I grew a sunflower called Black Magic but it was a bit disappointing. Nicer in the bud than the flower. Might be fine with lots of white flowers round it and a bit of acid green to give contrast.
I grew Moneymaker tomatoes but might try some different ones after reading the info on here
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
First year of growing chard,I would certainly grow that again,large and deliciuos crop.
Best potatoes Charlotte,again large crop,easy to scrape,blight and scab free.I usually also growLlady Cristel,but was unable to get the seed potatoes this year.
My Gardeners Delight tomatoes,cropped well and were excellent flavour.tried Shirley.disappointing,tough skins and not much taste.
Have had some of my late sown Autumn King carrots as babies, seem good raw but odd texture when cooked, seem to go sort of pithy? I thought maybe I had overcooked them so tried steaming with similar results. The heavy rain has battered the foliage down again, that can't help getting the rest to mature - stupid weather!
I have also managed to harvest a few pods of the Hurst Green Shaft peas which taste good, only problem is that they have slowed right down and don't really seem to be filling the pods. If I am patient and I guess lucky with the frost I think I am on the verge of a good crop so I will defintiely sow them again but much earlier!
The wind has really battered the peas there are stems bent, creased and twisted all over the place now, but they continue to grow strongly, keep flowering and making pods despite all the damage.
Will definately grow Munchen Bier again - although in a different place, didnt realise how tall they grew! Great to eat a handful at work as a snack or in a salad.
Other successes, red salad onions, climbing french beans, beetroot and multicoloured carrots (sorry, cant remember varieties)
Tenderstem broccoli a disappointment this year but definately trying again as last year it was fab.
Will officially give up on Butternut squash now. Have tried it for three years on the trot. Plants healthy and produce lots of squashes (up to 25 on one plant!) which I faithtfully prop on tiles or stones to ensure they don't lie on damp soil but every year, without fail, they rot from the bottom upwards and the whole lot has to come out. Thats it, am done with them!
SFord that's a shame. I've heard of squashes being grown as climbers so if you enjoy them perhaps that might be worth trying, or a variety which produces fewer fruits on the plant.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I wasn't going to grow ornamental gourds again. Last years had loads of foilage but no gourds, this year - Snake gourds, I don't think even made it to the planting out stage or died soon after.
...but bought some children's seeds at Kew - Russian Dolls - to grow next year...how hard can it be...
I will definitely grow Apache chillies again - I bought three tiny plants from the GC - potted them on - left them outside near the courgettes where the wind and the insects pollinated them, they've been covered with chilllies all summer, we've been using them and they've been producing more - I moved them into the little growhouse about 3 weeks ago as it was getting cooler and they've gone on to produce and ripen another 40+ chillies which I've picked today to dry on the windowsill - I'm a very happy chilli novice
Also, I will definitely be growing Autum raspberry Polka again - well, I've got them and they're in the garden now so of course I will, but I do highly recommend them - I've just picked yet another bowlful of huge sweet ripe raspberries - in November!!! They've been fruiting for months!!! And I only bought three pots of canes and planted them less than a year ago.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I'll grow Apache chillies too, I used the seeds this year from dried pods saved from the year before.
Will also be growing aubergines, I picked them quite small thinking they'd go dull in colour and not be edible but then saved a couple of plants with just one aubergine left on to collect the seeds and they just keep growing bigger, both are now 6 inches long...won't be picknig then so small next year...
think I might give up on strawberries - they never seem to yield much fruit and this year was supposed to be a bumper year........not in my garden. Not enough sun I think. If I can get a shelf up on the one sunny part of the garden wall, I might try growing them there but they really are a waste of space otherwise. Will grow tomatoes again, probably Gardeners' Delight as the fruit are really delicious and the plants seemed to cope well with the funny weather this year. Would love to grow more leafy salad but although it germinates fine and grows strongly it always gets infected by leaf miner just as I'm getting ready to harvest!
