Growing your own veg

KMA · Aug 20, 2017

Lifted last of my spuds and garlic for the year. spuds all nice and clean apart from the setanta which had slightly rough skins, yields OK but not as high as I'd hoped. Thinking Lady Krystl, Nicola and Cara next year.

Started gathering seeds for next year. Found the runner bean varieties I'd wanted to try this year

The Ruminant · Aug 23, 2017

martian said:
Or...spread some muck, sprinkle seed tatties on it, then roll out some straw on top. View our test plot at Groundswell No-till day 29th June. This what it looked like yesterday. We didn't spray weeds off first, so far straw has suppressed all bar potatoes.View attachment 537766

How did these do in the end @martian? Did they yield?

martian · Aug 23, 2017

The Ruminant said:
How did these do in the end @martian? Did they yield?

Still yielding. Can't eat the blasted things fast enough...if you want a few, come and harvest your own.

Quite interesting how the depth of straw influences how they grow. Where we piled it on a bit, the potatoes grew in the wet straw, as the soil below was quite dry for a lot of the growing season. Where the straw layer was thinner, the spuds grow in the soil/straw interface and are much easier to extract. I don't know about yield, but there are lots of them.

The Ruminant · Aug 24, 2017

Old McDonald said:
@Chasingmytail If that is a mistype and you meant mares then I once read that it accumulates any gold in the ground and has allegedly been used as a primitive method of prospecting to see if there is gold underground. I do not know if that is just a myth.

Apparently you keep it all as you pull it up and later in the year burn it on a hard surface so that you can winnow out the gold from the ashes. Never tried it because I cannot see that you could obtain much gold from a few barrowloads of mares tail.

Seems it may be a myth, sadly

https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/1278a/report.pdf

KMA · Aug 25, 2017

I'd noticed some rogue spuds growing in an area I'm going to clear and raise when I have time, thought I might as well make a start today thinking I'd maybe get a couple of usable tubers. Lifted a bucketful of a variety (king Edward) I'd tried at least 3yrs, slight bit of scab and slug damage on a couple but still very useable

.

Currently thinking Lady Chrystl (1st), Nicola (2nd), Orla and Setanta (main) and maybe try Charlotte as a late for 2018.

Netherfield · Sep 12, 2017

More than enough for the two of us for a year.

onodle · Sep 13, 2017

KMA said:
Lifted last of my spuds and garlic for the year. spuds all nice and clean apart from the setanta which had slightly rough skins, yields OK but not as high as I'd hoped. Thinking Lady Krystl, Nicola and Cara next year.

Started gathering seeds for next year. Found the runner bean varieties I'd wanted to try this year

Have you tried running a second crop of spuds in Aug place them in tubs to harvest Mid Dec / Jan? Plant them in pots to move inside a glass house / polytunnel or cold frame when frost starts to come in.

KMA · Sep 14, 2017

Have thought of putting some in after the 1st earlies are lifted, will give it go next year. Think I've got enough spuds to do us this winter.

Going to give up on the broccoli, runner beans are pretty much over as well so will remove them next week which will leave most of bed1 clear so I can top up the soil in preparation for the Early Purple garlic and Eschalote Grise shallots which I hope will be here by the end of the month.

Struggling to keep up with the veg for the last few weeks so am freezing a lot and will have a marathon beetroot pickling session next week.

Chasingmytail · Sep 14, 2017

Spuds came up a few weeks ago and the Pink Fir Apples were great. Lady Balfour and Charlottes also very good. I did sell a lot with my eggs because I was concerned over the amounts we grew. My Main crop of Rudulph are still in the ground. I found it all very time consuming as pulling them, bringing inside, drying and sorting took some time. I then transferred to an old railway cabin filled with straw.

People loved the Pink Firs though and had great fun with the phallic shapes.

anzani · Sep 15, 2017

onodle said:
Have you tried running a second crop of spuds in Aug place them in tubs to harvest Mid Dec / Jan? Plant them in pots to move inside a glass house / polytunnel or cold frame when frost starts to come in.

No, but did replant the best haulms from early lifting, they were grown in no-dig, with high compost beds. The disturbed tops seemed in such good condition that as an experiment, they were popped into buckets with some of the compost,firmed and watered occasionally. A 'second crop' resulted, not extensive but several good spuds on each. Variety was Apache

KMA · Sep 15, 2017

anzani said:
No, but did replant the best haulms from early lifting, they were grown in no-dig, with high compost beds. The disturbed tops seemed in such good condition that as an experiment, they were popped into buckets with some of the compost,firmed and watered occasionally. A 'second crop' resulted, not extensive but several good spuds on each. Variety was Apache

That sounds interesting, my haulms generally come up in pretty good nick with the odd decent enough seed tattie still attached, might give one or two a go next year and see what happens, probably from the Nicola.

