How does your garden grow?

[Spreckly]

A friend from the village took Ted`s veggie plot on a few weeks` since, for her own use. She planted courgettes and onion sets, which have done nothing at all, but the potatoes she put in have come up. Most disappointing after all her hard work, but our neighbours on one side with the overgrown garden, and my neighbours on the other side have overhanging branches of very tall trees, which were quite small when we moved in twenty years ago.

My dwarf runners have flowered, a step in the right direction.

I am envious of all your fruit picking.

[Trev62]

I am envious of all your fruit picking.

I would not be too envious, I checked our blackberries today, five plants, two years old and ......... only one blackberry. A very nice one but I felt the plant were mocking me as I stood looking at it!

[lancashire lass]

I am envious of all your fruit picking.

I would not be too envious, I checked our blackberries today, five plants, two years old and ......... only one blackberry. A very nice one but I felt the plant were mocking me as I stood looking at it!

are the blackberries under netting? A lot could have been taken by birds. I still have memories of the disappearing strawberries from the planters on my back patio. I just happen to see a blackbird sneak in and picked the berry from below then did the "guilty" / head low scamper away before flying off.

If there isn't a bird problem, maybe the weather? A lot of pollen are affected by high temperatures (as well as low temperature) so may be a pollinating thing when they were in flower. Or maybe soil fertility (as in, too much nitrogen so encourages leaf and growth rather than flower production, and not enough potassium)

[Mo]

I came back from holiday and found that something had been eating my apples. Used to store them in the garage, OK for years then mice found them. So now keep them in the porch, but oh dear, I blame Tabitha, she brings mice in and loses them.

Anyway I picked the last of the James Grieve and instead of storing them in open trays I wrapped each one and put them in closed boxes on a really high shelf. With a tin on top to keep them shut. had a look today. One box was OK, the other had a hole in the corner. I took it outside and stood it on a wheelie bin. When I opened it a field mouse looked at me then leapt out. Then 2 or 3 more. quite a jump.
need to spring clean my porch but I'm not sure if I'll dare store fruit there again.

[Trev62]

If there isn't a bird problem, maybe the weather? A lot of pollen are affected by high temperatures (as well as low temperature) so may be a pollinating thing when they were in flower.

I think it is the weather, daytime temperatures for the last couple of months have been averaging around the mid 90's F and the humidity has been horrendous. Still the solitary fruit was enjoyed....by me!!

[Trev62]

When I opened it a field mouse looked at me then leapt out. Then 2 or 3 more. quite a jump.

That made me smile, I like the field mouse (as long as it is not in the house or cellar) our cats deliver live ones to us that our Karakachan often steals and plays with, which is amusing to watch as she never actually hurts them.

[Mo]

I like the field mouse (as long as it is not in the house or cellar) o

Yes, I am happy as long as they stay outside. Not in the porch though. Wonder how many more I'll find.

[Spreckly]

My tomatoes are almost over,and my dwarf runner bean has one tiny bean on it.
I am hoping more will emerge.

[Mo]

Other than fruit I've only grown runner beans this year. They are still doing fine (mostly going on the charity stall on the verge as I only like them fresh not frozen.

[Spreckly]

My dwarf French beans have yielded four or five three to four inch beans. I plan to grow more in pots next year.

[Mo]

I think my runners are coming to an end now. Plenty of apples to pick

[Spreckly]

I envy you your apples, Mo. None of my trees fruited, plenty of blossom though and there has been nothing on my pear tree,

I sowed cornflower seeds earlier in the year. They have grown sparsely in the tub, which I put in the greenhouse last week.. Today I discovered four beautiful blue flowers on them. I hope they survive the winter.

My Magnolia Susan is also flowering again!

[Mo]

I think it was cold when things should have been pollinated. My pears are not good. A few proper ones, some of the conference are skinny (they are partially self fertile, which I think means if they aren't pollinated the fruit grows without seed, banana shape rather than fat pear shaped.
My Laxton Exquisite only has fruit on the branch nearest the hedge (sheltered?) and only 2 apples on the cox. The rest seem OK.

[manda]

We have finally managed to get our raised beds started and hoops over them as it's still a bit cold here in NZ and the microclima cloth will keep them away form the frost.
I've planted some Courgettes - Yellow Beauty: a yellow one as my husband finds the darker green ones a bit bitter for his liking and Tromboncino which Jamie Oliver touts as being one of the tastiest and they look like a trumpet so if nothing else they'll be a talking point.

We've got our Asparagus bed going so that will just get on a do it's thing for a few years until we can reap the rewards but hey you've got to start some where.

I've planted a load of tomato plants ...probably too many but my neighbour has a huge tunnel house and so he has very kindly said I can put some in there for a share of tomatoes... the others will be going outside over arches when the weather is warmer. If I have too many tomatoes (I'm hoping) that's fine, I plan on making a load of tomato sauce which I can can and I plan to dehydrate a load so I can make tomato powder, in addition to obviously being able to eat them

The compost bins are going great guns as we were able to put a load of old hay which the sheep hadn't eaten but had slept in and peed and pood in (which was very wasteful for feed but is making great compost!).

Winter has been very wet and windy but things are starting to warm up and become greener now as we wander through Spring and head to wards Summer. Spring is a fickle season here - the Canterbury plains of NZ are quite harsh as seasons go. We've been known to have snow in December (which is Summer here) although the last frost day is meant to come at the end of October....hopefully this year they'll be kind but they're predicting an El Nino - very dry Summer so we're already planning for water storage for irrigation.

I've always been much more animal and food orientated and we've always kind of muddled along with growing things but this year we're really trying to get more organised and methodical and try and plan more ...not sure how that will go but I've got a Calendar to try and keep on track and plans and lists and.... and...

[Mo]

but this year we're really trying to get more organised and methodical and try and plan more ...not sure how that will go but I've got a Calendar to try and keep on track and plans and lists and.... and...

Best of luck with that.
i always come across the instruction "in land that was well dug the previous autumn"