Today in the Garden

[moggy]

It is, plants in pots dry out so quickly- thats why I'm chuffed its now raining.


not so chuffed to find the 2 sheep have scoffed the variegated buddleia that was about to come into flower in my garden. The bees would have enjoyed that.

[Aradia]

I love this time of year ... so much good stuff to harvest ... cream of the crop is the garlic. Wet garlic tastes so different to dry garlic... I like to roast it with a bit of olive oil and eat it on it's own, or spread over a crusty pain tournet ... scrummy!

[Aradia]

Putting gravel around plants and veg helps too. The slugs usually don't like to go over it.

Bits of broken slate work well to.. .stick them in the ground so the pointed edge is upwards, the slugs would get cut if they crawled over it, so they don't. Coffee grounds are good too.

[Aradia]

I harvested my first tomato yesterday

[snivelingchild]

I put up more bamboo supports today, and spotted my first baby cucumber! It's cute!

[Aradia]

I've just harvested 10kg garlic ... where am I going to put it all hopefully I'll get around to tying them into garlic ropes rather than shoving it all in a heap. I'll post a picture if I get round to it/they turn out ok.

Anybody have a favourite garlic recipe to share? I've had lots of oven baked wet garlic and some garlic soups.

[whalespace]

Bumper weed harvest here... can't turn your back for ten days eh?

[Aradia]

Just harvested 10.5kg Charlotte potatoes I'm freezing some of them and giving lots away as I don't eat potatoes very often (partner would eat them for brekkie, lunch and dinner!).

No sign of any butternut squash though. Lots of growth and flowers but no fruits .. .I can't stand the waiting!

Loads of French beans, but the runner beans are taking their time. And the brassicas are growing like billyo!

I'm growing corn for the first time ... can anybody tell me roughly how many cobs I can expect per plant? The most I've got at the moment is two ... but most still only have one? My partner swears once I've tasted home-grown corn I'll never buy it again (I don't buy it anyway ... I'm not that great a fan!)

[cedarblue]

lets see now.....1 to 2 cobs per plant is normal.

can you freeze potatoes then? i never knew that - have you done it before??

did butternut squash last year and only got a few fruit - too much ground taken up with fruitless plants in our opinion and we didn't grow them this year.

our runner beans are going well with lots of pretty red flowers but dward beans are a let down and the peas are a bit too. we won't bother with them next year, we haven't grown enough to really make a meal or a difference.

just finished savagely thinning out lower leaves from polytunnel toms and tying them up to top supports. slugs have taken most of our carrots overnight and parsnips don't seem to be too good this year.

funny how success changes yearly.....had lovely early 'home guard' spuds though and hope to dig some pir fir apple spuds this week.

cutting and eating yellow & green courgette and chard too.

must take some photos soon.

[rantipole]

So I've sprayed my garden with a garlic solution and covered the whole thing in ground black pepper. Result: slugs and squirrels are leaving the plants alone! I wish I had discovered this before 90% of plants were destroyed. At least I know better for next year.

Now, if i could just discover what's eating my basil.

Cheers,
rant

[cedarblue]

So I've sprayed my garden with a garlic solution and covered the whole thing in ground black pepper. Result: slugs and squirrels are leaving the plants alone! I wish I had discovered this before 90% of plants were destroyed. At least I know better for next year.

did you sprinkle the pepper around the plants ranti?

Now, if i could just discover what's eating my basil.

er - would that be you on the sly??

[JuicyGirl]

I've just harvested 10kg garlic ... where am I going to put it all hopefully I'll get around to tying them into garlic ropes rather than shoving it all in a heap. I'll post a picture if I get round to it/they turn out ok.

Anybody have a favourite garlic recipe to share? I've had lots of oven baked wet garlic and some garlic soups.

Aradia, I wish I was near France! I would love to come see your garden wow! That sounds fantastic! I LOVE fresh garlic and would love to see pics of all your harvests

[sugarmouse]

I am a new one for this thread but, with my new cutting back on spending.
I am asking some advice
I dont have a garden. All I have (dont laugh) is a flat roof!
I have suceeded in growing tomatoes in a hanging basket on there before. I will take a picture of it if you like, so you can see what sort of space it is.
What would you do , with a flat roof, the size of an average sitting room.
anyone have any idea of it's potential for growing veggies.
Thankies in advance.

[Risker]

If you put some growbags up there you could grow quite alot of things, is it sheltered from the wind at all and how much light does it get?

