VEGETABLE GROWING 2020

I never tried rhubarb, but raw peas and carrots are great!

 

Home grown lettuce, home grown spring onions, home grown charlotte potatoes, homemade bread, ok, I had to buy in the ham and mayonaisse (could have made my own), garlic mayo with smoked paprika, what's not to like, yes, salad tonight with home made tortillas! YUM

 

Let the courgette glut commence!



Here it was a few moments ago.

 

No my plot but happy to take the credit for the callaloo.




The plot owner has been shielding since lockdown began so tasked me with planting some crops on their behalf.

In addition to the callaloo was what indians call methi (aka fenugreek) in the empty space.

 

Pumpkins on the ground.



Actually, the one in the middle should be a marrow.


Pumpkins going skyward.

 

@misterQ I have a few questions, if you can.

Courgettes
Ok, this is not a question. Well done! I am jealous, mine are not pollinating well at all, so they are productive but the courgettes are all mishapen.. I guess I will hand pollinate them.

Callaloo
Do you advise seeding directly into the soil?
I have grown some seedlings in soil blocks a few months ago but delayed planting them because I was still organizing things, and they, ehmm, died on me. So, now tha the weather is warmer I was wondering if direct seeding might work..

Radish in bottles
I have planned to try that since I saw your post about it. So I collected quite a few bottles and set up a bamboo trellis to hang them from.
Would you suggest adding fertilizer or plain clover potting soil would do?
After one round of radish I was thinking of reusing the bottles for flowers, given you mentioned the plastic might release chemicals if exposed to the sun for long.

 

@Aldo

Yes, add a slow release fertiliser such as fish, bone & blood if it is seed starting compost, old compost or plain garden soil. If it is multipurpose compost fresh from a bag then adding fertiliser is optional.

Effectively, the bottles are like hanging baskets so trailing plants such as petunias and lobelias look really nice in them.

If you mount the bottles on short bamboo canes or metal rods then they will look like faux lupins.


Regarding callaloo, yes, they can be direct sown into soil but keep on top of weeds diligently. For example, chickweed can outgrow to smother the callaloo seedlings from a bare patch of soil if you are not vigilant.

When it comes to harvesting, do so first by thinning out the bigger plants in order to let the smaller ones grow. Then, afterwards, by cutting the stems of the remaining plants. Cut above two leaf nodes in order to force new side shoots from the remaining stumps.

And, definitely harvest once you see the flower heads appearing.

Incidentally, the whole plant is edible so make use of the stalks as well if they are young and tender.

 

@misterQ
Thanks so much, I will give it a go and see what happens

 

Today's lettuce pickings.


The second row was where it came from.


And some radicchio (aka chicory, some times called bitter lettuce).


Here they were inbetween the rows of carrots a few moments before.

 

The beetroots (two varieties: red and yellow) are doing nicely.

 

The japanese pumpkins are growing and fruiting copiously, they might become the first pumpkins I ever managed.
The other kinds are growing, lots of male flowers but no female ones..
So in the end I collected a bunch of flowers and fried them :D
I tried also frying patti pan and it was okeish, I think they are nicer roasted or perhaps in a soup.

Spinach and pak choi are doing ok, but I think I'll start harvesting them so I can plant perennial spinach, radish and carrots.

 

Any ideas folks please: I bought 1Kg of Winston early Pots and they a very big, did I overdo the feed? They taste nice though.