The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: waterbuffalofarmer on February 28, 2016, 01:54:26 pm
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So guys I will be growing toms, cherry toms, cucumbers, rocket, runner beans, french beans, broad beans and barlotti (if I have the space) courgettes, squash and possibly a few pumpkins and definately basil, can't do without basil :) What is everyone else growing then?
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We only have 5 smallish raised beds but to be honest - I haven't really thought about it properly yet.
But I'll likely do:
-Legumes: runner & broad beans & possibly mange touts - not bothering with peas.
-Roots: parsnips, carrots and beetroot.
-A load of salad stuff - rocket, lettuce, radish, spr onions, parsley.
-Alliums: not sure about onions or leeks - possible neither.
-Brassicas: possibly just curly kale and not bother with anything else.
-Potatoes: salad Anya & Charlotte +1st early RDofY - all getting grown in plastic trug buckets this year.
But given that its still freezing here - I ain't rushing to do anything yet (however the seed spuds are bought).
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I've bought seeds and seed potatoes but have no plan yet. Usual stuff - spuds, shallots, peas, beans, carrots, parsnips, beetroot, toms, cucumber, sprouts etc etc and kohl rabi :o
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Exactly as Rosemary says, with the exception of Kohl Rabi - in 40 years of trying I've never had a single worthwhile root :rant: Oh plus garlic and squash.
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I have limited space but runner beans and climbing French beans, peas, beetroot, salad leaves, radishes, squash, yellow courgettes, tomatoes, carrots, chard, black kale and anything else I can find space for.
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Over the last couple of years I have learnt to cut back on the range of produce we grow and focus on what we eat most of and what is expensive if bought. We freeze what we can of course and I have learnt from our old neighbour how to preserve and store crops better. That said the weather is so mild that we are still digging up carrots rather than getting them from under sand in the cellar.
Garlic is looking good and I have prepared soil for all the onions and shallots. Seed spuds on trays in barn and plenty of manure spread for a busy Spring.
Happy gardening all !
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Most of the above except broad beans yuck :yuck: plus aubergines peppers and chillies celeriac celery and butternut squash. Can't wait :excited:
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I shall be trying what I do every year - to grow brassicas - and then find out it was a complete waste of time and effort. :-\ Have started having green smoothies for breakfast every day, so am going to grow my own spinach this year - never done it before. Other than that, the usual toms, beans etc and have six lovely looking globe artichokes that I put out last year that I hope will bear this year...scrummy - one of my favourite veg. Good luck all!
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Mud, thistles, nettles, slugs, blueberries and strawberries. If we're lucky this year, we may even get an apple! :)
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Mud, thistles, nettles, slugs, blueberries and strawberries. If we're lucky this year, we may even get an apple! :)
What, no couch grass - you lucky devil :innocent:
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I keep saying that I'll grow less...
This year defiately fewer tatties.. the work involved with the amount I have to chuck due to excessive scab etc making them useless for storage... still got 3 big sacks in the barn..
And last year I ut in some 800+ onion sets.so going to reduce that..
greenhouse stuff.. cue, peppers, toms , lettuce, radish, spring onion (and outdoors).. forget the aubergines they just get the whitefly first.
Outside.. add carrot, peas, b beans , french beans, polestar runners (stringless), parsnips and brassicas: still got some brussels on the stalks out there. Curly kale, PSB, cabbages, khol rabi (hear that fleecewife?). And lots of sweetcorn 'cos the pheasants like eating it before i can. I've given up on cape gooseberries.. tend to ripen late and get hit by frosts before they do, given up on strawberries 'cos the birds and chickens and pheasants get that as well unless in hanging baskets. Forget the red cabbage cos no-one ate it, same for the green broccoli stuff cos you only find the caterpillars when they float up in the pan.
Hoping for lots of fruit though,,, running out of my frozen stuff.. stewed apple all gone, only 2 damson packs left and all the blackcurranst gone too: still there's always rhubarb.
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.and I've just managed to get my veggie patch disced before the rain came. We've had a dry week and the plough lines crumbled down pretty good. Ideally another session in about 3 weeks...
