How do you put water and food in the omlet cube overnight?

[Valkyrie]

Sounds like a splendiferous year for you, Mully!  

Granny T - can't wait for a polytunnel to grow things in to extend the season.

How are the soy beans coming along Catty?

[patsylabrador]

Mostly frizzled. There was no blossom so no cherries, apples and hardly anything on next door's pear tree. Don't know what happened there. Everything else is just small and sp*****. I water everyday but I'm very conscious of using too much water. The ground is cracked and dusty. I'm pleased that everything is still alive so I'll try again next year which hopefully won't be so dry. 

Thats supposed to read S.P.A.R.S.E.

Edited July 16, 2018 by patsylabrador

[Valkyrie]

 sp a r se?  We do have to think of those pesky rude words cropping (hah) up too!

I have had an update with regard to Charles Dowding - our new guru - watering his plants.  I was quite surprised really - and yet very impressed!  DD has been growing basil but I think she saturated her plants too much - the seed trays had no holes in them!  Thankfully she has one basil left that is looking super on her windowsill now.  I told her she can pinch out or even use a larger snippet to root in water so she can double her plants!

As usual Youtube has annoying ads - but hey ho pay for no ads - um, I think I'll do something else while I wait.  I've noticed that you can delete an ad when it says it can be done - only to have another immediately follow that you can't delete.  Bah blinking humbug!  So this is what I've been watching this morning.  Ugh it's come out big!!!!  Sorrrrrryyyyyyyyy - I only did the link and this comes up!!!

 

[Daphne]

Well, I never thought I'd spend 17 minutes of my life watching a video on watering

I didn't learn a lot which is new, but boy does he have an excellent veggie plot!  I am not a fan of no dig myself, but we do mulch, but mostly for perennials like trees and grapes, not the annual veg.   My lessons from the heat have taken a long time to develop, and you can't underestimate the power of the sun we have here, its so intense in the day and in a normal year the summer night temps don't go below 20 very much.  It makes for a very different environment to the UK, and I have thrown some of the rule book out of the window.  For example, we plant very close together, allowing the plants to make natural shade to try to preserve the damp soil beneath.  I find mulch acts as a barrier and stops as much water penetrating the ground, particularly as in the video, we often water in the morning (to give the water to the plants as they grow during daylight hours) and sometimes at night as well if it is above 35 say.  I also do not hoe or weed obsessively, again finding that shallow rooted weeds create a sort of microclimate down at soil level, keeping it moistish, instead of having expanses of cracked, hard, dry earth.  I know the received wisdom is that weeds take the goodness competing with the crops, but for me, keeping the moisture is the most important thing - added to which I can add fertiliser via watering, and also this year I have supercharged the soil by digging in guano, in the absence of decent compost, which is giving me excellent results.  I am also beginning to grow and sow more under trees.  Again, this is not perhaps conventional, but the advantages offered by shading in intense sunlight might outweigh the disadvantages of sharing the nutrients.  This is still experimental, but I can see that the green areas stay for longer under the trees, so I am trying it out.  I am also more conscious of orientation, so the north side of anything is suddenly of a lot more interest to me than it used to be!

Despite all this, this year has been a doddle so far.  Its been much hotter and drier in the UK than here, which must be unheard of!  I have had lots of rain up to and including June, and relatively cool temps, not getting above 30 much.  Its given me a bumper year.  I planted Aquadulce broad beans in November which all germinated and gave me a massive crop in April and May.  I sowed carrots in Feb, which got washed away, so I resowed in March and am eating them now, together with beetroot which I did at the same time.  These have been better than I expected, possibly because its been cooler than normal.  Note to self, however, do not sow carrots in the same bed as comos flowers...they look far too similar when harvesting!  I have already eaten some peppers (normally these mature in October for me, but the coolness and possibly having them in a deep raised bed, has helped), and I have about 4 toms ready for the first eating, plus loads of others. My bushes are better than normal, full of fruit, and still putting on flowers for new fruit set. I have 2 sorts, no idea what, except one is a plum ( rather a large, long plum).  I have tried something different again around the tomatoes, I have let some rather good looking strong tall grass grow up between the plants, which is actually helping to support the tomatoes (I am still not quite sure why we grow upwards, when growing on the horizontal seems to promote fruiting) and its very moist in the bed, retaining this overnight.  I pull up the grass to let the sun in as the fruit ripens, and take off branches/leaves for the same reason.  I dug guano in, in the autumn, but I am not using much tomato fertiliser at all.

However, much of the fruit has been dire - too much rain at blossom time.  So literally one peach (from a tree which often bears 100s of fruit) and one plum (rubbish trees anyway, I hacked them back big time last year, they have put on miles of growth but no fruit), no nectarines or apricots.  The citrus were suffering from drought, but we have had so much rain that the lemons are huge and plentiful, and the fruit set on the oranges and clementines is out of this world, I am not totally sure the trees will be able to bear the fruit.  I have also fed the citrus for the first time - its revived some very poor looking young trees and we have also eaten our first loquats.  I have to say, the cherry tree was groaning under its weight of fruit, but it did not have quite the intensity of flavour as usual.  We have made dried cherries, cherry vinegar, bottled cherries and cherry brandy as well as scoffing them.   A top tip - you can dry fruit and cut tomatoes if you put them on greaseproof paper, on trays, on the parcel shelf of the car!

