Kitchen Garden Forum

Stephen wrote:Meanwhile a few things are doing well.
These are old bushes, they were well established when we took on the plot in 2006 and are still very vigorous (slightly too vigorous to be honest!)

When do you harvest those gooseberries for the sweetest taste and eating them raw? Mine are slowly turning red but I have no idea when the time is right.


Meanwhile I'm watching the cucumbers grow inside the warm greenhouse. According to the seeds packaging this was supposed to be a large dark green cucumber. What's this bright thing?


Can't wait to taste them regardless

That looks more like the Crystal Apple type but is the wrong shape or an oversize gherkin but a bit smooth, no idea otherwise.

Some of the red gooseberries are at their sweetest almost black. Red and green gooseberries are almost like two different fruits, I like them both but a red gooseberry crumble from frozen berries in the Winter is a real treat.

Elmigo, for eating raw I eould say we are at least a month off. I squeeze gently to judge when I feel they are ready to be harvested.
I freeze ninety percent of mine, which obviously end up cooked, so perfect ripeness is less critical.

Pulled the garlic yesterday.... not bad for grown in a tin bath! A good size and clean as a whistle.

Also, I have rooted some tomato side shoots for a later crop. I've never done this before in 28 years of growing. Is it worth continuing?

25.5°C on Friday, 25.5 mm rain today and counting, isn't our weather wonderful, what would we talk about without it.

Thanks for the gooseberry tips, I'll wait for as long as possible and also got nets over them to play it safe

We're just cooling down this week from four days of 28 to 32 at maximum. The greenhouse got up to 43 with both the window and door wide open. Some thunder passed and rain is expected for the next couple of days.

A total of almost 40mm rain yesterday and today - brilliant! The first 'proper' rain since mid-March!
We ate our first broad beans today and plenty more to come. This rain should help to fill them.

Early Summer Knits and Knots
Accidentally tied up my carrot.

That is bizarre!

It's not just a knot look from one angle, it is a real knot.
Very bizarre!

I've heard of getting your knickers in a twist, but not your carrot!!!!

After over 92 mm the last few days we need a dry second half of the year (surprisingly) to make it an average year. Wet days give me time to play in Excel!

Gotta love a chart, Geoff!

Excellent, Geoff. I assume the values are for your own spot? It's been amazing how things have perked up, grown and filled the last few days after the very welcome rain.
Harvested our first courgette and peas today.

I'll have to start keeping significant data too.