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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

The Vegetable Patch

982 replies

MereDintofPandiculation · 16/12/2021 09:14

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

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MereDintofPandiculation · 17/03/2022 22:33

@StyleDesperation

Also, does anyone have any recommendations for books on storing/preserving fruit and veg?

Do you freeze your mulberries, figs etc whole @MereDintofPandiculation? Have got all those growing in the garden but haven't ever had enough to worry about storing..

Yes, I put everything into those plastic boxes you get from Indian take aways, that means they’re in meal sized portions (or at least portions that can be eaten while they’re still fresh)and I don’t have to worry about them sticking together.
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MereDintofPandiculation · 17/03/2022 22:35

They all lose texture with freezing, but keep their taste. Mulberries and alpine strawberries we eat with oats and nuts for breakfast, also with yogurt, figs I usually cook in a red wine syrup and serve hot with ice cream.

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valerianaofficiana · 18/03/2022 07:53

We made no-dig beds with large pallet collars and homemade compost few years ago. The compost wasn't the best of quality as heavily weighted on Nitrogen side, tons of grass clippings from cutting the lawns had to go somewhere 🙄.Have chucked manure and blood-fish-bone on them yearly, it's ok but not great.
My biggest problem is with weeds🤬. And laziness.
Did my rounds yesterday to decide what to plant where and the weeds are in full swing.
Have loads of purple curly kale - does anyone have a good recipes for those? Chickens might inherit them otherwise.
My wild rocket bed is such a mix of rocket and nettles and creeping buttercup that I'm thinking of pulling everything up and re-seeding it. Pity as wild rocket - along garlic chives, French sorrel, giant Italian parsley and common chives - is my favourite garden resident, being perennial and just doing its thing without much bother from me.
I've read that we'll get a heat wave in April, better get the garden sorted.

Lovemusic33 · 18/03/2022 11:35

Suns shinning and I have the afternoon free….what can I plant?

I’m going to attempt some rainbow carrots, last year I had no luck with carrots so I’m going to try them in the flexi tubs and have made seed strips using kitchen roll so hopefully I won’t need to thin them out (that’s if they germinate at all), I think carrot fly got them last year so maybe if I cover them they might stand a chance? I love home grown carrots, taste so much better, so fingers crossed I can grow a few.

I have bought 2 varieties of French bean, I can’t wait to plant them it I’m guessing it’s way too early? I will just have to be patient.

Just dug out my last bed, not sure what’s going in there yet as it’s the worst bed for bindweed and is half in the shade.

I haven’t really got much to plant as I’m mainly growing beans and Peas this year, I have started peas but way too early for much else. Trying to grow things that have a good crop, can grow vertically and that we actually enjoy eating (no squash this year).

tizwozliz · 18/03/2022 13:27

Rhubarb on its way. Gorgeous day here, have to remind myself not to get ahead of myself as still could have overnight frosts for another couple of months.

The Vegetable Patch
DobbleDobble · 18/03/2022 15:20

@tizwozliz looks like Sunday night into Monday is a frost.

It’s great reading all the posts, @MereDintofPandiculation can you give advice on making plum jam, is it any good? I’ve never made jam at all and will look to do this when it comes to harvest.

Spring feels like it’s spring , enjoy sunnier days everyone Smile

Caspianberg · 19/03/2022 08:04

Hoping to join.
I’m not uk based so we get colder winters and hotter summers, but similar growing schedules I think.

We have a super hilly south facing terraced garden. A few years ago I added 6 raised beds. They are 2m x1 each and 80cm high. We try adding a long 4mx50cm (20cm high) soon for tall crops like tomatoes.

Started off some seeds in our cellar last week ( in front of a window).

Saw a dwarf peach tree yesterday in a garden centre that I’m tempted to buy. Not sure where to put it exactly or how big that actually grow full size.
Already have 3 apple, 2 cherry, 1 nectarine, 1 plum in garden dotted about. Most still only a few years old still, apart from ancient apple.

Hope it to focus of adding lots of berry bushes again. An over helpful friend managed to hack our redcurrant and blackcurrants to deaths door 2 years ago when Ds was 3 weeks on and he kindly offered to help tidy garden and I just left him to it.

deplorabelle · 19/03/2022 09:34

Welcome @Caspianberg your garden sounds amazing. I think the tree sounds ideally suited to your garden 😁. Are your other fruit trees in dwarf rooting stock? Do you get a harvest yet?

