What are you growing this year ?

[Herbidacious]

I was toying with the idea of a fruit cage for my dwarf cherry trees. I had better get a move on if I am to do this...

I am assuming those sleeves you can get are useless?

Not sure how much fruit I will get. I think I really needed to pot them on. Plus not watered enough. I kept finding one of them on it's side

I really need to keep on top of things. Keep a gardening diary...?

[suffolk]

If they keep blowing over it suggests that either

the pot’s too small

the compost is too light

the compost is too dry

Or a combination of all three.

[Herbidacious]

Quite, Suffs. I suspect all three. But also add in not the most stable pot from a shape point a view, and it being on uneven ground. My husband had moved it to mow the lawn. It is quite a big pot and it is a dwarf cherry, but I am sure it would like an upgrade.

I have 4. I think two I bought last year, and they haven't flowered. The others are 2 or 3 years old and had lots of flowers. Some fruit on them. I have decided to try out the sleeves.

I think they all need potting on tbh...

RHS:
To avoid the roots becoming pot bound, re-pot every year or alternate years after leaf fall. Once in its final pot, a plant can be root-pruned every other year with 30 per cent of the compost refreshed. In intervening years, replace the top layer of compost.

I'd like a root pruning demo. (I am sure you-tube can provide.)

They did get some manure on the top (er, I think.) Certainly a feed.

Some pepper plants arrived today. I thought they were chilli, but they are three different sweet peppers.

[StokeySue]

I think the dahlia has decided to live

I have tiny seedlings of 5 kinds of basil and summer savory. Chervil is pending

For some reason my garlic chives have turned into a hideous mess coated in black fly. Think I’ll ditch them, I hardly use them. The seed packet said they were Chinese chives, but they weren’t, though the do have nice white flowers when not dying.

[Herbidacious]

My third dahlia started to come up. Something is eating one of the others dahlias. Probably the black aphids I found on them... but might have been something else. I realized that my philadelphus is absolutely covered in them, so that will be where they came from. Gave it a soap squirt (!). I hope that works. I need ladybirds.

I planted out cavolo nero and put a netted dome over them, which I bought it from Harrod Horitcultural. I had hoped it might help keep slugs out as well as birds, but no chance! At keast, I can put slug things down though (there are now officially none that are entirely pet safe, but these are the ones they used to say were pet and child safe) without worrying. Also planted out sweet corn in bags for life, and moved my strawberries (possibly to a not sunny enough site, possibly in a not deep enough planter... ) to make way for the cocktail kiwi plant. Unfortunately, even almost empty, I cannot move the planter that the strawberries were in, so will have to wait until I have a husband back next weekend. (Unless I put the cocktail kiwi in it, but I don't think that would be a great idea, either for the plant or as an economic use of a quite long planter.)

Sorry rambling.

I am exhausted!

Still need to (as a matter of some urgency) plant out sweet potatoes, sort out various seedlings/small plants, decided what to do with superfluous tomato plants (after deciding how many are superfluous), feed and water everything, plant out cornflowers. It's hard work...! And the major tomato work (setting up quad grow) is on the horizon. At least the herbs seem to look after themselves.

[Herbidacious]

My sweet postoes are ready to go 'out'. They woill have to go in tcontainers. Anyone have any idea how big they need to be? I have a 25x15 inch grow bag affair which I am hoping will take more than one.

[Zosherooney]

Not a clue Herb but will be interested to hear how they turn out...

I am not growing a lot this year due to house build etc...but I have (pickled dill type) cucs. in the GH so am saving large glass jars for pickling. Courgettes if the blasted snails leave me any ! A selection of onions and garlic. The strawberries look as though they will be better than last year so do the raspberries - fingers crossed. The blueberries are beginning to swell and hopefully should taste swell !!

[suffolk]

I’ve never grown sweet potatoes so can’t help but I see you’ve asked the same question on GW and there’s several folk there have grown them so I’m sure someone will know.