KMA · Sep 18, 2017

New one on me

Cabbage whites can't get at my brassicas so the caterpillars are demolishing the shaws on my swedes. Roots are fine and I've just spent 10 minutes squidgeing anything I could see so not too bothered, just a bit surprised. They don't seem to have touched the parsnips or beetroot in the same bed though. Bit annoying as I'll have to make even more tall, netted frames than planned for next year :scratchhead:

and there was me being smug and tolerant of the parent butterflies as they couldn't get at my brassicas......now it's WAR!!

waterbuffalofarmer · Sep 18, 2017

Runner beans are doing well, I grew them in tractor tyres this time around and they have done brilliantly. Cherry toms seem to have given a lot of crops, always use the tmbling tom red variety and it works the best. Cucumbers produced a lot of male flowers this year, but so many cucumbers, so I think it was worth the effort. Just glad I kept hold of the seed packet, take down variety names that work best. Tell me, has anyone tried growing soya beans before? I was going to try some in my conservatory, just to add to our cooking and see, but never got round to it

KMA · Sep 18, 2017

I found the midnight variety of courgettes did very well according to our neighbours

Runner beans (snowdrift) have yielded more than expected lots in the freezer

Stonehead cabbage has been good and survived the various pests well, Hispi in for the winter

Leeks (mostly Jollant) good switched to Tornado for later cropping.

Nantes carrots are yielding well, with the Autumn King for winter looking very good

Broccoli were a f**king disaster

Tomatoes have been very slow to ripen but plenty of fruit, Thanks to Old Boar the golden pearl are now starting to ripen at a decent level

Parsnips will be better later in the winter

experiment of putting leeks between the rows of parsnips seems to be working.

Peas are doing OK but need to build much stronger stands for the beans and peas next year

Beetroot, the Pablo seem to have been the most sucessful Kestrel are ok but not bothering with Detroit again

Sweet peppers are and experiment and were a bit late going in, Bellboy Red has one on it, the Enorma was a total waste of time

Strawbs did better than expected

Rasps did as well as could be expected as did gooseberries, relocation and more TLC should help next year.

More raised beds and netted frames are the key projects for next year along with a better planting routine so I don't have a massive surplus of one veg at any one time

there's only so many runner beans you can eat

waterbuffalofarmer · Sep 18, 2017

KMA said:
I found the midnight variety of courgettes did very well according to our neighbours

Runner beans (snowdrift) have yielded more than expected lots in the freezer

Stonehead cabbage has been good and survived the various pests well, Hispi in for the winter

Leeks (mostly Jollant) good switched to Tornado for later cropping.

Nantes carrots are yielding well, with the Autumn King for winter looking very good

Broccoli were a fudgeing disaster

Tomatoes have been very slow to ripen but plenty of fruit, Thanks to Old Boar the golden pearl are now starting to ripen at a decent level

Parsnips will be better later in the winter

experiment of putting leeks between the rows of parsnips seems to be working.

Peas are doing OK but need to build much stronger stands for the beans and peas next year

Beetroot, the Pablo seem to have been the most sucessful Kestrel are ok but not bothering with Detroit again

Sweet peppers are and experiment and were a bit late going in, Bellboy Red has one on it, the Enorma was a total waste of time

Strawbs did better than expected

Rasps did as well as could be expected as did gooseberries, relocation and more TLC should help next year.

More raised beds and netted frames are the key projects for next year along with a better planting routine so I don't have a massive surplus of one veg at any one time there's only so many runner beans you can eat

Too many courgettes or runner beans, I blanche them and freeze in freezer bags. Only problem is they tend to go a bit soggy

but still tasty

the Italians have brilliant preserving recipes for fruit/veg

waterbuffalofarmer · Sep 18, 2017

We have so many damsons ATM will have to bulk make jelly now. Plus blackberries too. Will also harvest the elderberries this week too!

KMA · Sep 18, 2017

Fortunately I had plenty of takers for the courgettes, really not our thing but I'll get some seedlings started to pass on next year. Hoping to get the beetroot lifted and pickled this week.

Netherfield · Sep 18, 2017

I won't be growing anymore beetroot. we've only done it for the wider family, and don't eat it ourselves.

I'm looking to do a little less each year , enough for the two of us plus daughter and hubby from now on, my back could do with a rest from digging and weeding for younger family who can't be arsed to do it for themselves.

anzani · Sep 20, 2017

Netherfield said:
I won't be growing anymore beetroot. we've only done it for the wider family, and don't eat it ourselves.

I'm looking to do a little less each year , enough for the two of us plus daughter and hubby from now on, my back could do with a rest from digging and weeding for younger family who can't be arsed to do it for themselves.

Progress to "No- Dig", see:
http://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/
Its what I do, its easy to convert if
a) your ground is free from perennial nasties, bindweed, maretails, couch and nettles
b) you can freely source well rotted FYM and/or green waste compost

KMA · Sep 21, 2017

Seed garlic and eschalote grise arrived today so busy taking down the runner bean stands and topping up bed one ready to plant next year's crop. Need to build a couple more frames so may get the early purple garlic in this weekend.

Growing your own veg

Member

Member

DD Moderator

Member

Member

Member

New Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

0 %

Up to 25%

25-50%

50-75%

75-100%

100% I’ve had enough of farming!

Share this page