I'm a bit worried about my onions, shallots and garlic... the snow and frost hasn't done them any favours. Most of them were dislodged and lying on top of the soil so I have just been out and tried to push them back in again, although the soil underneath still felt very hard.
I don't think they had enough time to stabilise themselves before the bad weather came... will just have to wait and see I guess.
Monday, 27 December 2010
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Happy Birthday to Me!
Well well well, I made it... yesterday was Produce By Paula's first birthday. I've had many successes, and a few failures since I've been blogging (I'll do a proper review of the season at a later date). Just didn't want the occasion to go by without a mention.
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Autumn Jobs... even though it's almost winter
So, it's that time of year again... the greenhouse and potting shed needed a clear out, tired plants needed to be thrown out, and autumn onions & garlic needed to be planted out, so that's what I did today.
The pepper and chilli plants in the greenhouse were definitely in need of some attention... most of them were put in the compost bag, although I did manage to pick these little beauties first.
One Bellboy and one Oregon looked like they might have a bit more to give, so I topped them up with a bit of fresh compost and moved them to the potting shed.
Similarly, a couple of the Apache plants are still showing a bit of life in them so I did the same.
Could just be wishful thinking on my part, but we'll see.
50 Troy sets, 50 Electric sets, 10 Jermor sets and 16 cloves of Lautrec Wight have been planted out where the brassicas used to live.
I also emptied out the last bag of rooster potatoes and was again pleased with the contents.
When I was tidying up the potting shed I found a couple of opened packets of salad seeds (lollo rossa & rocket) and an almost empty packet of feltham first peas... rather than wrap them up for next year I thought I'd see if I can get a few salad leaves and pea shoots out of them, so they are now in a couple of troughs in the greenhouse.
I still have a few more jobs to do outside, but thought that was plenty for one Sunday so they will have to wait for another weekend.
The pepper and chilli plants in the greenhouse were definitely in need of some attention... most of them were put in the compost bag, although I did manage to pick these little beauties first.
One Bellboy and one Oregon looked like they might have a bit more to give, so I topped them up with a bit of fresh compost and moved them to the potting shed.
Similarly, a couple of the Apache plants are still showing a bit of life in them so I did the same.
Could just be wishful thinking on my part, but we'll see.
50 Troy sets, 50 Electric sets, 10 Jermor sets and 16 cloves of Lautrec Wight have been planted out where the brassicas used to live.
I also emptied out the last bag of rooster potatoes and was again pleased with the contents.
When I was tidying up the potting shed I found a couple of opened packets of salad seeds (lollo rossa & rocket) and an almost empty packet of feltham first peas... rather than wrap them up for next year I thought I'd see if I can get a few salad leaves and pea shoots out of them, so they are now in a couple of troughs in the greenhouse.
I still have a few more jobs to do outside, but thought that was plenty for one Sunday so they will have to wait for another weekend.
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Autumn Planting
I finally got round to planting out the brassicas that have been in the potting shed for far too long... each weekend I have been looking at them and thinking that they really need to be put in the ground.
I'm not even sure that they are all suitable for over wintering or using as spring greens, but have no other choice now than to put them in and see what happens, so the collection of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower now resides in one of the raised beds.
They are covered with nets for the time being... I'm not sure if cabbage whites are still around? The fleece is on standby for when the temperature really drops.
I'm not even sure that they are all suitable for over wintering or using as spring greens, but have no other choice now than to put them in and see what happens, so the collection of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower now resides in one of the raised beds.
They are covered with nets for the time being... I'm not sure if cabbage whites are still around? The fleece is on standby for when the temperature really drops.
Carrots.... hmmmmm
I can't say that my attempts at carrots (or roots in general) this year have been successful, because they haven't. The first few sowings in the ground didn't even germinate so I tried sowing in tubs. I picked a handful of tiny paris market a few months ago now and thought I would leave the others to grow on but they haven't come to much at all. This was one tub of chantenay that I picked today.
The remaining tubs, paris market and early nantes have lots of greenery but nothing underneath?! Today's pickings will accompany roast dinner, I just wish I had a few more.
All is not lost though, I did have another surprise bean harvest... they just keep on coming.
And also, I finally emptied out my penultimate bag of potatoes, that I have been rummaging in every now and then and pulling out a few; I was not expecting to find this many left in the bag.