Our Charlotte potatoes are beginning to flower so I’ll try lifting a root when we’ve run out of bought potatoes in a few days. The broad beans are cropping well ... I’ll going to have to blanch and freeze some unless we have a large helping at every meal for several weeks. The Douce de Provence peas are flowering ... I’ve not grown that variety before so am looking forward to trying them. The gooseberry bush, black currant and espalier pear are all covered with fruit so I’m
hoping for a good crop... I’m having to water them tho’ ... they need water for the fruit to swell and the ground is so dry. The blueberries get watered anyway cos they’re in pots.
The runner beans are getting up the canes rapidly and I’m watering them too, and the courgettes of course.
I left the hose trickling at the base of the grape vine for a while yesterday ... it’s putting on growth and as I say the ground is so dry.

[scullion]

i think the sweet potatoes need a deeper soil than a grow bag, pretty much the sort of depth as normal potatoes. if you look on youtube there are plenty of vids on how to grow them - although most of those are in warmer climes. mine are still pathetic.
i have been really slack and only planted out my peas and gigantes beans yesterday - the roots were rather long out through the bottoms of the paper pots. i haven't planted out the long beans yet, they have taken their time germinating and are only just moving out of the seed leaf stage. the other beans and peabeans haven't germinated - maybe i overwatered.
i have flowers on two of my grapevines, one, of unknown colour, which was a pathetic, potted one from my mother's greenhouse and bought down after she died. the other (white grape) was an (accidental) hardwood pruning from a friend's vineyard last spring. i have some other, reds, which were cuttings of different grapes i took from the same vineyard last autumn.

[Herbidacious]

It's not a grow bag, as in tomatoes. It's over a foot (15 inches) deep - 25 inch diameter. The folk on GW forum reckon this will only accommodate one plant. I put two in...

I have another three. I think I could l accommodate one maybe two of these. Not sure I want to though. That's a hell of a lot of compost.

I am, alas, going to have a plant cull this week. Tomatoes and sweet potatoes. Maybe courgettes. The chillis can live for now, as only small.

I have still not sown my peas!!!

First flower on a courgette plant opened today. Still only in medium sized pots.

Cocktail kiwi went in the ground yesterday. OH dug the whole for me!!! (Lots of roots in the soil, but hopefully it can compete.)

[Herbidacious]

Oh on the fruit front... the birds are stripping the unripe currants (various colours). Too late for many, I put 'sleeves' on some. I htink they have also taken a lot of unripe jostaberries (they always do.) The jostaberry is HUGE now. I am still thinking about getting rid of it. Someone was interested when I mentioned this before? I think it would need pruning though. Gooseberries never seem to do well. I think they are in a bad location. The problem is, the second half of may garden has trees in it, and this is the only bit of garden where I can feasibly put things in the ground.
My dwarf cherries have very little fruit. I think I needed to put them on (probably already said this.)
Raspberries - well in bud. Maybe I should give them another feed now? (They got fertiliser in spring.) I have been watering them a bit too.
My potted blueberry does have quite a few plump fruit on it (I looked after it better than usual.) I have popped it under the cage with the cavolo nero. It's a bit shady down there, so I hope it will be ok. Don't want birds to get these too. I might get a whole handful as it is!
My first strawberry was nabbed. I need to get a fruit cage I suppose.

It's frustrating when you muck up, as it's another year before you get the chance to put it right with many things. Part of the problem is time. But next year I may instigate a gardening notebook/diary, to help me be more organized.

[scullion]

Someone was interested when I mentioned this before?

that would be me, i think.
i've read that they grow to about 2m with a 2m spread so, yes, quite big for a fruit bush. they are also said to root well in a bucket of water so if you do prune, plop the cuttings in some water and see how they go - it might be easier for me to have one (or two) like that if they do - pretty please.

[Herbidacious]

Yes it would. I can certainly do that. I will google how and when to do it.

