The Vegetable Patch

[MereDintofPandiculation]

Now bookbook has sadly left us, and stirred into action by @DobbleDobble, I think it’s time to start a general thread for those of us who try to grow edible produce, fruit, veg, herbs, to share successes, failures, questions and answers

Looking back at the year just gone, I realise I must start defending my cabbages against butterflies. Not only do I have the two “cabbage whites” but also a geometrid moth whose looper caterpillar which has the ability to stand straight out from the stalk, disguising itself as a rib of a denuded cabbage leaf.

The last of my tomatoes are ripening in the kitchen, so later this week we will have the last fresh veg of the season (I’m not counting the Asturian tree cabbage and the Swiss chard which I’m saving for the “Hungry Gap” next spring

Looks like there’s no interest in a veg thread. But I’ll bump for a week or so before letting it die

May I join? I'm more into growing cut flowers, but dipping my toe in a little with veg! I've some chard which has been in my patch for a month or so now - can I still eat it?!

I need to cut my autumn raspberries down as well - they've been great this year. Sweetcorn was an abject failure - it looked great, but then half I picked too early, and the other half far too late. Sigh.

Oh no I am interested in a veg thread. I just have very little going on in my veg garden at the moment!

My strawberries were wonderful, unfortunately I planted two varieties, one better than the other but I can't remember which is which. My summer raspberries were amazing too, the autumn ones I realised I shouldn't have cut back in the first year so they weren't as good. I planted asparagus but have to wait a couple more years before harvesting. My runner beans were good but my peas were a disaster, the birds managed to get at them and they didn't recover. Beetroot were ok but not brilliant. I have clay soil which really in the bane of my life when it comes to veggies (strawberries and asparagus in raised beds).

I'd love to watch if I may- I really enjoy gardening but have very little luck!

Our soil is terrible and most of our light blocked by a neighbours large tree even though we're mostly south facing, so this year I focussed on improving the soil in my raised bed with lots of home made compost, and did most of my growing in grow bags. Tomatoes did well, courgettes less so!

Still have an aubergine plant in my Patio doors as it's beautiful but not fruiting - I feel sorry for it!

I would love to join as you can probably tell by my user name we love the outdoors. We prefer to grow things we can eat! Had great success with courgettes tomatoes, broad beans snow peas and strawberries. Can anyone tell me how to overwinter my strawberry plants?

I'm in! For the next year we're staying in a friend's house (he has a small annexe next door) whilst renovations happen to our own house - and here, I have access to around half an acre of garden, mostly a bit wild, but with lots of space for a few veg. I may still stick to pots, not sure yet - but as soon as Christmas is out of the way I want to start ordering seeds and planning. We're on the coast in the west of Ireland - I've never managed to nurse a tomato plant to maturity, they do fine until an inevitable storm blows them over (I have lost 3 mini-greenhouses that way) - but am willing to try most other things :)

I'm working on soil improvement, for the second year running we've chucked down green manure seeds on the veg patch. 2022 will also involve nematodes to try and deal with the slug problem! I lost all my bean plants to either slugs or foxes (they ripped the netting and snapped the stalks) so I'm planning how to improve that next year.

I have a lot of strawberry plants in pots on the patio, they seem to do well on benign neglect over winter so I'll see how they look come spring! My raspberry canes were new this year so i'm hoping for better things next year from them - they're in a raised bed and I was late in cutting them back (autumn fruiting) so fingers crossed they thrive from now on.

I'm in! Not a lot going on in our allotment at the moment (although hopefully three tenant evictions will go smoothly and we can then split the plots and offer six out to patient waiting list applicants). But in the spring we'll be:

• moving our patio to under a tree and creating a new bed in its place
• thinking about what to do to improve our strawberries which have been woefully disappointing despite refreshing the bed, growing runners etc
• definitely growing more Costoluto Fiorentino tomatoes because they did so well last year and tasted amazing

@Pootles34

May I join? I'm more into growing cut flowers, but dipping my toe in a little with veg! I've some chard which has been in my patch for a month or so now - can I still eat it?!