The remaining tubs, paris market and early nantes have lots of greenery but nothing underneath?! Today's pickings will accompany roast dinner, I just wish I had a few more.
All is not lost though, I did have another surprise bean harvest... they just keep on coming.
And also, I finally emptied out my penultimate bag of potatoes, that I have been rummaging in every now and then and pulling out a few; I was not expecting to find this many left in the bag.
Sunday, 3 October 2010
Tomatoes Galore
A couple of weeks ago I completed the mammoth task of picking the remaining tomatoes, both red & green and disposing of the plants.
Some of the plants were looking a bit worse for wear and had started to get blight, so I figured it best to get rid of them. I've had a fair few tomatoes over the season and have loads in the freezer ready for winter soups and sauces so didn't feel too disappointed having to pick them all.
This was how many there were.
Some of them were just right for using fresh in salads, some went into bolognese sauce but most of them were still green with a few on the way to being ripe. So what did I do with them all?
Three batches of Green Tomato Chutney
Two batches of Green Tomato Jam
Pickled Green Tomatoes
Tomato & Pepper Relish
Some of the plants were looking a bit worse for wear and had started to get blight, so I figured it best to get rid of them. I've had a fair few tomatoes over the season and have loads in the freezer ready for winter soups and sauces so didn't feel too disappointed having to pick them all.
This was how many there were.
Some of them were just right for using fresh in salads, some went into bolognese sauce but most of them were still green with a few on the way to being ripe. So what did I do with them all?
Three batches of Green Tomato Chutney
Two batches of Green Tomato Jam
Pickled Green Tomatoes
Tomato & Pepper Relish
Surprise Harvests
I thought the french beans had come to an end, but having left the remaining ones on the plants to dry, I have continued to harvest on a couple of occasions since. This was two weeks ago
This was last week
And it looks like I will be picking another portion for today's dinner.
This little gold rush courgette was another surprise a couple of weeks ago.
I think the plant has definitely finished now though, the other fruit rotted before they got to a decent size. I have one all green bush plant that is still producing regularly so courgettes in general aren't finished yet.
This was last week
And it looks like I will be picking another portion for today's dinner.
This little gold rush courgette was another surprise a couple of weeks ago.
I think the plant has definitely finished now though, the other fruit rotted before they got to a decent size. I have one all green bush plant that is still producing regularly so courgettes in general aren't finished yet.
Red Peppers
Sweet peppers are ripening nicely now, I've picked a few ozarowska
and diablo
over the past few weeks and have been saving the seeds.
There are still a few more on the plants out in the greenhouse so I'm pretty pleased with how they have come along.
and diablo
over the past few weeks and have been saving the seeds.
There are still a few more on the plants out in the greenhouse so I'm pretty pleased with how they have come along.
Sunday, 5 September 2010
Almost forgot...
... on Bank Holiday Monday I decided to tidy up the overgrown, caterpillar infested brassica beds. Most of the remaining "above the ground" veg was discarded, but I was hoping that the "below the ground" i.e. swede would be okay... not so.
They were too close together and had either been stunted, split or eaten by critters. Swede were supposed to be part of my masterplan to provide fresh veg during winter. I did manage to save one though.
I've read some comments that swede isn't very nice if it's harvested too early and before the frosts have got to it; this one tasted lovely steamed and mashed with some of my rooster potatoes. I just wish I had a few more to grow on.
Next year I must take more care to thin them out and be more vigilant where cabbage whites are concerned!
They were too close together and had either been stunted, split or eaten by critters. Swede were supposed to be part of my masterplan to provide fresh veg during winter. I did manage to save one though.
I've read some comments that swede isn't very nice if it's harvested too early and before the frosts have got to it; this one tasted lovely steamed and mashed with some of my rooster potatoes. I just wish I had a few more to grow on.
Next year I must take more care to thin them out and be more vigilant where cabbage whites are concerned!
Seed Saving
One thing that did surprise me about the previously mentioned pumpkin was the number of seeds it contained... there were millions of the things!
Well maybe not millions, but it seemed like a lot to me; although I have never been up close and personal with a pumpkin before so that might be quite normal.
Doing what I usually do, I searched on the internet to see if there is anything special you have to do to them in order to save them for future sowings... and there isn't, just rinse and leave to dry before packing them away. So that's what I've done.