Overall, I think the climatic conditions have made a massive difference to me.  I could easily have grown a lot more, but the experience of the previous, more normal years, dissuaded me from trying.  I had a fail with my courgettes, but I think that was the seed compost (the melons didn't germinate well either), and possibly the variety (something Portugeuse, not my usual Defender).  I had been going to grow the melons on my 'compost' heaps as they are more like dry hot beds, but I lost the enthusiasm.  The herbs, on the other hand, have been fantastic and I have bunches of them all over the place, drying.

 

 

 

 

 

[Valkyrie]

Ooh what a lovely catch up Daphne.  Lemons - fantastic.  We did have some lemons in pots before we had the big greenhouse but they had bad scaly insect and I just couldn't get rid of them.  The scent was super!  I might be tempted to try again in a polytunnel though.  

Next house doesn't have a borehole so we would need to save as much water as possible, so looking into huge tanks to collect rainwater in otherwise with another year like this and it will cost a fortune from the mains.  I didn't realise grey water is only fine if you use it within 24 hours though.  We ran out of rain water ages ago and OH has cleaned the containers ready to go.  We are leaving 2 here for the new people.

This time next year I'm hoping we'll be harvesting nice crops.  Fingers crossed.

[patsylabrador]

Gosh! Firstly, I loved that YouTube video about watering. Very watchable and informative. I feel I should think more about what I'm doing. Secondly, Daphne all that information was fascinating and useful. It gave me an insight into our fruit trees. I'm such an ignoramus about keeping things alive.... it's a miracle my kids and chickens reached maturity! I'm feeling very inspired to learn more. 

[Valkyrie]

 I was amazed that he only watered the plug plants/seedlings a little bit - I had mine in drip trays, although I used to water at the bottom and not at the top.  Amazing it didn't make the bench wet at all!  I used drip trays so that the water didn't rot the wooden bench - and his is wood!  

Hahaha - I like the bit about the miracle!  But I think you have to resolve yourself to having some years good, some years not so good.  What one plant loves may not be ideal for others - then the following year it is the opposite!   It is what it is and as long as you enjoy doing it then that's the main thing.

Our spuds didn't get much watering, although the grass cuttings from the lawn went on as a mulch - OH said the ground was damp underneath although the top half inch was dry, so it was working well - that was something my grandparents did.  Nan used to put it under and around the runner beans too and I'd forgotten all about that until recently!  While we were away they had no water at all, but one variety was really good - and we had a better harvest than last year!

[mullethunter]

Good tip about the grass clippings Valkyrie- think I’ll try that for my Beans.

[Valkyrie]

Just a sprinkling around (soon builds up each time) because if you do it too thick, it gets rather hot!  Feel the heat from grass clippings in the compost bin - could cook an egg on it!  Hahahaha!

 

 

 

[patsylabrador]

I have a marrow! I also have a pumpkin 🎃 but I'm not getting too attached to that yet... just in case. I have picked off about 10 cherry tomatoes and five or so edamame pods. My carrots have grown but only about an inch. Come the apocalypse I don't think my gardening skills will sustain me. I have nine gorgeous looking artichokes but I grow that for decoration and have absolutely no idea how cook or eat it. 

[Valkyrie]

Looking very pretty altogether there.

We harvested our onions the other day so have been using them already.  Quite impressed as they were Ailsa Craig seedlings and I just grabbed a bundle and put them in staggered rows in multiples of 3 to 5 in each.  They did indeed push each other outwards as they grew, but I wasn't expecting them to get very big, but we have a nice mix of sizes and some are bigger than medium.  OH is going to make pickled onions from the smaller ones and use balsamic vinegar.  He did that last year and they were delicious.  But apart from raspberries we have nothing much going now.  A little rhubarb chard that has self sown, a couple of potato plants that decided to surprise us by appearing in different beds.  Oh and the herbs and rhubarb.  That will be picked again this week and we'll have home made custard (not my girls eggs pffft).  OH used the dehydrator for thyme.  We now have a few jars to use - one is destined for DD and I'm sure DS would like some too.

[Plum]

Your marrow looks great PatsyL pretty photo.  Our carrots are pretty short too about an inch then thin bit but they taste good.

My sugar snap peas were good they never get as far as the plate I pick and eat them as i walk past.  Healthy garden snack.  Only have 3 plants in a tub.  Various peppers have a flower or two.  The dwarf french beans have been prolific again in tubs, I won't give up the flower garden to veg! 

Heats got to the tomatoes there's lots there but they're slow to ripen.

So what's this herb jar Valkyrie?

[Valkyrie]

Thyme, Plumsy!

 

 

[Plum]

Ah they're drying racks then go in jars.  I thought you meant a jar that dries them out somehow.  I can smell it from here

[Valkyrie]

It does waft through the rooms!  Lovely. We still have a lot from last year in jars or vacuum packed.  We are ready for Armageddon with some produce  Apart from a bunker.

