Runner beans

[simonforeman]

What eats your potatoes - wire worms ? I used to have the same problem with whites - absolutely riddled with work holes - by the time 'er indoors had pared them with a knife and cut the holes out (she's a bit fussy and despite my training with a potato peeler there's more peelings than is left !).

But .. last year I changed to Desiree and Roosters .. no holes whatsoever ! There are still peelings more than potatoes but at least they survive the hole culling !

I'm trying sweet potatoes in potato bags for the first time this year - have some hope for a semi tropical Costa del Fareham ...

I grew sweet potatoes in bags of compost last year they grew like triffids so had high Hope's..... got 2 average potatoes out of the 3 bags. Not growing this year...lol

 

[pargyle]

I grew sweet potatoes in bags of compost last year they grew like triffids so had high Hope's..... got 2 average potatoes out of the 3 bags. Not growing this year...lol

Yeh ... I'm not holding my hopes up .. the family really like sweet potatoes and so it's a bit of a challenge from them to grow something they want to eat !

I know they are difficult to grow in our climate .. time will tell. I'll let you know how I get on. The first challenge is getting the slips ready.. 3 tubers in jars of water on top of the central heating boiler !

 

[simonforeman]

Yeh ... I'm not holding my hopes up .. the family really like sweet potatoes and so it's a bit of a challenge from them to grow something they want to eat !

I know they are difficult to grow in our climate .. time will tell. I'll let you know how I get on. The first challenge is getting the slips ready.. 3 tubers in jars of water on top of the central heating boiler !

Good luck

 

[Curly green finger's]

Yeh ... I'm not holding my hopes up .. the family really like sweet potatoes and so it's a bit of a challenge from them to grow something they want to eat !

I know they are difficult to grow in our climate .. time will tell. I'll let you know how I get on. The first challenge is getting the slips ready.. 3 tubers in jars of water on top of the central heating boiler !

I found this video on growing sweet potatoes, I've never tried growing these before.
https://www.google.com/search?q=how...droid-huawei&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#

 

[Curly green finger's]

Bugger all - haven't you listened? it's too early in this area to plant much out, following my grandfather's lead we had rhubarb (not forced) for Easter and once the chance of frost has passed we will be planting out greenhouse raised veg instead of garden planting the seeds end of April as usual (pity she didn't at least sow some stuff just so she could see that the greenhouse head start is lost around here as soon as they go out)

Perhaps I should of asked what your harvesting in your tunnel or green house.
Tradition says that there is usually an April gap when growing in the tunnel / green House..

I've planted my broad beans out side, raspberry canes that I've in pots allso. Potatoes which I'm growing are roosters and desire I like to start these in pots then transfer.
You can cut a potato in half and put it on a stick a foot long bury that in the ground at the end of your rows of potatoes.
This will attract wire worm and slugs lift every other day and discard wireworm.

I hope this helps the potato growers out there!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Perhaps I should of asked what your harvesting in your tunnel or green house.
Tradition says that there is usually an April gap when growing in the tunnel / green House..

I don't have a poly tunnel and don't bother using the greenhouse in winter apart from storage - luckily this year as a feral cat had a funny five minutes in there before Christmas and ran into two bays smashing four panes of glass!!
Even though we have a massive garden SWMBO has decided to grow spuds in bags this year (we don't eat much anyway) so they're in - I usually plant Belle de fontenay, Lady cristl and Charlotte - goodness knows what she's put in.
Cucumbers and gherkins are coming up, as are various tomatoes (most years I find it's cheaper and easier to just buy in plants as I like to have a good variety of them) marrows, pumpkins, squashes etc. will be ready to go out once it warms up properly.
peas and onions going in this weekend, then it's wait for the soft fruits to ripen (won't have Royal Welsh preparations getting in the way of picking them)

 

[Curly green finger's]

I don't have a poly tunnel and don't bother using the greenhouse in winter apart from storage - luckily this year as a feral cat had a funny five minutes in there before Christmas and ran into two bays smashing four panes of glass!!
Even though we have a massive garden SWMBO has decided to grow spuds in bags this year (we don't eat much anyway) so they're in - I usually plant Belle de fontenay, Lady cristl and Charlotte - goodness knows what she's put in.
Cucumbers and gherkins are coming up, as are various tomatoes (most years I find it's cheaper and easier to just buy in plants as I like to have a good variety of them) marrows, pumpkins, squashes etc. will be ready to go out once it warms up properly.
peas and onions going in this weekend, then it's wait for the soft fruits to ripen (won't have Royal Welsh preparations getting in the way of picking them)

Im going to miss the spring show this year and the main show.
Both shows I really enjoy going to.

