Growing food
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diamond lil
- Posts: 9806
- Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2010 1:42 pm
- Location: Scotland.
Growing food
So has anybody had a good year? have we learned anything? --apart from the fact that its BLOODY HARD to grow food in any decent amount
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Brambling01
Re: Growing food
Beans, Onions, Ridge Cucumbers, Carrots, Strawberries, Lettuce and Beetroot have cropped really well. Winter and Summer Squash, OK. Tomatoes, Peppers, and Aubergines a complete disaster. Even though I chose varieties suitable for a colder climate.
So, the lesson learned is keep the more tender veg protected. This is the first year for 5 years I've had no tomatoes to put up for the winter.
B
So, the lesson learned is keep the more tender veg protected. This is the first year for 5 years I've had no tomatoes to put up for the winter.
B
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Carrot Cruncher
Re: Growing food
Lessons i've learned this year, it was a very bad year, are that Runner Beans are surprisingly robust considering the amount of Aphids that were trying to suck the life out of them. Also, dont leave the beans to get too big as they taste like you are chewing straw 
. Swedes are very easy to grow and store in the ground, but are also a slug and caterpillar magnet resulting in most of the leaves being eaten before the Swedes reached full size. Pruning the 1 year old Raspberry bush as per the book meant no fruit and hardly any growth this year. Sprouts dont like being grown in Containers and also seem to be a Cabbge Whites favourite dinner.
On the plus side, the Tomatos and 2 year old Apple Tree are doing fine.
I guess the main thing I learned is that if I had to survive on what I grow there is a strong possibilty that I would starve to death pretty quickly, while Slugs and Cabbage Whites would thrive.
. Swedes are very easy to grow and store in the ground, but are also a slug and caterpillar magnet resulting in most of the leaves being eaten before the Swedes reached full size. Pruning the 1 year old Raspberry bush as per the book meant no fruit and hardly any growth this year. Sprouts dont like being grown in Containers and also seem to be a Cabbge Whites favourite dinner.On the plus side, the Tomatos and 2 year old Apple Tree are doing fine.
I guess the main thing I learned is that if I had to survive on what I grow there is a strong possibilty that I would starve to death pretty quickly, while Slugs and Cabbage Whites would thrive.
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diamond lil
- Posts: 9806
- Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2010 1:42 pm
- Location: Scotland.
Re: Growing food
I have lots of swedes/turnips (dono the difference) still in the ground but the leaves are like lace...will they keep ok? My onions were awesome and I will grow more. MY leeks were even awesomer and I will grow more. tatties were ok. Tomatoes I grow indoors anyway. Lettuce and chard were a disaster. Likewise here, we'd be deid lol 
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preppingsu
Re: Growing food
Potatoes did well (disaster last year) - still eating new potatoes and should be enough 'old' pots to get us past xmas.
Didn't like the type of cuccumber I grew this year so will try something different next.
Beans (runner and french) -enough to get through the winter.
Lettuce -still doing succession planting, I'll keep that going for as long as I can.
Tomatoes - rubbish - will need to rethink next year.
Carrots - rubbish - don't know why. Won't have enough to last the winter.
Peas did OK - have planted some more but may be too late for good croping. I'll wait and see.
Parsnips - bloody huge and tasty. May not last til xmas
Beetroot - very good - I just tend to pickle so plenty of jars to last.
Celery - very slow but is looking OK. Probably end up in stews and soups.
Recently planted cabbage and swede and they are doing OK.
Rasperries - summer variety no crop, autumn - still picking a bowl every 2 days. Brilliant.
Blueberries -small handful every couple of weeks (bit of a treat really)
Sweetcorn - OK.
Rhubarb - received a plant of someone and its done really well.
Have planted some more beetroot, parsnip and spinach. The spinach has been attacked by the pigeons. May be a bit too late for the other plants and the weather has gone cold but I'll see what happens.
Results are not enough to last until next spring/summer on their own but supplemented with other food stuffs then it goes a long way towards helping. But it is hard work to keep up with it all, even harder if working. Think about the work needed if you had more land, planning to grow more to be self sufficient!!!!
Didn't like the type of cuccumber I grew this year so will try something different next.
Beans (runner and french) -enough to get through the winter.
Lettuce -still doing succession planting, I'll keep that going for as long as I can.