[scullion]

the 'experiment' with the contents of the worm bin are on the 'good morning' thread - maybe it should have been here.
a large amount of other stuff was pricked out or potted up/on due to getting another, large bag of potting compost on tuesday.
i have rather a lot of baby basil plants. they germinated and grew rather well outside. i will do that again - it saves indoor space. i also have rather a lot of giant italian parsley to squeeze into anywhere i can find a space - and to pass on. the plant i have in the 'barren wasteland' is flowering and is about four feet tall.
i also have a very big pot of coriander that could do with splitting up it has been grown from seed that i harvested last year.
a large amount of tomatoes have been potted on. i only know the provenance of two of the types and one of those may not come true as, although they grew abundantly and with superb flavour down at the walled garden but they may have been an f1 hybrid. the others that i know are buffalo horn - three of which have been planted in the 'wormy bed'. the rest are plants that have grown from seed squeezed from tasty tomatoes into pots in the kitchen. they may be cherry, standard or beefsteak - who knows‽‽ i will and go and get some of my nice spiral supports from their storage place today.
some of the leftover soil from the 'wormy bed', enriched with the top of the worm bin, will be donated to the bed with the peas and gigantes in.
i also have quite a few cayenne pepper, a smaller number of biquino and three or four calico chilli plants to find space for, not to mention the plants that were given to me by a friend last week, that had been sitting in a bucket of water, and have now been potted up.

[Herbidacious]

My framberry plants arrived today!

Husband caught a squirrel about to take a big bite out of a big strawberry on a plant growing in a pot. Managed to chase it off. Some strawberries down the garden have already gone missing. Perhaps a squirrel was the culprit, in which case I will need to peg my new pop up netting cover down, rather than just leave it perched on top. Tomorrow...

[Herbidacious]

I just ate my one and only cherry - from three dwarf trees, some of which are now a few years old. (I have another two, but only acquired this year, so didn't expect anything.)

I need to pot them on or root prune. Possibly both.

It was a very nice cherry though
I shall have two plums, if the birds don't eat them (should put a sleeve on them) on my one, bought last year dward plum.

I also sampled a gratifyingly plump red currant. The birds got most of my black, red and white currants, but I put sleeves around some. Need to think about netting next year. It must have been the same last year, but perhaps I was expecting fewer anyway as the plants were newish.
I have some nice plump blueberries on my potted plant (so not many) but they are taking ages to ripen.
Strawberries are being eaten, not sure what by. Not me! I have pop up cages which I shall deploy over the weekend.
I have my first courgette. The plants are not in their final pots. Too late to pot on?
Tomatoes on plants also not yet in final pots. I shall pot these on anyway. The toms that are going red on my early plant are taking ages to fully ripen.
Raspberries fruiting but a way to go.
Aubergines flowering - also not in final pot...
I have beans to plant out.
Ditto strawberries and framberries.
I wonder if any of my garlic is ready...
Cavolo nero doing ok, I think.
Sweet corn growing a bit, but no ears. Sweet potato isn't doing much. I put two in a very large container. Could I grow beans in with them? They are planted near the centre of it (maybe not the best idea but it was to accommodate a wigwam wicker support thing.)
Oh and finally, the cocktail kiwi's leaves are curling and some have littel holes in them

[Zosherooney]

Blimey Herb, you are doing very well ! I am way behind this year.. I am experimenting with courgettes, one is in a large pot in the GH the rest are now outside. I shall be interested to see what transpires on the fruiting front.

I have 6 (polish style pickling) cucumbers in the GH. The french beans have been battered by wind and rain and they had to be slug pelleted.

My two blueberries have lots of berries and they are starting to swell, I shall have to net them before long.

Out of 6 begonia corms, I have only managed to get one to show any signs of life - there must be a magic potion I do not know about?

I do have a bed of strawberries but the birds seem to have found them, so shall have to net them too. Raspberries are liking this rain. Walnut and apple trees have lots of young fruit but I am sure some will fall off in the next few weeks.

