My first early pots are just begining to show, put the second earlies in
about a week ago, and today planted the maincrop!

And discovered a few tomatoes begining to form.

Alan

In article <uZhmg.37305$qD.28816 [at] newsfe1-gui.ntli.net>,
"Alan Holmes" <alan.holmes [at] virgin.net> writes:
|>
|> My first early pots are just begining to show, put the second earlies in
|> about a week ago, and today planted the maincrop!
|>
|> And discovered a few tomatoes begining to form.

A BIT!

My first broad beans are showing pods, but the only things I have cropped
are rocket, goosefoot (self-sown), spinach and strawberries. I haven't
even planted out my warm-weather crops yet, and most are 1" high. What
is more, 75% of that was NOT me being late, but the catastrophicly cold
spring.

Dammit, I lost 90% of my broccoli due to the winter and have had to sow
my French beans FOUR times, because they rotted due to the cold (UNDER
GLASS) :-(


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" <nmm1 [at] cus.cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:e7cand$ao$1 [at] gemini.csx.cam.ac.uk...
>
> In article <uZhmg.37305$qD.28816 [at] newsfe1-gui.ntli.net>,
> "Alan Holmes" <alan.holmes [at] virgin.net> writes:
> |>
> |> My first early pots are just begining to show, put the second earlies
> in
> |> about a week ago, and today planted the maincrop!
> |>
> |> And discovered a few tomatoes begining to form.
>
> A BIT!
>
> My first broad beans are showing pods, but the only things I have cropped
> are rocket, goosefoot (self-sown),

What's goosefoot?

I've lifted a few very small potatoes because they were in the asparagus
bed, greenhouse tomatoes are about three mm diameter (the biggest!), I'm
cropping lettuce leaves every couple of days from the greenhouse. Other
small saladings are useful, otherwise rocket, Easter ledge, endive and some
very small yellow courgettes have been eaten to date. Lots of herbs of
course but the chervil is just about gone. Oh, and a few strawberries but I
only have one plant. The gooseberries are all but ready but there aren't
many, we moved the bush last autumn.

But it's all coming on splendidly!

I tell myself.

Mary

In article <4499b7d6$0$907$4c56ba96 [at] master.news.zetnet.net>,
"Mary Fisher" <mary.fisher [at] zetnet.co.uk> writes:
|>
|> What's goosefoot?

Chenopodium album. An annual weed of waste ground, which can be used
(and tastes) almost exactly like spinach. The seeds are edible, too,
and are like Amaranthus.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" <nmm1 [at] cus.cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:e7cdpm$65s$1 [at] gemini.csx.cam.ac.uk...
>
> In article <4499b7d6$0$907$4c56ba96 [at] master.news.zetnet.net>,
> "Mary Fisher" <mary.fisher [at] zetnet.co.uk> writes:
> |>
> |> What's goosefoot?
>
> Chenopodium album. An annual weed of waste ground, which can be used
> (and tastes) almost exactly like spinach. The seeds are edible, too,
> and are like Amaranthus.

Oh ...

Thanks ....

Mary
still in the dark :-)
>

Post removed (X-No-Archive: yes)

"Mary Fisher" <mary.fisher [at] zetnet.co.uk> wrote
> "Nick Maclaren" <nmm1 [at] cus.cam.ac.uk> wrote
>> "Mary Fisher" <mary.fisher [at] zetnet.co.uk> writes:
>> |> What's goosefoot?
>>
>> Chenopodium album. An annual weed of waste ground, which can be used
>> (and tastes) almost exactly like spinach. The seeds are edible, too,
>> and are like Amaranthus.
>
> Oh ...
>
> Thanks ....
>
> Mary
> still in the dark :-)

It's also known as Fat Hen so p'raps your chickens eat it all before you
get to see any. :)

--
Sue

"Sue" <sue [at] allegedly.spamless.plus.com> wrote in message
news:4499d6e3$0$16461$892e7fe2 [at] authen.yellow.readfreenews.net...
>
> "Mary Fisher" <mary.fisher [at] zetnet.co.uk> wrote
>> "Nick Maclaren" <nmm1 [at] cus.cam.ac.uk> wrote
>>> "Mary Fisher" <mary.fisher [at] zetnet.co.uk> writes:
>>> |> What's goosefoot?
>>>
>>> Chenopodium album. An annual weed of waste ground, which can be used
>>> (and tastes) almost exactly like spinach. The seeds are edible, too,
>>> and are like Amaranthus.
>>
>> Oh ...
>>
>> Thanks ....
>>
>> Mary
>> still in the dark :-)
>
> It's also known as Fat Hen so p'raps your chickens eat it all before you
> get to see any. :)

Ah! I know Fat hen, thanks :-)

No, it doesn't grow in our garden, hasn't done for years. Nor do daisies or
colstfoot, to my sorrow. they all used to, but stopped well before we had
the hens.

