Allotment?Veg Patch Thread 10 - Plotmenters busy into summer ! and loving James Wong

[bookbook]

Last thread has filled up so quickly! Thought I had better get one up and running before I get off to the plot.
Busy, busy people, just waiting for the harvests to start, fighting the bugs, slugs and weather :)
Last thread here
THREAD 9

una if you pull it now you could still cook with it. It won't keep but will be like wet garlic. I did the same and the Cloves are tiny but still tasty.

Wet garlic www.riverford.co.uk/recipes/view/recipe/wet-garlic-salad

Evening!
I spent the morning digging up onions and garlic , picking strawberries and watering.
elephant - it's great , using home grown stuff :)
Una - my garlic was overwintered, and its not as big as I would wish. It has split into cloves though ( I think the cold helps in this) I am wondering about growing as much next year too. The 'thrown in at last minute' winter onions 'Radar" have been much more successful, will do those again I think.
The space from the garlic is earmarked for my last beetroot seedlings. I have shallots to dig up later this week, and that space is for winter caulis ( they are in the ground a long time , so out of the way)

Good evening. Away at a university open day with DD2 yesterday so no plot. Did a full day today. Lots of picking: strawberries, cherries, blackcurrants, broad beans, peas, first early potatoes, courgettes, flowers.

It is lovely to be taking things away at last.

Thank you for the interest elephant. The wheat is starting to change colour. Sugar beet looks healthy.

This week's photo.

GinGeum what would be your plan for the grapes? Would you plan to make your own wine?

Yes Gnome, the farm would make and sell wine with the grapes. It's hard to commit to something on such a big scale when the field in question makes money at the moment, and would make nothing at all for 5 years. The main thing holding us back is the cost we'd have to charge for the wine, and if anyone would realistically buy it considering how cheap you can buy nice wine these days.

That's the problem. I think it's a question of finding a niche. There are other things to make from grapes, how about making your own brandy?

We'd hadn't thought about brandy - that's worth exploring. I'd imagine people would be fairly keen to spend a bit more on a local brandy, rather than a local wine.

Courgettes are coming thick and fast now, so made lots of chocolate courgette muffins this morning. Having one with a cup of tea now - lovely. Here's an updated pic of the garden.

Wow! It's amazing how much that's come on in such a short time.

We're enjoying a week off work so spending extra time on the plot. The weather forecast doesn't look good for sunshine but some rain would be welcomed.

Hello- checking in. Lovely photos! Just dumped huge bowl of peas infront of the kids go them to shell while watching tv. We have a lot of peas. Also picked 10 cucumbers which is probably 8 more than we need so they will come to work with me. Trying to stop the greenhouse turning into a jungle. Tomatoes are mostly set and coming but very small and green still

When is the best time to pick tomatoes? I've been waiting for them to turn red on the plant, and then picking off, but should I be picking them just before they're fully red to ripen away from the plant? I seem to remember seeing tomatoes on windowsills at other's houses, and I'm wondering why!

I think ripening indoors was for the end of the season. We have always left them to ripen on the plant for the best flavour but I am more than prepared to be told I'm wrong!

Evening all, Been really busy with work so little time to post over the past week but all plodding along here. The potatoes are going bonkers, broccoli developing heads and the sweetcorn has had a good spurt. Rhubarb is also much happier in its new home.

I have ten million carrot seedlings in one of the small raised beds where DH dropped the whole packet so they are going to take a bit of thinning out. And amazingly my parsnips seem to be doing something after only a couple of weeks. They obviously like that bed because the strip I sowed in the bed right next to it back in April have failed to germinate apart from two small plants.

My peppers don't seem to be doing a lot. Theyre sitting at about 8-10cm high. Should I maybe repot them to give them more room?

Gin I agree with Gnome that it is done at the end of the season to ripen those still green tomatoes. sometimes if I knocked some off accidentally I will ripen them on the window sill.

