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Post by troll on Sept 9, 2012 9:22:56 GMT 1
It's all winding down now. Usually I would expect to be frantically harvesting, gathering, pickling and preserving at this time of year, but there is hardly enough for daily needs, only really a surplus of runner beans. How has the year been for everyone else? The spuds were a disaster, what the coypu and smaller rodents didn't eat, were wiped out with blight. I couldn't get the aliums dried properly, so they won't keep. Peas got mildew, dwarf haricots very poor yield, carrots, well , why bother? Ah, the parsneeeeps are looking really good ( they were rubbish last year) Strawberries still going strong, aubergines in the tunnel, maybe it's not all doom and gloom! Enough is a feast. Should I try Autumn planting peas and beans to get quick start next spring, or will that just be fodder for the hungry little crtters?
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Post by Ali on Sept 9, 2012 11:38:36 GMT 1
Very similar position over here. Had visitors the other day and I'd said to them I thinking of concreting it all over The onions seem to be ok, have dried them in the greenhouse, just a case of waiting and seeing with those I think. The potatoes - aggg - well not too bad I suppose considering the whole lot got blight too soon. They're much smaller this year but as it's so dry I've left them in the ground and digging when needed. Somebody made all of the cabbages holy I chopped the cucumber off at its stem by accident I'd replanted the raspberry canes this year and so far have very little from them, some are 'summer fruiting' (or is that autumn fruiting?). Am sure next year will be better for those. Virtually no strawberries (doing a new bed for next year). No pears (2 trees) and scant apples (2 trees) Delighted with the plums though - its the first year the young tree has really fruited well. Its been in about 4 years now I think. The ancient cherry tree had lovely blossom but absolutely no cherries made it. The peach tree died. Had to sow the haricots 3 or 4 times because nobody wanted to germinate. The good things.... Great broad bean crop, fab 'pickled onions' huge amount of blackberries, plums (as mentioned). First time I have grown aubergines (in the g/house) and they've been great along with the chilli peppers and mad moorhens 'confused peppers' (Jalopino/halopino?) Finally the haricots are cropping. Parsley field has made a huge amount of wine. It has been a very odd year.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2012 11:59:49 GMT 1
Successes..................................nil Failures.......................................all. Did have loads of plums,but they did that by themselves.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2012 20:31:43 GMT 1
Most of what I grew in France went the way of your own. After the blight last year didn't grow any toms there this year. Come to believe that France is one big swamp, where only the bucolic plague thrives...
Two parcels of land here in Hants still produced though, albeit with a bit less vigour, and a bit more rot. Golden courgettes were, and still are, a triumph here, but a wipe-out over there.
But the potatoes were good there, even though they were cut down early to avoid the blight. The ground was good, and they were planted in March.
Incidentally, I think that the blight kills the plant, and infects the tubers, but doesn't itself produce the characteristic stink. It's the rot that sets in afterwards. So I'm inclined to lift them, and get them dry, so that they will store better/longer, rather than leave them in the ground, which can't be as dry as a summer air.... Will still be checking them in store though...
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Post by Ali on Sept 9, 2012 22:09:07 GMT 1
So I'm inclined to lift them, and get them dry, so that they will store better/longer, rather than leave them in the ground, which can't be as dry as a summer air.... Will still be checking them in store though... I'll take a photo of the dry earth here for you annon. There's not a whiff of moisture a fork and a half down. So far every tattie that I've dug as needed is absolutely perfect and as dry as a bone. I've only got a couple of 6 metre rows to go and if the forecast is going to be as it suggests and longer term then yes, I may be lifting. However, last year I left the tatties in til the frosts had hardened the surface, even then only the tatties closer to to top were affected with frosting.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2012 22:27:28 GMT 1
You're so argumentative, Ali! I'm older than you, so I'm right!
And I just knew you'd come back with something contradictory!
First of all, just because you can't see or feel any moisture doesn't mean that it's not there. You have no humus in your soil? And your potatoes you've dug are not 'bone dry' - they're full of water! Lose some of it if you want to store them. They'll transpire water through their skins if you give them dry conditions eg 'summer air' (not autumn downpours!) And the ones you left a long time weren't affected by blight, or they'd've been rot-prone!
Secondly, I'm right!
Thirdly, I'm still right!
Young whippersnappers....
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Post by Em on Sept 10, 2012 7:10:31 GMT 1
I have to say this year was not good. The only thing that grew well from the start was spinache beet, I still have it. The rocket was late to get going then did ok. Radishes well if you can't grow them you have a problem. The black currants were good but as with plums I did nothing! Beans not cropped well, peas the same, courgettes late to get going but weather just not right to crop really well. salad leaves none starter, beetroot the same! Apples and pears seem blighted and are falling off trees rotten!!!!!! Mickael is talking about winter veg but I think fertiliser is in order for potager.
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Post by troll on Sept 10, 2012 8:18:38 GMT 1
They'll transpire water through their skins if you give them dry conditions eg 'summer air' (not autumn downpours!) .. in Brittany?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2012 9:10:03 GMT 1
Now you're ganging up on me...
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Post by Ali on Sept 10, 2012 11:22:27 GMT 1
Poor annon, I do apologise. I should have made myself a bit more clear and that is that I don't grow enough tatties to put into store, just enough to see us through to the end of the year.
If they were destined to store I can see your point about drying them off a little beforehand and I would certainly take your advice.
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