Early Autumn Bits and Bobs - 2016.

[oldherbaceous]

All in all a funny old year on the growing front, with some things being very good, while others have been very bad.
So here's wishing us all a very settled Autumn, so we can enjoy our plots.

I must admit, i do like Autumn a great deal.

[dan3008]

I love autumn the garden doesn't lol. My soil hates frost

Although I did get a pack of autumn planting onion sets, so I need to clear a bed, and try them out

[Monika]

Thank you, OH, for starting the new thread. I, too, love autumn, not only the gorgeous smells and colours, but it always seems to have the promise of the new growing year already. Just planting all the spring bulbs, winter flowering violas and wallflowers makes me think of next spring! Oh, to be optimistic .....

[peter]

On the way home this evening I noticed that all the Horse Chesnut trees are brown leafed, not sure if they're being first or if it's this leaf boring / disease issue affecting them?

[Westi]

Hi peter!

Down here they have shown this for a while, not brown leafed for Autumn in these parts, so likely disease of some type. They are very mature trees of 30 - 40 yrs, so hopefully will recover, but vaguely aware that there is something that will kill them that has been imported! OH good to see you back to keep this particular seasonal topic going.

Westi

[Johnboy]

Hi Dan,
I don't quite understand why your soil dislikes Frost.

( Quote dan 3008 My soil hates frost)

JB.

[dan3008]

Hi jb

For some unknown when I get a frost the soil goes really stodgy and needs a good dig to sort it out. To be honest its probably got more to do with the extra rain ect before the frost

Snow doesn't seem to cause a problem though :/

[Primrose]

Arn't the habits of some vegetables frustrating?
Having failed to germinate twice in the spring, I only have four parsnips growing this year. But I left one of last year's plants go to seed in situ and noticed today when I was weeding that a number of the recently fallen dry seeds have just germinated and I have a number of very tiny parsnip seedlings appearing. I'm assuming these won't survive through the winter months to give me an early start for next spring ?
Has anybody used this method of growing parsnips?

[Westi]

Primrose they may surprise you. This happened to me coming from the vacant plot next door & I thought I'd leave them & see, & they survived. They were late and small when I took them finally about March / April I think, but mini veg is the rage & they tasted exceptionally sweet. They ended up about 5 - 6 inches long but quite thin. The little root end bits were crunchy & gave texture.

Westi

[Primrose]

The horse chestnuts round here started getting brown rusted leaves in late July/ early August so I'm afraid it's disease rather than early autumn. They!ve been doing ot for a couple f years now .. They look healthy enough in spring but t worries me that eventually some of these fine trees will eventually yield to the disease, weakening every year until they get to the point where it will eventually kill them.

I was going to say it's sad that young boys will no longer then be able to play conkers but I think that is from a bygone age. Now all they're interested in doing is playing games or texting on their iPhones!

[Primrose]

Have just pulled up some lovely looking beetroots which are going to be cooked and sweet pickled for eating during winter.

I've reverted back to growing Bolthardy after experimenting with Chioggia. The latter look very pretty with their red and white circles if sliced very finely when raw and used to garnish salads but I find the way the coloured circles disperse and diffuse when cooking rather disappointing.

Is there a magic way of digging up Mouli without snapping the roots?. Those I've sown seem to be growing very deep and I often seem to damage them in the process of getting them out!

[Westi]

I succession sow my Mooli for just that reason Primrose. They snap off quite easily when digging them up & they are too big. I judge them by whether they are trying to push out of the soil, too high out then they are perhaps too big, hard to get it right though!

I use mine, grated into salads or sliced in stir fries - have you any other uses?

Westi

[Westi]

My experimental late sown broad beans have small beans on them, (goodness I'll be putting in the overwintering ones soon so that means nearly a year of beans), my late sown peas have some white dusting of mildew, but harvested a few & peas are fine inside, darn thing is also on my corn salad though.

I sowed some winter lettuces today, (the pack said August but hey)? And only because I put the seed pack in the bag upside down & the seeds dropped out sowed some carrots & ditto with the beetroot pack I managed to recover from the dog's gob which were a bit too slobbery to store! Experiments continue it seems, even if not intentionally!

Harvested pattypans, chard, kale, lettuces, carrots, peas, aubergines, some more KG1 toms -still clinging on, & turnips - my friend was really happy as her chef son is down this week, just hope I get an invite to dinner!

Westi

[Johnboy]

With respect to the fallen, germinated Parsnip seed; If they were from an F1 variety it is unlikely that they will be anything like the parent plant. Its a suck it and see situation.
At the the end of the season I lift all the Parsnips and replant two parsnips to go to seed the next year. If you can plant them where they will not interfere with next years growing or pot them into deep pots or something like florists buckets ( which will need some drainage holes) and they they can be moved about if the need arises. If done each year you know very well that your seed is fresh. This applies to open pollinated varieties only.
Happy winnowing!
JB.
BTW with the seed you can very easily see which are the viable seeds.

[Primrose]

I think the Parsnips were White Gem so will check on the packet to see if they were F1 which I realise is always a Suck and See situation. This year I sowed some Ferline F1 blight resistant tomatoes fresh from a packet, and also had a couple of plants from last year's saved Ferline seeds. Luckily I wasn't badly affected by blight but to be honest I couldn't tell the difference between any of the fruit so maybe I was just lucky!

Your idea for getting really fresh parsnip seed is a good one. I only have very limited growing space and digging up the parsnip which went to seed would have meant disturbing other long term plants so I just decided to let it be and let everything grow around it. I was a little surprised though that it has taken this long for the seed to dry and mature though.