Mid-summer Bits and Bobs

[Elmigo]

Had one huge mutation tomato growing. Just left it there to see how it grows, but turns out it was not a single tomato. There were two of them and inbetween was nothing but mold. It also started cracking on all sides and I got rid of it.

Luckily there's plenty of normal ones growing

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[alan refail]

Well it might just as well be autumn!
After an early summer in spring, we now seem to be heading into an early autumn in midsummer.
Yet another day of cloud, drizzle and temperature in the mid-teens.
I was a good two weeks ahead of usual with my tomatoes, but now they've decided to slow down. Cuts down on the watering I suppose.

[Stephen]

My question was asked and answered on GQT yesterday. (Final question). It wasn't completely serious and to a certain extent I was expecting someone to say "why on earth would you want to leave the garden?" They took it slightly more serioysly than I anticipated.

[Westi]

We had rain! Most of the day from about 8am, light & continuous until this afternoon when it really came down! My phone weather is saying more to come with some lightening for good luck later this evening, but currently sunshine. Well no excuse not to dig out the rampant raspberries & as no sign of anymore rain in the next 10 days I best work quickly!

[Monika]

I cleared our last broad beans this afternoon and the soil below was like dust. No wonder the final picking wasn't as prolific as I had hoped, but overall it's been a very, very good yield. I started growing 'de Monica' when I could no longer get 'Peer Gynt' and they have certainly been a fabulous variety, both for yield and taste.

[Stephen]

Like Monika, I cleared the broad beans yesterday. Some eaten, some blanched and frozen.

That patch of the plot is not marked for the loganberry, which sulked in the shade but flourished once I moved it into a more sunny spot. But the undergardener says she isn't happy with it's current position.

[Shallot Man]

Jusy had my other gardening magazine delivered [ G.Y.O ] Ten packets of free seed . Can't be bad.

[peter]

Shallotman, that's ten Hail Mary's please.

[Westi]

I couldn't get this, (technically next months) KG mag! Missed it terribly, but Mr got the other one from the next village post office to compensate! You get the freebies but too much fluff & not enough substance!

[Monika]

I agree, Westi. Most of the photos appear to be library photos rather than taken for the specific article, hence not always very helpful. Nothing like KG ........

[Monika]

Our climbing beans Cobra have set well but seem to be rather slow in growth. I would like to give them a fillip, but what? They are green, so a nitrogen-heavy fertiliser? But they are a 'fruit', so a potash-heavy fertiliser, like Tomorite?

[retropants]

Monika, I feed my veg plants with an all round plant food, one with seaweed. It seems to work!

On a separate note, in the greenhouse, the temp went down to 6.9 last night.

[Monika]

Seaweed food it is then for the climbing beans.

Yippee, first tomato going red today!

[Geoff]

I'm surprised your Cobra are doing reasonably Monika. Our runner beans are looking very tatty with few set, most flowers have blown off, and they are usually tougher than Cobra. I've given up even trying Cobra outside since I got the polytunnel. I tried perking them up with the Flower Buddy feed I use for everything these days that is the same as tomato fertiliser.
Jumping the gun with one hot day to come before month end but this has been the wettest July since I have had a weather station (admittedly only five years), with the lowest average temperature (heading for 3 degrees cooler than the last two years) and the lowest solar generation (six years data for that). Not sure if I can extract meaningful wind figures but it has been relentless.

[Clive.]

Interesting ref the runner beans at home here. I grew them from the same batch of own saved seed as a couple of years ago. They are an unknown fully black seeded variety. Two years ago when last gown they made a huge amount of foliage with low bean set...whilst this year they are so sparse on leaf but loads of flower and subsequently a really good set of beans.

Location isn't so different, weather maybe. Sown in situ a couple of weeks earlier than historically so around here...Dry/hot early with a late week of cold that made them think, then warm/sunny, followed by quite reasonable amount of rain and now mixed but ok summer.
Only other difference is my bag of growmore is a a year or so old...has taken on a fraction of damp, smells a bit ammonia whiff...and that being used similarly as the fertiliser at sowing time. Suspect its down on N. now and could it by chance have sent balance in a more productive bean direction.??

Food for thought....and tea tonight

C.