God I love growing our own

[pargyle]

Not sure what to do about the cauliflowers - they were late seeds planted last year and are healthy but nearing potbound young plants ... I'm tempted to plant them out under cloches ...

Second planting of broad beans under mini-cloches in the greenhouse.

Onions, garlic and shallots coming up nicely.

Overwintering peas well up in the greenhouse but too early to plant out.

Sweet peas germinated about two weeks ago potted on into 3" pots ... should flower by May - second sowing already in.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Ah. Sweet peas. Thanks for the reminder.
Sowed Aubergines yesterday

 

[Erichalfbee]

What Potatoes are folk growing?

 

[pargyle]

What Potatoes are folk growing?

I'm going to put some Charlottes in as I love those early new potatoes and I can grow them in tubs, but I've given up on others as they always seem to get blight and it's frustrating when all you end up with is loads of gold ball sized potatoes.

 

[JamezF]

Much the same... I've always grown a couple of early varieties and some maincrop potatoes, but generally the maincrop ones eventually get blight (last year was an exception, I guess because it was so dry for so long). I had other problems this year though. I earthed up all the maincrop plants with compost and then the blackbirds kept digging it up because under the canopy of potato leaves was one of the few places moist enough for them to find food. I had to keep scraping the compost back and inevitably missed some plants.

This year I've decided that I can use the space for the maincrop varieties more profitably for more early ones. Normally I grow Charlotte and International Kidney (because that's the variety used for Jersey Royals which are a particular favourite of my wife). International Kidney seem to be harder to get hold of at the moment though (last year they were pretty much impossible to find). I've heard rumours that there were problems with the seed crop failing, but I don't know if that's correct. So given that and the extra space, this year I will be growing Charlotte, Nicola, Lady Christl and Duke of York. I would quite like to have grown Pink Fir Apple instead of the last, but that's again down to my wife: for some reason she's taken against knobbly potatoes.

James

 

[enrico]

Charlotte in tubs and a few in the ground. Put a late crop from the stored early crop in tubs for Christmas. Main crop we now only grow sagitta which is second early really but they are amazing taste and do everything. Chips and roasts are unbelievable and they boil and mash well too. Tried so many different ones before we decided on these two varieties

 

[Garry R]

I grow Pink Fir Apple - they are a bit straggly in habit but a good flavour and cropped well even with the drought. The shapes of the crop does cause raised eyebrows!!!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Belle de Fontenay is also a really tasty early potato

 

[JamezF]

Belle de Fontenay is also a really tasty early potato

I did consider that one. If I get objections to any of my choices for this year I will give it a go next year.

James

 

[Goran]

I ( my family) grow Kennebec potato for personal use, not commercial -light yellow skin, white flesh, holding nice in storage, nice taste, all round purpose good. Once we started planting it, we don't use any other.
What do You sow of Cucurbita maxima - squash varieties?

 

[JamezF]

What do You sow of Cucurbita maxima - squash varieties?

I've been growing butternut squashes for a few years. They seem to be a little bit marginal where I live and even the ones allegedly bred for the UK climate don't do particularly brilliantly outdoors, but they perform very well in the polytunnel and my daughter loves them. Last year I also grew a squash called Crown Prince which can get quite big (not as big as a pumpkin), but we've made some excellent soup from them. I also grew a spaghetti squash, mostly because it amuses me that they behave so oddly when cooked.

Two years ago I grew a variety called Uchiki Kuri (it has a few other names I think), but we didn't get much edible flesh per squash and no-one in the family was really keen on it, so I didn't bother with it last year.

James

 

[Goran]

I've been growing butternut squashes for a few years. They seem to be a little bit marginal where I live and even the ones allegedly bred for the UK climate don't do particularly brilliantly outdoors, but they perform very well in the polytunnel and my daughter loves them. Last year I also grew a squash called Crown Prince which can get quite big (not as big as a pumpkin), but we've made some excellent soup from them. I also grew a spaghetti squash, mostly because it amuses me that they behave so oddly when cooked.

Two years ago I grew a variety called Uchiki Kuri (it has a few other names I think), but we didn't get much edible flesh per squash and no-one in the family was really keen on it, so I didn't bother with it last year.

James

We ( my family) like these cucurbita maxima A LOT. Just cut in half and put in the oven.. Later just spoon.. These butternut we also grow, but they are not tasty as its bigger relative (*maxima). Usually we scrub butternut squash for sweet cakes. Soups we don't have habit to make, even we know it can be used as soup, some people we know make it. Soups we usually make of hen, fungi ( Boletus edulis - penny bun, cep or how You call it), tomato. Uchiri Kuri is what we have in shops as " hokaido" squash, but not much grown or used..
We like " big, fat, grey" for the oven.. in winter months, especially we try to have it for Christmas Eve.. But less and less You can find seeds of it in shops.. Less and less people have gardens and harder to get seeds in exchange..