Tomatoes - rubbish - will need to rethink next year.
Carrots - rubbish - don't know why. Won't have enough to last the winter.
Peas did OK - have planted some more but may be too late for good croping. I'll wait and see.
Parsnips - bloody huge and tasty. May not last til xmas
Beetroot - very good - I just tend to pickle so plenty of jars to last.
Celery - very slow but is looking OK. Probably end up in stews and soups.
Recently planted cabbage and swede and they are doing OK.
Rasperries - summer variety no crop, autumn - still picking a bowl every 2 days. Brilliant.
Blueberries -small handful every couple of weeks (bit of a treat really)
Sweetcorn - OK.
Rhubarb - received a plant of someone and its done really well.
Have planted some more beetroot, parsnip and spinach. The spinach has been attacked by the pigeons. May be a bit too late for the other plants and the weather has gone cold but I'll see what happens.
Results are not enough to last until next spring/summer on their own but supplemented with other food stuffs then it goes a long way towards helping. But it is hard work to keep up with it all, even harder if working. Think about the work needed if you had more land, planning to grow more to be self sufficient!!!!
Re: Growing food
Potatoes, onions, peas, courgettes have done really well.
A third of the Quinoa doing ok.
Kale doing well
Loads of brambles and blackcurrants.
Redcurrants and gooseberries failed!
It's my first year on the allotment so I'm just practicing this year. Covering up most of the plot now until next year.
A third of the Quinoa doing ok.
Kale doing well
Loads of brambles and blackcurrants.
Redcurrants and gooseberries failed!
It's my first year on the allotment so I'm just practicing this year. Covering up most of the plot now until next year.
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Carrot Cruncher
Re: Growing food
I had a good crop of Peas last year, but this year they were terrible spindly little things. I used the same seeds as last year as I didnt plant them all last year....maybe they don't keep well.
Regards the Swedes Lil (I think originally they were just a Swedish Turnip) once my leaves were eaten they stopped growing. Not sure about whether they will still store in the ground without any leaves but I imagine so...worth a try anyway
Regards the Swedes Lil (I think originally they were just a Swedish Turnip) once my leaves were eaten they stopped growing. Not sure about whether they will still store in the ground without any leaves but I imagine so...worth a try anyway
Re: Growing food
Well I've given up until next year. I've had peppers sitting on the bloody plant for so long and not ripening that they are starting to rot, and likewise three plants full of tomatoes.
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diamond lil
- Posts: 9806
- Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2010 1:42 pm
- Location: Scotland.
Re: Growing food
At least we aren't rolling across the West in covered wagons staring starvation in the face...
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Triple_sod
Re: Growing food
I’ve been please with how the gardens turned this year, most of the stuff I’ve grown has done very well.
Really been impressed with the Telephone Peas and Galina tomatoes, will defiantly be growing them both again next year. Was surprised at the Ostara strawberries too they looked quite bleak in the cellophane packet but we’ve had loads off, and managed to propagate about 8 runners, so really got 14 plants for the price of 6 .
Didn’t do too well with the onions and garlic but that was my fault, I let the weeds get on top of them. The purple Ukrainian tomatoes didn’t exactly impress, the plants looked sickly and the fruit was decent but it seems to go straight from un-ripe to overripe...and they weren’t even purple!
Not over yet though, still got ¾ of my tatties to dig up, swedes and spouts won’t be ready for months and I’m still waiting on my peppers and chilli’s to ripen. Got a few late carrots growing in a big pot too, they should be ready in a week or two.
Really been impressed with the Telephone Peas and Galina tomatoes, will defiantly be growing them both again next year. Was surprised at the Ostara strawberries too they looked quite bleak in the cellophane packet but we’ve had loads off, and managed to propagate about 8 runners, so really got 14 plants for the price of 6
. Didn’t do too well with the onions and garlic but that was my fault, I let the weeds get on top of them. The purple Ukrainian tomatoes didn’t exactly impress, the plants looked sickly and the fruit was decent but it seems to go straight from un-ripe to overripe...and they weren’t even purple!
Not over yet though, still got ¾ of my tatties to dig up, swedes and spouts won’t be ready for months and I’m still waiting on my peppers and chilli’s to ripen. Got a few late carrots growing in a big pot too, they should be ready in a week or two.