In the Garden

[eggyg]

This is all the produce we’ve had this year, boo hoo. I’m keeping them in a bag in a drawer until they go red. 😳 They’re meant to be beef tomatoes!View attachment 18615

That’s exactly why we didn’t bother with tomatoes this year. I don’t think any turned red the last few times. We need a greenhouse to achieve that or live in Spain!

 

[Bloden]

That’s exactly why we didn’t bother with tomatoes this year. I don’t think any turned red! We need a greenhouse to achieve that or live in Spain!

I have a plan! I’m looking for one of those mini greenhouses (they look more like a cupboard in size and shape) to plonk up against the garden shed. Growing tomatoes outside just doesn’t work in this climate, as you say. 😎

 

[Leadinglights]

I have a plan! I’m looking for one of those mini greenhouses (they look more like a cupboard in size and shape) to plonk up against the garden shed. Growing tomatoes outside just doesn’t work in this climate, as you say. 😎

I'm afraid once you have grown tomatoes, the bought ones just don't taste any good. I do have an allotment with 2 polytunnels, they never do well outside.
I normally grow loads of different varieties so we have a range of sizes and colours. I made a tomato, red pepper and squash (variety called Turks Turban) soup yesterday.
I have had some super aubergines this year as well.

 

[ColinUK]

I'm going to plant Tumbling Toms in balcony planters next year. They'll cascade over the first floor balcony and drop very ripe tomatoes onto the unsuspecting passersby below!

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

I've been growing tomatoes outside in the UK (originally near Cambridge, now Cotswolds) for about 15 years, I think, and have never had any problems getting them to ripen. They ripen later than ones grown under cover though, we usually start picking around the end of the first week of September and keep going until the first hint of frost, at which point we pick the rest to ripen on a tray in the house. They've not done as well this year - I think in an average year we have at least 120 tomatoes from 10-12 plants, this year we have about 40 tomatoes from 12 plants. Not sure whether that's the weather we've had or the new planters we're trying out, which are a lot shallower than the old ones.

 

[Lisa66]

Broad beans. I know people either love them or hate them. My husband is very much in the crinkle up his nose, second group. I love them.

This is the first time I have attempted to grow them and am pretty pleased with how they’re going…so far. I’ve just pinched out the tops after too much dithering.

Anyway I thought I’d share a pic…hopefully there’ll be at least one person who will appreciate them here…as himself doesn’t.🙂

 

[Robin]

Broad beans. I know people either love them or hate them. My husband is very much in the crinkle up his nose, second group. I love them.

This is the first time I have attempted to grow them and am pretty pleased with how they’re going…so far. I’ve just pinched out the tops after too much dithering.

Anyway I thought I’d share a pic…hopefully there’ll be at least one person who will appreciate them here…as himself doesn’t.🙂

I love broad beans. I never normally grow them because I’m the only one in the family that likes them, but in 2020 when all the garden centres were closed and I was having difficulty getting veg seeds etc, my daughter picked up some spare seedlings that a neighbour had put out for people to help themselves, knowing that I'd use them. They’d lost their labels so she wasn't sure what she was bringing me, but I identified the various trays as broad and french beans. I'm always afraid boad beans will get blackfly, because I remember from childhood when my father and uncle grew them that they were prone, but I managed to avoid an infestation by pinching the tops out. Good luck with yours! We have a fruit and veg bring and take scheme in the village, people take spare produce for others to help themselves, so I shall be keeping an eye out for a glut.

 

[eggyg]

We grew broad beans a couple of years ago and got so many I didn’t know what to do with them. I like them but I feel there’s a lot of work before you get to eat them! Same with peas. Last year we just grew French beans, pick, cook, eat!

In other veg news. Mr Eggy found a couple of courgette seeds left over from two years ago, put them in a pot in the mini greenhouse and then neglected them ie never watered them when it was hot, never opened the window for them. Of course they’ve germinated and are growing at a rate of knots! They’ll be outgrowing their present home soon and it’s far too early to plant them out up north!

 

[Leadinglights]

Broad beans. I know people either love them or hate them. My husband is very much in the crinkle up his nose, second group. I love them.

This is the first time I have attempted to grow them and am pretty pleased with how they’re going…so far. I’ve just pinched out the tops after too much dithering.

Anyway I thought I’d share a pic…hopefully there’ll be at least one person who will appreciate them here…as himself doesn’t.🙂

Interesting you have them under environmesh and enviously they are much taller than mine. I use that mesh for onions and leeks as we get onion leaf miner and over carrots but not usually over things that need pollination to form the pods as I have always thought it may exclude the insects so use normal netting to protect against pigeons which demolish everything given half a chance. We use cages much like the ones you have.
I think the secret is picking them young so they don't get the tough skins which can put people off.

 

[Lisa66]

Ooh good point @Leadinglights. I originally made that cover last year to cover the black kale that was doing well, until the pesky white butterflies spied it. I just put it over the beans when I planted them out, as it was handy to keep the pigeons off. I shall rectify that tomorrow. I do have a lower one I made which is over the carrots and onions.