Thanks for the rhubarb photos @tizwozliz - mine is definitely growing too, after all my angst.

What did you end up doing in the garden yesterday @Lovemusic33 ?

Today I will be mostly pricking out seedlings. We were supposed to have a dinner party yesterday so I wasn't allowed to fill the house with seed trays and everything is desperately in need now. Compost could do with turning too but I don't think that will be this weekend.

MereDintofPandiculation · 19/03/2022 09:41

@DobbleDobble plum jam is fantastic! Even commercial versions taste good.

Generic jam/jelly recipe: soften fruit, eg by cooking in as little water as possible. There are recipes for raspberry jam where the softening is done in the freezer. If you want to make a clear jelly rather than a jam, extract the juice (hang everything in a muslin bag and let it drip out; put it in a strainer with weights on, use a fruit press).

For every pint of fruit/juice add 1lb sugar. Bring to the boil in a vastly oversized pan, then keep it at a “rolling boil” (it’ll take for ever otherwise). Remove any unappetising scum that forms. First the excess water boils off, then the remaining sugar/fruit mix starts rising in temperature. Keep testing when it’s ready - drop a drip on to a cold plate, blow on it, hold it so the light shines across the surface, and push it gently with the tip of a finger - if you see tiny wrinkles on the surface, it’s done. Take the pan off the heat straight away.

What that hasn’t covered is how to get the plumstones out. We used to make damson jam when we lived in the SE, but that was 40 years ago and I can’t remember.

Pot the jam when it’s still hot and runny, the heat will sterilise any germs still remaining in the jar, and as it cools air pressure difference will seal the cap into position. Home made jam doesn’t need to be kept in the fridge even after opening.

Label the jar with fruit name and batch no - that way, if you find one jar didn’t set or went a bit toffee-like, you know which other jars will have that problem.

Finally, a word about pectin, which is what makes the jam set. Some fruits, eg quince, are naturally high in pectin, others are low, eg medlar, and need it adding, either via a high pectin fruit added in, or I believe you can buy it. Plums are high in pectin

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DobbleDobble · 19/03/2022 10:10

@MereDintofPandiculation that’s great info.Thank you so much!

Been to the plot already, laid some woodchip around the beds.Will go back up after a cup of coffee to spread properly.it’s gorgeous out there.

Caspianberg · 19/03/2022 10:39

@deplorabelle - we only planted the plate nectarine and cherry last year which are mid sized. The rest were already in the garden as new, so I don’t really know, but I suspect full sized. One is a banana apple which smells like banana when baked

PoseyFlump · 19/03/2022 16:11

My toilet roll carrots have been a success, germinated nicely and can just see the root at the bottom so I've planted those out and sowed some more (touchons and a purple variety)

My plot neighbour said I have currants so thanks for the jam instructions @MereDintofPandiculation that'll come in nicely. Reminds me of making confectionery. You just have to be patient and the thermometer will go up even when you start to doubt yourself!

PoseyFlump · 19/03/2022 16:14

I should say planted the carrots out in my garden raised beds. My new overgrown plot is not that ready yet Grin

deplorabelle · 19/03/2022 16:54

I NEED A BANANA APPLE IN MY LIFE!!!

deplorabelle · 19/03/2022 17:06

I am impressed by the toilet roll carrots Posey. I planted the rest of my toilet roll broad beans after getting next to no germination in the ground in spring, none in autumn (don't know what has happened there)

I planted out spinach and handfuls of leggy floppy beetroot seedlings I'm probably just condemning to immediate death. All the second wave of aubergines are pricked out and cunningly arranged on an Ikea step stool in front of the south facing patio door. Oh and I sowed some celery but I'm stuck now till new compost is delivered. My home made compost is not quite ready and is also too riddled with creepy crawlies to use inside where I'm still germinating most of my seedlings. I want to sow Greek and Thai basil but that will have to wait. I put in a few celery seeds on a pot of cornflowers that didn't germinate at all for some reason.

