God I love growing our own

[Aneebe]

We have something similar, a youngberry, but you only realise how nice it is once cooked . A bit pippy though but great in an apple pie

Yes, tart would be the word but reading up on it suggests a great jam. Thanks for the pie idea. I will try it.

 

[Murox]

Tayberries are easy. Treat like blackberries for cooking , jams etc flavour can be a little 'winey' but pleasant. The thorny ones can be a pain I kept mine under control by being quite ruthless at pruning time and also cut out some as the new stems grew so as to restrict it.

 

[pargyle]

Recycling beekeeping stuff, my pathetic outdoor tomatoes (so far blight free) and utilising the hen run for a bit more space until we get some more ... not yet out of the woods with avian flu.

 

[pargyle]

Loganberries are starting to ripen but a good 2 weeks later than normal. The birds are having tp be patient. I generally keep them off with a fleece cover and it also helps the ripening with the extra bit of warmth - especially needed this year. Broad beans look good but flowers not being fertilised . Early cabbage good and as observed barely a cabbage whjte butterfly compared to other years.

My Loganberries are very late this year and the fruits are very small compared to previous years - unless they start to big up I will probably leave them for the birds ... broad beans are coming into their own - 3rd sowing is already a foot high and I'm picking sowings one and two almost daily - the rain has discouraged black fly - no sign of them at all so far.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Are they getting enough light there. I daren't post a pic of mine....maybe I might
Good idea with those invert cans

 

[enrico]

Peas are giving an excellent crop

 

[JamezF]

Are they getting enough light there. I daren't post a pic of mine....maybe I might
Good idea with those invert cans

I've posted already that my tomatoes are struggling too My father-in-law's are doing pretty well though. The difference is that he sowed his about a month earlier than I did, which carries its own risk of the small plants being hit by frost (and they have been, in some years). This year however I think it meant that his seedlings got to put on a decent amount of growth in that early spell of warmer weather before it turned cold and wet once again and that has seen them through.

As I said a few posts back, I don't really see a solution to this sort of problem long-term other than saving large amounts of seed and making successional sowings in the hope that one hits the "sweet spot".

James

 

[pargyle]

Are they getting enough light there. I daren't post a pic of mine....maybe I might
Good idea with those invert cans

It's the sunniest place in the garden - faces almost due South ... they are sturdy enough (these are the blight free tomato seeds I saved last year) they are just being very slow to grow. I have a theory that they don't like the stop start weather we are having down here on the Costa del Fareham - I was talking to other local gardeners at the allotmenty shop this morning and they were saying that they were much the same - the ones in greenhouses and polytunnels ae doing fine - but the outdoor ones are slow.

The Invert cans are really good. I drill 4 holes for drainage about an inch up from the bottom so there's a reservoir of moisture. The hole through the cap with a matching hole in the bottom of the can locates the cane and a couple of cable ties one above the cap one below keeps the cane in place. They worked really well last year and so I made some more this year. They are really sturdy even when the top has been cut out.

 

[Amari]

Potato blight alert!
Yesterday on our allotment I noticed that potato Ratte (main crop, planted first week April) is considerably afflicted with blight. Second earlys Charlotte and Casablanca (first root dug today, planted last week of March) and Desirée (main crop planted second week April) only slightly affected. Neighbour's earlys also smitten. I've sprayed with a copper sulphate mixture - maybe too late?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Will copper sulphate prevent blight, Giles?

 

[pargyle]

Will copper sulphate prevent blight, Giles?

Bordeaux mixture is banned for amateur treatment in the UK.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Does it have any deleterious effects on people?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Does it have any deleterious effects on people?

Scrub that
Can you use copper sulphate without the lime? Like this?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Copper sulphate is a powerful oxidizing agent and depending upon the dose ingested, it can lead to widespread cellular damage. The systemic effects of poisoning are seen primarily on red blood cells, gastrointestinal system, kidneys and cardiovascular system. The ingestion of poison can be lethal in severe cases.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Copper sulphate is a powerful oxidizing agent and depending upon the dose ingested, it can lead to widespread cellular damage. The systemic effects of poisoning are seen primarily on red blood cells, gastrointestinal system, kidneys and cardiovascular system. The ingestion of poison can be lethal in severe cases.

That’s a no, then.

 

[Garry R]

If you die of copper sulphate poisoning do the flames turn blue in the crematorium?

 

[Amari]

Will copper sulphate prevent blight, Giles?

Bordeaux mixture is banned for amateur treatment in the UK.

Copper sulphate is a powerful oxidizing agent and depending upon the dose ingested, it can lead to widespread cellular damage. The systemic effects of poisoning are seen primarily on red blood cells, gastrointestinal system, kidneys and cardiovascular system. The ingestion of poison can be lethal in severe cases.

Bordeaux mixture (copper sulphate & calcium oxide) and Burgundy mixture (copper sulphate and sodium carbonate) have been used for many decades to prevent potato blight ie. best used pre-emptively rather than reactively. It was banned for amateur use about five years ago because, as far as I can tell, the copper can build up in the soil and harm earthworms. I have not managed to find evidence of harm to humans but I have asked the BMA to do a literature search. It is still used for spraying fruit trees. I have had scarcely any blight over several years so have not used the spray - so no danger of build-up in the soil. Both mixtures can still be purchased eg Vitax but now advertised as a mineral supplement for plant growth - JBM, do I remember that you use oxalic acid for cleaning the woodwork of your boat?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgundy_mixture

 

[pargyle]

Bordeaux mixture (copper sulphate & calcium oxide) and Burgundy mixture (copper sulphate and sodium carbonate) have been used for many decades to prevent potato blight ie. best used pre-emptively rather than reactively. It was banned for amateur use about five years ago because, as far as I can tell, the copper can build up in the soil and harm earthworms. I have not managed to find evidence of harm to humans but I have asked the BMA to do a literature search. It is still used for spraying fruit trees. I have had scarcely any blight over several years so have not used the spray - so no danger of build-up in the soil. Both mixtures can still be purchased eg Vitax but now advertised as a mineral supplement for plant growth - JBM, do I remember that you use oxalic acid for cleaning the woodwork of your boat?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgundy_mixture

Yes ... the restricted use classification came in in 2013 (time flies as you get older !) and the reason was the damage that excess copper (a powerful fungicide - hence copper bottomed ships and copper base antifoul that used to be allowed) in the soil was potentially doing to the soil ecosystems as a consequence of over enthusiastic use by amateurs - presumably the commercial users are more conscious of the damage it can do. I've had blight at my allotment in potatoes but I've never used copper sulphate or bordeaux mixture - just cut the foliage off and lift the potatoes early - might be a bit smaller but that's nature isn't it ?

 

[Garry R]

might be a bit smaller but that's nature isn't it ?

Yes - but that's old age too!!

 

[Garry R]

Tayberries are easy. Treat like blackberries for cooking , jams etc flavour can be a little 'winey' but pleasant. The thorny ones can be a pain I kept mine under control by being quite ruthless at pruning time and also cut out some as the new stems grew so as to restrict it.

For my loganberries, in the spring before any new growth gets started I paint a splodge of white emulsion paint at the base of the previous years growth. It makes it really easy to identify what needs to be pruned in the autumn and what to leave.