Archive for the ‘vegetables’ Category

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Christmas Potatoes

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

Sorry to mention Christmas, but it is only 13 weeks and 2 days away!

As the sunsets, I’ve been planting Christmas Potatoes, a bit late, these should have been planted in August if I want potatoes for Christmas Day, but despite looking for them since July, they came into stock and were sold out in days. I managed to get some, pre-chitted ‘Estima’ and ‘Maris Peer’ tubers, I was notified by a supplier that had left overs, and despite only wanting ten tubers of both, I ended up with 40 tubers for the same money! These will sit in the greenhouse protected from frost, and I’ll dig-up on Christmas Day, I’ve got a little problem with my greenhouse at present, it’s split, but if I cannot fix, I know someone nearby with a polytunnel, that may trade space for some spuds on Christmas Day! (with this recent warm spell, and may make up lost time!)

christmas potatoes maris peer

christmas potatoes maris peer

christmas potatoes estima

christmas potatoes estima

These are planted in garden recycling sacks, and old compost bags. Something to occupy the empty greenhouse over the autumn and winter.

christmas potatoes No.1

christmas potatoes No.1

christmas potatoes No.2

christmas potatoes No.2

Since placing an order for my seed potatoes, I’ve seen excess tubers available at garden centres, suitable for planting now, Large pots, compost bags or animal food sacks will do, just make sure you protect from frost, if your lucky you’ll have potatoes for Christmas Day.

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Keep the vamps at bay

Sunday, September 20th, 2009

We’ve been tidying up the garden before the Autumn starts on Wednesday. Lindsey cut the front lawn, maybe for the last time, and I’ve been clearing up and emptying the potatoe bags and planting my garlic that my friend (thanks Paul) bought from the The Garlic Farm, on The Isle of Wight. (keeps away the vamps!). It’s probably a little early, but I wanted to get it in the ground while it was still warm, and the autumn starts on Wednesday, so it’s probably not that early. I’ve planted Iberian Wight – a soft-neck early white garlic and Elephant Garlic – these cloves are massive. I’ll be planting my potatoes shortly for Christmas, and keeping them in the greenhouse.

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Another disasterous year for tomatoes

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

Cleaning up for the autumn, and here’s a picture of my poorly tomatoe plants with blight. Another year of no tomatoes, next year if I decide to grow any, I think I’m going to have to grow them under glass or shield them from wind or rain.

tomatoe plants with blight

tomatoe plants with blight

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Pestilence & Disease

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

This is why we don’t see many plums each year, the birds start to peck at my plums, and then the wasps come and finish them off!

wasps eating my victoria plums

wasps eating my victoria plums

click for a closer high resolution view – if you dare!

another close-up of wasps on my plums

another close-up of wasps on my plums

and then my tomatoe plants got struck by bl**dy blight!

tomatoe blight

tomatoe blight

My tomatoe plants have been doing very well this year outside, but in the last few five days, with the cooler, wetter weather, it looks like all my cordon varietys have been struck by blight!

Damn it!

Oh well, there’s always next year!

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Summer Harvest

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

Un-earthed some more potatoes for tea this evening, this crop is from two tubers, planted in different bags.

more potatoes

more potatoes

and I thought I better pick me plums off the tree, we have an old victoria plum tree in the front garden, it’s very old, some people in the village think it was planted before the house was built, and the house was built in 1862! The plum tree is now crooked and hollow, and the number of plums it delivers each year dwindles now!

victoria plums

victoria plums

Some I’m surprised that this year, I’ve manged to save as many as this.

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Best potatoes crop yet

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

These were dug up from two plants…

Salad Anya

Salad Anya

Maincrop Organic Lady Balfour

Maincrop Organic Lady Balfour

I’ll definately be growing more of Salad Anya potatoes next year. These have done extremely well, considering a bag of these in the supermarket is about a pound.

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Potatoe Harvest Time

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

I’ve harvested the last of the First Earlies I planted out in March this year and dug up the last plant, it revealed much better potatoes, the variety I grew was Epicure. But I don’t think I’ll be selecting this variety next year.

First Earlies Epicure

First Earlies Epicure

But the Second Earlies Edzell Blue I also planted out in March, have done extremely well, and I thought the tubers, when planted were all shrivelled up and rubbish when I planted them out. It just goes to show, looks can be deceptive.

Second Earlies Edzell Blue

Second Earlies Edzell Blue

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July 2009 Tomatoe update

Saturday, July 18th, 2009

Since planting out into the grow bags, my tomatoe plants have done very well with the hot summer days, followed by the thundery showers.

tomatoe plants in July 2009 next to shed

tomatoe plants in July 2009 next to shed

tomatoe plants in July 2009 next to greenhouse

tomatoe plants in July 2009 next to greenhouse

potted tomatoe plants

potted tomatoe plants

Even the potted tomatoe plants – Tombling Tom Red, which were damaged and wilted by the sun, have come back, after I chopped them back, and been watering twice a day since. So I live in hope that I’ll have some tomatoes this year!

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Chilli plants

Sunday, June 28th, 2009
Chilli plants

Chilli plants

I’ve now planted out all my tomatoe plants, so the porch is empty except the chilli plants and butternut squash seeds I’ve just planted.

butternut squash seeds planted

butternut squash seeds planted

Although my early tomatoe plants did very well this year in the porch early on, too much light has caused them to bolt, and become very thin and long, I’m not too sure If I’m going to have another disaster, last year, the cold in the green house was causing them issues, this year, the heat was right in the porch, but too much light, so next year I think I’m going to have to grow on early, and transfer them to the greenhouse under cover.

But the chilli plants love the heat and light in the porch, so maybe next year, I’ll just grow chillis!

Anyway I hoping I get some chillis off these plants for making chilli for Paul/Sally and David when he visits in his new Nissan GT-R!

eh, David pictures of the last but one car… (not the Fiat!). I preferred this one to the VW EOS, isn’t that a hairdressers car? (no offense intended to hairdressers!)

Subaru Impreza

Subaru Impreza

Subaru Impreza under the bonnet

Subaru Impreza under the bonnet

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Planting out tomatoe plants

Sunday, June 21st, 2009

Due to, too much light, my tomatoe plants have “bolted”, and are very “leggy”. Anyway best plant them out, there not going to produce tomatoes in the porch!

before planting out

before planting out

A stack of growpots, helps promote growth and saves water. This year I’m using two growbags to double-up the depth of compost. The growpots will also help as more compost is deposited in the collar.

tomatoe plants planted out

tomatoe plants planted out

tomatoe plants next to greenhouse

tomatoe plants next to greenhouse

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