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I remember my uncle telling me the tale of my grandfather, Arthur Jenkins, when he started his 'Welsh produce' (grocery) business during the depression, he used to grow his own vegetables to sell in the shop, and used a vacant plot next to the house to grow potatoes. all he did was lift a clod of turf up, pop a potato in the hole, then return the clod, grass side down into the hole then stamp on it. he did nothing then until it was time to harvest them (maybe he was also a pioneer of 'no dig' gardening!! :icon_204-2:) he grew enough to turn a profit and then went on trading from the front room until he bought Waterloo shop on the village square in 1945.
My mother's father taught me to garden and always told me to earth up the potatoes, but not once did he say it was because the tubers grew on the stalks, but rather as a protection against frost, first to cover the delicate leaves but later, because the haulms were now raised above the surface of the garden the later frosts would settle into the lower area between the ridges and not damage the leaves.
I read recently it is to prevent the potatoes being green in colour i.e. poisonous 😱
 
I always plant mine deeper than the level that they are at in the pot. They seem to grow much stronger that way. I must plant them out in the greenhouse, but there’s no space because of all the other seedlings.
I've grown some "Sweet Million" tomatoes this year. They're sitting in their pots on the windowsill - just discovered that they grow to 7 feet - my polytunnel is only 4 ft high - can I tie them so the grow at an angle - they won't do outdoors at 600ft, will they?
 
I've grown some "Sweet Million" tomatoes this year. They're sitting in their pots on the windowsill - just discovered that they grow to 7 feet - my polytunnel is only 4 ft high - can I tie them so the grow at an angle - they won't do outdoors at 600ft, will they?
They are a very heavy cropper - you will never be able to eat all of them unless you are feeding the entire village.

Just stop them off when they reach the height of the polytunnel (pinch out the growing tip) by four feet you will have a number of clutches - if you feel you won't have enough just leave a couple of the side shoots to grow on rather than pinching them out (you will need to support these side shoots with some canes as the weight of the crop will break the sideshoots). They are a very greedy variety - lots of feed once the first set is established.
 
I've grown some "Sweet Million" tomatoes this year. They're sitting in their pots on the windowsill - just discovered that they grow to 7 feet - my polytunnel is only 4 ft high - can I tie them so the grow at an angle - they won't do outdoors at 600ft, will they?
we always grow sweet million. They are small and sweet and are lovely, Just pinch them out when they get tall enough.
 
What do they taste like? I've never found anything to beat Sungold for taste
Funnily they and Sungold are the only thing I've grown in recent years. I've just gone 100% Sungold this time. The reds look smaller and pretty but to my mind more acidic. I could just stand in a greenhouse and graze Sungold all day. I've grown spares for friends and family too and everyone who receives them switches over it if it's a smallish "stick it in your salad tomato" they are after.
 
Smell that taste...

veg-plot-2024-057-rotated.jpg


James
 
What do they taste like? I've never found anything to beat Sungold for taste
They are small and quite sweet - I must admit I like Sungold but I lost most of last years sungold to blight - I've been a bit selective this year - I'm growing the unknown ones that were blight resistant last year which I harvested the seeds from, Shirley and Cherry Falls (Which I grow in hanging baskets).
 
We have sungold, Polish Linguisa, Amish( kindly from James) and a couple of RAF given to me by a friend to try.
Got them in today.
 
Over the past few weeks I've been thinking that my cucumber's aren't doing great and looking as they should. Turns out I must of miss labeled them when planting the seeds as now they've grown on, my cucumbers are 100% courgettes.
 
Commercial spuds aren’t earthed up are they?
No, farmers plant and earth up all in one manoeuvre so what you see is parallel ridges of soil - which is what I do as per post 1863 above. I can't see the point of planting first then returning to earth up.
 
Over the past few weeks I've been thinking that my cucumber's aren't doing great and looking as they should. Turns out I must of miss labeled them when planting the seeds as now they've grown on, my cucumbers are 100% courgettes.
Never mind - you will be able to solve the world's food crisis if you end up with more than a couple of courgette plants. You won't have to worry about friends and family as they will all cross the street to avoid you in case you try to press more 'free' courgettes into their hands/bags. You will lose sleep because you will spend your nights cruising the internet seeking out ever more (tasteless) recipes for courgettes and either your compost bin or freezer will be overflowing with the surplus ... dig them up now whilst you still have time - One plant will feed an entire street !
 
Spent a couple of hours this evening dodging the showers in the veg area .. planted out the next batch of runners and cobra french beans. Potted on some chillie seedlings. Earthed up the potato bags (again - twice now in the last week !) - had to seive another three barrows of compost/leafmould - I'm having to bulk out my remaining compost with leafmould as I'm nearly out. Might have to turn one of this years bins and see what's at the bottom. Put a few more broad bean seeds in the ground in a spare bed - might be a bit late but we like the small young beans so should get some after my overwinter and spring sown ones are finished. Sowed my leeks in deep trays to get them started. Found some cucumber seeds I'd lost so sowed them into some 3" pots of compost - might be a bit late but I lost all of my original sowing and just have three plants I bought from the nursery ... these seeds are Mini Munch which the grandchildren love. Only FIVE seeds in the packet ... why are cucumber seeds so expensive ?

Lastly, I've managed to get two of my overwinter chillie plants from last year sprouting new growth ! It was a bit of an experiment - all the others that had green stems in November had died off but these two have survived and are looking good. Will see what happens as they grow on.
 
Lastly, I've managed to get two of my overwinter chillie plants from last year sprouting new growth ! It was a bit of an experiment - all the others that had green stems in November had died off but these two have survived and are looking good. Will see what happens as they grow on.

That's excellent news. I hope they do well. How did you keep them over Winter?

James
 
Spent a couple of hours this evening dodging the showers in the veg area .. planted out the next batch of runners and cobra french beans. Potted on some chillie seedlings. Earthed up the potato bags (again - twice now in the last week !) - had to seive another three barrows of compost/leafmould - I'm having to bulk out my remaining compost with leafmould as I'm nearly out. Might have to turn one of this years bins and see what's at the bottom. Put a few more broad bean seeds in the ground in a spare bed - might be a bit late but we like the small young beans so should get some after my overwinter and spring sown ones are finished. Sowed my leeks in deep trays to get them started. Found some cucumber seeds I'd lost so sowed them into some 3" pots of compost - might be a bit late but I lost all of my original sowing and just have three plants I bought from the nursery ... these seeds are Mini Munch which the grandchildren love. Only FIVE seeds in the packet ... why are cucumber seeds so expensive ?

Lastly, I've managed to get two of my overwinter chillie plants from last year sprouting new growth ! It was a bit of an experiment - all the others that had green stems in November had died off but these two have survived and are looking good. Will see what happens as they grow on.
If they are in pots the second year needs big pots
 

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