Topic: How's it hanging? - Meaning Cucumbers, Squashs & Tomatos.....

[Geoff Reid]

I'll get some piccies up tomorrow, but I'm experiencing a very different growing season this year (2013) compared to last.

Marrows are large and tasty

'Marketeer' Cucumbers (I haven't grown them before) are growing at the same speed inside the greenhouse and outside on the patio.

Butternut Squash plant took over the greenhouse but was growing just one MASSIVE squash - I've recently cut it back and it's now producing several fruit.

Sweet peppers launched but failed to thrive inside or out.

Tomatos - growing some huge toms inside and out. They're being fed & watered regularly but don't seem to want to ripen.

Italian salad leaves.  Germinated well and then ran away almost immediately bolted.  I binned those.

'Duchy' lettuce are once again reliably producing

Kale - this ended up as a sacrificial crop for the offspring of the cabbage white butterflies.  I didn't get my net over it before Tig and I went away fro two weeks and, when we came back it was pretty much all over for them.  Next year I will purposefully grow some more kale for exactly that purpose - I haven't found a single caterpillar on any other leaves

Corgettes - producing small numbers of MASSIVE fruits.  Why is this?  I don't mind because we like 'em a lot.

Italian Yellow (string) beans.  They're looking okay but haven't cooked any yet.  They remained stubbornly inactive in the soil until the weather got really hot then, like the salad leaves, tried to run away into the sky.  I think I'll avoid Italian varieties next year.

Chille Peppers - never made it out of the pot.

Sweetcorn - brilliant last year but completely failed to germinate this year.  I think I should probably have bought new seeds for this years crop and not used last years remaining seeds.

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[Outoftowner]

With a temporarily much reduced plot this year:

Tomatos - growing some huge toms inside and out. They're being fed & watered regularly but don't seem to want to ripen.

Same here........... and my chums.

Cherries. We got some and the pigeons and starlings had the majority ( when they were still small and green!!)

Blackcurrants. A bumper crop of large fruits already made into jam by a friend.

Gooseberries. A large crop. The blackbirds got most of them.

Apples and pears very good crop. The wasps love the apples!!! I have  to pick them when the wasps have gone home at night!

Nice crop of peas and beetroot in containers outside. All scoffed by us, except a few beetroot that remain.

The Victoria Plum tree is loaded and the fruit are starting to  turn purple.

Today I noticed a couple of nice Aubergines hiding under the foliage in the greenhouse. At about 39p each, ready grown, on the market, me paying £4 for a grow bag and my daily trips to the bottom of the garden for weeks on end with a watering can, have really paid off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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[Muggins]

Orchard Cherries and Blackcurrants same as yours, Outer.

Apples. Plenty - loads in fact but a few weeks behind.

Plums, not doing so well this year and a bit of Silver leaf, going to give up with plums, although we had a fantastic crop a couple of years ago. We are fairly  sure it's because they flower early nd therefore catch the last of the frosts.

Blackberries are going to be bumper, bumper. Missed the Goosegogs altogether.

On the brighter side more people seem to be using the Orchard.  And I was able last week to introduce a cider maker to a couple of cider apple trees.  Don't think he realised that there were actual varieties. 

My own grape vine is hanging with fruit, but they never ripen in time to eat etc.  Our own Pear had 5 blooms but no Pears again this year.

Geoff, do you think those seeds you planted might have been from an Hybrid plant? 

And I reckon you are not pinching out your side shoots, or maybe not enough, or maybe even too many?

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[Mart]

Carrots not so hot, maybe I'm pulling early.

Beans, runners are poo, French (gawd help me) going OK

Cabbages, the ones that are left are enormous.

Courgettes, monsters, but I'm not getting down quite as much to pick them.

Parsnips, root vegetable of Beelzebub, look alright but I don't like even touching them.

Leeks, actually look pretty decent.

Tomato, pepper and cucumber? Did I mention the son and heir was watering the greenhouse while we were away........

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[Geoff Reid]

Orchard Cherries and Blackcurrants same as yours, Outer.

Apples. Plenty - loads in fact but a few weeks behind.

Plums, not doing so well this year and a bit of Silver leaf, going to give up with plums, although we had a fantastic crop a couple of years ago. We are fairly  sure it's because they flower early nd therefore catch the last of the frosts.

