In the potager now

4 french hens · Post by **4 french hens** » 31 Aug 2008, 22:19

In our potager (veg garden) we currently have growing :-

red/green and yellow peppers 9 plants showing 12 fruit
courgettes 3 plants showing 9 fruit
runner beans 45 plants on the wane now growing for seed
batavia lettuce 15 plants
celery 12 plants
brussels 15 plants
roundhead cabbage 15 plants
savoy cabbage 15 plants
cauliflower 15 plants
charenteaise melon 5 plants showing 14 melons
water melon 1 plant showing 3 melons
giant red/white/black radishes total of about 100
french breakfast radish 1 row 3 foot
a french variety of globe radish 1 row 3 foot
andes toms 6 plants about 100 toms
beef toms 5 plants about 100 toms
roma toms 10 plants about 100 toms
leeks 63 plants
beetroot 4 plants left (transplanted) mostly harvested and frozen
french beans, over 200 showing so far,
buying bigger freezer now.
It's been a good 1st year so far and all from 3 small plots, 5' x 50', 10' x 10' and 4' x 20'. Only the 5 x 50 has been manured with 2.5 tons of 2 year old horse muck. Mostly watered with rainwater.
The french beans were sown and sprouted in 3 days!
The standard radishes sprouted in 3 days.
But the giants sprouted in 2!

Wish everybody had luck such as I've had so far this year,
Mike

Nellie · Post by **Nellie** » 01 Sep 2008, 19:59

No potatoes? No French Fries for you then! LOL

Chicken on the Hill · Post by **Chicken on the Hill** » 01 Sep 2008, 20:11

That is a point, no potatoes, really jealous of your peppers(and your gorgeous cat), but no spuds? )c+

4 french hens · Post by **4 french hens** » 01 Sep 2008, 20:49

Grew 2 sacks of english Estima and in their place sowed the french beans. that germinated in 3 days! now 10 days later they are 6 inches high.
Methinks an excellent reason to buy another freezer, quickly!
Mike

Nellie · Post by **Nellie** » 01 Sep 2008, 21:20

Will you be growing any soft fruit? Raspberries, blackcurrants, and gooseberries - now those really are a good excuse to buy a new freezer!

chickentina · Post by **chickentina** » 01 Sep 2008, 21:31

wow haven,t you done well

this year i have grown green/red peppers they are giants with good fruit on them..they are currently in one of my little green plastic greenhouses and doing well )t'

4 french hens · Post by **4 french hens** » 04 Sep 2008, 07:51

Perhaps once we have built the house we will grow some soft fruit.
When I lived on the small holding we had gooseberries and blackcurrants. Not sure if the currants will grow here as it may be a bit dry.
Carrots are a definate no-no in the ground as there is a band of stone just a few inches down, the farmers over here disc cut, harrow and follow along with a stone buryier, hence the band of stones, but after a good few years digging I should have removed a fair few of them perhaps.
We have recently bought a rotatavator, and trying it out on what will eventually be our back grassed area, it was bouncing of the top and jumping almost 2 feet in the air. When the sun comes out here the ground sets like concrete and even a 5hp rotavator will not touch it. I may try a few carrots in tubs along with some early spuds next year.
I will also invest in a mini polytunnel 6'X10' to grow peppers, chillies, cuecumbers and possibly kiwi fruit.
The tomatoes we have grown have turned out to be very sweet, I'm hoping the brassicas have a better flavour than the cardboard stuff available in the shops.
Mike