Posts
I grew a sunflower called Black Magic but it was a bit disappointing. Nicer in the bud than the flower. Might be fine with lots of white flowers round it and a bit of acid green to give contrast.
I grew Moneymaker tomatoes but might try some different ones after reading the info on here
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
First year of growing chard,I would certainly grow that again,large and deliciuos crop.
Best potatoes Charlotte,again large crop,easy to scrape,blight and scab free.I usually also growLlady Cristel,but was unable to get the seed potatoes this year.
My Gardeners Delight tomatoes,cropped well and were excellent flavour.tried Shirley.disappointing,tough skins and not much taste.
Have had some of my late sown Autumn King carrots as babies, seem good raw but odd texture when cooked, seem to go sort of pithy? I thought maybe I had overcooked them so tried steaming with similar results. The heavy rain has battered the foliage down again, that can't help getting the rest to mature - stupid weather!
I have also managed to harvest a few pods of the Hurst Green Shaft peas which taste good, only problem is that they have slowed right down and don't really seem to be filling the pods. If I am patient and I guess lucky with the frost I think I am on the verge of a good crop so I will defintiely sow them again but much earlier!
The wind has really battered the peas there are stems bent, creased and twisted all over the place now, but they continue to grow strongly, keep flowering and making pods despite all the damage.
Nothing to stop you picking the pods and using them as mange tout if they're not filling out. I think that's what I'd do at this stage of the season.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Will definately grow Munchen Bier again - although in a different place, didnt realise how tall they grew! Great to eat a handful at work as a snack or in a salad.
Other successes, red salad onions, climbing french beans, beetroot and multicoloured carrots (sorry, cant remember varieties)
Tenderstem broccoli a disappointment this year but definately trying again as last year it was fab.
Will officially give up on Butternut squash now. Have tried it for three years on the trot. Plants healthy and produce lots of squashes (up to 25 on one plant!) which I faithtfully prop on tiles or stones to ensure they don't lie on damp soil but every year, without fail, they rot from the bottom upwards and the whole lot has to come out. Thats it, am done with them!
SFord that's a shame. I've heard of squashes being grown as climbers so if you enjoy them perhaps that might be worth trying, or a variety which produces fewer fruits on the plant.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I wasn't going to grow ornamental gourds again. Last years had loads of foilage but no gourds, this year - Snake gourds, I don't think even made it to the planting out stage or died soon after.
...but bought some children's seeds at Kew - Russian Dolls - to grow next year...how hard can it be...
I will definitely grow Apache chillies again - I bought three tiny plants from the GC - potted them on - left them outside near the courgettes where the wind and the insects pollinated them, they've been covered with chilllies all summer, we've been using them and they've been producing more - I moved them into the little growhouse about 3 weeks ago as it was getting cooler and they've gone on to produce and ripen another 40+ chillies which I've picked today to dry on the windowsill - I'm a very happy chilli novice
Also, I will definitely be growing Autum raspberry Polka again - well, I've got them and they're in the garden now so of course I will, but I do highly recommend them - I've just picked yet another bowlful of huge sweet ripe raspberries - in November!!! They've been fruiting for months!!! And I only bought three pots of canes and planted them less than a year ago.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I'll grow Apache chillies too, I used the seeds this year from dried pods saved from the year before.
Will also be growing aubergines, I picked them quite small thinking they'd go dull in colour and not be edible but then saved a couple of plants with just one aubergine left on to collect the seeds and they just keep growing bigger, both are now 6 inches long...won't be picknig then so small next year...
think I might give up on strawberries - they never seem to yield much fruit and this year was supposed to be a bumper year........not in my garden. Not enough sun I think. If I can get a shelf up on the one sunny part of the garden wall, I might try growing them there but they really are a waste of space otherwise. Will grow tomatoes again, probably Gardeners' Delight as the fruit are really delicious and the plants seemed to cope well with the funny weather this year. Would love to grow more leafy salad but although it germinates fine and grows strongly it always gets infected by leaf miner just as I'm getting ready to harvest!