God I love growing our own

[jenkinsbrynmair]

is my are with the hand down the crack

I think you missed the 'S' out

 

[enrico]

I think you missed the 'S' out

 

[JamezF]

Today's harvest. Loads more tomatoes, and the spaghetti squashes that were in the polytunnel -- the plant had started to die back, so I decided I might as well get rid of it and get them out of the way.

James

 

[JamezF]

Yes, those are spare 15lb honey buckets

James

 

[Bryang]

This year we had strike of Tetranychus urticae ( red spider mite). I had to deal it with acaricides. It took me on surprise, but managed to cut the s..t down.. It also stroke in greenhouse. Now I have one more thing to worry about in future..
Of tomatoes, we are somewhat old fashioned big ones ( " honey heart, " ox heart", " pear tomato" and similar.. Don't like tiny tomatoes ( only our kid wants it in his garden, but even him don't eat it much).. Lot of it is " cooked" and in the freezer..
Apology, I wrote the name wrong, now I corrected.

I had terrible problems with red spider mites. I tried 2 types of "predators" to control them... AMBLYSEIUS ANDERSONI, which work at high and low temperatures ( found these were good).. and PHYTOSEIOLUS, which work better at high temperatures... There is also a fungus available, BEAUVERIA BASSIANA.

 

[JamezF]

Over the very warm period of this summer I found it quite unpleasant to be outdoors much of the time, so the veggie plot has got a little bit away from me in terms of keeping up with the weeding and suchlike. This week I've been catching up before they run to seed, so the plot is mostly weed-free once again, and then clearing some of the plants that we no longer need such as the calabrese and romanesco cauliflowers. The plot is starting to look a little bare in places.

I have a large pile of seeds for various lettuces and mustards that I'm going to start sowing for winter. Two years ago this worked really well. Last year it wasn't so great as the weather seemed to mean that plants either ran to seed immediately or didn't get going at all depending on when I sowed them. This year I'm probably going to try planting a few seeds of each variety every week or so in the hope that at some point I'll hit the sweet spot. The ones that end up being ready too early may end up going into the main plot rather than the polytunnel. I had a few problems with greenfly in the polytunnel in the early part of this year and I think to avoid that I need a period when it is completely plant free rather than planting the winter salads up immediately the tomatoes and peppers come out.

James

 

[JamezF]

Oh, speaking of the bare areas in the plot, I'm considering picking up a packet or two of whatever broad beans are cheapest and filling those areas with the plants. Not particularly for a harvest, but just to act as a cover crop for the winter that will fix nitrogen for next year. They can be cut and composted once I need the space in the Spring and if we happen to get any beans from them it's a bonus.

James

 

[pargyle]

Oh, speaking of the bare areas in the plot, I'm considering picking up a packet or two of whatever broad beans are cheapest and filling those areas with the plants. Not particularly for a harvest, but just to act as a cover crop for the winter that will fix nitrogen for next year. They can be cut and composted once I need the space in the Spring and if we happen to get any beans from them it's a bonus.

James

Aqudulce Claudia broad beans overwinter really well and will give you a nice early crop before the dreaded blackfly become a nuisance ...

 

[JamezF]

Aqudulce Claudia broad beans overwinter really well and will give you a nice early crop before the dreaded blackfly become a nuisance ...

That's the variety I usually grow, though I tend to wait until late January to sow them here. Ideally I'd prefer not to leave ground bare over the winter though so plans may need to change.

I got almost all my winter salad sowing done today. As well as the lettuces that I've grown all year anyhow, I've also sown various mustards, rocket, more coriander, leaf radish, red chard (which probably won't get planted out in the main beds because the deer eat it all), corn salad, land cress, spinach, dill and chervil. For early crops next year I've also sown salad onions, radish and cabbage.

At that point I ran out of compost. Unfortunately I'm coaching swimmers in Taunton at stupid o'clock tomorrow morning, but it will at least mean I can pick up some more on the way home as well as getting a few other things done. In an attempt to avoid using compost containing either peat or coir I've been using sieved green waste compost for sowing this year, but whilst it has worked I've not been completely happy with it. I'm going to have to go back to the commercial stuff for a while until I come up with a better solution. A mixture of sieved soil and green waste compost might work better, but at the moment I don't have time to experiment to get the proportions right.

James

 

[Skinfaxi]

Everything here is winding down but pumpkins and courgettes still coming. I'm afraid some courgettes are ending up in the compost bin.
Aubergines suffered badly in the heat...producing anaemic looking misshapen fruit but now seem to have picked up. I've been grilling slices and freezing for later.

They need high humidity damp down the grow area

 

[Erichalfbee]

They need high humidity damp down the grow area

Thanks.

 

[Skinfaxi]

Thanks.

Also it should stress red spider mites out a bit to. They like it warm and dry

 

[E&MBees]

Very pleased with the cucumbers this year. We have had a bumper crop. It’s called Passandra.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes we always grow far too many. This year we have Mini Munch which we have almost kept up with.
Thus afternoon’s haul is these

 

[Erichalfbee]

And I thought I’d have a go at raisins. Very pleased.

 

[JamezF]

And I thought I’d have a go at raisins. Very pleased.

Marvellous! Another use for the solar wax extractor

I've also been harvesting squashes this weekend though I still have to collect the butternut squashes from the polytunnel. Even more bare patches are appearing in the plot I stopped off at a local garden centre on Friday to pick up some broad bean seeds and they had no veggie seeds on display at all!

I've also been stringing onions, which have been drying on a bodged up rack above one of the compost bays for the last few weeks.

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

Does anybody have a food dehydrator?

 

[JamezF]

Does anybody have a food dehydrator?

We do. Mostly it gets used for drying fruit and making fruit leathers.

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

Now why did I KNOW you would?
Is it something you might recommend?
Is it something you use frequently ?

 

[pargyle]

Does anybody have a food dehydrator?

Me....