Oh I had a bash at sowing some sunflowers in the greenhouse as I have loads of spare seed so can afford to take a risk. And I direct sowed some nasturtiums in various places. It's probably not worth remembering where as the slugs will get them before I ever see them but they are such a pretty variety I couldn't resist (rumba mixed)

PoseyFlump · 19/03/2022 17:44

I've just looked up those rumba nasturtiums @deplorabelle they look lovely, another for the list! I did peach melba last year and tangerine whirlybird. The peach were my favourite.

notsogreenthumb · 19/03/2022 18:23

Evening all,

Just popping in for some advice. I planted this broccoli last year and have no idea how to harvest it. Is it ready to cut the heads? I just grew it as it sounded fancy Smile

The Vegetable Patch
MereDintofPandiculation · 19/03/2022 22:15

@deplorabelle

I NEED A BANANA APPLE IN MY LIFE!!!
One could serve it with Custard Apple
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MereDintofPandiculation · 19/03/2022 22:25

It’s pretty well ready, you might be able to leave it another couple of days. The aim is to pick when the buds are as large as possible but before the flowers open. It won’t hurt if a couple of the flowers are open, so you have room to experiment.

Pluck each little purple head individually, just the bunch of flower heads and the surrounding little leaves. The stem will be tender and easy to snap. It’ll then put up some more shoots, smaller and with a shorter stem. Just keep picking till it’s no longer worth it. They keep well in the fridge in a sealed plastic box.

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tentative3 · 20/03/2022 16:00

I've planted shallots and garlic today and put some charlottes in the conservatory for chitting. I also planted out a single solitary pea that had germinated and was going great guns in the propogator. It is a very early dwarf apparently, so we'll see. Hopefully some of its friends will germinate too.

My bush tomatoes have all germinated, I just don't know at what point to move them into their own little pots. Tomatillos are long and stringy and won't stand up, same with the other variety of tomatoes. Does that mean something wrong with the conditions? These are electric heated propogators, I did wonder whether it was possibly too hot sometimes, as they get sun too.

Blackcurrant and most of the rasps are showing life, as is the redcurrant that was rescued from elsewhere in the overgrown garden. Not checked the gooseberry. I was encouraged by Monty Don to hack at my small apple tree but I don't have the guts and didn't have a ladder to do the big old cooker that was already here. I guess I'll just leave that for next year maybe.

Lovemusic33 · 20/03/2022 16:31

My gooseberry is showing signs of life today, a couple days ago I thought it was dead.

Have planted some seeds today (mainly flowers to attract bees) and planted some bulbs. I seem to have killed some of my raspberry canes from last year, the autumn bliss seems to have multiplied but my summer raspberries are no more, can anyone recommend a good variety to plant?

notsogreenthumb · 20/03/2022 17:00

Thanks @mere. I'm eager to try it.

I'm planting some garlic, parsnips and carrots today. I might also plant some seed potatoes straight into grow bags. Start off whatever I can. My seedlings are all slowly slowly emerging, except the aubergine and peppers, even with a propagator they've been extremely slow moving. One tiny shoot showing from 16 or so seeds. I couldn't help myself and sowed tomatoes even though I said I won't grow them this year.

valerianaofficiana · 20/03/2022 22:16

I can recommend Polka raspberry, excellent sort, sturdy thornless canes, large tasty fruit in abundance. Have ordered Admiral Malling to try, will report back in a year or so.
Have sown dwarf peas in pots as can't be bothered to weed them once they are grown and bearing bounty, such a faff trying to pick the pods without getting stung by nettles.
Have seed potatoes chitting, however, contemplating just chucking them in the ground as read here that chitting not necessary. Any firm advice?

APurpleSquirrel · 21/03/2022 07:19

Yesterday we put our seed potatoes (Charlotte) straight into the potato bags; first time without chitting properly though they had some shoots already. See what happens.
DH potted up a small blueberry & weeded & added extra soil to a few pots.
We continued with painting the fence.
Got buds on the cherry tree & gooseberries.

Lovemusic33 · 21/03/2022 07:19

Thank you, I will have a look at Polka.

I don’t chit potatoes (I’m not organised enough), I plant in tubs and last year had loads of potatoes, I have done the same this year and not chitted.