Advice for a hopeless gardener

[jennyjj01]

It's scab. RHS guide here:

https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/potato-scabs

Scab is worst on dry or alkaline soil. Guess what I have? The pot of earlies in the greenhouse that I failed to water consistently got it. The volunteers in the compost heap are uaually fine while the ones behind the greenhouse are usually iffy thanks to the chalk soil.
Common scab organisms are everywhere so no point worrying about keeping it out of the compost or the allotment. Just have to grow resistant varieties and water more carefully than I did.

Thanks.
I was reading about scab and wart and for a while thought it was wart.... But Wart is very rare, so I concur it's scab.
Tiny sample size, but the ones that got it were Desiree and the ONE that didn't was Pentland Javelin. In the same compost!
The Coir compost drying out was probably what sealed its fate.

[jansman]

Where the scab is not too bad,I still peel and eat too.

[jennyjj01]

Where the scab is not too bad,I still peel and eat too.

Thanks. These tiny spuds were too riddled deep into the flesh. The pentland from the same tub were smooth as a babies bum,... Probably dug too early. Not dug any from the lotment yet. They are mostly green healthy looking.

[jennyjj01]

See my Beautiful Courgette...
Seedling planted in my tardis composter on 7 May, so this has literally taken only 7 weeks!
I'm adopting the approach of harvest early, harvest often. This little tinker is 1" longer than my ilegal 3" knife. There will be a couple more this size by Saturday. They seem to literally grow an inch per day.
Beautifully formed.

Today a couple of veg growing 'speriments.....
Tardis number#2, I planted a 3" courgette seedling that I had in a 3" pot.
Am I being silly?

[GillyBee]

I am jealous. Mine are growing ike wildfire but are yet to flower. How do you plan to feed your courgette to the family?

[jennyjj01]

I am jealous. Mine are growing ike wildfire but are yet to flower. How do you plan to feed your courgette to the family?

There's only me & MrJJ and he doesn't (Knowingly) like courgettes.
If I get my harvest up to three by the weekend, I'll probably make courgette fritters for myself. Then, assuming they keep on coming, some simple ratatouille, for ME. Later, I'll pickle some.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/cour ... ters_87587

Last years pickle is still getting consumed. courgettes went a bit brown, but go well in a cheese butty, as are last years pickled beetroot. You'll laugh, but I'll be recycling my pickle vinegar.

I can honestly declare myself self sufficient in those two crops

Meanwhile, Back at the ranch..... Three of my four peas in buckets are bearing pods. Maybe only half a dozen pods between them. Snack size portion coming up. I'm looking into 'harvest soon' with them in the hope it encourages them. 12 more pea seeds sown tonight. The peas at the lotment didn't survive pigeons. Runner beans have outgrown their canes!

Excited at the prospect of harvesting some spuds. Come on. Die you beggars, Die, so I can harvest you!.

[GillyBee]

You might find courgette cake goes down well, especially if you just call it "Gillybee's cake recipe" and keep the ingredients secret. The recipe I use is very like a carrot cake in taste and texture To tell the truth I think you could sub grated courgette in most carrot cake recipes and it woud work.
I got my recipe here:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/courgette-loaf-cake

but I think I might try brownies too this year

https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recip ... nie-recipe

NB If you are gluten free I find that standard gluten free flour is fine for this type of cake but I might use buckwheat flour for the brownies to keep the "fudginess".

[jennyjj01]

Picked up some seeds at 29p from Lidl. It's not a wide range and not all the seeds are so cheap, but 29p. 49p.

I wonder if they restock these or just sell them down till no stock left?

[jansman]

Picked up some seeds at 29p from Lidl. It's not a wide range and not all the seeds are so cheap, but 29p. 49p.

I wonder if they restock these or just sell them down till no stock left?

It’s mid Summer. Selling them off .

[GillyBee]

That used to be the standard price in Lidl. I have had seed basics there more than once. The hardest bit is deciphering the variety name as they use the European versions of the names.