What are you growing?

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Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
It's a beautiful day here :)
Sunny, but not glaring, a gentle breeze and the garden is so full of fruit and veg (again) that today is a canning day.
I'm now up to 4kg+ of blackcurrants. I sent some home with Son1 and girlfriend yesterday, I haven't been weighing my strawberries but I'm canning some of them too in light syrup to be used to top cheesecake, yoghurt, kefir, crumble, pancakes and shortcake later in the year. I slice them up, cover them in sugar and leave them to juice out. Then I just can that with a little lemon juice added. Most of them we're just eating fresh.
The blackcurrants I can so that I can add them to all of the above, but also to mix with chopped up apple to make crumble.

The gooseberries and loganberries we're just munching as they come ripe. Pretty much the same with the peas. Very pleased I rescued some from my sproutings this year. Clevedon wonder is the variety I usually buy but I'm very pleased with the sprouts from the box of marrowfats. Surprisingly short and bushy. Worth repeating.

Raspberries have been really big and juicy this year. They usually do well in our woodland edge garden, but they'be been superb this year, and the Autumn ones haven't started fruiting really yet. First flowers are just being set on those now.
The quince looks like bumper harvests too.

My beetroot has grown like topsy, I grew it in trays, I think every blooming seed set, so now I'm up to five of the big deep greenhouse trays, they're 24"/60cms wide and 32"/80cms wide, about 6" deep, of really lovely sweet beetroots. I'm going to use the tops in side dishes, the leaves are so perfect grown like this. Beets I like, but I prefer them lightly pickled. So, I'll do both sorts, and we'll have some in salad sides for the next wee while too.

Rhubarb is mostly passed, and has been so good. It's a seasonal treat I wouldn't be without.

The apples are really filling out fast, and my friend across the street is having a bumper crop of pears, so we'll do something of a swap :D

The young hazel tree outside our fence is trying hard to lean over through the geans, and even it's got a good looking crop. If I can get them before the squirrels though, I'll be doing well.
Elders and Rowans slowly filling out and colouring up, and so are the big wild rose hips.

The usual range of herbs are doing well, my roses are flushing up again, and the St.John's wort is coming into bloom. The Chicory I've let go to flower, and it's such a very pretty plant with it's blue flowers. Evening primroses are popping up everywhere, the mock orange is competing with the honeysuckle to produce the most glorious scent just now too.
I've already gathered the meadowsweet flourish for today's drying and am near enough done with that so I can think about cutting it back soon.
My figs are filling up, the little olive tree is setting fruits and is looking healthy. My tea plant is looking green and well at itself, but it's staying awfully small. I expected it to be a lot bigger by now.

I rarely grow lettuce and the like, but I leave the wild saladings to grow and I pick from them. Fat hen is brilliant just now, but the bistort has put out a second flush of new leaves too, and with the herbs like the chives flowers added it make a really tasty salad.

Even my waterlillies are blooming.
It's a lovely time to enjoy having a garden as the big room of the house :) and all the fresh food is a pleasure.

Okay, tea break over, back to work :D

M
 

Woody girl

Full Member
Mar 31, 2018
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Sounds like you have a garden of Eden there Toddy.
I would love to have a sit in the garden with you of a gloaming with a glass of fresh homemade juice and help with the canning.
I'm sure I could learn a lot from you.!
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
British Red is the canning expert. I'm just a housewife :)

I'm vexed at the price of the non reusable lids though. Well, they are reusable, for jam, but that's it really.
I tried the parfait jars with the silicon seals but I get too many bad seals with those, so I'm back to the discs and rings.

They're a good way to store extra portions too. Stuff like chilli, curry, soup, etc., I don't like those in the freezer, they take too long to thaw out. The jars are easy.

M
 

Woody girl

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Mar 31, 2018
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I've just had roasted veg medley
Potatoes carrots courgette and fresh garden herbs together with some garlic and gluten free vegetarian Cumberland sausage.
All roasted in some olive oil and paprika. Delicious !
 

slowworm

Full Member
May 8, 2008
1,979
931
Devon
When is the ideal time to pull pots? Is it when the plant starts to die off?

This depends on what they are, 1st earlies can be ready 10 weeks from planting and maincrops about 20 weeks.

If you have plenty of plants you could try and lift one or have a bit of a rummage under the soil to see if there are any decent sized tubers.