Evening!
Gin - definitely better to leave tomatoes to ripen on the plant
Cath - I also have a surfeit of cucumbers - I have already made cucumber soup which is nice .
Gnome - Uni visits - I remember it well, we seemed to get dragged the length and breadth looking - its hard work!
a busy plot day here - went this morning and started on the redcurrant pick - a lot to go yet. Blackcurrants not quite ready yet though. Picked the last of the strawberries in the small bed, and then took the net off to let the birds have the rest . Then harvested the first summer cabbage for tea. Planted up a row of beetroot from a succession sowing in plugs , and also sowed a row direct too - thats the last for this season.
Went back after lunch and DH cut the grass ( looks like rain for the next few days) I picked gooseberries, strawberries in the other bigger bed and the very first harvest off the new raspberries , (a bit of a small harvest there .) Sore back now, so a hot bath, and a couple of days rest before picking the rest of the redcurrants, along with blackcurrants and jostaberries .
Photo of this mornings harvest

Good harvest there book. I don't think I will be getting much more off my strawberries now. They seem to have come early but with a fairly thin crop.

My blackcurrants are doing pretty well. If the weather holds then I will be picking them again tomorrow.

Courgettes are coming on strong now.

Planted out my second go at gherkins today. Lost the first lot in the high winds.

I can't believe it is still only June. It feels so much later on the plot!

Evening everyone! I haven't posted in ages, but lurking away when I get chance (baby keeps me busy busy!!)

I've got successes and what I hope aren't full blown failures in the garden- courgettes are going mad, I've got three big plants in containers and have harvested 2/3 courgettes every day for the last week and they're showing no signs of stopping! Lucky they're delish, an unusual Italian variety!

I don't think I gave my runner beans enough water during the hot weather and when they first started flowering, which I've read is when they decide whether they'll be very productive or not based on how much water they get at that time? Almost all the flowers seem to be falling off without leaving a bean in their wake, which is sad. Hoping I can salvage with lots of watering, but not hopeful.

I have a tomato question- lots of the flowers seem to be turning brown and shrivelling up, but not fruiting. Is that a common problem, or are they preparing to fruit in their own time?

tomato flowers. it sometimes takes a few days from flower shrivelling to tomato pearl appearing.
unless the stalk turned brown I wouldn't worry.

courgette - the more you pick the more it fruits. I hope you have neighbours/family big freezer to not let any go to waste :o

Hi everyone! Just sneaking on during lunch break

Gin your garden is looking so lush. I remember your first photos when you cleared the space - what a transformation. And I love your lanterns!

Newt we grow our peppers in about the same amount of compost/soil that we grow tomato plants in, if that gives you anything to go by.

We are probably going to harvest the last of our autumn planted broad beans tonight for dinner. We still have the spring planted ones that will probably be ready in a week or so (much smaller plants with lower yields). In review I don't really feel the benefit of doing the 2 sowings and will likely only do the autumn sowing next year.

Thank you clara - those lanterns were found buried deep in the back of the shed when we moved in!

Have eaten too much chocolate, courgette cake, it was so yummy. Thank you book. Now just another seven courgettes to go.

I have a (probably rather silly) greenhouse question. PIL's are giving us their greenhouse, but I have a question about the base. Do you have a solid concrete base for a greenhouse, or do you build it on top of normal soil so you can dig/plant in the ground inside the greenhouse?

Evening!
no plot today - had DGS, but it has rained all day anyway - the courgettes are going to be large I fear :)
rose - the flower petals wither , die and drop off the tomato truss, and then you will (hopefully!) notice a tiny tomato forming - they are so small it may take a day or two to realise its there.
Newt - I forgot you asked about peppers - I put mine in a fairly biggish pot - about 7-8" or so, and water and feed just like the tomatoes
clara - my thoughts are the same as yours re broad beans .I have had a much better harvest so far - the plug plants have not done so well this year ( they were insurance plants though). I managed to miss pinching out the tops of two of them when they started to flower , and they are infested with black fly

Pest - - glad you are all liking it as much as we do . It freezes really well too - I cut into brownie squares and freeze - it's nice to beable to take out and use as a quick pudding/cake - lovely with some berries/compote ( the joys of the harvest in winter!)

x post with you Gin
my greenhouse is just straight onto the ground ( we rather thought it wouldn't be permanently in that spot) Very heavily anchored down . But I have weed membrane and a white tarpaulin on top of that as my floor and everything is grown in pots/bags.