First Harvest Of The Year

Talking of different strawberry varieties, what were the old ones (probably going back about 40 years) that used to be grown on PYO fruit farms. I remember the hull remaining on the plant when they were picked at optimum ripeness?

 

Hi @miraflores a couple of my favourites are Hapil,and also Cambridge Favourite but all in all I enjoy all varieties as long as they taste nice and sweet and not tart

Not too sure of that variety that you are talking about @Sian in Belgium as I never went to many pick your own farms all those years ago so sorry can't help you with that one

 

Well another good picking session this afternoon,although I reckon I could have made a fortune down at Wimbledon next week selling them

Haven't got time to weigh them out and will have to spend some time going through them before they go on the freezer as there are a few that are a bit ropey.Also had some that have rotted on their stalks due to the heavy downpours we keep having but we still are getting a good crop.

 

Can I ask how many is a number of years, do you rotate the area you grow them in or do they stay in the same ground.

 

I've separated the beds into two of roughly equal size and close to each other. One is south facing, the other north. This is to prolong the season. The north facing on is in a slightly raised bed, and shaded with a hedge of Siberian Pea. The beauty of this is that it add nitrogen to the soil. So I never need to use any kind of fertiliser, or move the plants.

At the start of every 4th year, I use new plants from the runners.

 

Just wondered, I was told to move them to new ground to prevent any build up of problems in the soil, so I do a rotation not just of plants. If it's not broke don't mend it I guess, but the commercial growers round here do the same, moving the polytunnels to new fields.

 

My first beans are ready too, hoping to leave them on plants till Sunday.

 

Lust picked the first two cucumbers from the greenhouse. This week had the first peas, broadbeans, tayberries, raspberries and first properly ripe gooseberries. raspberries.
Strawberries are over (poor year).

 

What a difference being north of the border, apart from salad stuff, nothing is ripe for picking yet, everything is flowering, but nothing ready yet.

 

We have had a good week for picking stuff and then today we picked more Raspberries,Strawberries,Red Currants,Broad Beans before rain stopped play...

 

Here its a bit later, but the gooseberries are ready for picking, and the redcurrants probably next week. Have nice recipes for both of them...

 

We need an envious button @Kandy

 

Soon to be harvested...Redcurrants...



...and gooseberries...

 

@sandy how do you stop the birds eating all your fruit as they look to me like they are uncovered Last year Mr Kandy got no Red Currants and hardly any Gooseberries from me of his bushes because the blackbirds ate the lot

@pamsdish we are going back over as soon as we have finish our early lunch as we had to stop yesterday due to the rain so need to get over there to finish off the picking.There will be just as many ripened tomorrow but at least the Strawberries are slowing down We are having to eat quickly the last of the stewed Apple that I froze last year to try and make room for all this stuff as we can't eat it fresh quick enough Luckily we have two tall upright freezers in the garage as well as the half one in the kitchen which is a fridge freezer