 

[pargyle]

I found this video on growing sweet potatoes, I've never tried growing these before.
https://www.google.com/search?q=how...droid-huawei&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#

All three videos are interesting. I bought three tubers that are for colder climates and very fast growing. If I get a crop this year I think I will start growing slips a bit earlier next year. The keys to success appears to be good crumbly soil with lots of organic matter - our soil here is almost solid clay hence the potato bags which will be filled with home made compost and leaf mould with a bit of blood, fish and bone mixed in. The other key element is warmth - I have a very sunny spot on my patio and in our micro climate down here I would expect to be harvesting the tubers (if there are any !) well into the autumn - potentially as late as November.

We shall see... it costs very little to try these things - bit of time and effort and the initial tubers (and if they grow then I will have starter tubers for next year).

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Im going to miss the spring show this year and the main show.
Both shows I really enjoy going to.

Yes, although the spring show (used to be called the smallholder's until the idiot in charge renamed it) has been going steadily downhill year after year. I usually manage to get most of my tomato plants there, always a decent selection of heritage tomatoes at a perfect time to plant up the greenhouse, replace/renew any stock in the orchard, sometimes pick up a vintage bee book and have a good catchup whilst manning the WBKA stand.
And of course there's the food hall....

 

[Curly green finger's]

Yes, although the spring show (used to be called the smallholder's until the idiot in charge renamed it) has been going steadily downhill year after year. I usually manage to get most of my tomato plants there, always a decent selection of heritage tomatoes at a perfect time to plant up the greenhouse, replace/renew any stock in the orchard, sometimes pick up a vintage bee book and have a good catchup whilst manning the WBKA stand.
And of course there's the food hall....

Blimey you buy plants from the spring show you must have money to burn.
Don't forget about the music in the band stand always draws a crowd..
Last year I had to ask the wife how two bottles of spirits cost £50.
I've savered every drop.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Blimey you buy plants from the spring show you must have money to burn.

at less than a pound each? means I can fill the greenhouse with tomato plants for less than fifteen quid - I used to spend over thirty on tomato seeds and a lot of hassle cultivating them.

 

[enrico]

Have grown sweet potatoes for the last two years. Buy slips in may.. Grown in pots and outside. Had really good crops and they kept in the cool until February. Growing again this year if and when they arrive. Tried to grow from our own potatoes but they never took off.
E

 

[enrico]

I never understand people who don't use their greenhouses in winter. Ours are full of spring cabbage, spinach, coriander, lettuce, rocket and water cress.
Our tomato plants are in there now waiting to go in the ground. Like my tomatoes in summer not in autumn!
Use a grow light in spring to get everything going.

 

[madasafish]

I never understand people who don't use their greenhouses in winter. Ours are full of spring cabbage, spinach, coriander, lettuce, rocket and water cress.
Our tomato plants are in there now waiting to go in the ground. Like my tomatoes in summer not in autumn!
Use a grow light in spring to get everything going.

Our greenhouse saw -5C this winter. Uneconomic to heat then.. (it has seen -17C last decade 2011/12 and 10/11...)

I heat it in Spring to prevent plants dying in the April frosts. Thermostatically controlled electric heater..

 

[enrico]

Mine is a cold greenhouse too. Not -17 though, but surely worth a try. Most plants are remarkably hardy as long as they don't get wet frost on them. The dryness in a greenhouse is what they need.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Mine is a cold greenhouse too. Not -17 though, but surely worth a try. Most plants are remarkably hardy as long as they don't get wet frost on them. The dryness in a greenhouse is what they need.

Peas will over winter really well in a green house / tunnel without any heat or fleece! chard, pac choy, lettuce, spinach, spring onions there's more than you think. I'll look for one of my books called " tunnel growing year round".

If you make clotches out of hose pipe and fleece you can over winter loads of veg to be eaten over the winter / spring.
I totally agree Eric when I was working on the estate the tunnel and green house had as many seedlings in the early autumn as in the spring.. Old habits die hard..

 

[madasafish]

My French runners are just sprouting..

I am planning on a v hot dry summer and have mulched entire veg patch plus some flower beds..