Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Updates  (Read 4281 times)

pgkevet

  • Joined Jul 2011
Updates
« on: May 26, 2014, 06:32:35 am »
In the greenhouses:

All the citrus now outside. Having to thin lemons off the tree; just too many. Limes a-plenty and my one pink grapefruit ready in a week.
In the big house we've been eating chard for 10days or so and radish for weeks and courgettes this last week. Toms just showing first flowers as are cues. Chinese cabbage bolted staright to flower but that was more an eperiment to see them.. should be better grown late autumn. Flower baskets and tubs can come out soon. Peppers/aubergines etc just chuntering away.

Outside:

The first row of parsnips I sowed over 2 mths ago finally came up in small numbers. the second row sown a month later show nothing at all. Onion sets and seedlings doing well so far this year after past disisters. Only one 20m row peas this year made up of three varieties..and , can't remember the name, but one type not come up at all - the rest ready to start climbing. Will sow another packet into the gap (wre done under wire)  200 french beans doing well, 25 runners only this year, decided i prefer stringless efforts. Climbing french beans sown last week in pots.

Broad beans flowering 3 days now. 200 sweetcorn in and looking fine.

Carrots way slow to germinate too (took over a month to show) so a second row sown a week ago along with a row of swede(picket the wrong packet up and thought was turnips). 40 each sprouts, kale, red cabbage etc and  40 physallis seedlings all in .. resown brassicas in modules for a later crop/replacement for disasters.

Potato culms broke surface about a week ago. I think i put them a bit deep this year but no bad thing to avoid frosts.

Poppies were a disaster 20m row and 4 came up and i waiting loads of weeds..so the whole row rotorvated and will put something else there.

Parsnips need careful hand weeding for the same reason.

the first row of leeks went in yesterday with my daughter's help. 100+ sunflower seedlngs still not big enough to put out. I also need to sow the flower seeds finally.

3 courgette plants outdoors not too happy and some pumpkin seedlings to go out next week.

gooseberries look like a poor year. Currants and blueberries looking good, cherries had plenty flower but no much fruit set and damsons were covered in blossom but not one set. Pears por but apples will be OK
« Last Edit: May 26, 2014, 06:36:42 am by pgkevet »

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: Updates
« Reply #1 on: May 26, 2014, 10:28:28 pm »
All my fruit trees except the cherry looks as if they are going to produce a good harvest. Squashes and one courgette growing well, the rest due to go out soon.


The greenhouse tomatoes are outgrowing their small pots in my mini greenhouse but I've had to wait until today for my friend to put the raised bed frame in the big(ger) greenhouse. He's a carpenter so it looks great. Just got to get some bags of compost to bring the soil level up and the plants can go in, so that'll be tomorrow or Wednesday. French beans are being planted out tomorrow. The runners are way behind them, most only just breaking the soil's surface. When they are all out of the mini greenhouse I can remove some shelves so the aubergines and peppers have room to grow.


My chard has not germinated at all for the second year running. I'm not sure why unless the growing medium is too rich; it's mostly manure.


The four-legged 'crops' in the goat yard are growing at a great rate.


 :excited: :excited:

HesterF

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Kent
  • HesterF
Re: Updates
« Reply #2 on: May 26, 2014, 11:12:45 pm »
Just finished planting out. So:

Inside:

Peppers, chillies, aubergines growing but a way off flowering still

Outside:

First sowing of peas and broad beans growing well. Second sowing just showing. French beans were slugged and second sowing looking a bit better. Fire tongue runners also nibbled and not looking happy so need to resow those too. Autumn garlic and onions going to seed - dry spell didn't help so hoping they're edible (look like they must be ready to try soon). Spring planted onions good. First sowing (first week of April) of beetroot, carrots and parsnip were slow to show but the rain has helped so they're all clearly visible now. Second sowing has filled the gaps and added a couple of rows. Leeks went out yesterday. Salad (lettuce, radishes and spring onions) truly pathetic. Potatoes well on and spotted flowers on first earlies today. Tomatoes went out yesterday and today. Cabbages, cauliflowers, broccoli, Brussels, sweetcorn, pumpkins, gourds, courgettes and squashes were all briefly hardened off and have gone out today. Have kept back-ups of all the courgettes, pumpkins etc. but they're sturdier than normal so I hope I won't need them, despite the heavens opening this evening shortly after the went in.

Fruit wise we're already eating strawberries from outside - it's going to be a great year for them, really big and juicy. Summer raspberries, loganberry and tayberry have all set fruit and the currants have a good amount too (bearing in mind they're only two years old, I'm happy). Cherries, apples, pears and plums have all set a good amount of fruit (especially the older apple trees - everything else is still a baby). Also got almonds, peaches and apricots coming on well.

The time has come for elderflower cordial so that's next on my list - now the planting out is done - along with the first ever honey harvest on Thursday and (sadly) a good deal of house cleaning which has been more than a little neglected. At least the rain means I don't have to water all 2200 vines and 850 new trees with a hosepipe every day.

