How is your outdoor "summer stuff" doing so far?

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JayG

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How is your outdoor "summer stuff" doing so far?
« on: July 06, 2011, 08:51 »
Runner beans (White Lady): paper pot grown plants not planted out until the 2nd week in June due to the frost risk; pretty much sat there sulking and looking a bit pale until a week ago. Best of them about 4' high and a few flowers but not romping away yet (and no beans.)

Sweet corn (Swift): started and planted out in the same way and at the same time as the runners; similar pale sulk until the warmer weather about a week ago; best of them still only a foot high and having to cross fingers that they grow some more before deciding it's "doctor and nurses" time.  8)

Courgettes and winter squashes; similar story, and I managed to lose a couple of plants to slugs. One of the courgettes is just big enough to be thinking about producing some flowers, which look to be all male so far!  :(

(To those of you already enjoying courgettes I say well done, and  :tongue2:  :tongue2:  :tongue2: !)
Sow your seeds, plant your plants. What's the difference? A couple of weeks or more when answering possible queries!

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DD.

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Re: How is your outdoor "summer stuff" doing so far?
« Reply #1 on: July 06, 2011, 08:53 »
Pretty similar to that, but things starting to go, can definately see females on the courgettes.

AND wonder of wonder, my onion plants are starting to swell,  but nowhere near the size of the sets.
Did it really tell you to do THAT on the packet?

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mumofstig

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Re: How is your outdoor "summer stuff" doing so far?
« Reply #2 on: July 06, 2011, 09:14 »
Likewise with runners, courgettes,  and onions...........very slow but getting there!

Sweetcorn however is up and running.......looking lurvely with tassels and silks together this year ::) :D...The few later sown plants look as if they will only help any later/lower cobs.

Pumpkin situation is even more confusing, as the very large growing pumpkins eg lungha di napoli, marina di chioggia up at the plot are romping away (it's windier and cooler but sunnier up there) all the small ones in the garden are sulking (protected from the wind/cold but less sun because of house/fence)
don't mention Butternuts :mad:..........they have their usual death wish game going on  :(

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arugula

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Re: How is your outdoor "summer stuff" doing so far?
« Reply #3 on: July 06, 2011, 09:21 »
We had quite a few male courgette flowers before the prolonged cold spell in May, now the plants are sitting resolutely refusing to grow (4 - 6 inches across, 4 inches tall) but also not dying. I have no experience of such growing conditions so I have no idea if they are going to pick up or not. Squashes not looking well. Tomato plants growing v-e-r-y slowly at last! ::) Other than that outdoors are garlic and onion sets, doing well, shallots harvested and still growing fine are lots of salads and winter cabbages. Indoor minipop corn, tomatoes, chillis and cucumbers going great :D, but you didn't want to know about them! ::)
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stompy

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Re: How is your outdoor "summer stuff" doing so far?
« Reply #4 on: July 06, 2011, 09:24 »
2 of the courgette plants are now producing, the 3rd has just started to produce tiny fruits.

Toms have lots of tiny toms on them.

The 4 butternuts have just stopped sulking and have 18inch long runners now and i have no beans or pea plants yet as i havn't started them, i will be chitting one night this week to hopefully get a late crop.

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DD.

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Re: How is your outdoor "summer stuff" doing so far?
« Reply #5 on: July 06, 2011, 09:24 »
don't mention Butternuts :mad:..........they have their usual death wish game going on  :(

Wouldn't say mine have a death wish, they're more a study in still life.

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JayG

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Re: How is your outdoor "summer stuff" doing so far?
« Reply #6 on: July 06, 2011, 09:40 »
don't mention Butternuts :mad:..........they have their usual death wish game going on  :(

Wouldn't say mine have a death wish, they're more a study in still life.


 :lol:  :lol:

Mine are "Winter Festival" and they seem to be taking their name a bit too seriously for my liking!  :wacko:

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Aidy

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Re: How is your outdoor "summer stuff" doing so far?
« Reply #7 on: July 06, 2011, 12:02 »
Similar but I would say a little bit more advanced on you, we have been eating courgettes for the last two weeks and I noticed several now almost ready.

Broad beans are completley covered in black fly and look sick, will try and get some pods off and bin the rest.
Peas looking good and with this rain should swell them nice.
Corn, just about gave up but now will leave as they have shot up.
Beans are nearly to the top of canes with a few flowers etc on
Roots have been ok apart from onion, wiped out with fly
Brassicas are now ok after the first lot wiped out by fly  >:(
We are just about getting to where we should be for this time of year.