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Well I dug a huge heap of last year's manure pile over to the next bed so that will be for courgettes and runner beans. Giving up on French as they were dire, but will grow both peas and mangetout again, just with a break between so when wind drives them over they don't all get mixed up and I eat the wrong pods and shell the wrong peas..
Def beetroot and curly kale, spinach, salad crops. leeks, both calabrese and PS broccolis and other things I eat a lot of. Just a pot of tatties and one or two rows of red onions, carrots and parsnips but NO MORE. Also I resolve not to plant more brussels than I and my neighbours can face, but I will grow a few. No cabbages as they're space filling and not particularly well used here. Might use the space to try celeriac again, I did celery this year but might not bother with more than an odd few plants rather than start seed. I want a go at fennel I think, as my test crop for the year.
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At the allotment this year;
Potatoes, cabbage, cauli, peas, onions, beetroot, strawberries, rasps, and a bed of flowers for the bees.
Saturday is Potato Day in Dunblane in the BRAEPORT CENTRE, DUNBLANE, FK15 0AT
Starts at 1pm
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Onions (red and white)
Leeks, garlic and shallots
Squashes ( turks turban and butternut)
Runner beans, dwarf beans
Tomatoes, cucumber and anthing else I can squeeze in
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Ellied I saw a top in amagazine for parsnips. Lady seed on damp paper and only plant the ones that germinate. I will be trying it this year. We also start carrots off in plastic Guttering suspended in the polytunnel to stop the mice eating the shoots. When they have sprouted give them a good water and slide them into a prepared trench. Hope that helps
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I think I am going to try and limit the range and stick to what we eat more of or what is expensive to buy, I also find a lot of home grown fruit and veg tastes much better than shop bought. Potatoes, carrots, parsnips (none germinated last year), runner and French beans, giant pumpkins the first year we had great success - more for novelty than function, courgette (just not 10 plants this year!), sweet corn, leeks, butternut squash, tomatoes, chillies and salad. Possibly cabbage and sprouts but they usually get attacked by caterpillars regardless of how much netting they have. We have a big rhubarb, raspberries and a strawberry bed as well as quite a few fruit trees and a very large selection of weeds! I would like to get some flowers growing too.
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I love growing all sorts of everything - I can never resist a seed or variety that I havent grown for a while so my answer is ALL of the above and to an unprecedented level of excess.
I just need try harder to force feed any one who happens to cross my path at harvest time.
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-Rhubarb;
-Squashes - spaghetti (was brilliant last year!), uchiki kuri, big blue ones (forgot the name), marrows, small courgettes;
-loads of strawberries - 5 different varieties all moved in to a new bed this winter;
-raspberries;
-garlic;
-Welsh onions;
-globe artichoke;
-jerusalem artichoke;
-sunflowers;
-sweetcorn;
-cabbage;
-salad greens - perpetual spinach (fantastic! Plant it once, cut it and it grows back!), different types of mustard and lettuce, perennial rocket;
-alexanders;
-mint;
-lemon balm;
-tomatoes - 2-3 varieties;
-cucumbers;
-apples, pears, cherries, plums - from trees planted last winter (2014/2015);
-buckwheat;
I need to start planting some seeds soon but first finish the raise beds!
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Hi everyone not been around for a while. Busy growing veggies 8)
This year I'm growing this little lot :fc:
Herbs 16 varieties
Runner bean 4 varieties
Pea bean.
Peas
Swiss chard
Spinach
Kale
Cabbage 4 varieties
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Brussel 3 varieties
Courgette 7 varieties
Marrow
Pumpkin 5 varieties
Squash
Swede
Turnip
Leek
Beetroot 6 varieties
Parsnips
Carrot 10 varieties
Onion red, white, shallots and Spring
Melon 3 varieties
Tomato 18 varieties
Chilli 20 varieties
Sweet pepper 5 varieties
Cucumber paska.
Aubergine moneymaker
Lettuce 8 varieties
Potatoes 4 varieties
Monkey nuts.
Edible flowers
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No Sugar Snap peas :o ?
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What do you do with all that veg? :o I am going to be growing.....