[sugarmouse]

It isnt sheltered but, I guess I could findsome way of making it?
It gets loads of sunlight. I have actually slept up there in the winter, and sat there drinkin cider with friends too..its nice

[gogs67]

I am a new one for this thread but, with my new cutting back on spending.
I am asking some advice
I dont have a garden. All I have (dont laugh) is a flat roof!
I have suceeded in growing tomatoes in a hanging basket on there before. I will take a picture of it if you like, so you can see what sort of space it is.
What would you do , with a flat roof, the size of an average sitting room.
anyone have any idea of it's potential for growing veggies.
Thankies in advance.

Thanks to GA for this


Concentrate on growing only those vegetables that benefit the most from being picked fresh and take up a small space. Don't grow plants that take up lots of space, have a long growing season or you don't love to eat!

Grow vegetables that are hard to find and not usually on the supermarket shelves, and select varieties for superior taste rather than crop size. Small is definitely beautiful in a tiny vegetable garden. The largest tomatoes are not necessarily the best tasting.

Vegetables suitable for small spaces are generally harvested when young and tender. Thus the growing season is shorter and plants can be cycled through faster. Baby cauliflower, finger carrots, cherry tomatoes, spring onions, there are loads of suitable seeds on the market today.

Grow fewer vegetables of each type. In a large garden we can grow 20 celery plants, in a small space garden you may want to grow only half a dozen, and in a balcony garden two or three plants will provide fresh stalks for cutting.

In courtyards and against a warm wall you can often get planting long before the soil in a traditional garden has warmed enough for planting out and seed sowing.

Succession planting - a few at a time, avoids gluts of produce and ensures that three is always something ready to eat in the garden. Instant salads, carrot snacks, anything is possible.

Growing a few seeds in a propagator or on a windowsill means that you can jump-start the season. Also sow successively, a few seeds at a time, to avoid them all coming ready at once. Fold over the top of the seed packet and store in a cool, dry, dark place, the back of a kitchen cabinet is just fine. The seedling plants can then be introduced into the garden when they are a few inches high to grow to maturity.

[sugarmouse]

Thankyou gogs and risker!I am looking for growbags tomorrow il post a pic of me roof too, so you can get general idea

[moggy]

The runner beans I'm growing in tubs are actually doing better than those in the ground. Friends of mine try to grow what costs more in the shops, rather than veg thats available cheaply anyway.
I reckon theres loads of veg to grow in tubs, the main problem is the initial outlay for all the tubs and compost. I've seen topsoil advertised free on freecycle- perhaps thats a way of filling any larger tubs.

[Aradia]

You can grow masses on a flat roof ... just make sure it's not a flimsy one!

Here are some ideas ... http://www.veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20200

[Maisiepaisie]

A herb pot is always handy. I've recently bought 2 large shallow pots for growing herbs. You can grow several different kinds in each.

[Mzee]

Well done, sugarmouse - I think you may have discovered the solution to the slug problem we've all been struggling with
- unless you have very fit slugs anyway!

[rantipole]

did you sprinkle the pepper around the plants ranti?


er - would that be you on the sly??

I sprinkled black pepper on the plants and kind of around them in a circle. So, the black pepper covered a full circle with the plant in the center. My garden continues to be slugfree and mostly squirrelfree. I renewed the garlic solution last night.

No, not until last night when I made fresh pesto. Delicious!

Cheers,
rant

[cedarblue]

you can grow several things in one pot too sugarmouse.

a tom plant say, a basil plant, a chilli - multi planting, that kind of thing.

have fun with it mostly!

[cedarblue]

small bowl of garden bounty




ickle froglets in my pond

[whalespace]

I love the colours of rainbow chard.
I noticed a greater beauty of Nasturtium flowers yesterday aswell, not just from their sweet and milder taste [than the leaves]; Thanks for that one Linda.

Cedarblue... do you put big leaves under your squashes to keep them off the soil?

[JuicyGirl]

Cute frogs and great looking produce Cedar!!!

[Fungus]

Cute Frogs
I just looked outside at the pond and there was about 10 of the tadpoles eating a snail that'd fallen in ..

[cedarblue]

I Cedarblue... do you put big leaves under your squashes to keep them off the soil?

well i've got some small lumps of concrete & brick which i'm starting to use to lift them or they can rot or be nibbled easily.

oh dear - poor snail fungus!

[Aradia]

Here's today's harvest from my veggie garden.

