God I love growing our own

[JamezF]

I had two apple trees stripped clean in a couple of days, during the drought, never saw this before, It seems that when the word got around it was a free for all, both little and large?

Same thing happened to our cherries. I love cherries and was really looking forward to picking some, but one day they were there, looking almost ripe, and the next they were gone

James

 

[enrico]

Loads of Bramley apples falling early. Still loads on the tree but the fall is far more than the usual thin out. Good apples but not quite ripe.

 

[JamezF]

Loads of Bramley apples falling early. Still loads on the tree but the fall is far more than the usual thin out. Good apples but not quite ripe.

We have a fair few Bramleys that have fallen, too. From the mess I suspect that foxes and/or badgers are helping to clean them up.

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Same thing happened to our cherries. I love cherries and was really looking forward to picking some, but one day they were there, looking almost ripe, and the next they were gone

James

it's the story of our cherry tree - hadn't had one fruit since we planted it, it seems they just sit and wait until they are on the point of being ripe and grab them, we thought it would be different this year as there were loads and the birds weren't taking any interest. Then we had a storm which blew them all off!!

 

[drex]

Mine are on dwarf root stock in a cage but the rats and squirrels still get them all the day before I was going to pick

 

[enrico]

On the sunny side, it's going to be a bumper crop of walnuts

 

[MJNT]

looking for some advice from knowledgeable gardeners...I had a raised bed garden built ostensibly to grow flowers for daughters wedding to justify the expense but have incorporated asparagus / blueberries / artichokes etc and raspberries....unfortunately I planted a mix of raspberries ...both autumn and summer fruiting and I know you have to prune them differently but both look the same and both have fruited not brilliantly for a while so I can't tell which is which. Is there a way to tell the difference so I know which to cut down and which to tie in the new growth from?

 

[JamezF]

On the sunny side, it's going to be a bumper crop of walnuts

I'll settle for "a crop". Our walnut isn't very old and I've not had anything from it yet.

James

 

[Swarm]

Loads of Bramley apples falling early. Still loads on the tree but the fall is far more than the usual thin out. Good apples but not quite ripe.

Never seen so many apples on ours, some of the windfalls are getting bigger, we've been amazed at our fruit crop this year as the birds usually beat us to it.

 

[enrico]

looking for some advice from knowledgeable gardeners...I had a raised bed garden built ostensibly to grow flowers for daughters wedding to justify the expense but have incorporated asparagus / blueberries / artichokes etc and raspberries....unfortunately I planted a mix of raspberries ...both autumn and summer fruiting and I know you have to prune them differently but both look the same and both have fruited not brilliantly for a while so I can't tell which is which. Is there a way to tell the difference so I know which to cut down and which to tie in the new growth from?

The best way is to look at the base of the plant. In general the summer raspberries will be the first to send up new shoots and at that point you can cut the old canes out. Sadly this isn't a perfect solution as the weather has made them do really odd things! Good luck

 

[Bryang]

I'm afraid not. It's not a problem I've ever had. The biggest problem this year with the maincrop potatoes is the blackbirds keep digging them up! Because of the lack of rain I think under the foliage is I think the only place that is likely to be moist enough for beetles and other stuff that they eat to live. So having put a load of compost on the plants to earth them up, the blackbirds have spent weeks digging in it for food and unearthing the potatoes in the process

James

The only pest that digs up my spuds are rats, I hate the things. They also took a lot of my peas in past years. I have convinced the pigeon fanciers in the adjoining plot to take the scrapings from the cot to he rubbish dump

 

[pargyle]

looking for some advice from knowledgeable gardeners...I had a raised bed garden built ostensibly to grow flowers for daughters wedding to justify the expense but have incorporated asparagus / blueberries / artichokes etc and raspberries....unfortunately I planted a mix of raspberries ...both autumn and summer fruiting and I know you have to prune them differently but both look the same and both have fruited not brilliantly for a while so I can't tell which is which. Is there a way to tell the difference so I know which to cut down and which to tie in the new growth from?