Runner beans
Sugarsnap peas
Maungtout
tomato, 4-5 varieties
sweet pepper 2 varieties
chili pepper
basil
french climbing beans
dwarf beans
aubergine
cucumber
squash 3 varieties
courgette 2 varieties
a variety of mixed herbs
sweetcorn 4 varieties
garden peas
rocket
possibly melon not sure!
and that is all i can think of for now. ;D
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No Sugar Snap peas :o ?
Hi fleecewife how are you?
No! I never have. I don't know why :thinking: because I do like them. How very lapse of me ;D
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No Sugar Snap peas :o ?
Hi fleecewife how are you?
No! I never have. I don't know why :thinking: because I do like them. How very lapse of me ;D
Hi Bert :wave: good to se you back on TAS.
I only grow ordinary podding peas for pinching straight from the vine and eating in the garden :yum:. I can't be bothered with podding enough for a meal, hence sugar snaps. You still have time to get a packet ;D
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I've only been back 5 minutes and your leading me astray already ;D
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Thought I should wake this thread up and see how everyone's getting on.
Last weekend I planted seeds in the greenhouse (toms, courgettes, leeks, peas, beans etc). Didn't have any labels but thought "I'll remember which are which". Bet you can guess the rest!
After planting potatoes in every spare bit of ground last year, I now have nowhere which didn't have potatoes last year, so thought I might just plant a few in pots/bags this year.
I planted some asparagus in pots in the greenhouse last year.
I have just potted them on and they look very happy, but what's the next step? Do they go out in May and then left undisturbed?
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I have sown courgettes, 2 batches 1 of which is potted on, sugarsnap peas, pumpkins, marigolds and cherry toms. Still waiting on the seed order which hasnt arrived yet.
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I spent a couple of half hours out inthe log cabin using my seed sucker & individually sowing a few seeds of a lot of species /variety in my tube opots ..
Now lots of them are coming through in the bottomless tube pots it won't be long before I start planting out the small plants exactly where I want them
Having just a few plants of each type means it's easy to plan ahead for sucessional sowings & knowing I've planned the harvesting periods through out the year rather than have massive gluts of crops you cannot easily handle /deal with . It also allows you to eat top of the range stuff all the time.
This year in my tube pots I have sown :-
All year round cauli ( you can with care plan to have one cauli every 8 days .
Ball cabbags , greyhound pointed spring cabb
Collards
chou d 'benton ( perennial Kale cuttings )
Two types of leeks .
celery
various herbs
mange tout
marrowfat peas
broad beans
Inn ht next session I'll be sowing :-
toms
aubertgines
mini chilli's
cucumber
courgette
marrow
butternut squash ( stores well if they grow )
More big eyewatering Sturton onions ( but not red ones as they tend to bolt too readily if it's a wet year)
Shallots ,
more leeks , a couple of very curly letuce
a short row of mixed cut & come again salad stuff
Out in the raised bed one foot squares I'll be direct sowing a couple of square feet of carrot varieties that are good for this time of the year.
parsnips
beetroot
khol rabi
celeraic
fennel bulbing
I might start the sprouts off in a small 3 inch long drill if they are due sowing as well .
There's bound to be a shed load of flowers to sow as well as starting to plant up our six hanging baskets and six geranium tubs ( had to buy geranium plugs as the sodding slugs ate all of the geraniums in 30 tubes each with six 1" tall seedlings in them ) .
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Not a lot is my answer.
Each March my neighbour's son ploughs all the veg patches in our hamlet and he then returns to rotavate. I wrongly assumed that his recent poor health would prevent him from driving up from the south to fire up the old tractor and that someone from the next village would take up the task. I spread muck a while back and with spring sprung I started to dig overs and plant. I planted a kg of onions and some shallots only to learn that our veg plots would be ploughed last weekend.
Given that I had planted so much I elected to decline the good deed and am now digging like mad. ( I do have another veg plot that is mostly full of garlic and the winter survivors of swede, parsnips and leeks)
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But MAK why does this happen? Can't you complain?
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Have an 8'x6' greenhouse and a 12'x12' (roughly) veggie plot. Plus a strawberry bed, and a caned fruit area, and an asparagus patch.