[Daphne]

That's fabulous looking thyme, really prolific!

I love your garden PL, its really pretty, especially the pot just nestled in the greenery with colour from the courgette/marrow and passion flower.  Artichokes are a bit of a faff, I prefer just to let them do their spectacular flower thing and buy the veg!  I have never thought about growing edamame, I must investigate in case its something which will do well in heat.

Not much is going on here, just the peppers, carrots and toms, although I have harvested a number of cut flowers because we are forecast an almighty heatwave for the next week, 39 today then 43 for 3 days, which will be a record for this area if it actually happens, then 40 for the next 3.  The flowers will just get scorched (gladioli and roses).  I am not venturing out at all till it all goes away!

 

 

[patsylabrador]

On 01/08/2018 at 10:05 AM, Daphne said:

Not much is going on here, just the peppers, carrots and toms, although I have harvested a number of cut flowers because we are forecast an almighty heatwave for the next week, 39 today then 43 for 3 days, which will be a record for this area if it actually happens, then 40 for the next 3.  The flowers will just get scorched (gladioli and roses).  I am not venturing out at all till it all goes away!

I've been watching the forecast for Portugal 🇵🇹 and Spain 🇪🇸 and it looks so extreme. Take care. I'll be thinking of you. 

[Daphne]

Thanks for your concern PL.  Our local big town had its hottest day ever at 42.something yesterday, it was over 41 at our local recording station which is 10 miles away, but our own temperature sensor, which is in shade under a table, only showed 37.  Its not bright sun for which I am very thankful, its very overcast, but very hot.  It was 30 at 11pm last night, but we managed a decent nights sleep somehow.  We got up early, I did the watering and some shopping, OH went for a cycle.  Today is forecast to be the hottest, 43 10 miles away, then 42 over the weekend.  This is a doddle compared with the potential 47 forecast further south, I can't begin to imagine how horrible that is, not to mention dangerous.  I am not sure how hot it got yesterday, I think it was 44. something.  It,s the Tour de Portugal (bicycles) right this minute, yesterday they went through the southern plains in the full glare of the sun, very slowly. 

Tonight and the next 3 nights are our local festa, we will be inundated with people, its a big deal.  Tonight is for the youngsters, a big Dance Party.  How they can face it, outside, I really don't know!

Bought fruit, at long last, is absolutely delicious, so sweet.

 

Edited August 3, 2018 by Daphne

[Plum]

Eek that's hot!!

[Alis girls]

New greenhouse has meant lots of delicious toms and humongous cucumbers. Courgettes dead loss. Potatoes good. Beans pah useless

[mullethunter]

Cucumbers in the greenhouse and out superb. Tomatoes in the greenhouse good but would’ve been better if I’d not crammed so many in. New potatoes ok, dwarf French beans good, runner beans ok but would’ve been better if the sparrows would stop eating all the flowers. Victoria plums ok. Apples rubbish.

[Luvachicken]

Pleased to say that I've had hundreds of cherry tomatoes from my 10 plants dotted around the garden 

I really couldn't be bothered this year to pinch out the bits you should and I'm sure that's why I've had so many.

I think I will definitely use them as bedding plants again next year, but maybe not have so many.

MIL bought them for me as plug plants in a pack of 6. I only managed to get rid of 2 to a friend - no one else wanted them - so that's how I got 10 plants.

Only had 2 courgettes from my plant and my sweet peas have gone brown and shrivelled but they did produce loads of flowers before it got hot. 

[Valkyrie]

OH found a little potato plant that yielded 2lbs of Violetta spuds!  Now that's a good treasure haul!  Yarrr!  Now I'm looking at DD's chives, thyme and basil plants!

[Daphne]

I think more of us should take up your tomato growing hint, Luvachicken, I really like it when bargain hunting pays off!  Unfortunately I can't buy cherry toms here, certainly no plants and there is only one large supermarket where they are sold for eating, expensively.  My tomato haul has been exceptional this year, by my terms, which is pretty ordinary by everyone elses.  I am just not good at tomatoes, but I think this year the fact I dug a whole load of guano into the bed has made the difference.  Yesterday I harvested 3 kilos, and altogether I have had about 8kg so far.  Most of them are not particularly good eating, typical when I have so many, so I have been drying them which concentrates the flavour.  They are my current snack of choice.

Your cucumber successes might be the reason I managed to buy a very large cucumber yesterday (not holding my breath for tastiness, I suspect it will be a tad dry) but I was just overwhelmed with excitement!  In the dark you might mistake it for a courgette....or a marrow

I guess the French beans worked well with the extra heat you have had this year, and by contrast it isn't really a friend to courgettes.  

Now I have a question for you all.  I want to grow new potatoes, so first earlies or even second earlies, next year.  Which varieities would you recommend?  I am looking for flavour and yield, I have no slugs or blight!

 

 

 

 

 

[Luvachicken]

I don't know about the potatoes Daphne but can definitely recommend Sungold and Sweet Million for the cherry tomatoes