the iceberg I think. It is planted in the top of a compost heap made from palletts that we filled last year and over the winter then topped with the compost from a cheap growbag, it really started growing when it got it's roots down, there is a lot of aubiose and chicken poop in there, we have another 4 plants at the allotment too. OH and I spent ages trying to train the triphid like tomato plants in the greehouse last night, they have gone mad with the warm damp weather of the past week. The worst ones are a small plum variety called Rosada, we grew them last year and they are lovely, but the plants grow very tall and don't really produce trusses until they are quite tall, but then they produce masses of really long ones and the tomatoes taste fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LolaLayla Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 This hot, wet weather has really made things grow The onions I have grown are huge, they have never been greatly successful before. Due to our generally colder weather I cannot grow tomatoes outside but the ones in the greenhouse are doing well and my strawberries in there are nice too. The peas are shooting up and the potatoes are starting to flower Sadly the weeds are also doing well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted July 6, 2012 Author Share Posted July 6, 2012 I know what you mean about the weeds, the main problem is not being able to get the hoe out, the soil is too wet for it to be effective. My onions have grown well but unless I weeds them soon they will start to rot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LolaLayla Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 I have mine in raised beds and I don't think we have had it quite as wet as you folk down south. I think our wetness here has probably only been a bit above the norm but it has been warm. So have no excuse not to weed. All the shrubs have shot up too so it is a bit jungly in places Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 My biggest problem with all the rain is that I keep forgetting that the Greenhouse still needs watering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 I harvested all my garlic yesterday before it all drowned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 How do you know when its ready Lesley? I was late planting mine (Feb) but its come up good and strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 Mine is good on top but small and puny underneath - each year I plant it and hope this year will be the yr of a good crop. each year I experience failure. Sobs loudly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 I plant mine in September and lift it when the leaves start going yellow. They were all a good size but some were looking like they might start rotting if they had to cope with much more rain. I'd rather have smaller bulbs than large rotting ones! Worth looking at a bulb to see what you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LolaLayla Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 The garlic here has not had so much rain and I lifted mine (which I planted in the autumn) on 21/6. I read somewhere it is ready on the longest day and that seems to have worked fine for me. It has been drying since then in the conservatory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 i dug up some today - about sized of a plum. I can remember one year you had some lovely big bulbs Lesley - these picked are very pungent. One the way home we could smell them in the car even thou they were in the boot. So hopefully even thou small they will be usable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 I'm sure they will be lovely, use some green and don't worry about waiting for them to dry. I love green garlic! What time of year do you plant it out? I plant mine in September if I can, October at the latest.....then I ignore them I lifted one about 3 weeks ago and it wasn't fully formed but was really tasty, the rest I lifted on Thursday were lovely big bulbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Planted in the autumn like yours. I may have to accept I just cant grow certain things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 It happens to us all - I cannot grow brassicas of any type,so I just grown more courgettes Onions & Garlic do well here too,& roots,but I can't grow anything to leafy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I don't have any success with broad beans..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Ditto the brassicas and some years back had success with courgettes and pumpkins - now despite digging in tons of chicken poo etc - not growing. Strangely others on same allotments grow this stuff so well. I suspect because many are retired they have the time to do it all properly - us working gals dont have the time to do things so well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted July 11, 2012 Author Share Posted July 11, 2012 Most of the squash family are very hungry and thirsty. We have sandy soil on our allotment and struggle in dry years, should have been ok this year but I think it is too cold for them. I have a good courgette on my compost heap at home but the ones at the allotment are small and sickly looking this year, they are forming fruit now though. It has been a bad year for broad beans, too many blackfly and too much rain for the insects to pollinate, we tend to plant ours in pots in February for planting out in late March, we have no luck with direct sowings I think the mice have them. I was a great year last year, best ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Yup I think you are right - wet and cold scuppered some of the crops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 We've had a fabulous year for broad beans Our strawberries though are ruined, they are either being decimated by slugs or rotting before turning red and our parsnips didn't start growing this year and we had a bumper harvest last year OH came home from the allotment today with courgettes, broad beans, peas and tomatoes. We needed to harvest all our onions before rotting too, most are small but very tasty I love seasonal cooking.... Seeing what OH brings home and then deciding what the recipe can be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