[scullion]

i ate a home-grown strawberry this morning. i have flowers on my courgette, a few on a tomato plant and i still need to 'stick' my peas and cut some more bamboo for the 'gigantes'.
our red and blackcurrants are definitely not ripe yet but then i don't expect them to be. (i was given a white currant cutting but i think it may have succumbed to the pot drying out when we went away last year).
most of our stuff is waiting for the weather to warm up again before it'll make any effort.

[Herbidacious]

Zosh, maybe net sooner rather than later? My loss of currants to the birds occurred whilst they were still green. THis pormpted me to pop my blueberry plant under netting with the cavolo nero, but it's a bit shaded down there.

I think that it's woodlice eating my strawberries. Unless it's mice... it's not birds, as under netting, and no snail slime.


I still have a couple of cucmbers, some inca berry plants and some achoca seedlings indoors. I want to put them all outside - the cucumbers are not looking that happy - but it's so windy. Will examine the cucumbers and pot on if they need it.

I potted about 8 tomatoes into final pots inthe quadgrow this morning. The rest are not ready yet.

I haven't sown any peas. It's getting a bit late now?

I have sweet peas and beans to plant out...

I am actually feeling very behind and not sufficiently focussed. I have been very tired lately all the time and not really wanted to do anything (at all, really... ) I just don't seem to have the time and/or energy to get stuff done. Partly me, and partly perhaps taking too much on...?

I think I may have room to put two artichokes in the ground (they are not doing anything in pots - this is year two) if I can get sufficiently deep down.

[scullion]

first harvest of lady crystl.
they haven't flowered yet but the haulms were looking rather sorry for themselves. this lot were in a self watering pot.
the others, in a bed, look rather better. i won't dig those yet.
the int. kidney are in an old compost sack. it will be interesting to see if they've done anything in a few weeks.

ps. i harvested my garlic, too. they are as pathetic as monty don's so i don't feel too bad. i think the weather has been unkind to it.

[Herbidacious]

Ooh lovely.

I wonder if I should check my garlic.

I have about 5 courgettes now.

[StokeySue]

They look very decent, despite the haulms

[Herbidacious]

The peas I sowed last Thursday are about an inch high. I am tempted to sow more. I put them in my raised felt trug. I have more trugs but they need constructing and I suspect will need a lot of watering once planted. Perhaps I shall put them in the raised bed.

I ate about 5 Glen Coe raspberries yesterday and a couple of strawberries. It seems that I will not get any strawberries unless I cover them. The ones I had are in pots, currently on my wooden bench (not good) with a pop up net over them. The ones that are not covered are being eaten as fast as they ripen, but not by me. I still suspect woodlice eat them , as well as squirrels and possibly birds and slugs...

I have lost most of my currants and jostaberries to birds, but some red ones in sleeves to eat. I think I should get a good raspberry crop unless the birds eat them or something drastic happens. They will have been loving the rain.
Rhubarb has gone mad but needs dividing. Anyone want any for next year?

I picked a few courgettes (plants still only in smallish pots - to be remedied this weekend) which I will cook tonight.

I need to water everything. We had scaffolding put up on Tuesday which has cramped my style. Desperately hoping it will be removed tomorrow as promised. It's occupying the entire patio area where my tomatoes are, plus going down into my one and only flower bed.

One of my dahlias has started to flower. It must be either Black Jack or Ripples, but it doesn't quite look like either I should feed them? The Coreopsis 'Red Shift' doesn't really look like it does on the web site either...

[Herbidacious]

I just picked a little bunch of very fragrant sweet peas They smell divine and are very nostalgic for me. My very very keen gardener Great Uncle used to grow them and take my grandma bunches of them.

Various veg seem to be coming on quite well. Not sure about toms...

