2015 Growing Season

If she did dial 111

 

Asking now

 

She did, she feels okay though...

 

http://www.npis.org/telephone.html

Just to be on the safe side, might be cow parsley, but you don't want to take a chance

 

The hemlock root contains the most poison, get on the phone mate

 

My biggest marrow has stopped growing so I cut it this afternoon. Marrow and I will watch 'Curse of the Were-Rabbit' tonight.

Second biggest is still growing and has a very small chance of weighing more if I leave it to the morning of the Aug BH Mon village show, so will keep on watering, feeding and measuring.

 

Very close to what I expected.

Using zeroised bathroom scales after putting some timber slats across battens so I could see the scale (marrow is 16" wide), I got a reading of 28Kg. If there hadn't been those cold nights at the beginning of June that delayed planting out I reckon the plants would have got some 30% larger and I might have got over 70lbs.

 

Here's one of those happy accidental discoveries which gardening throws up from time to time.

Back in the spring I noticed a particularly vigorous seedling had appeared in the veg plot, evidently from one of the pumpkin or squash seeds out of the compost bin from last year.

So just out of curiosity I replanted it to a free space in the veg plot, to see what it would produce.
What I think I have here is a rampant and highly productive hybrid between a pumpkin and a round yellow variety of courgette (I grew both last year).

It is currently producing these tennis ball sized fruits at the rate of about two a day and has been for about a month now. While they have quite a mild flavour, the flesh is firm and quite palatable and they do seem to 'keep' in the fridge for longer than a normal courgette.

 

Bridgwater, Runners and a few Painted Lady Beans

 

I've been picking around a carrier bag of runner beans each day for ages, but 2 of my 4 bean structures were Jescot-Long-Uns, and as (contrary to normal runner bean growing) I've deliberately let all the biggest beans go to seed and removed everything else for eating.

My Polestar runner beans (that I normally save seeds from every year) have again produced a rubbish crop for the 3rd (4th?) year running, despite trying fresh stocks of bought seeds, not bothering wasting my time with them again.

White Lady have yet again produced the best crop of standard size beans, so will plant up at least one structure of them every year, a few days ago they appeared as if they'd keep producing until end Sept., but looking this morning they seem very close to finishing.

 

Cut another marrow today, 56lbs.

My biggest 3 this year are 51, 56 and 63lbs.

 

So started clearing out the greenhouses for the end of the season - harvested the last of the Giant Belgium toms, a Giant Gherkin that had hidden in the corner & a Pepino fruit.

--

 

My Aquadulce broad beans, sown on November 8th, have already germinated and are growing steadily. Normally they wouldn't appear until around Christmas or New Year, but the mild autumn has brought them on early.



I'm not too sure if this is a good thing, as any harsh weather later on in the winter may damage them if they're too well developed. Should be alright though, they're as tough as old boots and will usually take whatever the winter throws at them.