Things ripening early

[Nature's Babe]

Well, we are still in May... just ... I have a few ripe cherries, and my blackcurrants and Jostaberries are beginning to change from green, to ripening, the melons have started to flower, and the early tomatoes are a paler green, on their way to ripening, oh yes and some tiny cucumbers forming. I'm really pleased with the Robinson peas, the pods are about 6.5 inches long, with about 13 peas in, they just need to fill out now. The clouds are still passing without dropping any rain though.

[Ian in Cumbria]

Tomatoes growing well - 3 or 4 trusses, the first ones having some small fruits, v small cucumbers appearing on 2ft high plants which are still growing quite strongly, aubergines have flower buds. Melon plants are only about 9" high (need a bit of warmth I think) and seem to have stalled but have flowers (male only). I'm happy with the toms and to a certain extent with the cucumbers but I wonder whether I would be better removing flowers from the melons until they get a little taller? Should have said that all are in the greenhouse.

Any thoughts?

Regards

Ian

[Nature's Babe]

Hello Ian, my melons had a flower on each low down on the plant, I read somewhere that if those are removed it stimulates more flowers higher up. if left the plant will concentrate on bringing on the first melon rather than more flowers. I gave it a try and took the first off so we shall see what develops, they look nice and healthy, my greenhouse is unheated

[Ian in Cumbria]

Hi Nature's Babe

My GH thermostat is set at 10C at this time of year so it is pretty well unheated. The end of April here was very warm and everything seemed to get off to a good start. Since the first week in May we have had rain fairly regularly but not much sun so the GH has struggled to get warm - rarely 20C. The peas, garlic, onions, leeks outside seem to be doing OK but, as I said before, the melons grew well for a couple of weeks when first put into pots but since then have simply stopped growing. They have put no growth on for 2 weeks. I'm inclined to leave them for now because the only flowers are male, so I don't think that the plant will stop growing because of these. I think I'll wait until there are female flowers and if the plants look happier then fine, but if not, maybe I'll think of taking them off.

More sunshine please!!

Regards

Ian

[the custodian]

hi im fairly new to veg gardening but all seems to be going well my onions are about the size of cricket balls one of them has a huge centre stem but none of the others do so i dont now if i should do anything about that one or not, my garlic seems to be going well although i dont know when it will be ready to harvest, mt strawberries have gone berserk and i cant cut my lettuce quick enough.
i live in torquay and we have only had a few minor showers so my water butt is now empty

[Nature's Babe]

Hi Custodian, great place to live. It sounds like you are doing well. I planted my garlic in autumn so it's quite big now, I have harvested some as wet garlic already.

[glallotments]

one of them has a huge centre stem but none of the others do so i dont now if i should do anything about that one or not,

If the stem produces a flower bud snip it off - the centre of onions with a thick stem often is woody so the onion doesn't store well - I'd eat that one as soon as it is big enough to use.

We grow heated treated onion sets. The treatment kills the flower bud in the centre of the onion so they are less likely to bolt. It isn't always 100% effective but is more or less getting there.

Our redcurrants are turning and we have already had a bowl of strawberries that should be ripe in June.

[Nature's Babe]

Nothing like a fresh sunripened garden strawberries Gallotments, we have had several pickings too, and I noticed the first ripe raspberries today ! I think the blackberries will be early too, still green but half formed already ... they used to be ready in september !

[the custodian]

thanks natures babe and glottments have snipped of that bud, i also planted my garlic and onions in autum so the garlic is quite large too.
is it best to leave the strawberries on the plant to turn red of take them off

[glallotments]

If you can leave them on the plant to ripen do (it's the best way to ripen them) but if like me you hadn't got round to netting or adding a mulch and the birds/slugs were having a peck then you can remove them not fully ripe but try and ripen them off in the sun if you do that

[the custodian]

thanks glallotments. sorry if i ask to many questions, i have developed quite a thurst for knowledge now that i a little veg patch and trying to learn as much as i can before my number is up on the allotment list.

[oldherbaceous]

Morning Custodian, if people didn't ask questions, we wouldn't have a forum, so don't ever worry about that.

[the custodian]

in that case then !!!

what is wet garlic and how do i know when mine are ready for harvest they have been in the ground since november from a cloves i bought in ?

[peter]

When the leaves die it's ready.

[Nature's Babe]

Hi Custodian, wet garlic is when the main bulb is large and fomed but not yet the outer bulbs. The tips had started to brown, but most is still green, it is milder than mature garlic and you can use the bulb and the green part in cooking stir fries etc - at this stage it looks a bit like a small leek

http://www.riverford.co.uk/wash/news/by ... et-garlic/