God I love growing our own

[JamezF]

Does anyone know a good variety of tomato that grows well without a greenhouse?

I don't grow tomatoes outdoors, but I get quite a few of my seeds from Real Seeds and they have some that they list as suitable for growing outdoors on these pages:

Vine Tomato Seeds to buy in the UK from The Real Seed Catalogue
Bush Tomato Seeds to buy in the UK from The Real Seed Catalogue

Generally it seems that picking "heritage" varieties originating in countries with cooler climates is the way to go.

On the subject of runner beans, Real Seeds also do a variety called Czar that I've grown for a couple of years now. Rather than freezing them I pod the excess beans (which are white and look a lot like butter beans) and dry them which means they can be stored in Kilner jars rather than taking up valuable freezer space.

James

 

[Ely]

I don't grow tomatoes outdoors, but I get quite a few of my seeds from Real Seeds and they have some that they list as suitable for growing outdoors on these pages:

Vine Tomato Seeds to buy in the UK from The Real Seed Catalogue
Bush Tomato Seeds to buy in the UK from The Real Seed Catalogue

Generally it seems that picking "heritage" varieties originating in countries with cooler climates is the way to go.

On the subject of runner beans, Real Seeds also do a variety called Czar that I've grown for a couple of years now. Rather than freezing them I pod the excess beans (which are white and look a lot like butter beans) and dry them which means they can be stored in Kilner jars rather than taking up valuable freezer space.

James

Great. Thank you!

 

[Lazy K]

My outside tomatoes were pretty much a failure last year EXCEPT Black Beauties which were late ripening but prolific and delicious. I live in the USA so your results may differ.
Back on the subject of passion fruit: I may try it in my greenhouse. Last year I grew Jelly Melons (kiwano) in my green house and got over 35 fruits from 1 vine. Unfortunately, Jelly melons are a totally worthless fruit (in my opinion) but fortunately my chickens LOVE the fruit!! I'll be growing it again for them. Maybe they'll like passion fruit too.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

the runner beans were lovely but didn't freeze well

strange - freezing down runner beans for winter use has been a thing with the family for decades and a lot of freezer space has always been kept for runner beans - de stringed, cut up and bagged they've tasted as good as the fresh ones when a bowlful was put on the table on Christmas day.

 

[Goran]

My outside tomatoes were pretty much a failure last year EXCEPT Black Beauties which were late ripening but prolific and delicious. I live in the USA so your results may differ.
Back on the subject of passion fruit: I may try it in my greenhouse. Last year I grew Jelly Melons (kiwano) in my green house and got over 35 fruits from 1 vine. Unfortunately, Jelly melons are a totally worthless fruit (in my opinion) but fortunately my chickens LOVE the fruit!! I'll be growing it again for them. Maybe they'll like passion fruit too.

Few decades ago we got in touch with kiwano - we sow them, but when it grows we also were really disappointed. They taste like overripe cucumber left for the seed.. I saw there some advertisement of dwarf guava and papaya fruit trees.. Maybe worth a try?

 

[Ely]

We froze them whole. Perhaps that had something to do with it. Either that or the variety. I cant remember what they were now

 

[pargyle]

I'm going to grow French beans as well as runner beans this year, the runner beans were lovely but didn't freeze well. Other than that, tomatoes, kale, spinach, radish and spring onion. I need to let the runners grow on the Strawberries this year to replace next year. Does anyone know a good variety of tomato that grows well without a greenhouse?

The only way to freeze runners is to get to them very early .. if you leave them until the beans start to show in the pod they become very leathery when you freeze them. Runners are so prolific that you can afford to pick them young as the more you pick the more they produce. I don't blanch mine - I just wash, dry, chop and freeze on a tray - then vacuum pack them in portion sizes.

I grow french beans as well ... Cobra and Blue Lake - climbers and incredibly quick growing and productive. They freeze well - again, I treat them the same as runners, just top and tail - pick them when they are really thin sticks and they freeze without blanching and subsequently cook beautifully.

My favourite tomato for growing outdoors is Maskotka - medium sized fruit, bush variety so no pinching out - lots of fruit as they are really heavy croppers from June right through to September (if you are lucky with tomato blight).

 

[Moobee]

Put some Sweet Potatoes to spout this week. Hoping to grow on in the poly tunnel once I get the slips grown on.

I’ve never had much luck getting sweet potatoes to sprout…. what’s your method?

 

[enrico]

I’ve never had much luck getting sweet potatoes to sprout…. what’s your method?

We can get the to root in compost or the small ones we stick a cocktail stick in each side and balance on a glass so the bottom just touches the water.

 

[philipm]

The sweet potatoes were a dismal failure last year spouting in water, I,m trying them in damp sand this year and made sure that I bought them from our local farm shop less chance of the tubers being sprayed with growth retardent.