The usual suspects here:
Potatoes, cucumber, courgettes, leeks, peas, beans, peppers, chillis, tomatoes, parsnips, lettuce, radish, spinach, beetroot, carrots, garlic, asparagus, rhubarb. Plus a variety of soft fruits (all ready established).
New to me this year:
Butternut squash, melons, sweetcorn and gherkins.
Not happening this year:
Onions (space and only I eat them), cabbages,sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli (never had much success plus space) and jerusalem artichokes (I love them but I cannot be bothered with the washing, scrubbing and peeling as I am always so busy).
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cut back a bit this year "trying to do less but better if that makes sense " in the GH 16x8 ish we are doing 5 types toms ,2 types cuc,melons gherkins and 4 types peppers and chillies and in the garden pots,garlic,shallots onions + kelsae onions,leeks, parsnips,celery "a first for us",red cabbage,cauli,calibresse,sprouts ,peas ,runner beans,broad beans ,french dwarf and climbing,pumpkin squash ,corgettes ,kale and kohl rabi and have a couple of permanent beds 1 asparagus ,1 strawbs and 1 soft fruit(black currants ,blueberries,gooseberry, red currant jostaberry and rasps) and a few apple, pear ,guage and damson trees oh and the cold frame leaves and lettuce
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talking of damsons I have tons of trees in my fields, plus saplings too which I find are an annoyance to remove and plant elsewhere. We get tons off our trees every year, all go into jelly and nice it is too. Thanks for sharing everything guys, my plants are ready to go out and I have more on the way. Hrres hoping for a good year! :excited:
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cut back a bit this year "trying to do less but better if that makes sense " in the GH 16x8 ish we are doing 5 types toms ,2 types cuc,melons gherkins and 4 types peppers and chillies and in the garden pots,garlic,shallots onions + kelsae onions,leeks, parsnips,celery "a first for us",red cabbage,cauli,calibresse,sprouts ,peas ,runner beans,broad beans ,french dwarf and climbing,pumpkin squash ,corgettes ,kale and kohl rabi and have a couple of permanent beds 1 asparagus ,1 strawbs and 1 soft fruit(black currants ,blueberries,gooseberry, red currant jostaberry and rasps) and a few apple, pear ,guage and damson trees oh and the cold frame leaves and lettuce
I daren't ask what it was like before you cut back a bit. :roflanim:
Tomatoes plants now in greenhouse, kale in pots to grown on a bit, watercress in troughs, runner beans and beetroot hardening off for a few days. I've been given some onion sets and I'm wondering if it's a bit late to plant them. When do other folks plant theirs?
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My sets went in 6 weeks ago rather than have them laying about in the barn.. but there's only an 1" leaf showing so you still have time to catch up.
I've got 150 sweetcorn hardening off, 2 trays f beans same of runners, tub of leek seedlings, already got 80 brassicas in the field and another 3 sowings germinating/growing on. Sowed carrots, outdoor s onions (3 sowings in greenhouse) and parsnips. I managed to give away my remaining geranums and some of the peppers and toms, repotted swiss chard seedlings. Toms and cues been in the borders a while.
..also growing way less in variety and quantity this year. Quinoa seeds to go in next week.
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..and after last nights rain my first potato folaige is starting to appear as well as the first outside germinations of peas..
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A neighbour gave me some Russian kale plants last year, which were a success. Stood very well through the winter, good flavour a bit like Spring greens, and are now in flower and much appreciated by the pigs. I'm hoping she'll feel equally generous this year too.
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I have potatoes coming through YET AGAIN where I have never sown any and don't want any. I'm pulling up any growth as it appears but I want to put my kale plants in that bed and don't want them ruined by the spuds.
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Me too MGWM!
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I too planned to cut back but I have been helping my elderly neighbour in her garden because her son has had heart surgery. I planted her 900 seed potatoes and found myself sowing her seed and planting out melons courgettes pumpkin cabbage etc. So I have been doing more work despite growing less myself. Oh she keeps telling me that we will share what is planted in her plot- bless her.
