Kitty's Gardenning Adventures

Members adventures in the Vegetable Patch all year round
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kitla
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Re: Kitty's Gardenning Adventures

Post by kitla »

Mo wrote:
kitla wrote:My rogue courgette plant has at last produced something..hooray! and I have a watermelon thats the size of a grapefruit so far.

On the courgette plant?

No Mo! on the watermelon plant {warn}
and some pumpkins coming (on the pumpkin plant!) but quite a few have gone rotten before getting bigger than marbles
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
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Mo
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Re: Kitty's Gardenning Adventures

Post by Mo »

Well, you said you weren't sure what it was.
You've planted a lot of that kind of thing.

My grandad used to grow marrows, I have memories of struggling down a church isle with one as big as me in my arms, for Harvest festival.
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Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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kitla
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Re: Kitty's Gardenning Adventures

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As the season winds down - we have half of an enormous pumpkin in the fridge, & another slightly less huge one ripening on the kitchen windowsill (its plant died). The one I took the seeds from last year was a very small, eating pumpkin, good for soup. We're making as much soup as we can but taking time to get through this big pumpkin! I'll try roasting some, put some in my veg curry - any more ideas?
Lots of courgettes from the good plant, another sneeky hidden huge one from the rogue plant. Some autumn squashes coming, runner beans still doing well. Finally the Hyacinth beans have burst into beautiful purple flowers, I'll try to get a photo before they turn into purple beans. Tons of tomatoes, the midi plums from the expensive seed packet are really nice again & I've had lots of the giant ones in the greenhouse which I'm chopping & freezing for cooking - I have to be careful picking them now as there's a few big orb-web spiders across the plants (dont want them on my head... yeuc!)
I've done my bit for the butterfly population, the nasturtiums were covered in caterpillars, but there was still plenty left.
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
--Immanuel Kant
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Mo
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Re: Kitty's Gardenning Adventures

Post by Mo »

My grand-daughter likes nasturtium leaves. We planted one, years ago at the end of the runner bean row, and I can't get rid of it. Pops up every year on all over that end of the veg patch (which probably says something about my weeding!)
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Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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lancashire lass
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Re: Kitty's Gardenning Adventures

Post by lancashire lass »

Wow, sounds like your garden has done really well )t'

kitla wrote:We're making as much soup as we can but taking time to get through this big pumpkin! I'll try roasting some, put some in my veg curry - any more ideas?


Pumpkin are also great made into desserts not just savoury - Pumpkin pie is one, but my fave are pumpkin fritters. If boiling chunks of pumpkin to cook, make sure it is well drained first otherwise it can be too watery, then mash and fold into batter (preferably a thick batter like you would use for Yorkshire puddings) Then use a dessert spoon for each fritter to scoop out some of the mix and carefully drop into a deep fat fryer and cook until golden brown. Drain well then roll into something like cinnamon and sugar. I suppose you could make fritters (without the sugar) into savoury by adding other spices instead like chilli or different curry flavours. My mother wasn't into anything spicy so to be fair I haven't tried it but I can see the potential. Definitely finger food and can be dipped into various sauces if you wanted to give it a try?

kitla wrote:I've done my bit for the butterfly population, the nasturtiums were covered in caterpillars


Most likely the Cabbage White butterfly I think ... they are attracted to nasturtiums as well as other cabbage family

Mo wrote:We planted one, years ago at the end of the runner bean row, and I can't get rid of it.


I had a similar problem with my first allotment plot - once it started to self seed, it quickly became a weed. I can still remember the smell of the plants when pulling them up.
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kitla
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Re: Kitty's Gardenning Adventures

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It's that time of year to start growing things again. Especially important this year as we dont know how much choice there'll be in the shops this summer and it will be nice to spend time in the greenhouse thinking about something else other than whats going on.
I've seeded my favourite midi-plumb tomatoes, baby sweet peppers, & jalapinos so far.
I thought I better move the tomatoes to a new spot this year, so I have a sheltered sunny bed free for something else, I thought maybe sweetcorn.
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
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KarenE
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Re: Kitty's Gardenning Adventures

Post by KarenE »

Sweetcorn are good - make sure they are in a sunny spot, and you can grow something underneath them as well. Salads don't mind a bit of shade, or you could grow squash underneath )t'
Karen
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kitla
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Re: Kitty's Gardenning Adventures

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Well I'm glad I bought a couple of bags of compost from the local garden centre before they closed for lockdown. I wanted some more cheap compost for my new tomato bed but am having problems finding any, I've eventually had to buy 50L at £10 from primrose & have decided not to plant any new pot or baskets this year. Places I have seen it - online garden centres & diy stores are out of stock, so either there's been a rush on it or they cant get it from the wholesalers. Such a shame so many people are spending time gardenning to pass the time yet the wholesalers are facing throwing out all their stock. Not essential I know - except to our sanity.
Meanwhile my tomatoes & cucumbers are just starting to show. Jalapinos & sweet peppers all out & needing potting soon (bit too soon, my windowsill will be crowded for a while)
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
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Re: Kitty's Gardenning Adventures

Post by Freeranger »

It's ironic - all the things on my To Do list are gardening or DIY and it's going to be difficult to get the supplies for everything, when the suppliers are struggling.
I know you think I'd be used to it, but I'm always amazed when you folks down south say what's going on in your gardens - we're so much further behind.
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kitla
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Re: Kitty's Gardenning Adventures

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Cucumbers, chillies, peppers, sweet peas, all potted & under cover in the greenhouse or my windowsill. Beans, peas, courgette, sunflowers, marigolds, beetroot sown. Old seed packets sown of chard & leeks. B&Q do compost on click & collect so can pick them up next time I'm shopping, which means enough for what I need & enough to pot up the left over seedlings to give away. I feel very appreciative of living where we do & having this garden at the moment, 5 adults & a baby are squashed into our house atm, my refuge is the greenhouse & chicken run!.
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
--Immanuel Kant
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kitla
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Re: Kitty's Gardenning Adventures

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Everything has sprouted, I was thinking of planting out the peas (currently in peat pots in greenhouse) before it rains later today. But I've seen we have some cold nights to come & maybe some frosty nights, so I guess I should hang on a bit longer? Anyone planted any veg out yet?
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
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Mo
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Re: Kitty's Gardenning Adventures

Post by Mo »

I thought peas didn't mind frost. Runner beans don't stand it though. You can plant them outdoors quite early, though if the soil is cold they might take longer to germinate.
If they've been in the greenhouse they might need hardening off.
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kitla
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Re: Kitty's Gardenning Adventures

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good point Mo, I'd forgotten about the in-between stage.
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KarenE
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Re: Kitty's Gardenning Adventures

Post by KarenE »

There's a few stuff planted out on the lotties but not on my plot yet, although I have potatoes and onions to go in. People have leeks in as well, but it's a bit early for everything else really. I'm not sure about peas but you can give them a try. I think they should be ok to plant out in April if seeds bit I'm not sure if already germinated - they might need hardening off. You could always sow some directly into the ground?.
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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kitla
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Re: Kitty's Gardenning Adventures

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Hooray, it looks like the cold, frosty nights are over & I can finally plant out all the things in pots in the greenhouse. The beans are already winding round 4' poles in their pots & the courgettes are hanging over the shelves. The beetroot & chard that I did plant out have mostly been eaten )gr: probably by baby slugs, so I've restarted them in pots to put out when they're big enough to withstand some nibbling.
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
--Immanuel Kant
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