This week in your Kitchen Garden.

[gentlegreen]

I thought Alys used Kelvedon Wonder - maincrop peas ?

When I had an allotment I tried a catch crop of marrowfat peas out of a packet - after early spuds I think - they came up OK, but the dried peas I got at the end were tiny and amounted to hardly any more pea than I'd sown.

At the moment my plan is to use mangetout peas for all purposes.

 

[sheothebudworths]

 

[fernhill heath]

I thought Alys used Kelvedon Wonder - maincrop peas ?

When I had an allotment I tried a catch crop of marrowfat peas out of a packet - after early spuds I think - they came up OK, but the dried peas I got at the end were tiny and amounted to hardly any more pea than I'd sown.

At the moment my plan is to use mangetout peas for all purposes.

the good thing about mangetout is that they are mangetout but if you want peas they will become peas, i use them all the time but also clevedon wonder are a good cropper, i don't think you can go wrong with peas they are very easy and grow themselves. the more you pick the more you have.

top tip.
pick off all leaves/pods below a foot and they put alot of energy into the top and for you its easy to keep them weeded and predator free imho

 

[sheothebudworths]

Hold off the bin for a moment! I planted some indoor hyacinths outdoors under my apple tree after they'd finished their indoor stuff - several years later they have spread themselves round the garden and give a lovely show each spring.

Ok, ok! So can I stick them straight from the pot into the beds pretty much now? Do I need to do anything?

 

[fernhill heath]

Ok, ok! So can I stick them straight from the pot into the beds pretty much now? Do I need to do anything?

nothing, they will sort themselves out.

 

[sheothebudworths]

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[fernhill heath]

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[Mrs Magpie]

I've decided to ditch my peach tree. There's no effective treatment I can find for peach leaf curl and in the last four years I've had one inedible peach. My garden is too small to keep something so disappointing.

 

[fernhill heath]

I've decided to ditch my peach tree. There's no effective treatment I can find for peach leaf curl and in the last four years I've had one inedible peach. My garden is too small to keep something so disappointing.

likewise i have a big plum tree right in the middle of my now soft fruit area it fruits every other year and they taste like shit. i think if you plant another tree e.g victoria plum that are a good cropper and well tasty then it will soften the blow of chopping down another tree. why flog a dead horse?

 

[Mrs Magpie]

No room for another tree really. My garden is teeny and the quince tree is doing so well I think it will be the only tree. I shall move the rhubarb to where the peach was and the gooseberry out of the tub it's outgrowing fast to where the rhubarb was.

 

[Hellsbells]

Is it warm enough to put my french beans and courgettes outside yet? They're about 5 inches big now. I put a few of them that i'd been growing in small pots inside into big garden pots this morning and I set up the bamboo support canes for the beans and everything, but i'm scared of putting them outside as it felt pretty cold when i was out today.
Should i wait til the weather improves and just keep them inside a bit longer?

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Frost forecast for tonight, so no.

 

[fernhill heath]

No room for another tree really. My garden is teeny and the quince tree is doing so well I think it will be the only tree. I shall move the rhubarb to where the peach was and the gooseberry out of the tub it's outgrowing fast to where the rhubarb was.

rhubarb is a versitile fruit/veg and you will get 3 crops a year if you treat it right and its low mantinence unlike the peach. gooseberry is aso a good fruit but harbours snails it's their l.u.p ( laying up position) for attacks at night check it daily, you will b suprised how many snails hang out there during the day . check and kill. kill them all

 

[Mrs Magpie]

You're teaching your grandmother to suck eggs.

 

[fernhill heath]

Is it warm enough to put my french beans and courgettes outside yet? They're about 5 inches big now. I put a few of them that i'd been growing in small pots inside into big garden pots this morning and I set up the bamboo support canes for the beans and everything, but i'm scared of putting them outside as it felt pretty cold when i was out today.
Should i wait til the weather improves and just keep them inside a bit longer?

i live in sussex and plant directly out my courgettes and french beans. i don't know where you are but i am a firm beliver in planting straight out and hoping for the best, you can grow indoors and put them out and the shock kills them imho it's best to plant out then you will find that the hardcore amongst your seeds will survive and become hardy plants, it's just those first few weeks you have to help them through after that the be fine as long as you can keep slugs/snails to a minimum then bob is your uncle