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The long weekend enabled me to get the last things in the ground, so have got, first early spuds, garlic, beetroot, swede, carrot, onions, rocket, leeks, sweet corn, baby sweet corn, runners, French beans, broad beans, peas(loads!) and courgettes. Toms and cucs in the greenhouse. I'm going to have the Best fed slugs in devon
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I planted out my runner beans and the lambs keep getting in and nibbling, have to build some form of pen for the lambs before I go mad! Courgettes are out, toms are potted on as are the cucumbers, now sowing more toms and chili plants also sweet basil and more rocket. Going to be a busy year this one.
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On Sunday I was pleased to see that my first two Broad beans had broken the surface and were heading skywards.
I was in a pigeon killing mood yesterday when I found my broad beans had been nipped off at soil level! :rant:
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Something has eaten all my mixed salad leaves, probably slugs. I actually have a load growing on the muck heap from tidying up the stuff that went to seed last year, but not sure I'd risk that even after a good wash!
Strawberries are doing well and flowering madly. Spuds are through and have had their first earthing up. Broad beans and peas have both got 4-6", the garlic's doing really well, the onions terribly and the rest only went in in the last fortnight, so too early to say, but hopefully I have leeks, brussels, parsnips, carrots, rocket and spring onions to look forward to. Ran out of space, so no celeriac, calabrese or mustard leaf this year!
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On Sunday I was pleased to see that my first two Broad beans had broken the surface and were heading skywards.
I was in a pigeon killing mood yesterday when I found my broad beans had been nipped off at soil level! :rant:
And I have just the air rifle model in mind which would deal with that :innocent:
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On Sunday I was pleased to see that my first two Broad beans had broken the surface and were heading skywards.
I was in a pigeon killing mood yesterday when I found my broad beans had been nipped off at soil level! :rant:
And I have just the air rifle model in mind which would deal with that :innocent:
My polish neighbour told me how delicious pigeon breast is so I might be tempted to try that - I really feel the need for revenge.
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I planted lots of onions this year but they ALL seem to be bolting - I have taken the bolting stem out but does this help? Does anyone know?
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possibly the weather changes? How dry/wet is it? Also what is the nitrogen level like? Here we are.....
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/onion/onion-bolting.htm (http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/onion/onion-bolting.htm)
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I seem to be growing a LOT of Jerusalem artichokes. I foolishly planted them 10 years ago and have been ruing the day. Have dug up at least 40 this morning....sigh.
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I seem to be growing a LOT of Jerusalem artichokes. I foolishly planted them 10 years ago and have been ruing the day. Have dug up at least 40 this morning....sigh.
I hear they are lovely preserved in olive oil. The italians do that and theyre delicious, it might be worth getting a recipe online. :)
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The garlic I planted in October should be ready for harvest soon. However incessant rain means that it has little sun and is small, underdeveloped and now has black mildew on it. Shame as I planted a kg of the stuff.
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Well I am trying to grow a few things but its the same as last year. So cold everything is slow even in the pollytunnel. My apple trees are just in flower now !. Weeks behind. Early potatoes are just starting to show. All other seedlings are still inside. Just as well as today once again is wet and windy !!!!
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Onions planted (late) are not looking much bigger than the sets I planted here in North Wales. The shalots are looking better. We are about to hit the longest day. Any recommendations about how i could encourage some growth?
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I have sown more runner beans, to replace the last lot, due to lambs getting in :rant: Also some more cherry toms and chili's, plus some sweet basil and loads of flowers. Sadly due to hot weather rocket has decided to bolt, is it possible to get a bolt resistent variety at all or low bolt? It is highly annoying! Considering sowing sunflowers but not sure about wind direction. Loads of courgettes to plant out and pumpkins and more to sow too, so will be rather busy. Nastutiums are growing well and taste lovely, I need to grow more though. 5 lovely cucumber plants shooting up and the 2 wine grapevines I have are growing the grapes, i really need to repot them but will have to wait till end of fruiting season. French beans are lush and broad beans, need to sow more, have just blossomed and are starting to grow. Strange the lambs haven't touched the broad beans ???
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My nasturtiums from last year didn't set seed so I sowed more and they haven't come up. Most unlike them.
I too need to do more runner beans as we went away for a few days and the person who was supposed to do the watering obviously didn't realise that included the beans. Black kale is due to go out tomorrow.