The Vegetable Patch 2024/2025

[MereDintofPandiculation]

Come and share your triumphs and failures in your vegetable plot or allotment.

Thank you, will get busy cross pollinating and feeding!

All from the veg patch, bar the lemon

Impressive! Looking forward to the pumpkin photos though 😊

They are coming soon :)

Courgettes still coming almost daily. Think we'll be able to pick onions, leek and more sweetcorn this week. Beans are just about over I think.

Plenty of beetroot, I've picked some today. It's a golden variety and looks very pretty.

Looking to get some garlic and asparagus planted soon

Some of my squash.

Impressed as usual! 😍

Picked some windfall pears today, rest of the sweetcorn (not the greatest), some squash, onions and more courgettes

Does anyone remember all those leaves I collected last fall, with the help of DGC? Bags and bags of leaves, all carefully cut up by the mower, piled high in a stock fencing corral and turned occasionally?.

They composted beautifully. I decided to use them this week so we could start refilling the stock fencing with this year's leaves.

Two beds. They mulched two beds. Only 15 to go 😮

I remember that! Think you shared pictures of the lovely public space that you were collecting leaves from (or am I imagining that 😂)
Hope DGC are going to be rewarded appropriately 😊

That was me, yes!

DGC are already nagging me about getting out in the village again to collect leaves. Just yesterday I had to draw DGC's attention to where the leaves were (still mostly on trees) and tell her to be patient. They are both stoked, though, which is great.

You’re training them well!

I want to do lots of pumpkin and squashes next year, any recommendations for easy to grow varieties? Even better if there's any direct sowing ones.

Entirely by chance I saw this suggestion for a top five in this month’s The Garden (pics attached)

They don’t rate them by difficulty but I’ve grown all of these from packs of “mixed squash” seeds and as with courgettes, I found they grew like weeds. Mine were started in seed trays, not sure how well they do with direct sowing.

Annoyingly the image upload seems to really downgrade the picture quality. I think the text is still readable but can cut’n’paste if needed.

I could read the names thank you. I'm going to do courgettes, and want squashes etc for ground coverage,to essentially crowd out the weeds that keep trying to take over.

My “multibuy” squash bed grew like triffids so combined with courgettes they did crowd out anything else. One not on that list which was in my packet was mashed potato squash which has great novelty value as does spaghetti squash (delicious in a mozzarella and mediterranean veg bake).

I rate the North Georgia Candy Roaster for really covering ground but I have not direct sown. Started in greenhouse in the middle of March, planted out in May. I hardly direct sow anything because of the slugs/wildlife making seeds and young plants very vulnerable.

Thelma Saunders squash also spreads well, and they don't mind having something to climb up either.

www.realseeds.co.uk/wintersquash.html

I don't have a greenhouse and very limited windowsill space, so if possible I try to direct sow as much as I can so I get more crops.

I have had to garden with no space for seedlings in the past and do sympathise.

Does anyone grow courgettes with squash?

I have a 2m x1m raised bed I grow two yellow courgettes in most years but the courgettes plants grow massive so im
not sure if I can squeeze squash in?

I did melons under green beans and with Aubergines in same bed this year and they were crowded but grow ok tbh.

I grow courgettes near pumpkins (if you’re referring to winter squash). They both trail a lot so it might be worth getting a small arch for them to climb on.

Hmm arch is an interesting idea.
I mean for butternut squash ideally. Slugs ate all my squash plants this year but they weren’t in raised beds

I don't grow butternut squash anymore. They are known for being nutty and flavourful but really, NO. Crown Prince beat a butternut squash all day long. Thelma Sanders as well-- prolific and delicious but also good for storing. Queensland Blue, very flavourful. All good climbers too. I would recommend trying out some other squash because I admit, I was surprised when I did. I became a bit obsessed with the wonder of squashes!

I wasn't very successful this year but normally grow squash in giant bags of compost, and wind the stems around the bag. Its only the bit of stem with a fruit on that I bother to train up a support.