I have also been saving pepper seeds for the past few weeks, so have apache, shake (don't know what the variety is so have to stick with that name) and bellboy seeds ready to sow next year.
Well maybe not millions, but it seemed like a lot to me; although I have never been up close and personal with a pumpkin before so that might be quite normal.
Doing what I usually do, I searched on the internet to see if there is anything special you have to do to them in order to save them for future sowings... and there isn't, just rinse and leave to dry before packing them away. So that's what I've done.
I have also been saving pepper seeds for the past few weeks, so have apache, shake (don't know what the variety is so have to stick with that name) and bellboy seeds ready to sow next year.
Berries For Breakfast
The majority of my posts are about veg because that's what I grow the most.
However, I thought I would spend a whole post talking about fruit... berries to be precise.
My first autumn raspberries ripened on Tuesday.
Yesterday morning I picked another handful.
And today I did the same, along with some blackberries.
I love being able to wander out to the garden each morning and pick a few sweet berries to add to my breafast bowl. Anyway, that's all I wanted to say :-)
However, I thought I would spend a whole post talking about fruit... berries to be precise.
My first autumn raspberries ripened on Tuesday.
Yesterday morning I picked another handful.
And today I did the same, along with some blackberries.
I love being able to wander out to the garden each morning and pick a few sweet berries to add to my breafast bowl. Anyway, that's all I wanted to say :-)
This time last year....
... I had red and orange sweet peppers all over my california wonder plants. This season has been so different; Tuesday marked the harvesting of the first red pepper... it was a bellboy, still a bit green on one side but I wanted to use it so picked it.
I had to pick a couple of green ones and one that was on the turn yesterday because the stems had broken under the weight of them.
French beans had come to an end by now and it looks as if this season's are finishing too. I picked about a handful yesterday, but I think I will leave the remaining ones on the plants to dry and provide seeds for next year's sowing.
Courgettes had finished too, in my notes I mentioned pulling up the last of the plants. This year I still have one all green bush producing regularly and the remaining gold rush has about 5 little courgettes on it... maybe they won't come to anything, will just have to wait and see.
I didn't manage to produce any aubergine last year; this year I had two, but had to pick the second one, which was still quite small yesterday because the colour had started to fade which by all accounts is a sign that it has passed it's best. Luckily it still tasted okay roasted with some other veg.
I had also picked all of the ripe tomatoes by now and harvested the green ones for making chutney. This year they are still ripening pretty consistently; this was yesterday's batch.
I didn't grow pumpkins at all last year, and this year's results have been mixed. From three surviving plants I had three pumpkins growing fairly well I thought, although one of them was a bit elongated. The largest of the three started to turn orange a few weeks ago, which I thought was too early but couldn't do anything about it, and the main stem started to shrivel up. The third one got attacked by something, not sure what but it had a big gash in the side of it then it rapidly went soft and rotted.
Yesterday I noticed that the largest one (now fully orange) had a similar looking mark on it to the one that rotted, although a bit smaller so I harvested it.
I had high hopes for that pumpkin, even though it looks the part colour wise, it is a lot smaller than I expected or wanted it to be... smaller than a football and it peaked way too early. Anyway, click here to see what I did with it.
I had to pick a couple of green ones and one that was on the turn yesterday because the stems had broken under the weight of them.
French beans had come to an end by now and it looks as if this season's are finishing too. I picked about a handful yesterday, but I think I will leave the remaining ones on the plants to dry and provide seeds for next year's sowing.
Courgettes had finished too, in my notes I mentioned pulling up the last of the plants. This year I still have one all green bush producing regularly and the remaining gold rush has about 5 little courgettes on it... maybe they won't come to anything, will just have to wait and see.
I didn't manage to produce any aubergine last year; this year I had two, but had to pick the second one, which was still quite small yesterday because the colour had started to fade which by all accounts is a sign that it has passed it's best. Luckily it still tasted okay roasted with some other veg.
I had also picked all of the ripe tomatoes by now and harvested the green ones for making chutney. This year they are still ripening pretty consistently; this was yesterday's batch.
I didn't grow pumpkins at all last year, and this year's results have been mixed. From three surviving plants I had three pumpkins growing fairly well I thought, although one of them was a bit elongated. The largest of the three started to turn orange a few weeks ago, which I thought was too early but couldn't do anything about it, and the main stem started to shrivel up. The third one got attacked by something, not sure what but it had a big gash in the side of it then it rapidly went soft and rotted.
