What are you harvesting today?

by FloBear 2nd July 2018, 8:50 am

I have also noticed some blossom end rot in my Autopot toms.
My mini cucumber, though planted quite late, is showing some tiny fruit already.
Must get back in the fruit cage today for watering and picking.

by freebird 3rd July 2018, 5:32 pm

Lining up cucumbers in the fridge now. Picked all my gooseberries - about 2 dozen off three bushes. That's fine for hard pruned, newly transplanted bushes. The red dessert gooseberries are delicious

by Chilli-head 3rd July 2018, 5:37 pm

My cucumbers are bitter, to varying degrees. I think it is the heat.

First tomato yesterday, it was a bloody butcher. Flavour OK, but the skins are really tough - anyone else found that with this variety, or is it the heat ?

I might go in search of blackcurrants tonight.

by Dandelion 4th July 2018, 7:29 pm

Picked the first sungold tomatoes - some very small, and the ones grown outside in a pot had tough skins, but beautifully sweet.

by FloBear 4th July 2018, 8:37 pm

I'm getting blossom end rot on some GH tomatoes despite the Autopots and additional water from the top.
I think my new gooseberry bushes need hard pruning, there's so much growth and not a lot of fruit.
Went down to fruit cage in jim-jams this morning to pick bluberries to go on my breakfast.

by Chilli-head 4th July 2018, 10:40 pm

Blackcurrants. Lots of them. Picked off 8lb from a couple of bushes, and there are plenty more to pick. I do love them. Blackcurrant jam. Blackcurrant sorbet. Mrs C-H makes some lovely blackcurrant muffins biglove

by Chilli-head 4th July 2018, 10:43 pm

Ooh, forgot to say we picked sungold tomatoes for a salad tonight. I tried them because of the recommendation on here, and they are well flavoured and sweet. Rocket seems to be doing well in the heat, though my lettuce is bolting.

by Dandelion 5th July 2018, 6:31 pm

FloBear wrote:
Went down to fruit cage in jim-jams this morning to pick bluberries to go on my breakfast.

That's one thing about the summer I love - gardening in my nightie!!

by Chilli-head 5th July 2018, 10:36 pm

Finished picking the blackcurrants. 5kg from four plants. Mrs C-H has already made blackcurrant jam, and it is rather nice.

by FloBear 6th July 2018, 8:51 am

I picked 1.6 kg of blackcurrants from one bush, there are still some left, and the second bush is still ripening. I have plenty of jam from last year so am not sure how to use such a large crop.
A few peas have been consumed raw in salad - they are like little sweeties.

by Ploshkin 6th July 2018, 4:01 pm

Picked a couple of litre ice cream tubs of raspberries today. Haven't picked any blackcurrants yet but they are ready if the birds leave any. The female blackbirds just pop up onto the nearby fence post and glare at me until I go away.
Flobear, I make blackcurrant cordial and ice cream and they're good on a cheesecake too if they're not too sharp.

by FloBear 6th July 2018, 4:41 pm

Sounds good, thanks Ploshkin.

by freebird 7th July 2018, 12:32 pm

One French bean today - the first. Blackcurrants are great for summer pudding too. I just lob my crop straight into the freezer and use as and when. No luck again with raspberries this year. My early rising neighbour reports that the wood pigeons are feasting on them, despite my efforts to protect them (the raspberries that is, not the pigeons).

by FloBear 7th July 2018, 7:04 pm

That's useful to know about freezing blackcurrants. Presumably gooseberries will be OK too.

by Ploshkin 7th July 2018, 7:26 pm

I've got blackcurrants, redcurrants and gooseberries from bumper years in the freezer, sometimes there in there for 2 or 3 years. I've found they're fine for making jam if I run out and there's always a supply for pies and crumbles.
One thing I won't be harvesting this year is blueberries. They must be shallower rooting, I noticed today that the developing fruit had dried up on the bushes. I'm not accustomed to looking to see if things outside need watering.

by freebird 7th July 2018, 7:28 pm

Yes indeed, gooseberries too. Ideally, open freeze both, then bag up when frozen. Stops them sticking together. You can either take stalks off currants and then freeze, or if you're in a hurry, freeze them first, and take stalks off the amount you want to use. Less messy that way as well.

Ah, you popped in Ploshkin, while I was posting. Knowing blueberries like a moist soil, I made my pots up a bit like the autopots - about 2 inches of stones in the base, and then dug out a pit of similar depth, lined with an offcut of pond liner, so the pots can have a water reservoir. Was just going to use pot saucers, but when I saw the price of large ones decided to find a cheaper option.

by Ploshkin 7th July 2018, 9:26 pm

My blueberries are planted directly into the ground because we have acid (party) soil. I don't usually have a moisture problem because the peat is over clay which proves a big advantage in weather like this - like having a built in reservoir. It's certainly proving that way in the polytunnel. Despite the high temperatures in there (close to 50 every day for 6 weeks now) I'm only watering once in the evenings and not excessively.

by FloBear 8th July 2018, 8:36 am

Thanks for the information about freezing, ladies. My blueberries, in pots, are not really getting enough water but mostly are pick-able.
My GH got to over 50* Friday and Saturday.

by Dandelion 14th July 2018, 11:53 am

At the risk of being boring, it's just tomatoes that I'm harvesting, because that's all I've planted this year!! There should be some blackberries soon though, although they haven't been watered, so the fruit may be small and pippy. But autumn raspberries may be more promising especially as the weather should have broken long before they are ripe

by freebird 14th July 2018, 2:32 pm

I'm harvesting Tumbling Tom tomatoes, ready before the ones in the greenhouse, and courgettes, peas and French beans.

I made two sowings of peas, Sugar snaps, broad beans and French beans, to help spread the cropping and avoid gluts. It has been partially successful, but in all cases, the second crop has been significantly poorer than the first. Not sure if that is down to the hot weather, or just being that much closer to summer solstice. Though actually, the second lot of French beans haven't started cropping yet, so jury's out on those.

by Ploshkin 14th July 2018, 7:10 pm

My first melon. I just you he'd it to see if it was a bit sticky round the stem and it fell off! I thought it might be premature as it was still green on one side but it was sweet and juicy and gorgeous. I'm looking forward to the next one.
Courgettes are coming thick and fast from the polytunnel - I cut 4 this evening and just left them on my neighbours windowsill on the way past. Tom's are cropping well - sungold, black cherry and rose de berne. I have a constant supply of French beans and carrots from the polytunnel too.

by freebird 14th July 2018, 8:27 pm

Ploshkin wrote: I just you he'd it to see if it was a bit sticky round the stem

?? Autocorrect I presume!

by freebird 15th July 2018, 7:04 pm

Tonight will be our first meal with all home-grown veg - tutankhamun peas (own saved seed, but originally from last year's seed swap), carrots (courtesy of seed swap this year) and charlotte potatoes, from veg basket leftovers that had started to sprout. Makes it feel like free food!

by Dandelion 15th July 2018, 7:06 pm

freebird wrote:Tonight will be our first meal with all home-grown veg - tutankhamun peas (own saved seed, but originally from last year's seed swap), carrots (courtesy of seed swap this year) and charlotte potatoes, from veg basket leftovers that had started to sprout. Makes it feel like free food!

Sounds lovely!

by Ploshkin 15th July 2018, 7:53 pm

Today I have picked a big load of French beans, yet more courgettes, carrots, tomatoes, strawberries and the last peas from the polytunnel. I have a Kari Sayur on the go - now a firm favourite recipe.

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