This week in your Kitchen Garden.

[invisibleplanet]

First crop of mangetout (they were delicious). More on the way in a day or so, but have to get to them before J does, and am still in competition with J and the blackbirds for the strawberries.

Also transplanted out some of the curly parsley, and some more Romaine lettuce, and a row of mangetout and Cobra beans.
Had to sacrifice the mutant marrow. There were two. They're now on the compost heap. I've started off a few round zucchini which only take 40 days to maturation to put in their place (will pick the two strongest and transplant those).

 

[BoatieBird]

I love this time of year in the kitchen garden, when all the hard work starts to pay off.

We picked the first cucumber from the greenhouse yesterday and BoatieBoy ate it for his breakfast - I did manage to steal a tiny bite from it though, and it was lovely
Dug up a load of potatoes and made a vat of sag aloo for the freezer.
The first of the courgettes are ready too and I've got a courgette and feta sandwich for my lunch today

I went to Hampton Court Palace Flower Show on Saturday so I'm overflowing with gardening enthusiasm at the moment

 

[invisibleplanet]

Here's the curly parsley seedlings I planted out: it seems happy and it's 'true leaves' are coming on well. I hope it forms a hedge and must just keep it clear of weeds until that happens. Soil colour difference comes from selective watering. The ancient (Early Bronze Age) art of fieldstone clearance banking is clearly visible at the bottom/left of the foto. I keep meaning to collect pretty pebbles to edge the temporary paths, but I'm not sure that's a good use of my time at the moment

 

[The39thStep]

Just bought a packet of butterbeans(for growing) from a market near Valencia.Garrofo Tipo Peladilla,says 120 days so if I plant out in Jume I could well get a crop if the weather is good enough in Manchester for end September.Only problem is that is usually when the first frosts start.

 

[invisibleplanet]

Earliest frost I can remember came mid-October on the northwest coast.
Harvest AFTER first frost for whole beans.
I'd risk it for beans

 

[invisibleplanet]

My little courgette - 4 more flowers coming up, one opened today

 

[Leafster]

I picked the first two courgettes on Monday - they weren't particularly large but still tasted good!

 

[softybabe]

The strawberries have now finished fruiting but we're still enjoying nice juicy peas

 

[seeformiles]

Still getting lots of Alpine strawberries but chillies are looking good and starting to flower (and fruit in a couple of cases). Here's a plant a couple of weeks ago;

 

[pianissimo]

I have two apple trees in the garden. Fruits are still green, not entirely ripe. But that doesn't stop the squirrels from picking them.

Tomatoes in front garden. Again still green. Birds are lurking

Strawberries are growing! I'm surprised they've picked up. Not turned red neither though.

 

[tarannau]

It's all going surprising well still <crosses fingers, toes and testicles>. Pretty much every chilli is fruiting, some prolifically. Have serrano, prairie fire, super chillies and many more in abundance, a variety of attractive plants spread all every available windowsill. Outside pots are doing well, if slower. Even the dorset nagas, 7 pots, chocolate habs and even the fabled wiri wiris are making an appearance indoors too. Just 10-15 or so beautiful little wiris so far, but the two plants are festooned with flowers on the turn now. And blimey the greenhouse down the allotment ain't half overspilling too.

Outside the house, the herbs are doing well. Succeeded in getting Epazote going for the first time, now growing quickly after a long spell of piddly near inactivity. The thymes are beginning to die back a little and I've not quite got the crop of basil going that I hoped for, but it's pretty darn creditable for a first year in this place. Already getting ahead of myself and thinking of what to change next year.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

The Rape Of The Sabine Carrot



Quite an alarming thing to find in your veg patch.

 

[invisibleplanet]

 

[Mrs Magpie]

I hadn't really thought about the yellowing on that one leaf. It was planted in fresh vegetable compost which was supposed to have five week's worth of feed in it but I guess that's come to an end now. I'll put some tomorite (sp?)from time to time in the can when I water it from now on. Thanks for the advice.

Epsom salts! That's what you need for magnesium deficiency.

 

[hiccup]

View attachment 16609

Quite an alarming thing to find in your veg patch.

Have you seen Pan's Labyrinth?

 

[invisibleplanet]

Epsom salts! That's what you need for magnesium deficiency.

I never knew that! You're a mine of useful information - thankyou Mrs. M

 

[Leafster]

Epsom salts! That's what you need for magnesium deficiency.

Thanks Mrs M! It actually seems to be OK now. I've had three or four courgettes off it so far and there's a couple to pick for tonight's dinner.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Have you seen Pan's Labyrinth?

I was thinking more of Poussin

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/p/poussin/sabine.jpg


or Picasso

http://davidmhart.com/WarArt/Picasso/Misc/RapeSabineWomen1962.JPG

 

[invisibleplanet]

Spotted while looking for Lakeland events over summer!

For Chilli Lovers:

August 13-14th - The Lakes Chilli Fest.
Levens Hall.
www.chillifest.co.uk

 

[mr steev]

I'm finally eating my tomatoes (the cherry ones at least). They've been teasing me with green fruit for ages and now they've decided to ripen. It would've happened earlier but I had to move them out of my little greenhouse thingy to make space for my chilli plants (which still look like they're a few weeks off)
The strawberries I have in window boxes are starting to ripen now too and the garden and path are littered with juicy plums and there are still hundreds on the tree

 

[Hellsbells]

I discovered yesterday i have a fig tree in my garden Luckily i discovered in time, as i was about to chop it down! Anyone got any tips on how to care for this fig tree? When should the figs be ready to pick and eat? They're still green at the moment....

 

[pianissimo]

Lettuces are growing strongly.
Strawberries are turning red, but I found teeth marks on them

 

[Corax]

This thread makes me sad now, I'm going to have to remove it from my 'watched' list. All that bloody work I put into making the vegetable patch.

 

[tufty79]

Apples, sweetcorn and spinach all doing well...

 

[tufty79]

Broad beans ranging from starting to flower, through to ready to compost.. Runner beans replanted around the beanpole, with an improvised mini raised bed of carrots...

 

[tufty79]

also got twelve summer cabbages bedded in, which i got from the diy shop on streatham hill on my last proper day in london, will see if anything happens with them. Just planted my pumpkin too, and working out how to build it a decent climbing frame View attachment 12892

 

[tufty79]

the wood at the end of the corn patch has also been cultivating some RUDE FUNGUS

 

[invisibleplanet]

This thread makes me sad now, I'm going to have to remove it from my 'watched' list. All that bloody work I put into making the vegetable patch.

Can't you make a container garden? Is there any way you can introduce growing things to your immediate surroundings?

 

[The39thStep]

Broad beans ranging from starting to flower, through to ready to compost.. Runner beans replanted around the beanpole, with an improvised mini raised bed of carrots...View attachment 12891

where is the raised bed of carrots?

 

[Corax]

Can't you make a container garden? Is there any way you can introduce growing things to your immediate surroundings?

Managed gardens. Anything I tried to grow would just get strimmed. If I asked nicely, I suppose they might let me have a growbag.