Strangely, they grow in neighbouring gardens ...

Mary
>
> --
> Sue
>
>
>

"Janet Baraclough" <janet.and.john [at] zetnet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:31303030393032394499D4A509 [at] zetnet.co.uk...
>

>
> We're eating (outdoor) potatoes, lettuce and rhubarb. But I've had
> the worst-ever year for seed germination in the open garden; the peas
> and broad beans are just pathetic, rocket even worse, and I have a
> grand total of 4 sweetcorn plants. Runner beans are sitting at the
> bottom of their wigwam playing dumb; yesterday I tied them all to their
> stake to give them a clue.

Yes, I got five runner bean plants only - saved seed sown in the greenhouse
and planted out some weeks ago, well watered and protected. One is about
three feet high, two rather less, one having to be shown what to do and one
sulking. And they're usually the most reliable crop :-(

I haven't sown in the open since we got the greenhouse, we only need a few
plants of each kind so I have more control over numbers if it's done
indoors. I do get over enthusiastic about tomatoes though ...

Mary

We've had lettuce, moungetout, peas, rocket spuds, Garlic,
strawberries(just a few).
Had some Parmex carrots, radishes

Got some japanese overwintering oinions I'm about to dig up although
they seem to be ready a bit early.

Lot's of rosemary , french tarrogon( done really well this year), Tyme

so not too bad :)

Gardening_Convert wrote:
> We've had lettuce, moungetout, peas, rocket spuds, Garlic,
> strawberries(just a few).
> Had some Parmex carrots, radishes
>
> Got some japanese overwintering oinions I'm about to dig up although
> they seem to be ready a bit early.
>
> Lot's of rosemary , french tarrogon( done really well this year), Tyme
>
> so not too bad :)
>
Strawberries just started ripening here in low ground of North
Staffordshire. Been digging new potatoes for 2 weeks, have some lettuce.
Summer cabbage coming on fine, all cauliflowers died! Looking to
have a good crop of sweet cherries, gauges and peaches, apple setting
poor. Collared doves have discovered my garden this year, so just had to
plant more peas, well netted this time!

"Mary Fisher" <mary.fisher [at] zetnet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:449a7d5c$0$907$4c56ba96 [at] master.news.zetnet.net...
>
> "Janet Baraclough" <janet.and.john [at] zetnet.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:31303030393032394499D4A509 [at] zetnet.co.uk...
>>
>
>>
>> We're eating (outdoor) potatoes, lettuce and rhubarb. But I've had
>> the worst-ever year for seed germination in the open garden; the peas
>> and broad beans are just pathetic, rocket even worse, and I have a
>> grand total of 4 sweetcorn plants. Runner beans are sitting at the
>> bottom of their wigwam playing dumb; yesterday I tied them all to their
>> stake to give them a clue.
>
> Yes, I got five runner bean plants only - saved seed sown in the
> greenhouse and planted out some weeks ago, well watered and protected. One
> is about three feet high, two rather less, one having to be shown what to
> do and one sulking. And they're usually the most reliable crop :-(
>
> I haven't sown in the open since we got the greenhouse, we only need a few
> plants of each kind so I have more control over numbers if it's done
> indoors. I do get over enthusiastic about tomatoes though ...
>
> Mary

It's kinda the other way round for me - outdoor sown rocket, radish and
spinach have all done ok and I've been eating them for a few weeks. My
runner beans are also great - about 6 foot high and flowering well. The
only problem I really had this year was with my tomatoes, which started off
ok, altho I started them a little late, but when I put them outside they
suffered in the wind and very hot sun a few weeks ago. They now seem to
have recovered somewhat but no flowers to be seen yet. Wish I had a
greenhouse...

Eleni.

Mary Fisher wrote:
>
> Ah! I know Fat hen, thanks :-)

If memory serves, it's what appeared in my main ornamental bed last
year, and which was kindly id'd here. I had come up with the rather
daring theory that it was a diseased dahlia.... seen as it was growing
besides a couple, and in many ways, the structure of the plant looked a
bit the same... only a bit different.
Anyway, I was soon put right out of my folly by the kind and
knowledgeable folks here... I may yet see it again, because I only
pulled it once it was covered in nicely ripe seeds :-)

>
> No, it doesn't grow in our garden, hasn't done for years. Nor do daisies or
> colstfoot, to my sorrow. they all used to, but stopped well before we had
> the hens.
>
> Strangely, they grow in neighbouring gardens ...

