Selfsufficientish.com

Green Aura wrote:

Millymollymandy wrote:a fleshy leaved one which spreads

- purslane perhaps?

I'm feeling really left out of this thread. Usually I'd be in here telling of my triumphs and failures - but I have no veg garden this year at all Even the polytunnel has got away from us this year - the nasturtiums are having a riot though.

Ah, there you go - this year we are mostly eating........nasturtiums (and sprouted seeds from the kitchen windowsill) and a few herbs.

But next year watch this space!

You silly girl, why didn't you give your mum a packet of radish seeds this year?

She wouldn't be able to find the beds in the long grass - plus we keep moving them (one at a time to their new position) - she's confused enough already

I had a little more broccoli on the plants, so I harvested that for dinner.

We had our first melon last night for pud but I only have one more !
Very weird, I put in two plants ... both of them grew well and produced several branches covered in male and female flowers, many set but then all but one on each died and the plants have produced no more flowers.
It's almost as if the plants decided one melon fruit was enough.

Odsox you've beaten me, I was going to check my melons this weekend to see if they were ready. But I've had a funny experience with my melons. I'd been growing them up string and two slipped down, I found them in a crumpled heap and their leaves all limp. I lifted them back up the strings, this was 2 or 3 weeks ago but the leaves have remained limp. But the fummy thing is these plants have produced 2 melons each, which have continued to grow, whereas some of the other plants, which look much healthier have only produced one or not even one yet.

We have had a huge yield of raspberries, blackcurrants, tomatoes, cabbages and herbs galore.
Pantry is awash with jams, chutneys,wine(which has been made a long time)and just made some great lemon curd(lemons bartered with a mate for blackberry jam, am now gladly awaiting the arrival of the elderberries.
Almost forgot the dehydrated peppers.

Since we started talking about melons mine have been producing like crazy and there are tons of mini melons on each plant. The only downside is that they are ready at the same time as all the autumn fruit so it's hard to keep up and I can't exactly freeze them! (Or can I? )

I'm sure you can freeze them MMM, but I bet they would come out a right mushy mess.
As I said above, I won't have that particular problem as I only have one more melon, but I do have rather a lot of butternuts coming. I have 5 plants and so far there are about 20 fruits with some fully grown already, but so far only about 4 potimarrons unfortunately.

My butternuts are doing very well too but the potimarrons are not producing any female flowers after the initial flush. I'll have to buy a packet of seeds as these are self seeded ones, possibly from self seeded ones! Maybe they go a bit off? But anyway I do have 9 fruit from 4 plants so that will be more than enough.

I'm upset though as I've only got to eat about 3 cos lettuce out of about 50 grown so far this year (in succession) as with all the heat and dryness they have just bolted before becoming fully hearted. Lucky chooks!

Did you decide whether you liked the potimarrons or not Tony?

We are going crazy at the moment and the OH has threatened to move out, as so far we have in our cellar 40 kilos of spuds, and more to come. Raspberry, Damson, Cherry, Wild Plum jams.
Pickled Shallots and Onions, made loads Chutneys, and more to make when the rest of the harvest is ready.We have Tomatoes coming out of our ears, and here we are at the beginning of August and we still the largest amount of Plums, Apple, Peaches, Pears, and Blackberry's, I have ever seen to come. On top of all this you should see the Sloes this year, I have enough on the bushes around here to supply all you lot, and I would imagine that would be quite a lot as it appears that when you are not gardening you're all boozing.

The shame of all this is that we are not alone with this glut as all our neighbours have the same problem and will have to do the same as us, and compost a lot of good food.

Millymollymandy wrote:Did you decide whether you liked the potimarrons or not Tony?

Yes definitely, the butternuts are far too sweet now ... all your fault
That's why I'm a bit disappointed that the potimarrons are not doing quite as well as the butternuts, but there are loads of female flowers to come so I will probably be OK.
I expect all the butternuts will be given away, I don't really know why I grew them.

Odsox and MMM, do you buy pumpkin seed every year? Mine are a mix of Uchi Kuri, Crown prince and Potimarron, plus maybe whatever my neighbours grow, but they all come out all different shapes, colours and sizes.

I had to buy some potimarron seed this year Graham as when the time came to sow them I found that I hadn't any of last years seed and I hadn't saved any either
This year I am trying to cross potimarron and butternut, with the potimarron being the female, all I have to do is remember which squash is which and more importantly, remember to save the seed.

blackberries now coming in - looking like another great year for them

and i have picked blueberries from my new bushes

Odsox wrote:

Millymollymandy wrote:Did you decide whether you liked the potimarrons or not Tony?

Yes definitely, the butternuts are far too sweet now ... all your fault
That's why I'm a bit disappointed that the potimarrons are not doing quite as well as the butternuts, but there are loads of female flowers to come so I will probably be OK.
I expect all the butternuts will be given away, I don't really know why I grew them.

I 100% agree with everything you said!!! Butternuts are better for making sweet things but I don't like them as a 'savoury' anything.