Blackberries are going to be bumper, bumper. Missed the Goosegogs altogether.

On the brighter side more people seem to be using the Orchard.  And I was able last week to introduce a cider maker to a couple of cider apple trees.  Don't think he realised that there were actual varieties. 

My own grape vine is hanging with fruit, but they never ripen in time to eat etc.  Our own Pear had 5 blooms but no Pears again this year.

Geoff, do you think those seeds you planted might have been from an Hybrid plant? 

And I reckon you are not pinching out your side shoots, or maybe not enough, or maybe even too many?

The sweetcorn were Unwins F1 super sweet, F1 is a hybrid variety. Pretty sure the seeds were still in date.

Tomato's did get a bit unruly when we were away for two weeks but have recently rectified that..... same for the squash plants. 

I am happy with my Spanish red onions although I am taking pains to keep them away from donkeys and bell towers.

Marrows.  I seem to be good with marrows




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[Alex]

Beans started poorly, went all over the place then had to be retrained as to where the poles were- now generously producing, French and String. Giving them away to neighbours.

Cabbages starting to look OK

Tomatoes large and not ripening until a few yesterday

Courgettes slowing now but have been productive

Squash, only one and the woodlice enjoyed it.

Chard and spinach doing incredibly well- just coming back each time they are cut.

Onions fine

Carrots- rubbish, even small ones. Purple ones doing better.

Goosegogs- 1

Blackberries- lots

Figs- 5 ripe ones all edible ( in the garden)!

Black Hollyhock -stolen

Peppers small but starting to get there

Aubergine nil- not even a glimmer

Cucumber - one rubbish one

Sweetcorn, not hoping for much

Blueberries less prolific than last year but good

Apples- our one tiny garden tree- discovery- 3 last year- 58 this year! But don't look edible except to something which might be a wasp

Pears small sapling- 3 fruit

Plums, small sapling  -nil

Grapes- looks like vine is ok but no fruit.

beetroot- very good

Strawberries were disappointing

Raspberries in the garden were brilliant.

Looking at this list I'm a bit amazed at how productive its been for our 2nd year. ( 10th year for the fig- it was it's last chance)

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[Tobes]

I've a mate who's got so  many fig trees and figs in his garden he doesn't know what to do. I was thinking of getting one for my Mum and Dad for christmas, but you've got me having second thoughts Alex. Any ideas as to whats up with it?

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[Terry Reynolds]

alex, I have a discovery tree and its full, so if you want any give us a bell...

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[Muggins]

Nothing edible in our garden producing anything. The blessed pear had blossom, no fruit set, had it cut back and if Mr Muggins wasn't around it would be chopped down completely.

The Mrs  or is it Lady Tom Thumb Fuschia has been blooming since March, but the foliage is a bit sparse.  I had another serious problem with the Berberis Saw fly and its eaten an entire hedge of it - twice, so that will have to come out at some point. 

We had some workmen in yesterday, they've completely trampled the Evening Primrose that was growing in the gravel outside the back door - too bad, that will have to come out anyway, in the wrong place. 

The slugs and snails again, made huge holes in the Acanthus - Bear Breeches, I rescued the flower spikes and took that out too. 

Had to clear one bed at the bottom left the Crocosmia in took everything else out - mostly blessed Wood avens) and have taken a chance and pulled up and replanted a Buddleia and a purple stemmed tall rose that had self seeded elsewhere.  Took out an old bit of trellis and replaced with an arch over which the red rambler will grow in the future. 

Bought to cheap Clematis from Asda, planted them, slugs ate them within two days.

You can see why we don't grow our own these days! 

Orchard is doing amazing, if no one takes all the apples in one go!  Pears have never done well.

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[Alex]

Thanks Terry- I'll wait to see if my apples ripen and suddenly change flavour, but I'll let you know if they don't.

Tobes, I've no idea what we did - the baby figs have started already this year for next year but I suspect any frost will kill them. It just seemed to always do things at the wrong time.Perhaps if it is in a very sheltered area and well watered- maybe be a south facing corner - ours was a south facing fence but not protected enough perhaps. An interesting experiment!

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