I say this all the time... how come *my* plants look so much better
*next door* :-(

Cat(h)

Alan Holmes wrote:
> My first early pots are just begining to show, put the second earlies in
> about a week ago, and today planted the maincrop!
>
> And discovered a few tomatoes begining to form.
>
> Alan

Gasp. You're late??? Mine (toms) are only just starting to show
flowers !!
So far, we have consumed rhubarb, rocket (left over from winter
planting, hair cut regularly, so it keeps giving me leaves which are
increasingly peppery, to my delight) fresh rocket planting not
harvestable yet. I have consumed some lettuce thinnings to make room,
armfulls of herbs (I have without a doubt the best herb bed in the
British Isles, and you'll have to take my word), radishes, 1 asparagus
stem (it didn't make it to the kitchen, never mind get cooked).
Strawberries are formed but desperately green - I must think of netting
them this week end without fail, or risk having nothing to show for my
efforts. Raspberry crop will be good - that is netted. Blackcurrant
bush spectacularly laden, also netted, though all green as yet. Red
currant sulking with one or two miserly strings of berries - they just
didn't form. Gooseberries (netted) absolutely laden with stuff, but
taking their own sweet time to sweeten and soften. Blackberries just
finished flowering - good crop I hope, but only one plant.
Fabulous success - so far with my first ever planting of broad beans -
all germinated, all in flower, I haven't seen them in a few days, and
could see beginnings of pods this week end.
Runner beans a disaster, like so many others on urg - two wigwams with
only 5 plants germinated between them, which have taken forever to
germinate, and still look miserly.
Fortunately, one of my wigwams is well laden with another type of
climbing bean - but I lost the label - and the dwarf french are also
doing ok. Just as well, I can't get enough beans.
Peas germinated well in a cold frame this late spring, and they are
scaling their wigwams and starting to flower - so far so good. I also
have some kohlrabi - not hectic - some now healthy looking brussels
sprouts, saved from the pigeons by two double CD's of Tom Jones
Greatest Hits (free with some Sunday paper), two rows of my beloved
salsify - one rather more successful than the other. And three
courgettes about to conquer the planet and provoke all my friends, just
like last year, to cross the road when they see me coming...
Amazing. As I write it all out, I realise how much stuff I am managing
to grow with reasonable success (cross toes).
The beloved - who has as much interest in matters horticultural as I
have in trainspotting - smiles magnanimously at my business around the
garden, and is mildly benevolent in the face of my enthusiastic gardeny
gushings. Growing his favourite lettuce and brussels sprouts is my way
to make him more interested, as well as trying to share the burden of
consuming the glut...

All the same, it's great to garden, is it not?

Cat(h)

"Cat(h)" <cathy_ie [at] yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1151077331.932535.183150 [at] y41g2000cwy.googlegroups.com...
>

<envious snip>

> Blackberries just
> finished flowering - good crop I hope, but only one plant.

Our blackberries aren't even flowering yet! Where are you?
>
> All the same, it's great to garden, is it not?

Yes.

Mutter chunter s'not fair ...

Mary
>
> Cat(h)
>

The message <31303030393032394499D4A509 [at] zetnet.co.uk>
from Janet Baraclough <janet.and.john [at] zetnet.co.uk> contains these words:

> The message <e7cand$ao$1 [at] gemini.csx.cam.ac.uk>
> from nmm1 [at] cus.cam.ac.uk (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:


> > In article <uZhmg.37305$qD.28816 [at] newsfe1-gui.ntli.net>,
> > "Alan Holmes" <alan.holmes [at] virgin.net> writes:
> > |>
> > |> My first early pots are just begining to show, put the second
> > earlies in
> > |> about a week ago, and today planted the maincrop!
> > |>
> > |> And discovered a few tomatoes begining to form.

> > A BIT!

> > My first broad beans are showing pods, but the only things I have cropped
> > are rocket, goosefoot (self-sown), spinach and strawberries. I haven't
> > even planted out my warm-weather crops yet, and most are 1" high. What
> > is more, 75% of that was NOT me being late, but the catastrophicly cold
> > spring.

> > Dammit, I lost 90% of my broccoli due to the winter and have had to sow
> > my French beans FOUR times, because they rotted due to the cold (UNDER
> > GLASS) :-(

> We're eating (outdoor) potatoes, lettuce and rhubarb. But I've had
> the worst-ever year for seed germination in the open garden; the peas
> and broad beans are just pathetic, rocket even worse, and I have a
> grand total of 4 sweetcorn plants. Runner beans are sitting at the
> bottom of their wigwam playing dumb; yesterday I tied them all to their
> stake to give them a clue.

> Janet.

