Trowel and Error

[Disco]

So cute!

[Mountain Goat]

Oh! All your veg is exciting veg.

[absley]

I found a smaller one too! Just need to nurture them.

I was brave and dug up potatoes - how deep do I need to go? This was from 4 plants (the biggest is about 7cm across) and I dug a trowels depth, so c25cm. They are all plants from potatoes left in the ground from the previous year, so maybe that's why the yield is small? They smell different to shop bought potatoes - fresher.

[baargain]

That's a how long is a piece of string question, keep going til you don't find any more :)) they cook faster than shop potatoes, I've heard of people steaming, rather than boiling, fresh new potatoes as they don't fall apart then. I haven't tried this yet.

I don't know about volunteer vs purpose planted potatoes, but I guess that could make sense in terms of smaller yield.

[absley]

I've just learnt that Baa - I diced and was going to fry them but within a minute or so of being in the boiling water for a par-cook they were too soft to do anything but mash them, so we will have mash today! :))

Thanks though, will have another furtle another day when it's not raining! They're growing in amongst my courgettes and I don't want to cause any damage so will err on the side of caution.

[baargain]

I didn't really believe it til I turned a batch to mash too :))

[baargain]

Oh god. 7kg of kestrel second early potatoes :lol:

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And a few onions :lol:

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July is an intense month! I've picked over 50kg of veg since April :))

[Cerise]

Baa! :lol:

Would you like a cucumber?

[baargain]

:lol: I'll swap for some onions! My cucumbers have stalled, which is annoying.

[Mountain Goat]

:lol:

I will swap with both of you for courgettes.

[baargain]

I reject your courgettes and parry with a patty pan squash :lol: (aka another courgette).

[absley]

I will take courgettes - my round ones are nowhere to be seen (plants full of blooms, no fruit) and the others seem to get to three or so inches and then stop. Was wondering if I should feed them? I have tiny baby borlotti beans coming and my corn plants are shooting up. I'm definitely not harvesting enough - need to work out how to up my game on that front. Get Baa, come and visit to give me tips is as far as I've got...

My crown prince are similar to yours Baa, now attempting to roam the whole plot! I've broken off the growing tip on the one thas is c8 ft long and making for the neighbour's plot. :lol:

[baargain]

The winter squash are hilarious bullies. I grew one at home once and it crashed over a rose bush and all my strawberries.

If your courgettes are getting to a certain smallish size, then going yellow and rotting, it'll be a cool weather and a pollination issue. You could pick the male flowers (with the thin stalk and no bulge behind the flower), and smoosh it into the female flower (has a bulge behind the flower). I like to do this while singing a song about plant sex :lol:

The cool rainy weather isn't helping with the pollinators or with general squash wellbeing, I think this is why my cucumbers are showing themselves, and then shrivelling.

[absley]

That's so silly, Baa. Squash bullies!

I can smoosh my courgettes. But I won't be singing :))

They do seem to be growing, just veeeeeeery slowly.

[baargain]

Oh I seeeee. Maybe it's the weird weather? Or you have freaky courgettes, usually it's like ah that's a bit small, I'll pick it later, then BAM ENORMOGETTE. Courgettes are hungry plants, so your thought about feeding them might be right!

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We had a roast last night. Braised red cabbage (with onion in it), runner beans, carrots, roasted onion, roasted potatoes, and cauli cheese. I grew ALL the veg! :humble: very proud of myself. You can see on the side of the plate where I got excited and tipped a load of gravy down my leg, and onto the floor.

The cauli cheese had one cauliflower, and three romanescos in it. This may sound massive, but the cauli was almost the size of my fist, and the romanesco were smaller than ping pong balls :lol:

[Margo]

I have veg envy.

And I’m pissed off at my peppers. One plant has no fruit, one had a tiny one which I just found fallen off, and the third has one egg sized fruit which looks very pathetic and hasn’t grown much in the past few weeks. Damn them.

[FiveO'Clock]

I grew ALL the veg! :humble: very proud of myself.

That's the gardener's dream!

I have seven types of basil doing very well, but my tomato plants just keep getting bigger with no fruit whatsoever. We have a lemon "tree", which is really a branch poking out of a pot with a few leaves on it. It gives us one lemon every summer, but this year, Benson knocked it off while it was still green. It's our Charlie Brown fruit tree and we can't get rid of it because it keeps trying.

[Mountain Goat]

Baa, that's fabulous! I was pleased with myself last week for making Greek courgette ball things using my own courgettes, spring onions and herbs, plus my own leaves in the side salad, but I was then forced to admit, that no, I did not grow the potatoes or the tomatoes. :))

The courgettes just keep coming. :lol: I'm going to start knocking on doors and forcing them on people soon.

Your Charlie Brown lemon tree Five.

I have more tomatoes than I realised on the plants in the raised bed (just three on the indoor one) even though they've been smothered by courgettes and kale. I've also got three vases of home grown flowers around the house at the mo. I do need to up my arranging game though.

[Disco]

That's so silly, Baa. Squash bullies!

I can smoosh my courgettes. But I won't be singing :))

They do seem to be growing, just veeeeeeery slowly.

I just used to get a small paintbrush to brush fomt he male flower into the female flower.

Loving all this bounty. I picked three courgettes this mornig.

[baargain]

Mumbaa's garden fence is on the road, it's trellis style with climbers up it. So she has been known to listen out for pedestrians and then shoves a cucumber or courgette through the climber/trellis at the poor unsuspecting person :lol: The climbers are pretty thick now, so she's just a random arm brandishing a vegetable.

A paintbrush sounds way more sensible, disco :)) less smooshy.