Yesterday I noticed that the largest one (now fully orange) had a similar looking mark on it to the one that rotted, although a bit smaller so I harvested it.
I had high hopes for that pumpkin, even though it looks the part colour wise, it is a lot smaller than I expected or wanted it to be... smaller than a football and it peaked way too early. Anyway, click here to see what I did with it.
Sunday, 29 August 2010
Pleasantly Surprised
I think I have previously mentioned the cabbage white community that have moved into my garden. The consequence of this is that I am constantly fighting with eggs, baby caterpillars and the nasty full grown ones.
Well, today I braved the far corner of the brassica bed to see if there might be anything worth picking for today's dinner and found a cabbage... not 100% sure what variety, but I think I put a couple of savoys in that section of the bed.
Anyway, the tough outer leaves were peppered with evidence of caterpillars (or slugs perhaps?) having been there, but once I removed them, the cabbage itself looked untouched.
So quick was I to discover if any creatures had taken up residence inside the cabbage that I didn't take a photo of it in all it's glory... so this is what it looked like part-way through the chopping process.
Well, today I braved the far corner of the brassica bed to see if there might be anything worth picking for today's dinner and found a cabbage... not 100% sure what variety, but I think I put a couple of savoys in that section of the bed.
Anyway, the tough outer leaves were peppered with evidence of caterpillars (or slugs perhaps?) having been there, but once I removed them, the cabbage itself looked untouched.
So quick was I to discover if any creatures had taken up residence inside the cabbage that I didn't take a photo of it in all it's glory... so this is what it looked like part-way through the chopping process.
And there were no creepy crawlies!!
Saturday, 28 August 2010
Latest from the Garden
Tomatoes have been ripening for a while, and they are now coming thick and fast. This was yesterday's haul
Some of them had split, I assume because of all the rain we have had and the amount of water they have taken on so I put them aside for cooking... probably a nice bolognese today. I separated out another batch for freezing
The remainder will be used in salads. My latest sowing of lettuces aren't quite ready, but I cut a few of the leaves from each plant which was more than enough
In the greenhouse, the second aubergine is coming along nicely
Most of the chillies have ripened to a glorious red colour
And... there is some ripening on the sweet peppers.
Hopefully the others will follow soon.
Some of them had split, I assume because of all the rain we have had and the amount of water they have taken on so I put them aside for cooking... probably a nice bolognese today. I separated out another batch for freezing
The remainder will be used in salads. My latest sowing of lettuces aren't quite ready, but I cut a few of the leaves from each plant which was more than enough
In the greenhouse, the second aubergine is coming along nicely
Most of the chillies have ripened to a glorious red colour
And... there is some ripening on the sweet peppers.
Hopefully the others will follow soon.
Sunday, 22 August 2010
Monday, 16 August 2010
Let the freezing commence...
If I'm going to achieve self-sufficiency one day I need to get into the habit of freezing excess produce rather than consuming portions that are far too large... even if veg is extremely good for you.
So to start this off, today I picked and froze two portions of tomatoes and a bag of beans.
So to start this off, today I picked and froze two portions of tomatoes and a bag of beans.
Sunday, 15 August 2010
Today's Pickings
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Baby Sweetcorn... I think that's the last of it for this year
Calabrese... a couple of the buds had opened; I picked them off and am hoping it's still edible
Courgette... a big one!
Tomatoes
Baby Sweetcorn... I think that's the last of it for this year
Calabrese... a couple of the buds had opened; I picked them off and am hoping it's still edible
Courgette... a big one!
Saturday, 14 August 2010
Why won't my peppers go red, or orange?
It's all in the title... I have romanos that should be red
and bells that should be red or orange
... they look spectacular, but are staying green. They are sharing the greenhouse with red tomatoes and red chillies, so there must be enough sun to ripen them.
I have picked a couple and used them green but I want red and orange ones, especially as I intend to save some of the seeds to sow next year; to get the best chance of a good crop they need to be from ripe specimens.
... they look spectacular, but are staying green. They are sharing the greenhouse with red tomatoes and red chillies, so there must be enough sun to ripen them.
I have picked a couple and used them green but I want red and orange ones, especially as I intend to save some of the seeds to sow next year; to get the best chance of a good crop they need to be from ripe specimens.
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