What is everyone eating from the garden?

[rik_uk3]

We moved house about six weeks ago so all I've managed to do is some tub/square foot gardening and a little cheapo greenhouse which holds three grow bags. The herbs are doing fine, Thyme, sage, coriander, basil, mint, dill, parsley; courgettes are now setting and starting to fruit as are peppers and chilli, toms are just starting to fruit as are the strawberries. Some from seed, some from plant but in under two months I'm happy. Next year will be different when the pucker polytunnel is up and running.

Little cheapo greenhouse http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gardman-Compa ... 2571769d43 sort of thing but plain plastic from Poundstretcher at £14.99. They really do make a massive difference and my grandson is well impressed with his 'plants' If your short of space they are well worth looking at and at fifteen quid you won't loose a lot if they don't work for you...at worse you should have enough herbs for the family.

I'm no 'real' gardener but as my mobility is not what is was and as I have some land (came with the house) not far from the house I'm going to give it a real bash next year.

[jansman]

Sounds to me that you have hit the ground running rik uk3. It all helps. Those little greenhouses can revolutionise your gardening activities. Brilliant!
The more we can all do, the less we will have to rely on 'The System', even if it is a few tomatoes or radishes-and they taste sweeter when you grow them.

[Arzosah]

Blimey, Rik, you moved 6 weeks ago, and you've got that lot on the go already, with mobility issues? Serious respect from me! Thats brilliant!

I've got chives, raspberries and rhubarb that I've cropped - I have to pluck up my courage and try to make some lemon balm pesto, because the thing is expanding at a rate of knots - brilliant camouflaged food plant in the front garden!

[rik_uk3]

Blimey, Rik, you moved 6 weeks ago, and you've got that lot on the go already, with mobility issues? Serious respect from me! Thats brilliant!

I've got chives, raspberries and rhubarb that I've cropped - I have to pluck up my courage and try to make some lemon balm pesto, because the thing is expanding at a rate of knots - brilliant camouflaged food plant in the front garden!

I've no mobility issues other than getting very short of breath at times. My lad and I spent a day setting it all up, seeding and buying plants. I've got to plant spuds now in bin liners.

[FEISTY]

The cherries are ripening and we need to get them covered pronto - ditto gooseberries, or the squirrels and birds get the lot. Haven't much to eat yet. Had rhubarb. Everything else coming along nicely - first lot of Pak Choi just about ready, except my seed sown courgettes, planted out in raised bed and, even with "organic" slug pellets, eaten to the ground (I only planted them out when they were several inches tall) overnight . Watering is taking a long time each day with the weather we've had. Preps for next summer include getting the automatic watering system in place. The tap has been secured in the wall (it was literally a pipe with tap coming out of the wall with no plate or filler, so water could potentially have gone back into the house when it gets forced back out of the top of the hose. A plumber has made it as "freeze proof" as possible and solidly filled around the pipe as it comes out of the wall. I'll be being a bit more careful this year and shutting off the water for the winter, putting on tap jacket and actually cleaning and putting the hoses away properly this year, so I don't have to keep buying new ones. On the prep list is a multi-hose extension and I'm digging out the electronic timer I've had in the garage for several years this weekend. It may be unusable, but at least I'll know one way or t'other. If it works, I'll use the existing drip hose that comes with it to water the area nearest to the tap, which includes the existing greenhouse. I know they're not edible, but I've had lily beetle 2nd year now and think I may just give up growing them - they are on my tree lillies and make a real mess of them - very sad. Hate squishing them, because they really are beautiful wee things. The slugs and snails are voracious this year .

[Arzosah]

I've been wondering about cherry stones - I got a cute little Xmas present last year, of dried cherry stones in a little bag - they act as a lapwarmer, having been in the microwave for 5 seconds (literally). There are massive great old cherry trees by me, that no longer produce any edible cherries, but loads of them are on the ground already - if I collect a load and soak them or even just let them dry off in the privacy of my own garden so that I can give it a go to produce my own - will I be attracting pests, or do peeps think its feasible?

[cpslashm]

Fresh strawberries daily.
Strawberry sorbet.
Wild strawberries.
Cauliflowers.
Carrots.
Chives.

Nasturtiums growing again.

Last year I cut a big apple tree down to a 5 foot trunk. (Too much shading everything else and lots of tiny apples or nothing.) It's now sprouting near the top and I'll keep it pruned so hopefully get fewer, bigger apples next year.

[rik_uk3]

Fresh strawberries daily.
Strawberry sorbet.
Wild strawberries.
Cauliflowers.
Carrots.
Chives.

Nasturtiums growing again.

Last year I cut a big apple tree down to a 5 foot trunk. (Too much shading everything else and lots of tiny apples or nothing.) It's now sprouting near the top and I'll keep it pruned so hopefully get fewer, bigger apples next year.

Nasturtiums are such a nice plant, grow pretty much in any soil and knock off the flowers before they seed and you have wonderful colour in the garden for months. My little grandson planted half a dozen and they are all coming through nicely.

Have you tried the climbing/trailing varieties?

For those of you who've not tried this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLG6f1VP3nE its well worth thinking about.

[jansman]

Blimey, Rik, you moved 6 weeks ago, and you've got that lot on the go already, with mobility issues? Serious respect from me! Thats brilliant!

I've got chives, raspberries and rhubarb that I've cropped - I have to pluck up my courage and try to make some lemon balm pesto, because the thing is expanding at a rate of knots - brilliant camouflaged food plant in the front garden!

Now I never thought of lemon balm pesto, is that something you make regularly?The lemon balm plant is like a Triffid-unstoppable.

[cpslashm]

Have you tried the climbing/trailing varieties?

Nice idea but no need - we've plenty of space and I don't want them taking over the guttering!