......Should I show it now, or wait until the end of the posting? Hmmmm. What the heck!-- Well there--I've said it, the first real harvest is in and this is what happened to them. Isn't it just awful to see them like that--thousands of calories. Perhaps I should use a blindfold...or maybe not, it is such a delight to see it--even during consumption. Its just the purdiest thang I evvuh seen. When! Well then...moving right along to the coverage of how the veggie plots (old and new) are doing. The weather has largely been dry and slightly windy with plenty of sun--These are conditions that are sneaky--on the surface, they seem 'ideal', but in reality silently and slowly are drying out the soil and the plants. I find these conditions much more dangerous than the typical hard-sun/high temp sort of draught. At least with the dog-day type of draught, one knows what he is dealing with and can take measures. This sneaky type of drought is so much more dangerous because one is lulled into a sort of confident, no-worries type of enjoyment of the seemingly idyllic weather...while all the while, the plants are not getting enough water to sustain their needs at a time when they should be establishing themselves. What can happen is that some plants will actually die or loose growing points or branch tips, and others will be getting the signal that they must hurry up and produce the flowers and fruit as they are designed to do in order to perpetuate their species. Well, I am getting a bit off track, but what I am leading up to here is a report on what all I have been doing these last few weeks and days. I have been doing three things at once actually--cleaning plots, planting and sowing as well as fighting the draught and giving the strawberries and broad beans huge amounts of water to compensate for the topsoil loss and the moisture loss from the leaves. It had been quite a juggling act, but it was necessary-- if I see the plant progress of some of my gardening neighbours. Peter, right next to me has broad bean plants that are not even one foot high! Loaded with flowers yes, but the almost dwarf habitus means there will not be enough stem, and thus leaves (and probably roots) to sustain the proper development of beans in the pods. My plants are also way too short--perhaps twice as tall as Peter's, but for the location in their cycle of life--too underdeveloped. At least I know that the root balls were very well developed before I planted them out, so that there are enough roots to take up the maximum amount of water from the soil. It is just startling to see the effect of dryness on vegetable plants. It could not have been more graphic if a double-blind scientific experiment had been carried out by university botanists. The dryness factor is something that we all are no doubt aware of, but sometimes just don't think of before its too late. Well alrighty then....let's get to it. I will begin with the strawbs--they were featured early on in this posting. It began with a rigorous cleaning-away of debris around the plants and the removal of their dead leaves and stems (these can be places where fungi can colonize and get to your fruit and decompose it). The clearing away of mulch and leaving it for a couple of weeks will ensure that some of the slugs and snails seek another hotel and will not be there lying dormant awaiting water and the fragrance of fresh, ripe fruits to bring them out of their dry weather dormancy. The strawbs. Last august, I detached the baby plants from the mother plants and made new beds for this year. I have beds of plants that are 1,2 and 3 years old at the moment. This spring I cleaned them and the soil around the plants, then gave them some manure and let them be, until the blooms began opening. Here is a plant that was planted last august--already looking robust and managing to produce some some flowers in spite of the severe dryness.--My task now is to keep them watered and fed so that the blooms and fruits do not dry on the plant stems. Once the blooms have appeared, it is time to mulch the plants after a good soaking. In this foto I have used the plant leaves of irises that I had covered the corn bed with (visible just beyond the two strawberry beds) to protect it from the rain and sunshine throughout the winter. Once the strawbs begin showing colour, it is time to cover them with nets to keep the birds off. The net system used on this bed is simple--I used white electrical cable tube-housing and then just threw the net over it, and secured it with a piece of wire that I bent in to a 'U'form. Of course, the strawberry treatment would not be complete without quality control, right? No, that would not be responsible at all. Here is a random sample of those that were ripe. ....and now, the taste test. I guess that a comment on flavour and juiciness is not necessary, huh? The beans--French climbers (Rakker) and Runner beans (Lady Di and Sunset) were the next thing to be planted. It all started a month ago when the mulch was removed from the soft bed and the bean poles were inserted into the ground-- and a rack as well as joined wigwams were made. Then lettuce plantlets were planted ahead of time so that they would be ready to pick before the bean plants grew so thickly that the sunlight would be completely blocked out. Here, then are the newly planted bean plants. The wind has whipped these poor little things mercilessly. I shall have to watch them closely. A while back, it was time to dig furrows and plant the spuds. I made furrows with this tool that I have and then in the bottom of the furrow, I made holes with a bulb planter. The seed-spud went into this and it was covered as well as a portion of the loose dirt on the sides of each furrow so that it was buried nice and deep. Later on, when the foliage began to show, they got earthed-up again, covering the tender, new foliage. Good thing too, because that very night it froze and some folks had tops that looked like boiled lettuce. Once the plants were taller, they got a bit of bone meal and cow manure pellets and were earthed-up yet again. They are looking good today and the 'International Kidney's' even have bloom buds. Some of the courgettes were also planted. Here are the light green ones (Curcubita pepo Magda F1). The red squash (Potimarron, or Red Kuri Squash) are planted along the rack which is on one side of the blueberry patch. I intend to force them to grow up the rack and will support the fruits in some sort of netted sack. I apologize, but I have noticed that this has gotten to be quite long. I have a bit more to post, but I shall do that in another thread right after supper. Its vacation and I have an Indonesian delivery on the way. Daging roedjak with nasi goring. Mmmmmmmmmmmm It should be here any moment.