I need to cut my autumn raspberries down as well - they've been great this year. Sweetcorn was an abject failure - it looked great, but then half I picked too early, and the other half far too late. Sigh.

Yes, the chard will keep going until it flowers next year. It’s really useful for the “hungry gap” - the time in spring when you’ve finished all the overwintering and stored root veg and are waiting for the broad beans.

Even when the chard is starting to flower, you can keep it going for a week or two by snapping flower stalks off, and,although the flower stalks are too tough to eat, the tiny leaves are good for bulking out a salad.

@Tal45 remember clay soil when well enriched with humus is a wonderful soil, holds onto nutrients, and doesn’t dry out. Though asparagus in a clay soil is a challenge!

I’d like to join , although I don’t have much going on in my veg patch right now. I’m trying to nourish the soil and choose a polytunnel for next year.

@sycamorescrumptious courgettes are greedy, need the biggest potyou can manage. Can also be worthwhile getting a parthenogenetic variety if you think pollination is a problem

@Plantsandpuddlesuits Strawberries are hardy. Just leave them where they are. They’ll die back a bit and look miserable, but will burst into growth in spring.

@PenCreed im going for nematodes next year too. We can compare notes!

@Inextremis half an acre?! So jealous. Windswept western coast not so much

And a big welcome to everyone!

Hello all, I still have some kale growing - both in the greenhouse and also outside (though the latter is only just bouncing back from merciless caterpillar attack!)

I am most looking forward to asparagus next year - planted it 2020 so hoping for the first harvest next year!

Can I join please?

We moved house in January and I hoped to setup some raised beds... Sadly it is yet to be done. But ... I want to plan in earnest now so in spring I can start planting.

Yes! Great idea to be working on “infrastructure” now.

Sadly I always seem to be busy with the endless pruning and cutting back, so new raised beds never get a look in. I did once ask for and received a tonne of gravel for Christmas and got all my paths topped up

My goal for the year is to sort the end of my plot. It’s full of non-fruiting blackcurrants, couch grass, bind weed and brambles. There’s black plastic sheeting underneath which is disintegrating and a mound of something under 1 bit of the plastic. I’ve just spent 30 minutes clearing some of the grass. I reckon lots of half hours will get it cleared 😃.

I also need to sort out my strawberry patch which has had raspberries, rhubarb and asparagus thrown in when we got the plot 18 months ago. Again the couch grass and bindweed is taking over so I need to go through it carefully.

Today we’ve picked some red cabbage, kalettes and a swede. We’re fighting a losing battle with the pigeons though. I wish they’d eat the slugs instead.

I'm a very very novice gardener but will be trying to grow some things next year. We have a cooking apple tree already, not sure if it needs pruning over winter. I planted two more apple trees, a blackcurrant and a redcurrant earlier this year and have just bought two cherries, some rasps and strawbs, a logan berry, gooseberry and some herbs which I need to either get in asap given the forecast or wait until the weather breaks again.

I'd like to grow some veg - tomatoes and chillies we've done indoors on windowsills before so more of them, leeks, carrots, onion, garlic, potatoes etc

I’m here count me in!

So am a new allotment holder after 3 year wait 🎉
Been doing lots of clearing, digging, strimming and now the ground is covered ready for winter.

Am now in the planning/day dreaming stage !

I need to go through my stock of seeds and see which I have enough of, and which I need to order for next year. Then I can allow myself the luxury of going through the Real Seeds and Chiltern catalogues

Hope it’s ok to jump on here, although we are in summer here, I’m a novice

Have harvested my first, decent sized, cucumber, tomatoes are about three weeks away and plums are just starting to turn …. Am so looking forward to making plum jam it’s a Christmas time pleasure….