> --
> Isle of Arran Open Gardens weekend 21,22,23 July 2006
> 5 UKP three-day adult ticket (funds go to island charities) buys entry
> to 26 private gardens

I'm also eating outdoor potatoes (Lady Christl which have done really
well) and various lettuces. I have a glut of mangetout, good broad
beans, rather sparse peas, excellent calabrese with the biggest heads
I've ever had, some spinach beet, Hispi cabbage and from the poytunnel
carrots and one or two small cucumbers.

I haven't attempted outdoor germination of much at all except for leeks
and carrots for some time now because of mouse (or vole?) damage.

Janet G

In article <3130303036353939449D46BE34 [at] zetnet.co.uk>,
Janet Galpin <decoy.farm [at] zetnet.co.uk> writes:
|>
|> I'm also eating outdoor potatoes (Lady Christl which have done really
|> well) and various lettuces. I have a glut of mangetout, good broad
|> beans, rather sparse peas, excellent calabrese with the biggest heads
|> I've ever had, some spinach beet, Hispi cabbage and from the poytunnel
|> carrots and one or two small cucumbers.

Please don't taunt me :-( I have cropped spinach and rocket, and broad
beans and peas should follow shortly, but my chillis and annuals are
1" high!

|> I haven't attempted outdoor germination of much at all except for leeks
|> and carrots for some time now because of mouse (or vole?) damage.

Mine didn't sodding germinate INDOORS!


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

The message <e7jdsp$fjn$1 [at] gemini.csx.cam.ac.uk>
from nmm1 [at] cus.cam.ac.uk (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:


> In article <3130303036353939449D46BE34 [at] zetnet.co.uk>,
> Janet Galpin <decoy.farm [at] zetnet.co.uk> writes:
> |>
> |> I'm also eating outdoor potatoes (Lady Christl which have done really
> |> well) and various lettuces. I have a glut of mangetout, good broad
> |> beans, rather sparse peas, excellent calabrese with the biggest heads
> |> I've ever had, some spinach beet, Hispi cabbage and from the poytunnel
> |> carrots and one or two small cucumbers.

> Please don't taunt me :-( I have cropped spinach and rocket, and broad
> beans and peas should follow shortly, but my chillis and annuals are
> 1" high!

> |> I haven't attempted outdoor germination of much at all except for leeks
> |> and carrots for some time now because of mouse (or vole?) damage.

> Mine didn't sodding germinate INDOORS!


When you say indoors I think you mean in the greenhouse. I germinated
mine in the HOUSE. They had prime cosy positioning. Never mind people,
just keep seeds warm.
I'm lucky that now I only have myself to worry about, I can develop some
very antisocial habits!

Janet G

"Cat(h)" <cathy_ie [at] yahoo.com> wrote
> I say this all the time... how come *my* plants look so much better
> *next door* :-(

Ah, I have also noticed this phenomenon!
I come to the conclusion it's just the old greener grass over the fence
syndrome: if you are indoors and look out at your borders or veggie
plot, it all looks blooming and co-ordinated, well-organised and
abundant. But as soon as you go out and look more closely you can see
the gaps/ colour clashes/ bad siting/ pests/ weeds/ etc...

It's to do with things seeming better at a short distance. I find the
same principle works with memories too! ;-)

--
Sue

Post removed (X-No-Archive: yes)

Mary Fisher wrote:
> "Cat(h)" <cathy_ie [at] yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:1151077331.932535.183150 [at] y41g2000cwy.googlegroups.com...
> >
>
> <envious snip>
>
> > Blackberries just
> > finished flowering - good crop I hope, but only one plant.
>
> Our blackberries aren't even flowering yet! Where are you?

East of Ireland.

> >
> > All the same, it's great to garden, is it not?
>
> Yes.
>
> Mutter chunter s'not fair ...

Worry not. I'll probably have a disaster yet... one of my toms is
wilted, and I don't know why... and I am a bit worried about my broad
beans...


Cat(h)

"Cat(h)" <cathy_ie [at] yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1151311998.173149.135940 [at] y41g2000cwy.googlegroups.com...
>
> Mary Fisher wrote:
>> "Cat(h)" <cathy_ie [at] yahoo.com> wrote in message
>> news:1151077331.932535.183150 [at] y41g2000cwy.googlegroups.com...
>> >
>>
>> <envious snip>
>>
>> > Blackberries just
>> > finished flowering - good crop I hope, but only one plant.
>>
>> Our blackberries aren't even flowering yet! Where are you?
>
> East of Ireland.
>
>> >
>> > All the same, it's great to garden, is it not?
>>
>> Yes.
>>
>> Mutter chunter s'not fair ...
>
> Worry not. I'll probably have a disaster yet... one of my toms is
> wilted, and I don't know why... and I am a bit worried about my broad
> beans...
>

I look forward to some good news :-)

Mary

>