It's all your fault, you made me hungry for strawberries. I will have to check on the status of the local berries but there has been too much rain lately so I may have to wait. :-( Jerry
dang it sjoerd...they're calling for snow here tonight!!!! i am just starting to plant in the gardens now with covers nearby. did you start your broad beans in your root trainers again this year? they're looking very healthy there. do you get your water from the river near you? awesome strawberry shortcake! yum!
beautiful strawberries! my bed is on its 2nd year and is doing great - I'm wondering how many years do I get out of it? should I start a new bed next spring?
Sjoerd,..i hope you enjoyed your Indonesian!!,..i just had my dinner,..and you have me hungry again,..something spicy i need,..then,..ahhh those strawberries with fresh whipped cream, . Those Strawberry plants are perfect,..mine are half in and half out so a tad leggy but have flowered and showing signs of berries. Your soil looks similar to ours,..dark and rich. Do you ever grow Roosters and Kerr Pinks?. You have me thinking towards growing veg again,..in the Victorian Estate,..the offer has being given!,..and i will start there on something. Fantastic pictures and details,..thank you for sharing.
Thanks NETTY-- I know that you'd enjoy them. Heh heh heh...CHERYL-- You will not me distracted by beans when there are fresh strawbs for the taking, will you? I apologize for making you all hungry, JERRY--I hope that the guys near you will have some for you. Gosh, those in the pics were delishous. BUNKIE--Oh noooo! That's bad news. You are going to have to use those covers, it sounds like. Yes, I did start my broad beans in my root trainers again. I always do that. I get water from a canal which borders the plots or sometimes from the tap (our allotment complex has city water). Glad you liked the looks of that short cake. Thanks BHAPIMAMA-- They were so juicy and sweet. I usually keep plants for two years(then pull them out), but recently I have gotten some new types and so I am seeing how they will do if allowed to stay in their plot for three years. Here, we start new beds in august, but there are some folks that do begin their beds in the spring. You would need to do some checking to find out about what is better for the region where you live...as I believe the suggestions for when to begin may well differ from place to place. PHILIP--I sure did. There was waaay too much and so I saved it and will polish-off the last of that tonight. Delicious stuff, that. I have never grown the types that you asked about. I have had a number of different types, but not those. The new ones that I have planted and am experimenting with are, Corona, Salsa. The rest is a mix of all the sorts. If you decide to go for veg again. Let me know,I'd like to hear about it. Glad you liked the posting, HALFWAY.
sorry - one more question: when you pull them out, do you have to throw them away or can you reuse them?
Hi Bhapimama-- When I pull the 2 or 3 year old plants up, I chop them into little bits and place them in the compost bin. Although sometimes some of my fellow gardeners on the complex want them--so naturally in that case, I give them away. p.s. No problem with making inquiries. That's what the forum is for after all.
Lovely Sjoerd. Your lottie is so much prettier than mine! The strawbs...well, we have been enjoying them also. How delicious are they?!?!?! Our broadbeans have suffered also. I have picked some pods, but not the amount I would expect. My spring sown plants are smothered in flowers, but definately a lot shorter than usual. I can only hope that the rain we have had during the last 24 hours will give them a boost.
Thank You, EJ--I saw those big strawbs that you showed. And, delicious? "Woah yeah!", as mr Wallace would say. My broadies have pods, but I opened one for a spot check and the beans were still tiny...but what I was looking for was to see if there were any miniscule little brown, dead beans were in there. There weren't...so I have fairly high hopes in spite of the prolongued dryness. I do hope that the plants pull out of this slump. I have noticed some blackfly already too. That is very early for here. :?
