How does your garden grow - Vegetables

A thread to record your daily triumphs and disappointments in the vegetable plot - pics welcome!

Round courgettes
I've grown these for the first time this year and am delighted. The seeds were only a 49p (I think) packet from Lidl, with multilingual growing instructions but nonetheless they are doing fine.
I started them in pots under plastic, transplanted them when they were big enough to cope outside and they haven't looked back.
The eating quality is excellent. I've only used them sliced and plain boiled or (better) cooked on a barely oiled griddle but, being round, there's also the potential to stuff them with something tasty and bake in the oven. Once I get a tomato glut I'll also cook some ratatouille to freeze away for colder days.

Re: How does your garden grow - Vegetables

OOOOOh ratatouille! Love it. It was my ambition some years ago to grow everything in a ratatouille but I've never achieved the whole thing yet.

This year we trialled various types of potato in big pots and potato bags. We grew Charlotte, Vivaldi, Duke of York, International Kidney. We have found the Vivaldi to be the best by a long way. We did however plant out quite late and wonder whether that affected the first earlies unfairly.

Our courgettes - the "normal" ones have mostly turned to marrows! Luckily, I have a friend who loves marrow - OH hates them, but I wonder whether to try making some marrow and ginger jam. Is it worth it, do you think?

Runner beans - "Best of All" - have done very well. We have been eating them frequently for about a month, and frozen some for C (will not type that word in full!). Still plenty coming. Flavour is excellent.

Tomatoes - in the greenhouse. Still green, but swelling nicely. 3 Italian varieties. Will let you know more when they (if) they ripen - otherwise there will be a load of green tomato chutney!!!

Salad greens have been disappointing, although edible. Perpetual spinach is always good, but need to grow more really.

Raspberries have been good - early ones were delicious and the autumn ones are just starting to come through. Always think the early ones taste better.

We also have a couple of little apple trees - one is a Cox and the other is I think Lord Lambourne. Both trees did well last year, although only small. Not sure yet about this year.

Plum trees have been laden! And my poor old pear tree has loads of pears but they are completely inedible and horrible looking - attracting the wasps by the dozen. I only keep the old tree because the blossom is so lovely.

Sorry DM - that was hardly a "daily" but more an epistle!

Re: How does your garden grow - Vegetables

Fine epistle angie!

I've just returned from the allotment (after bisecting, so it seemed, dozens of worms; must be the dampness bringing them close to the surface and therefore vulnerable). It wasn't too bad and I have returned with
rhubarb
raspberries
carrots
beetroot
courgettes
cucumbers
herbs
perpetual spinach
tomatoes
Not a bad haul but this is a very productive time of year.

Re: How does your garden grow - Vegetables

Living in the City in a row house with limited space my vegetable plot is small - 10 X 4, I have five Super Marmande tomatoes, two Thai hot peppers, two Genoa basils, six Borlotto shelling beans and a dozen scallions. All doing well except the beans which I suspect didn't get pollinated properly when they were flowering because of the incessant rain, Pity, as I'm very fond of them, and not to be found at the market. I'm enjoying a fresh tomato at lunch almost daily; have managed to foil the catbird and squirrel by putting mesh bags on them as they ripen.

Re: How does your garden grow - Vegetables

I have got four foot high rhubarb it is so big I can shelter underneath the leaves .

It is a variety called Tarporley and this is the first year I have grown it. I was advised not to pick it the first year to give the crown chance to get established , consequently it is taking over the garden

Re: How does your garden grow - Vegetables

Wow, I'd love to see a pic of that!

Re: How does your garden grow - Vegetables

Me too! ............

Re: How does your garden grow - Vegetables

mmmm a slight exaggeration my part I just measured it and it is three and a half feet high. I bet it is as tough as old boots now...

Re: How does your garden grow - Vegetables

I mean to plant new rhubarb. Ours is ever so old and struggling. Do you know when is the best time to plant anew?

Re: How does your garden grow - Vegetables

Pretty much any time bar deepest winter angie - put some in now and it can get a bit of a foothold before the cold weather comes?.
But you'd probably do as well just grubbing out your old plant and making new ones from the root. Split it so there's at least one shooting point per clump and refresh the site with a good dollop of manure or compost etc, add a bit of blood fish & bone as you want it to be productive for years and - presto! Well, that's the theory