The autumn fruiting ones fruit on the new growth so, with a bit of luck it will still be a bit green and bendy ... the summer fruiting ones fruit on the previous years growth and the old growth will go hard and woody after they have fruited. So ... what you need to do is have a close look at the canes - if it's new growth coming up from the ground that does not have fruit on it by the end of this month then the chances are that they will be your summer fruiting canes that need staking ready for them to fruit next year ... and brown canes coming up from the same root ball will need to be cut back. If it is new growth that has fruit now and for the next month or so on it then that's going to be your autumn fruiting ones and will need to be cut back after they have fruited.

Buy a couple of rolls of coloured insulating tape ... and as you decide which are which put a bit of blue tape round the canes of what you think are summer ones and a piece of red tape arounf what you think are autumn. You don't need to cut them back until well into winter by which time the summer fruiting canes will be hard and woody and the autumn fruiting will be more pliable. Marking them up now will give you an easy steer about which are which and if you are not sure by October/November you will be able to make a second judgement.

Keep the tape on the summer fruiting ones so you will know next year which are which ...

Alternatively, cut them all back to about 2 feet tall ... cut any weedy canes out and next year you will find that the summer canes will fruit and the autumn ones will throw up runners which will fruit later. (Mind you, you can get an early crop from some Autumn varieties if you leave a few feet of last years canes in place so it's not as reliable as the above).

 

[Blunt Spike]

We have been picking apples and plums today. The Mrs makes flavoured vodkas - apple n rhubarb and plum, and sloe gin and damson gin. We should have Nocino this year too.

 

[JamezF]

I'm really not a fan of gin, but sloe vodka is always on my list of things to make. Raspberry vodka too.

What variety of apple have you been picking today? I'm not sure even my earliest variety (Katy) is ready before September.

James

 

[MJNT]

Thanks for advice. I’ll have a go. Never grown raspberries before

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thanks for advice. I’ll have a go. Never grown raspberries before

I'm a real sucker for raspberries. Any spare go in a little 4oz pot drizzled with honey and frozen. Great to go on my porridge in the morning or use a few for a trifle or Victoria sponge.

 

[Goran]

We will have wild pear brandy/schnapps ( our name " rakija") this year.. Picking is bit annoying, but hope result make it worth.. Now they are in the vat.. Traditionally we make for our needs brandy or how you call it ( plums, pears).. Quite recently on one sad occasion we gave one bottle of about 20 years old plum brandy and not few said never drink so good brandy.. It doesn't mean our brandy is superb, more to say what junk is sold in shops or.. We used to say our brandy is what brandy should be..

 

[JamezF]

We will have wild pear brandy/schnapps ( our name " rakija") this year.. Picking is bit annoying, but hope result make it worth.. Now they are in the vat.. Traditionally we make for our needs brandy or how you call it ( plums, pears)..

That sounds fascinating. I've heard of slivovitz (which I think is made from plums?) but never tried it, and I wasn't aware that similar products were made from other fruit.

Presumably you press the fruit to get the juices to run, allow the mixture to ferment, strain off the liquid and distill it?

James

 

[pargyle]

That sounds fascinating. I've heard of slivovitz (which I think is made from plums?) but never tried it, and I wasn't aware that similar products were made from other fruit.

Presumably you press the fruit to get the juices to run, allow the mixture to ferment, strain off the liquid and distill it?

James

Slivovirz... aka rocket fuel... brings back a few yugoslav memories... plums so very delicious by the kilo and slivovitz after our evening meal... always slept well after one or two... comatose after three or four!

 

[Goran]

That sounds fascinating. I've heard of slivovitz (which I think is made from plums?) but never tried it, and I wasn't aware that similar products were made from other fruit.

Presumably you press the fruit to get the juices to run, allow the mixture to ferment, strain off the liquid and distill it?

James

Yes, slivovitz ( šljivovica) is plum " rakija". In fact the most popular here. But people make it of various fruits.. In fact plums we don't press, we pick them ripe, fill the vat and wait it finish fermentation than sip into " happy machine" to distil..
When I was a kid in the villages almost each house had one distiller, and when they start to make rakija.. not rarely some end into ditches cause of problem with " gravity".. Also, newly made rakija ( " young") is the best only to taste it not to drink lot, it needs to settle to enjoy in it.