H

pgkevet

  • Joined Jul 2011
Re: Updates
« Reply #3 on: July 22, 2014, 10:17:39 pm »
It's all in full swing now. I was pickling french beans today and some cornichon. The fist plantng of calibrese is about over with a load in the freezer and we're sick of broad beans with at least two more bucket-fulls of pods to go. Mange tout and peas also frozen and pea eating in full swing. Plenty salad carrots after the slow start and this year despite some bolting I do have decent onions and I pulled a parsnip thinning that is bigger right now that they were from last year in january.

Some turnips about and runner beans and climbing beans will be about another week. Trusses and trusses of toms in the greenhouse still green. My usual going overborad and theres at least 200 eating size toms there pending a colour change. Sweet peppers and aubergines have set, lettuce by the bucket and trying to time my radish and spring onion follow-ons. I have melon plants crawling everywhere with loads of flowers and no fruit whereas cornichon and cucumbers are mad.

I sowed more brassicas yesterday in modules ready for when the  beans / peas get pulled for winter follow-ons. My first earlies are now the size of 2 fists but sadly I have scabby soil so while they cook and taste superb they look horrid before peeling.

Real farmer neighbour mowed my fields for hay yesterday and plans on sending his contractor down after to muck spread which will also give me a double dressing on next years veggie patch.

I always told myself it'd take 3 years to get the veggie patch soils right from being hay meadow and looks like I was correct. This years crops are bumper and I'm learning all the time about growing in this bulk. I may downsize a bit next year cos the weeding is hard work and my surplus is getting difficult to give all away and a shame to dump it. There's no passing trade here on my lane.

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: Updates
« Reply #4 on: July 23, 2014, 12:25:14 am »
After a week away, I returned to find the garden had gone berserk. I had a lovely meal of poached eggs on home grown swiss chard tonight and it looks like we'll be eating it again tomorrow. The courgettes are going mad. I gave several away and need to cut more for me to eat. I like the baby ones raw in a salad but these are quite big so I'm going to try them in thin slices done with a potato peeler. Lots of lettuce to eat as well but the tomatoes will not be ripe for a while yet.


And as for my squash plants - aka the triffids - they are determined to take over the entire garden. They trail though the garden and up the apple tree and one or two shrubs. I haven't managed to fight my way through to see what they've produced in the way of squashed yet although  know there are some.

pgkevet

  • Joined Jul 2011
Re: Updates
« Reply #5 on: July 23, 2014, 07:37:12 am »
Roll courgette slices in seasoned flour (heavy on the pepper) or in a seasoned batter for a quick fru-up lunch.

Courgettes were early from the greenhouse before i pulled them and let the field one's take over, Eaten enough courgette for a lifetime this year.....

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: Updates
« Reply #6 on: July 23, 2014, 11:12:04 pm »
I have a recipe book called 'What Shall I do with all those courgettes?'

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Updates
« Reply #7 on: July 23, 2014, 11:25:53 pm »
I have a recipe book called 'What Shall I do with all those courgettes?'

I've got that too MGM, but I haven't had to use it for several years as courgettes are difficult to grow on my little hilltop in most years.  I definitely will need it this year as they're coming thick and fast.  I seem to be getting a taste of what it's like growing veg down south (green eyes)
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

pgkevet

  • Joined Jul 2011
Re: Updates
« Reply #8 on: September 14, 2014, 02:30:05 pm »
I finished harvetsing the onions today to give them time in drier weather to cure... got 400 under cover now.

The sunflower heads are also off and drying - all 85 12" diameter jobbies although some did have a mould and had to be dumped.

I've also learned that planting 40 calabrese for 2 people is a tad OTT.. the blasted things keep springing new heads faster than I or the neighbours can eat them.

I've also learned that when carrots grow as well as this year one carrot does 2 people..and my 60 meters of carrots was also OTT. But as I keep telling the wife.. 'better too much than not enough'

It's proving impossible to fork up this years parsnips already - roots are way too long. I guess for christmas lunch I'm, going to have to dig a trench each side to work down deep enough. 50 meters of those is looking a tad unnecessary too  :excited: .

Oh, and there's not enough jars in Powys to pickle all my red cabbage.....

Louise Gaunt

  • Joined May 2011
Re: Updates
« Reply #9 on: September 14, 2014, 05:01:43 pm »
If you don't want to pickle all your red cabbage, it will freeze. I have done this in past years to save at least some of the crop from slugs. It was easy to do - cut into small pieces, blanch then freeze in suitable size portions. Great for cooking slowly with onion, apple, orange juice and a few winters spices to go with roast gammon!

pgkevet

  • Joined Jul 2011
Re: Updates
« Reply #10 on: September 14, 2014, 05:05:49 pm »
I ran out of freezer space a while back..got 2 uprights 'cos neither of us can bend into a chest freezer to clean it out <sob>. Not going to run a third...
Anyway there's stil greyhound cabbage and savoy on the horizons....

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: Updates
« Reply #11 on: September 15, 2014, 12:25:40 am »
Have a party for all the vegetarians you know?


pgkevet

  • Joined Jul 2011
Re: Updates
« Reply #12 on: September 15, 2014, 07:30:43 am »
I've just had a horrible image of a bunch of folk leaving in a cloud of rectal wind.... :roflanim:

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: Updates
« Reply #13 on: September 15, 2014, 10:50:17 pm »
You have a very vivid imagination, pgkevet.  :roflanim:

 

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