 

[enrico]

We ( my family) like these cucurbita maxima A LOT. Just cut in half and put in the oven.. Later just spoon.. These butternut we also grow, but they are not tasty as its bigger relative (*maxima). Usually we scrub butternut squash for sweet cakes. Soups we don't have habit to make, even we know it can be used as soup, some people we know make it. Soups we usually make of hen, fungi ( Boletus edulis - penny bun, cep or how You call it), tomato. Uchiri Kuri is what we have in shops as " hokaido" squash, but not much grown or used..
We like " big, fat, grey" for the oven.. in winter months, especially we try to have it for Christmas Eve.. But less and less You can find seeds of it in shops.. Less and less people have gardens and harder to get seeds in exchange..

I think there are many types of cucurbita maxima. It is a type rather than a specific. They are sweeter than others.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Potatoes all go in bags and we start them off in the poly tunnel. Slugs eat them in the ground.
Charlotte and King Edwards always. I’ve added Salad Blue this year. Makes great mash.
We bring the potatoes back into the polytunnel when they are ready to harvest and leave them there in the sacs to use as needed. I’ve never managed to keep spuds stored in sacs without them sprouting.
Not heard of Sagitta. Will have to look them up.
Squashes did very well.
I like Uchiki Kuri. Picked young the skin is tender and you don’t have to peel it.
The other is Gill’s Golden Pippin. Both store well.

 

[pargyle]

Spent the afternoon in the greenhouse sieving compost and making up seed compost... then put in some seeds in the greenhouse under cover, sunflower, cosmos, Zinnia, Nigella, Roma tomatoes (Not sure why I'm bothering - they ALWAYS get blight), basil, parsley & chillies. Sorted out all the plastic plant pots into stacks by size and had a bit of a tidy up but nothing outside as the sun went in and its rained again most of the afternoon.

Although it's raining it's very mild and I suspect it will be warm enough for germination down here on the Costa del Fareham. I have a couple of paraffin greenhouse heaters if it turns frosty ...

 

[JamezF]

The only way I've found to slow down blight on tomatoes is to grow them under cover. Even then they succumb eventually (except last year, I assume because it was so dry), but I find it takes much longer. I've had spare plants that I've put in pots outdoors get absolutely hammered by blight by late July or early August whereas the same variety barely five metres away in the polytunnel might be fine until mid October.

James

 

[JamezF]

The other is Gill’s Golden Pippin. Both store well.

Not one I'd heard of. I shall see how I'm doing for space in the main plot and think about giving them a try if there's sufficient room. Given that my daughter is now mostly vegetarian, anything that gives a bit more variation to meals without meat is always welcome.

James

 

[pargyle]

The only way I've found to slow down blight on tomatoes is to grow them under cover. Even then they succumb eventually (except last year, I assume because it was so dry), but I find it takes much longer. I've had spare plants that I've put in pots outdoors get absolutely hammered by blight by late July or early August whereas the same variety barely five metres away in the polytunnel might be fine until mid October.

James

Yes ... I rather fear it's a forlorn hope with Roma ...I'm going to grow then in fresh compost in tubs (empty invertbee containers with the tops cut off and holes for drainage - I have loads) and put a screen around them. I live in hope ...

 

[enrico]

The only way I've found to slow down blight on tomatoes is to grow them under cover. Even then they succumb eventually (except last year, I assume because it was so dry), but I find it takes much longer. I've had spare plants that I've put in pots outdoors get absolutely hammered by blight by late July or early August whereas the same variety barely five metres away in the polytunnel might be fine until mid October.

James

Touch wood we don't suffer from blight. We always grow tomatoes as early as possible under cover and try never yo get moisture on the leaves. Only water the soil. Probably just been lucky!

 

[pargyle]

Touch wood we don't suffer from blight. We always grow tomatoes as early as possible under cover and try never yo get moisture on the leaves. Only water the soil. Probably just been lucky!

The problem with blight is that it stays in the soil ... the spores (once it has been introduced into a location) are airborne - they thrive best in moist environments and warm damp weather is pretty near ideal. I managed at home for several years and had some lovely crops ... but one year, rather than growing my own from seed, (I was a bit late getting started) and I bought in some well established plants in 8" pots ... and all of them got blight ... and I've had it in the garden ever since !

I rather suspect I inadvertently introduced it into my garden ... and now it's here ... stuffed.