I have flowers on my nuts  :lol: sorry peanut plants, toms going bonkers and cukes doing ok.
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Honeysuckle

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Re: How is your outdoor "summer stuff" doing so far?
« Reply #8 on: July 06, 2011, 12:13 »
Picked my first crop of runner beans at the weekend.  :D They are doing very well, they did go into a sulk when I initially planted them outside but then they just romped away. 
Brassicas are doing well, about what I would expect for this time of year.   ::)
Sweetcorn - again sulked for a while but is now picking up fast. A couple of feet high (maybe more) I would say.
Peas - I started them off late so they are a little behind.
I don't grow courgettes or squashes; we don't eat them.  :happy:
Toms are doing well, lots of fruit, some ripening. 
Cukes - the plants aren't huge but they are flowering (one has cucumbers on).   :nowink:
Blueberries are ripening very well, lots of fruit.  :D
Loganberry is producing lots and lots  :wacko:
Raspberries and gooseberries not good - the geese ate them  :mad:  :ohmy:  ::)
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emptydraw

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Re: How is your outdoor "summer stuff" doing so far?
« Reply #9 on: July 06, 2011, 12:42 »
Despite the cold weather in May/June our crop have held up quite well.

Courgettes - going really well, had 8 so far, many more to come, plants 2ft across.
Sweetcorn- must be 2-3ft tall (our neighbours must be over 5ft with 4inch cobs forming!)
Butternuts are just starting to send out runners (one near the compost bin has a 3ft runner already)
Patty pans -have already harvested 4, many many more should be ready in the next week.
French beans are typically 2-3ft tall with flowers and the odd 1inch long bean.
Mange tout and Sugar snaps have been feeding us for a fortnight already (we can just about keep up!
Outdoor toms & gherkins - sheltered spots are going great, more exposed are noticeably smaller.
Raspberries- Glen ample have been going great guns for a fortnight, still ripening and extra flowers are forming?!?! Autimn bliss is also coming into flower!

Its payback time! Yeah!

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stompy

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Re: How is your outdoor "summer stuff" doing so far?
« Reply #10 on: July 06, 2011, 12:48 »
Quote
I don't grow courgettes or squashes; we don't eat them

Have you tried butternut squash?
My OH hadn't and now she loves it, mmmmm sweet and sticky.  :happy:

It's a little like sweet potatoes but stickier. yum

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shokkyy

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Re: How is your outdoor "summer stuff" doing so far?
« Reply #11 on: July 06, 2011, 12:50 »
Picked all the broad beans, but didn't like them :)
Picked my first mangetout pod yesterday, but the rest are still flowers or very tiny pods
Alderman peas have quite a few pods on them, a couple just starting to swell
Not a sniff of a flower yet from the White Lady runners, though they are up the poles now
Some tiny beans on the Cobra but just flowers on borlotti and Blauhilde
White and red cabbage hearting up nicely, just the first sign of florets on the calabrese
Got the first couple of red fruit on Gartenperle and plenty of green ones, the bigger tomato plants are all flowering now but only a couple of tiny green fruit
Some tiny fruit on outdoor cucumbers
Finally got some fruit on the courgettes though some plants still small and puny
Crown Prince squash is struggling, but the Uchiki Kuris are going mad and taking over the world, with tiny fruit
The outdoor peppers are still tiny, not optimistic of getting a crop from them
Lifted a decent crop of garlic and my seed-grown onions are also starting to swell :)

On the plus side - I'm picking a huge crop of gooseberries and there's also a huge crop of apples and golden gages on the trees. It was a big crop of strawberries but sadly they were scoffed by squirrels or mice, and I haven't managed to get much of the raspberries either.

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simonwatson

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Re: How is your outdoor "summer stuff" doing so far?
« Reply #12 on: July 06, 2011, 13:57 »
Summer's going quite well for me so far. Started most things off early in the greenhouse to get ahead of the short cool summer up here.

Sweetcorn - flowering with lots of tassels
Butternut Squash - got some more female flowers forming, no fruit set yet
Pumpkins - got some set fruit and more female flowers
Courgettes - doing nicely, first ones are ready to pick
Marrow - had two already (one when it was in the greenhouse and one since planting out)

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Johnnywesto

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Re: How is your outdoor "summer stuff" doing so far?
« Reply #13 on: July 06, 2011, 15:45 »
Peas - just keep on picking as we need them to eat raw in salads

Lettuce - Butterheads thinly sliced

Beetroot (Boltardy and Detroit) - gently simmered or roasted, just so sweet

Corn - between 1ft and 2 ft of the block of 18 planted

Toms - flowers yellowing nicely but no sign of fruit

Broad Beans - swelled nicely by the last lot of rain, again great raw in salads

Turnip - Golden Ball - grated raw, nice and nutty

Courgette - 1 plant, sprawling leaves and just started to flower

 :)
I'm off for a pint

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Paul Plots

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Re: How is your outdoor "summer stuff" doing so far?
« Reply #14 on: July 06, 2011, 15:52 »
JayG you're a star!!!!!!!  :happy:

I feel so much better now I know it's not just me who's been staring at plants that aren't that happy about life.

I avoided planting out until risk of frost had reduced and then everything sat there. Blackfly didn't help.

Then I felt cross with myself for not taking the chance and planting earlier in May. Last year my neighbour lost all of his climpbing french and runner beans by planting out too early. This year he planted out early again and has a beautiful crop almost ready to pick.

Me... thank heavens for potatoes as everything else is way behind.  :mellow:
Never keep your wish-bone where your back-bone ought to be.



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