Ours have done myseriously well this year, I put them in early and they were caught by the frost but we've been eating the 1st earlies for over a month and they are now bid enough for jacket spuds.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
I need more room, I have no room to grow spuds. Even in pots or barrels they take over paths and the like.
I envy those with open space to grow loads of crops. I manage a couple of big pots, but that's it for potatoes.
Every bit of my garden is shaded at some part of the day too.
 

Woody girl

Full Member
Mar 31, 2018
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I need more room, I have no room to grow spuds. Even in pots or barrels they take over paths and the like.
I envy those with open space to grow loads of crops. I manage a couple of big pots, but that's it for potatoes.
Every bit of my garden is shaded at some part of the day too.
Have you thought of growing vertically? All you need is a wall or fence and an old pallet and you can make a great growing area for things like salad crops .
I've been meaning to make one this year but I havnt managed to source a pallet yet.
I'm sure you could find a how to on you tube.
A lick of shed paint if you like and you have a very useful garden feature.
I'm growing my courgettes in permenant shade. They are surprisingly doing better than the ones in full sun.
 
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bigbear

Full Member
May 1, 2008
1,061
210
Yorkshire
Just seen this thread, we have two allotments:
Squash
Blackcurrants
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blackberries
Garlic chives
Tomatoes
Pak choi
Aubergines
Cucumber
Borlotti beans
Rhubarb
Asparagus
Broad beans
Peas
cabbage
Carrots
Swede
Sweetcorn
Apples
Leeks
Lettuce
Spring onions
Beetroot. May not have got them all, oh horseradish, garlic, purple sprouting broccoli.

Chard
Spinach
Radish
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
I do grow stuff vertically, but we have a real problem with snails, so salad crops, unless grown in the greenhouse are always a target.
Anyone who thinks snails can't climb hasn't seen them fifteen foot up the gable wall :rolleyes3:

I was looking at the gutter type racks and thinking it a good idea, but again, my garden is at the woodland edge and it's shaded. I do cram a lot in, but there are limitations.

M
 

Woody girl

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Mar 31, 2018
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My butternut are flowering this morning.
I've never grown them before. Another kitchen waste experiment.
I'm very pleased how much I saved on seed this year. It was a revalation to realise just how much I could grow for free.
The results are yet to be seen with the butternut as to how good they will be but if they produce a fruit of reasonable size for every flower I should have at least a dozen.
Exciting!
 

Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,438
2,859
W.Sussex
My butternut are flowering this morning.
I've never grown them before. Another kitchen waste experiment.
I'm very pleased how much I saved on seed this year. It was a revalation to realise just how much I could grow for free.
The results are yet to be seen with the butternut as to how good they will be but if they produce a fruit of reasonable size for every flower I should have at least a dozen.
Exciting!

Very true about seed waste. Instead of chucking out my sprouting potatoes I put a few in rubble sacks and heaped the soil up as they grew. I had my grandson over yesterday so I decided to check a couple of the bags with him. Several pounds of white and red spuds. The lad was thrilled to bits scrabbling through the soil and announcing “Got one” at the top of his voice for every single potato he found.
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
My butternut are flowering this morning.
I've never grown them before. Another kitchen waste experiment.
I'm very pleased how much I saved on seed this year. It was a revalation to realise just how much I could grow for free.
The results are yet to be seen with the butternut as to how good they will be but if they produce a fruit of reasonable size for every flower I should have at least a dozen.
Exciting!
Do you mean butternut squash?
 

Billy-o

Native
Apr 19, 2018
1,981
975
Canada
We just had to move at short notice and abandoned a garden full of peppers, tomatoes, peas, beas, aubergine, pumpkins etc and every kind of herb.

So, we dug up what would survive transplantation and reinstalled at the new address. Dug a number of ad hoc beds in the front garden and sowed quick growers like peas, beets, chard, coriander, lettuce ... lotsa nasturtiums and marigolds for the look of it. Re-did the Basil trick of pulling apart a big pot from the supermarket and replanting. Seems to be working OK, but it is always touch and go for a week+.
 

slowworm

Full Member
May 8, 2008
1,979
931
Devon
Noticed our main crop King Edward spuds had splodges of blight on the leaves today. Hardly surprising considering the wet weather we've had over the last month. I've removed the tops and I'll leave the tubers in the ground for a week or two before lifting.

Worth keeping your eye on yours, those of you growing them.
 

Billy-o

Native
Apr 19, 2018
1,981
975
Canada
Just picked up some seeds for mizuna greens and spinach. I wonder if the spinach will have time to seed.
 

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