 

[fernhill heath]

You're teaching your grandmother to suck eggs.

old dogs can learn new tricks

 

[Mrs Magpie]

I think if you search for 'crushing snails mercilessly underfoot' on these boards I have practically copyrighted the phrase

 

[fernhill heath]

I think if you search for 'crushing snails mercilessly underfoot' on these boards I have practically copyrighted the phrase

i am glad we are of the same opinion, they are our enemy and should be shown no mercy. it's a constant battle and they outnumber us. killl . killl . killl

 

[Mrs Magpie]

I do have a plan to purge, cook and eat them as 'petits gris' as I am very fond of snails in butter, parsley and garlic.

 

[fernhill heath]

I do have a plan to purge, cook and eat them as 'petits gris' as I am very fond of snails in butter, parsley and garlic.

can you eat them ones we get in england? i thought they were the wrong sort of snail but they probably just as good as the french ones, you cant go wromg with butter and garlic though eh?

p.s how do you purge them?

 

[Voley]

heofthebudworthysonners.

Hello.

 

[fernhill heath]

Hello.

hello mate. i've been lurking in the shadows, reading your posts and laughing, hope our paths cross again

take care
old swearing boy starts secondary education in september, thats how old we are

 

[Mrs Magpie]

can you eat them ones we get in england? i thought they were the wrong sort of snail but they probably just as good as the french ones, you cant go wromg with butter and garlic though eh?

p.s how do you purge them?

The usual eating snails are Roman Snails (Helix pomatia). You see them in a tiny area of the UK around the Forest of Dean but they are a protected species.
The garden snail (Helix aspersa) is eaten in France but not called escargots, but petits gris.
To purge a snail (essential in case they've been feeding on something toxic to humans) you either starve them for about 10-14 days, rinsing every day in water or feed them oatmeal or cornmeal for 10-14 days. A pricier thing to do is to feed them herbs for the last 3 days (dill, parsley or whatever) as this enhances the flavour. It's cheaper to add herbs as you cook them. Before you cook them you put them in layers with salt in between so that they disgorge themselves, then rinse well before cooking them. Just follow any snail recipe or look up petits gris on French recipe websites.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Oh, and the best thing to keep them in when you are purging them is something like a tupperware container with small holes in the lid for air. The lid has to be tightly fitting or they will push it off and get out.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Have a look here, recipes for petits gris and escargots
www.recettesdecuisine.tv/recette-i87-f16/escargots/recette+escargots.html

 

[gentlegreen]

Today I reduced the acreage of pink anemones in my front garden and have made a 6 foot by 4 foot veggie bed. My rat gave me the idea by making its tunnel at that point.

I've just sown mangetout peas in 2/3 of it as a catch crop - hopefully to be followed by romanesco cauliflowers which I will be sowing every week or two - only room for 5 in total.
Depending on how the peas grow versus the potted, and then planted caulis, I'll harvest them at various stages.

I've netted the bed against pigeons and cats. If the rat is still around and starts tunneling again, he will finally get dealt with.

My neighbour assured me someone will steal my veggies, but we will see ...

 

[Mrs Magpie]

The flowers on my redcurrants bring the promise of a bumper crop. On fernhill heath's advice I had a close look on my gooseberry for snails. I've never once seen a snail on my gooseberries and true to form, not a single trace. The only thing I've ever had on my gooseberries is sawfly.....anyway, to my amazement, the bush is absolutely smothered in gooseberries...not ready yet, obviously but I've never had such a good crop. Bloody hundreds of them!

 

[Melinda]

Just got home.

Passed through 'Poundland' earlier in the day- they are doing gooseberry bushes and blackcurrants for a measly pound.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

I've decided to ditch my peach tree. There's no effective treatment I can find for peach leaf curl and in the last four years I've had one inedible peach. My garden is too small to keep something so disappointing.

This is a last year for my apple tree if it doesn't produce. It's had cedar-apple rust for the last three years and as long as there's cedar trees anywhere near, it's not likely to get better.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Do you have a big garden Yuwipi Woman? Mine is about 13 feet by 26 feet (iirc) and there's a paved area with a table (that shrinks as I lift paving stones to put in more plants!) I imagine American gardens to be pretty big. We're more squashed in here, especially in the middle of London.