I've got a huge pan of ratatouille on the stove. I've roasted the custard white marrows with some garlic which I'll freeze to turn into soup in the winter.

I ate loads of the cherry tomatoes before I got out of the polytunnel! But the rest I'll turn into a soup with ginger wine.

I'm going to fry up slices of aubergine with garlic, then top with sliced chillies and a dressing and let them cool to room temperature.

[cedarblue]

fantastic aradia!!

[Gorilla]

delicious looking veggies, cedar and Aradia!

[whalespace]

Well done Aradia.!... times like those the rest of the world could disappear for a while.
I grubbed up some garlic yesterday ... it is sooo fresh... no dry skin on it, and just a bit different inside.
My garlic habit is beyond hiding recently.
I have access to a new digital camera which needs testing, so hopefully I can find some interesting angles of my allotment.

[Aradia]

Much as I'd like to take the credit, it's really down to the sun, the soil and water ... I just watch, and tidy up after them a bit


Make the most of your wet garlic while you have it .. it dries sooo quickly! I love it roasted with a bit of oil or stock/wine ... or raw in salads. YUM!

[cedarblue]

what is the difference in taste 'tween wet & dry garlic?

[Aradia]

It's milder and sweeter. Less pungent, though still very very garlicy. It is much more like a vegetable then a seasoning.

Waitrose sometimes sell it, as your local farmers market will. Probably too late for it now though, but keep your eyes peeled.

[cedarblue]

beans & onion for yesterdays dinner



pink fir apple potatoes




and now some queries;

these little critters have stripped my nasturtium clean away - anyone identify the caterpillers?



and i have some toms in my polytunnel which seem to be growing lateral roots down the lower end of the stalk, anyone any advice on cause or remedy?

[cedarblue]

part 2

my toms are still all green in the tunnel. perhaps i planted them too close together and too much foliage to colour up? i have been stripping the lower leaves off and some in between.






aradia, how far apart do you plant your toms? have you a photo of the inside of your tunnel please?

[Aradia]

Pink Fir pots .. . *jelous, jelous, jelous* !!!

You tomatoes are getting shoots on the stem because they've been touching the ground I'll bet... did your plant fall over? or maybe a side shoot grew on and you didn't notice it awhile? It's normal , it's creating a "runner" for itself.

Don't worry about your toms still being green , they are even here in southern France. loads of my polytunnel toms are still green and all of the outdoor ones.

My toms are about 50cm apart. Will try and put a polytunnel shot up for you in the next day or two.

[cedarblue]

thanks

[harpy]

Are these like your caterpillars, cedar -

http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to...-caterpillars/

I know they are meant to go for nasturtiums as well as cabbages

[ichyBan]

damn. beautiful vegatables and gardens... was gonna post mine but its pretty pathetic lol maybe next year. I'll definately be looking to this forum for inspiration when the spring rolls around

[Aradia]

damn. beautiful vegatables and gardens... was gonna post mine but its pretty pathetic lol maybe next year. I'll definately be looking to this forum for inspiration when the spring rolls around

Post 'em, post 'em!!
I love looking at other folks veggies, no matter how modest.
Please post them

[cedarblue]

yes ichyban, all growing is good growing!

[Aradia]

I'll definately be looking to this forum for inspiration when the spring rolls around

Don't wait until Spring to get going .... you can plant garlic, onions, shallots, broad beans, etc in Autumn. It's really encouraging come the spring and the really big sessions start to already have some things growing well.

[snivelingchild]

I had two big tomatoes that looked about to ripen next week. Someone stole them, and ripped all the leaves of lettuce off of my teeny weeny plant. The tomatoes were still green, and the lettuce was NOTHING!! I hate the ghetto. Months of work, and 2/3 of the tomatoes that grew. And, when I discovered it, I noticed my eggplant was droopy, so I went to see if it needed support. When I picked it up, it snapped an inch from the ground...........GREAT.

[RubyDuby]

jerks.

[cedarblue]

[whalespace]

I hope you find lovely gardens soon snivellingchild. Perhaps the ghetto needs tougher pioneer plants which most folk do not recognize as being edible.

You might find something here :
http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/D_canned.html

Run by vegans... Some seeds available.

[cedarblue]

we're mizz today. our toms have all perished from tomato blight - just been out ripping them all out

still, there is still good stuff coming from the ol' patch

[snivelingchild]

I'm pretty sure all my cucumber plants died in the storm, and so far they've been the only plants to bring me fruit. In the next few days, I'll see if they come back to life.