Edible Gardening

Thank you @JWK and @Scrungee I will pull out that one. No use growing it any further.

pete I assumed it was as Scrungee described:

Start those seeds off a bit earlier - mid to late summer, they are hardier plants than Cauliflower so you transplant them to their final position in the autumn.

They'll be ready about 5 minutes before Mr Blackbird has them away

Hi Rebaka, don't forget to protect them also during growth to avoid damage. A simple structure in wood wood like the one above would be perfect.

You can get slow release fertilizer pellets which I think are really aimed at things like flower containers, might be worth trying next year

A strange year for me. Plums 0 Nashi 0 Apples a few Pears0 Blueberries minimal Gooseberies plenty Redcurrants didnt set so 0 Blackcurrants a few (heaving with fruit last year so exhausted ? ) Raspberries are hanging in fruit as there are loads of bumble bees on them but 0 bees.

James Grieve is one I have, seems a very reliable cropper, mine is quite small due to me being impatient and wanting apples when it was young, but covered in fruit. I have thinned them out to two per bud as suggested by Monty the other night, just to give the tree a chance.

Wavy, wavy, waves.This is me visualising your handful of strawberries, except, they're on a plate. From this I can deduce that you have very big hands.The strawberries can not yet be compared to a summer's day but they were delicious, nonetheless.

Hi Chris, I've had that happen a few times, especially early in the season. I cut them off the plant, and use the "fat" end straight away (texture and taste is fine). Once the plant is in full cropping mode, it tends not to happen again. I think it's to do with borderline growing conditions?

I often eat them on holidays, delicious floating in a pool of garlic butter.

Thanks Nigel, that's very helpful. The last thing I wanted to do was kill bees. I sprayed well before flowering infact it is a long way off flowering yet so hopefully the bees won't be badly affected. I'm going to throw this insecticide away.

Never heard of that one alex, shame about the taste.

I'm growing some too for the first time, no idea what they taste like but the pigeons like them so that's positive. I've had to net them. They were free from van Meuwen when their web site threw a wobbly last year

Ok thank you palustris.

I was going by picture two. I would not expect a nectarine to have such a long stalk.Not sure which pics are yours and which are off the internet in your last post?

Oh yes, see it now, it looks bad. A real pity, not sure I'd be putting more toms in the greenhouse this year, bearing that in mind. As they say, there is always next year.

If you can keep the slugs away from it that Iris will do very well for you!

Cant think any kind of special feeding is going to do much. Just let nature take its course.

Thank you to both i will do that job this afternoon a shame but as you say it will help in the long run