Quite new to all this proper veg gardening malarkey…other than bits n bobs in pots previously. ….and helping my dad when I was younger.

We now have a greenhouse to go with the raised beds we started last year….and so far, I’m really enjoying it. Radishes doing well as is the garlic I put in before Christmas…2 more things I’ve just realised that my husband doesn’t like …oops. 🙂

@eggyg isnt that just the way it goes sometimes. Something that you invest lots of time, energy and emotion in comes to nothing and something neglected positively thrives🙄

 

[Leadinglights]

Ooh good point @Leadinglights. I originally made that cover last year to cover the black kale that was doing well, until the pesky white butterflies spied it. I just put it over the beans when I planted them out, as it was handy to keep the pigeons off. I shall rectify that tomorrow. I do have a lower one I made which is over the carrots and onions.

Quite new to all this proper veg gardening malarkey…other than bits n bobs in pots previously. ….and helping my dad when I was younger.

We now have a greenhouse to go with the raised beds we started last year….and so far, I’m really enjoying it. Radishes doing well as is the garlic I put in before Christmas…2 more things I’ve just realised that my husband doesn’t like …oops. 🙂

@eggyg isnt that just the way it goes sometimes. Something that you invest lots of time, energy and emotion in comes to nothing and something neglected positively thrives🙄

We have an allotment so try lots of different things, I am annoyed that the mice have eaten my peas that were just coming up, nibbles off the green bit and ate the pea. They clearly could get under the cage.
My other half just admitted he didn't like Kale but he likes cabbage, chard, broccoli, sprouts so it seems odd.
Let us hope it will be a good season for the veg.

 

[eggyg]

Ooh good point @Leadinglights. I originally made that cover last year to cover the black kale that was doing well, until the pesky white butterflies spied it. I just put it over the beans when I planted them out, as it was handy to keep the pigeons off. I shall rectify that tomorrow. I do have a lower one I made which is over the carrots and onions.

Quite new to all this proper veg gardening malarkey…other than bits n bobs in pots previously. ….and helping my dad when I was younger.

We now have a greenhouse to go with the raised beds we started last year….and so far, I’m really enjoying it. Radishes doing well as is the garlic I put in before Christmas…2 more things I’ve just realised that my husband doesn’t like …oops. 🙂

@eggyg isnt that just the way it goes sometimes. Something that you invest lots of time, energy and emotion in comes to nothing and something neglected positively thrives🙄

He thought the seeds would be “off” but tried anyways. I’m pleased as courgettes are one of my favourite vegetables, which is just as well as they are very prolific! Hubby pretends he doesn’t like them but he does really.

 

[Jodee]

Have an abundance of apples, would really love to preserve some for winter so looking for ways to preserve them that leans more toward diabetic friendly (not dehydrating) any suggestions?

 

[Leadinglights]

Have an abundance of apples, would really love to preserve some for winter so looking for ways to preserve them that leans more toward diabetic friendly (not dehydrating) any suggestions?

Are they eating or cooking apples.
My eating apples, Charles Ross and Russets store Ok in the shed, they keep better if picked under ripe and not damaged.
The cooking ones I cook and store frozen but again they will store for a while in the shed.

 

[Jodee]

I have both cooking and eating, most are with worm but I usually cut that off and eat or cook. I don't have a big freezer otherwise I would. I have some stored in the shed but they won't last very long because most have damage. the trees are huge, cant reach most of them select decent windfalls mostly.

 

[Leadinglights]

I have both cooking and eating, most are with worm but I usually cut that off and eat or cook. I don't have a big freezer otherwise I would. I have some stored in the shed but they won't last very long because most have damage. the trees are huge, cant reach most of them select decent windfalls mostly.

It is that extra protein that's a b----r with home grown apples. It makes you realise how much commercial ones are sprayed with who knows what. I put codling moth traps up but it doesn't help much.

 

[Jodee]

I actually think apples from old trees are much more flavourful than shop bought, you can taste the wood in the apples. Love the flavour.

 

[Jodee]

Perhaps I will freeze just a couple of zip lock bags full if I can accommodate.

 

[Jodee]

I've been growing tomatoes outside in the UK (originally near Cambridge, now Cotswolds) for about 15 years, I think, and have never had any problems getting them to ripen. They ripen later than ones grown under cover though, we usually start picking around the end of the first week of September and keep going until the first hint of frost, at which point we pick the rest to ripen on a tray in the house. They've not done as well this year - I think in an average year we have at least 120 tomatoes from 10-12 plants, this year we have about 40 tomatoes from 12 plants. Not sure whether that's the weather we've had or the new planters we're trying out, which are a lot shallower than the old ones.

I think they grow better outside and have more flavour than ones grown in the greenhouse. Any unripe ones now are fine to eat cooked, fried green tomatoes etc. I've just made a sauce that keeps in the fridge for 5 months with some of mine, olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, salt and pepper a little sugar....

 

[Jodee]

Runner Beans have done well this year and still going....