 

[Ely]

Great advice. Thank you

 

[Amari]

I'm going to grow French beans as well as runner beans this year, the runner beans were lovely but didn't freeze well. Other than that, tomatoes, kale, spinach, radish and spring onion. I need to let the runners grow on the Strawberries this year to replace next year. Does anyone know a good variety of tomato that grows well without a greenhouse?

You north folk were favoured cf. us south folk: those of us who grew runner beans on our local allotment had a very poor crop - poor pollination and poor growth of each bean. We blamed the severe drought.

 

[pargyle]

The sweet potatoes were a dismal failure last year spouting in water, I,m trying them in damp sand this year and made sure that I bought them from our local farm shop less chance of the tubers being sprayed with growth retardent.

Two things ...

1. The ones sold in supermarkets are generally suitable for warm climates and may not perform well here. You will get better results if you buy one or two tubers of a variety like Georgia Jet (if you can find them - my last ones came from Romania). They are designed to work in a short, temperate, growing season and are not treated with the growth inhibitors that the supermarket ones often are.

2, Getting your slips started. Suspend the tuber in a jar of water with the bottom third in the water. I prefer not to stick cocktail sticks in it - I find a jar that the opening fits the tuber and allows it to sit in the water with the top sticking out. They really do like heat - I put mine on the top of the central heating boiler to get them started. Change the water in the jar regularly and don't let the tuber dry out.

The slips will grow - and develop their own small root system - once they get to 3" or 4" tall just break them off and plant in a small pot to grow on. The tubers I've always had have thrown up more slips than I could ever use and I ended up giving them away ...

 

[JamezF]

In his efforts to get rid of some bindweed my father-in-law seems to have managed to kill most of the autumn raspberries last year. I suspect he's been playing with Roundup again because there's also a large area of grass that's disappeared around one of his flower beds that had been a bit overrun by weeds. I really don't like him using it, not least because he seems to have no understanding of how lethal it is.

So today I've been digging the remains out and getting rid of as much of the bindweed as I can. Already have some more ready to go in, which is tomorrow's job. He will be not be spraying them with anything from now on, if I have to break his remaining fingers to make sure...

James

 

[Garry R]

As regards outdoor tomatoes a friend of mine always grows Red Alert in pots outside and reckons they are ready before his greenhouse ones. Will give them a go and will report back.

 

[Moobee]

I'm going to grow French beans as well as runner beans this year, the runner beans were lovely but didn't freeze well. Other than that, tomatoes, kale, spinach, radish and spring onion. I need to let the runners grow on the Strawberries this year to replace next year. Does anyone know a good variety of tomato that grows well without a greenhouse?

Red Alert is a great bush tomato that does well on a sunny patio and that old reliable one - Gardeners Delight.

 

[Moobee]

As regards outdoor tomatoes a friend of mine always grows Red Alert in pots outside and reckons they are ready before his greenhouse ones. Will give them a go and will report back.

Ditto - I grow them every year in a sunny spot - always the first to fruit and a lovely sweet tomato.

 

[Bettenham]

In his efforts to get rid of some bindweed my father-in-law seems to have managed to kill most of the autumn raspberries last year. I suspect he's been playing with Roundup again because there's also a large area of grass that's disappeared around one of his flower beds that had been a bit overrun by weeds. I really don't like him using it, not least because he seems to have no understanding of how lethal it is.

So today I've been digging the remains out and getting rid of as much of the bindweed as I can. Already have some more ready to go in, which is tomorrow's job. He will be not be spraying them with anything from now on, if I have to break his remaining fingers to make sure...

James

Raspberries are really susceptible to roundup - the merest whiff! Been there and done that.

On another note I've succumbed and bought some Sagitta seed pots having said I haven't room! and on recommendation from brother some Valor - which I haven't heard of before.
Need to find some room somehow!

 

[pargyle]

Raspberries are really susceptible to roundup - the merest whiff! Been there and done that.

On another note I've succumbed and bought some Sagitta seed pots having said I haven't room! and on recommendation from brother some Valor - which I haven't heard of before.
Need to find some room somehow!

Potato grow bags are really good ... can be sited anywhere there is space, moved around if necessary, reduce rhe incidence of slug and wireworm damage and are easy to earth up as the plants grow. In the years when I've managed to avoid blight I've had some really good crops out of them. Dead easy to harvest as well ... just tip them out into a wheelbarrow ...

 

[Erichalfbee]

Potato grow bags are really good ... can be sited anywhere there is space, moved around if necessary, reduce rhe incidence of slug and wireworm damage and are easy to earth up as the plants grow. In the years when I've managed to avoid blight I've had some really good crops out of them. Dead easy to harvest as well ... just tip them out into a wheelbarrow ...

I put all our spuds in bags. I don’t bother earthing them up just fill to the top in one go.