[Seatallan]

[PatsyMFagan]

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first harvest of lady crystl.
they haven't flowered yet but the haulms were looking rather sorry for themselves. this lot were in a self watering pot.
the others, in a bed, look rather better. i won't dig those yet.
the int. kidney are in an old compost sack. it will be interesting to see if they've done anything in a few weeks.

ps. i harvested my garlic, too. they are as pathetic as monty don's so i don't feel too bad. i think the weather has been unkind to it.

Was that from one (seed) potato Scully ? This is my crop from one of my potato bags.... there was 3 seeds spuds in there. Adding up the cost of the bag, the seeds, the bags of compost, I don't think it was very cost effective

[Herbidacious]

They look nice though.

I just pulled up a bulb of garlic. It's very small... I think I didn't attend to them enough - not enogh water. Plus planted very late. Not sure if I shall bother again next year. If I do, they should go in the ground, not pots, I think. But do I want to give up a raised bed to them? Probably not.

[Herbidacious]

So how are things going for everyone?

[suffolk]

Eating and freezing lots of runner beans and the zucchini are doing well too ... outdoor tomatoes are beginning to ripen nicely and the green pepper and chilli plants look promising.

The winter brassicas were badly attacked by flea beetles but they seem to be outgrowing their depravations, thank goodness so we should have kalettes and white sprouting broccoli to look forward to.

The goosegogs cropped well (although they were smaller than usual ... I put that down to the dry weather earlier!), and the pears look promising.

[scullion]

we ate our international kidney potatoes last night. they were grown in an old compost sack with a soil and worm bin mix. we got about three or four times what i planted so quids in. i think i prefer the lady chrystl. the i.k. (aka jersey royals) were a little floury. i think i prefer waxier earlies.
my tomatoes (outside) are coming on nicely but not ripening yet and we can't keep up with the salad leaves - they are starting to bolt. i will have to buy another 'living' tray to plant out. all but one of my chilli plants are at my son's - he had them for the time we were away and i think they may end up staying with his collection. i will expect some of the produce.
i've bought some massive garlic bulbs which will be planted in a few weeks time. they are as big as my fist.

[Herbidacious]

Not sure whether to try again with garlic. This year was dismal but mainly because I kept forgetting to water them (and possibly partly planting them too late?) Not sure I want to give up raised bed save to them especailly as they shouldn't be grown along side some things. Maybe I could put a few in the herb bed.

[Herbidacious]

How do you tell when an aubergine is ripe? I would have let this one get bigger, but something had been nibbling it. It was 5-6 inches long.

It seemed crisper than they normally are when I cut it and no visible seeds, so I am guessing not ripe? Does it matter?!

[scullion]

it depends what breed they are and where you've grown them.
if it's a black beauty and grown inside they can get to 8" or more but 6" would probably be around the norm. if outside they'd be a little smaller. if the colour is all the way to the stalk end and/or the colour is good with no hint green they are likely to be ripe but i don't think it matters too much, they're still edible - you could always do the banana in a bag thing.
the best garlic i've ever grown was in a cold frame that had had geegeepoopoo put in it the year before and partially covered over winter. the bulbs it grew were massive - grown from ordinary shop bulbs, planted in autumn.

[Herbidacious]

Grown outside. Not sure what variety - garden centre plant. I cooked it but it took ages to cook down. Less absorbant than shop bought ones.

My other plant is pinstripe. Very pretty. Fruit still quite small. Need to look it up.

edit: can pick fruit small or leave to get big...

[Herbidacious]

The tag mysteriously appeared. it was indeed Black Beauty. Very tasty it was too.

I managed to break a branch of peppers off this morning. Potentially about 9 on the plant if all the flowers became fruit and all the little fruit grew. I seem to keep doing this

Edited for typos. I am having a disastrous day editorially speaking.

[scullion]

you should have put it in a bucket of water - solanacae often produce roots from up the stem quite easily. i have tomatoes growing on a rather long 'side shoot' that i put in a bucket some weeks ago.

[Herbidacious]

Too late en route to Sheffield. I guess this might have worked with all the Inca Berry casualties too.

