The first carrots from my bottomless buckets - success. Definitely doing more of these next year.
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| Container carrots |
The first Sungold tomato to ripen and the first Summer Patty Pan Squash. Contrary to everything written in my books about the squash family not producing very well in containers - mine are starting to produce and look really healthy. Needless to say, the container they are growing in is huge.
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| Sungold tomato and Summer Squash |
I am very disappointed with my tomatoes this year - the trusses are sparce with not many tomatoes per truss, even the bush tomatoes, although full of flower, just aren't turning into tomatoes. Not sure what has gone wrong. I have loads of tomato plants, more than I have ever planted before, looks like its a good job I planted so many - the harvest is going to be pitiful.
The first of the Runner Beans - success. Many more to follow I hope. If I only had space for one vegetable this would be it. We had these for Sunday lunch with roast chicken - together with shredded cabbage, baby carrots and courgettes sauteed with butter and garlic, and of course, some of my lovely Charlotte potatoes - it's a good feeling when everything on your plate is home-grown.
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| Runner Beans |
The books are often wrong as no two gardens, gardeners or years are the same. One problem with giving gardening advice to others. It's always worth having a go yourself.
ReplyDeleteI quite agree Sue - you just have to try things out and hope for the best.
DeleteIt certainly is a good feeling having home grown veggies on your plate! We've done OK with tomatoes, but the runner beans are way behind. I'm only just now seeing the first little beans beginning to form. I had a real problem getting them to germinate in the cold spring.
ReplyDeleteThe cold start certainly held everything back, I am just so pleased we didn't have any late frosts - that would certainly have put the kibosh on the beans.
DeleteI have grown courgettes in containers very successfully this year, I am going to grow them in the same manner next year. No patty pan squash yet but there are some little baby ones on the plants so maybe soon. I hope to be harvesting runners next week fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteLast year the patty pans did really well but they seem to be slower this year, even those in the ground are being slow to produce. It seems every year is different.
DeleteWow your Patty pan squash looks so great. It's just so cute I would place it somewhere like a decoration. And the tomatoes, it's probably the weather. It was a cold spring and maybe it was too cold for them but don't worry they still have time to grow :) My tomatoes are small this year, there are lots of them but even black Krim that should be a big meaty tomato has fruits the size of the cherry tomatoes. I hope the other 100 seedlings (May seedlings) will have bigger tomatoes. If they don't get cooked from the heat.
ReplyDeleteThey do look very cute and keep for ages after being picked - I kept one as decoration last year and it was still fine around Christmas time. I guess you're right and the harvesting of tomatoes will be later this year.
DeleteI agree, it's a very good feeling when everything on your plate is home grown. You're way ahead of me - I've picked the first of the climbing French beans but there's no sign of runners yet. I seem to have plenty of tomatoes this year, but they're taking an age to turn red.
ReplyDeleteAs you can see from the above picture I have had only one tiny tomato ripen so far - you'd have thought that with all the warmth we have had that they might show a little more willing.
DeleteYour harvests over your last few posts look really good. Looks to be a good year! Shame about the tomatoes but maybe they will be late producers.
ReplyDeleteI am doing pretty well at the moment, the bottom of the fridge is bursting with goodies.
DeleteOur toms are just beginning to turn colour, but the carrots are still quite small. No more buying vegs till about November.
ReplyDeleteJust think of all the savings we are making by not having to buy any veg.
DeleteThose are looking really good. So far, our earlier planted tomatoes are producing trusses but the couple of runner beans are not setting seed (been to air dry we reckon). The French beans are just starting to flower so hope for more from them soon.
ReplyDeleteI find it really weird that the tomatoes are just not setting and haven't even reached the top of their canes yet. Very disappointing.
DeleteThe closest I get to eating fresh veg and fruit is when I buy them from our local farm shops - hate supermarket veggies. If we ever move (something I'm working on) I'd love to grow my own.
ReplyDeletePatricia x
It always gives me great pleasure to walk straight past the veggie aisle when I go shopping
DeleteIt all looks, and sounds, delicious. What variety of runner bean are they? Hopefully the tomatoes are just a bit slow and will end up producing fruit.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Sue says. Flighty xx
I have grown five different types of runner bean this year. Polestar (red) Moonlight (white) Royal Standard (red) Celebration (red/white) and St. George (apricot). These are all leftover seed from last year.
Deletelovely post many thanks for sharing with us
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda.
DeleteYour carrots are lovely, Elaine. Sorry about your tomatoes, but if they are grown outdoors in either the UK or Ireland I do not think they do well. The only way I found them to work well outside is if you got 4 poles, ones from a windbreaker, that a big plastic bag would fit over and put 3 plants in a grow bag, cover them over and down with the plastic bag and that would give them a glasshouse or tunnel effect with more heat. Just an observation that I tried for this year, as all my others are inside my tunnel and doing really well this year ;)
ReplyDeleteI did cover the outdoor ones with polythene earlier in the year for a bit of protection but I have never had problems before - perhaps they are just late starters.
DeleteLovely carrots Elaine. I also harvested some of our container grown ones yesterday much to the amazement of my youngest granddaughter who helped!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice for kids to know where the food comes from - even I still get a thrill when I pull carrots after all these years of growing them.
DeleteIt's a good time of year when the first summer harvests are ready - even better when you can make a whole meal from the garden. I'm still waiting for the runner beans, the ones that formed first seem to just drop off the plant before they grew very big... could it have been through lack of water do you think?
ReplyDeleteMore than likely - perhaps it's the equivalent of the June drop for apples.
DeleteThose carrots look great - I'll try growing them like that next year. I'm sorry about your toms. We only grow cherry toms outside and they are fruiting well (they are grown in a very sheltered spot against a south-facing wall). I think the overhanging guttering protects them from heavy rain too (should we ever see rain again). Your squash are ahead of ours in the field. I completely agree with your sentiments about runner beans!
ReplyDeleteMine are cherry toms too - I think the cold start to summer has affected their growth.
DeleteIt's a wonderful feeling having a plate full of homegrown goodness! And as for the taste, you can't beat it.
ReplyDeleteIt's the same for our tomatoes this year, sparce with not many tomatoes per truss, we're growing the same variety as usual and they are normally dripping with toms but not this year!
Julie :o)
I'm glad I'm not the only one - I was beginning to think it was something I'd done wrong.
DeleteGood for you growing so much food for your plates! I still find myself supplementing from the grocery store which I hate.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great harvest!
ReplyDelete