Re: What are you harvesting today?

by Dandelion 6th June 2017, 9:32 pm

The strawberries have been good so far, and I have picked a second large bowlful from just a couple of plants (Sonata and Delia). The ones in the greenhouse didn't survive the silly high temperatures in the spring sadly, but I'm now growing Tumbling Tom tomatoes in one of the baskets in the greenhouse, and they look a lot happier!

by freebird 15th June 2017, 12:00 pm

I think this thread needs to be What Am I NOT Harvesting Today. Been away for a few days and come back to my currant and gooseberry bushes stripped of their crop. I had laid some netting over, but to no avail. This morning watched a fat woodpigeon scoffing my raspberries, breaking all the brittle fruiting stems in the process. Can't wait for my fruit cage.

by Ploshkin 15th June 2017, 1:33 pm

Oh Freebird, that is a bummer, so disheartening. I lost my entire gooseberry crop a couple of years ago while I was away.
I always have a small army of blackbirds waiting for my blackcurrants and redcurrants but they are not too greedy and I don't mind sharing a bit with them. It is a bit cheeky when they just retire to the nearby fence and wait for me to go away again.

by Dandelion 15th June 2017, 4:27 pm

My gooseberry is usually OK from bird attack - it is more at risk of sawfly (which are clever little blighters, as they are so good at sitting on the edges of leaves that you can't see them!)

by Chilli-head 16th June 2017, 7:53 am

I have a similar problem with grapes and blackbirds. They can strip a vine clean with great efficiency ! And I am too soft to deprive them of their meal.

Yesterday I picked strawberries, broad beans, new potatoes and chard. It was Mrs C-H's birthday, so we made the best of the good weather and had a barbecue. The veg we cooked in foil parcels- potatoes are nice that way - and the strawberries I used to decorate a cake.

The garlic is dying back quickly; a little scrat around shows that they have bulbed up nicely, so should be ready to lift soon. Peas are starting to swell tioo. It's going to be a lean year for sweetcorn though; really high winds after I planted them out have snapped some of them off at the ground, and there weren't many to start with.

by freebird 16th June 2017, 2:07 pm

First red tomato out the greenhouse (though a Tumbler plant outside in a basket not far behind) and yesterday the first handful of sugarsnap peas. Oh, and my Tut peas just coming into flower.

by freebird 16th June 2017, 11:14 pm

I forgot the courgettes too. Those, the sugarsnaps and the last of the asparagus went into a stir fry this evening, with raspberries for afters.

by Dandelion 17th June 2017, 9:20 pm

Are your courgettes in a greenhouse? Mine (outside) haven't even got flowers yet!!

by freebird 18th June 2017, 2:09 pm

No, the courgettes are outside.

by Dandelion 18th June 2017, 7:42 pm

That's phenomenal!

by Chilli-head 18th June 2017, 8:37 pm

Mine aren't ready yet, just about 3" long. But the allotment is so very hot and dry, I can't imagine them swelling quickly.

So for lack of courgettes, I picked more broad beans, chard and strawberries. Oh, and a couple of overwintering onions. Don't think we'll need to buy onions again in 2017.

The chard we have now tried steaming, grilling on the barbecue, and cooking in foil parcels on the bbq with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar. Still bland, but edible. Looking forward to some other veg now Smile

by Ploshkin 20th June 2017, 10:19 pm

The polytunnel courgette (Parthenon) is producing a glut already and I've had my first round one from the garden too. I'm nearly buried under mangetout from the polytunnel, I can't keep up with picking them, and I've just picked a bagful of French beans from the polytunnel. It's a good thing they're producing as I was really late getting any into the garden.

by Dandelion 21st June 2017, 4:30 pm

Four ounces of peas (enough to make a pea and lemon risotto) and still more strawberries and tayberries.

by Ploshkin 24th June 2017, 10:06 am

Just 2 nights away, I picked before we left on Wednesday, came back yesterday and I filled a fish box with courgettes, French beans and mangetout from the polytunnel.
I've put a bag of French beans in the freezer and made pea soup with the mangetout that were too big.

by FloBear 24th June 2017, 10:57 pm

730g of blackcurrants from my earlier bush, other bush only just turning. Am thinking blackcurrant jam. Also a few handfuls of blueberries and raspberries. Cucumbers put on a growth spurt while I was away and have a flower each now.

by freebird 25th June 2017, 8:32 pm

Picked my first green chillies (Apache) for tonight's curry.

by Chilli-head 26th June 2017, 8:01 pm

Hmm. Bit jealous. My chillies are miles behind this year; very slow to grow on after emerging, but doing OK now. Tomatoes changing colour though, which is not too bad.

I did get a good harvest off my first row of peas, half a colander full when shelled. This means we have bought only one bag of frozen peas all year !

Cut my first courgette from the allotment. Oh, and the garlic ! It was rustier than a Morris Marina, so ithad to come out before the onions next door got rusty too, but it has produced good bulbs anyway, especially the Provence Wight.

I lifted the overwintering onions too, and set them on some wire mesh off the ground to dry,

by freebird 26th June 2017, 11:02 pm

Aw, don't be too jealous CH. I did buy the plants as I just wasn't up and running early in the year for sowing.

by FloBear 27th June 2017, 8:22 pm

My shallots are trying to harvest themselves, they are bulging further out of the ground every time I look! I also dug up one Pink Fir Apple potato just to see how they're doing. Nothing else to pick yet but outdoor cucumbers have tiny babies on them and broad beans some baby beans.

by Ploshkin 27th June 2017, 9:38 pm

I'm in danger of disappearing under piles of French beans.

by Dandelion 27th June 2017, 10:05 pm

That sounds like a nasty way to go!

by FloBear 28th June 2017, 11:19 am

I think death by courgette - which I nearly experienced last year - might be marginally worse Shocked

by Dandelion 28th June 2017, 9:53 pm

That may be my fate this year: having said that my courgette plants didn't even have flowers a few weeks ago, they now have courgettes in plenty. (I blame the comfrey feed - it's obviously potent stuff!)

by freebird 29th June 2017, 8:46 am

My courgettes are very strange this year. I had no seed for my favourite variety, and rather than buy seed of something I didn't really want, I just bought two plants (with a view to ordering the seed for next year). Additionally, I had a single plant germinate from some seed swap seed. The two bought-in plants are making loads of fruits, but a lot are starting to die off before they get to any size. I can harvest them very small, but they seem reluctant to make the courgettes any larger - but there must be at least half a dozen developing courgettes on each plant at any time.

The seed swap plant, a yellow fruited variety, seems to be generally slower. Not so many fruits, and slow to develop. Fabulous colour though.

by Chilli-head 29th June 2017, 8:50 pm

A very smug salad tonight. Homegrown lettuce, rocket, tomato and cucumber. Served with pasta with homemade pesto using new season's garlic. My smugness runs out at the basil though, had to buy that as mine is miserable this year.

by freebird 29th June 2017, 10:04 pm

Ooh, cucumbers already CH! My plants are growing well, but no sign of any fruits yet.

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