[scullion]

i have just put 1.5 kg of redcurrants in the freezer. one bush's worth, harvested while the sun shone and, luckily, before the rain fell again (the washing wasn't so lucky).
i left a few on for the birds - about the same amount that they usually leave for us.
i'll be netting again next year.

[Herbidacious]

Tomatoes are beginning to happen. I am not sure what these are as the labels seem to have disappeared. I think they should be Summerlast, as they seem to be a dwarf variety, but those are supposed to be cocktail sized. And I seem to have more than 3 small plants... yet only ordered three.

They have a distinctive little point at the end of them. Not tried on yet.

I have a few other varieties ripening too. Some crimson crush, and er other ones... I do seem to have lost a lot of labels. Next year, I shall have be more careful with labels and have a spreadsheet and make notes! And not pot things on late, and, and...

I tried eating an Indigo Rose mini tomato and it was as sour as a gooseberry. I am hoping it's just not ripe yet. Otherwise I wasted a lot of time, water, compost and, most importantly, space on them

[Herbidacious]

I discovered woodlice eating my healthy but not yet ripe sweetcorn ears.

[suffolk]

Tell them they’re not supposed to have any teeth

[Herbidacious]

Are they not? Well I am still convinced it's they that eat my strawberries, and they were all over my sweetcorn. Did spot another insect though. Earwig? But only on one ear. Will look again tonight.

UK sites deny that woodlice eat anything that's living and healthy, but US sites don't seem to concur.

[suffolk]

The received wisdom is that slugs start on the strawberries, breaking through the surface, and the wood lice capitalize on this by sucking the flesh. There are gardeners who disagree but I’ve seen no proof from them.

The woodlice may be wanting to set up home in the nooks and crannies of your sweetcorn ... they have a reputation for being very good mothers.

This is soooooo interesting https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/natureuk/en ... 0f05380e69

[Herbidacious]

Yes I read that. But I never see slug slime on them.

[suffolk]

You don’t always see slug slime ... but they’re there ...make them a slug pub ... that’ll get ‘em

[Herbidacious]

Just wandering around the garden sampling things. I ate one of my two plums Very nice indeed. Sampled various types of tomato - some better than others. Ate my first achocha. Quite pleasant. I only have a few at the moment. I shall try roasting some. I also ate my last Gel Coe raspberry (although some autumn ones on the way, I think.) Sweetcorn seems to have halted in its development.

[StokeySue]

Well I’ve had an oddity
I planted chervil seed, it germinated, it grew way past the stage where I’d have expected damping off, then keeled over. I was too lazy to bother with the pot and I now have a healthy second crop

Unimpressed with my black “patio and basket” chilli”. Surely the patio varieties are meant to be ornamental? This thing has looked scruffy all summer, with chilliest hidden among the foliage, and now the black chilliest are turning red as they ripen.

[Herbidacious]

I am quite impressed by that, Sue - my chillis are still green. But if it's not what you were expecting...

I have had black chillis before. I had thought they were supposed to go read. Have to tried one? What's the variety?

edit: my black ones were vampire chillis and are supposed to go red.

edit 2: are your chillis green? They look black in the photo.

[StokeySue]

It looks ok when lifted up to eye level for the photo, but I wouldn’t class it as at all ornamental given that the fruits are barely visible most of the time. Also it’s meant to be twice that size, but I kept checking and it was never ready for potting on

It’s an F1 called Chenza. I didn’t notice before but in small print the label does say the fruits will be green then black then red, the main label just describes it as a black chilli. They have been black for some time.

I will use the chervil tonight, a salmon fillet cooked in a parcel with chervil and chives and a splash of vermouth

[scullion]

Chenzo isn't an ornamental variety, you can eat them. they are a reasonably hot one but not as mad as reapers and nagas by a long chalk.
can you put it somewhere quite warm, to ripen the chillies?
try saving some seed for next year - you may get some interesting plants.