Kitchen Garden Forum

hi all

with the use of growbags and the food contained in them - is feeding required and if so what do you use?

David

Hi all,
I witnessed an old timer years ago crouched by the compost bays a day or two after a rainy day.Thinking are you ok,i went over to check him out,and he was filling old bottles with the black water from the side of the compost bay.
After asking all the questions i could think of,he basically made a 8parts water/1 part black water, to feed his tom`s.
Now my tom`s are every bit as big as his,- if not bigger

Regards,
Mark.

There's only enough food in grow bags for about 3 weeks, then you have to feed. Depending on what I've got in them, and at what stage they're at in fruiting, I usually use a liquid feed once or twice a week.

That's an awful lot of plants to manage. How about varieties, when you have a moment or two, what are they and how do they fit into a succession. I've got 3 newish ones going. Hapil seems very good, Mara de Bois has flavour and to my surprise is already cropping. Perfection has yet to yield, supposed to be exceptional flavour. We have Redgauntlet in the tunnel with an early crop, replaces original stock but I find it unpredictable as to when it will crop. Cambridge Late Pine has done well outside for many years. Cambridge Favourite is building up in numbers. Honeyoe died out unfortunately, good when we had it.Also Calypso, believed from Ken Muir but details mislaid.
Allan

I planted the strawberry plants I bought back from France in pots at Easter, and the 'Gariguette' variety is fruiting well already, and has the longest, sweetest flavoured fruits I have ever tasted! I'm going to grow on one or two runners to increase my stock, and keep those in pots too. I've used pelleted chicken manure to feed, my strawberries seem to appreciate this.

To Deb P,

I hope you checked that your French strawberries were certified virus free......see Johnboys coments earlier...50 years ago we used to be virus free in this country until importation of FOREIGN plants

If in doubt bring back SEEDS.

And I am not a Francophobe...just trying to protect our little island again imported diseases.

Yes, they were!

Hi,

The tomatos and cucumbers are ok but do look a little poorly-gonna put them in growbags tomorrow (yes I know I should've already done that but been busy moving house!) I'll keep you posted!

my last years strawberries in raised beds are yealding a rather lovely crop!
i'll change beds next year

I've been picking strawberries for breakfast now every morning for the last 10 days, plus evening puddings for the same time. From what's growing, I should be able to continue this until the end of August, at least.

Allan - I will get back to you with a list. I'm not ignoring you, it's just been one of those years when you realise you'll be attending more funerals than weddings. We're on our fourth in 4 weeks and this one is OH's Mum.

Thanks Tigger, I will wait. I have got to do quite a lot of organisation here, in betweeen picking Cambridge Late Pine and of course eating, selling and jamming them. So many varieties, old and new, I must do a chart so that by next year we have some sort of continuity. Mara de Bois looks very promising for an Autumn crop, healthy dark green leaves,lots of runners too to pot up.
Allan

I think that I can piece together the sttrawberry data from these websites/catalogues
Ken Muir, Chris Bowers, D T Brown.
I will make a combined list but there is more than enough choice, the ones to go for are particularly those that don't make it to the supermarket chains. I regard these 3 suppliers as quite honest brokers.
Allan

Ok, so a couple of my strawberry plants have got runners on-now what? Do I just cut them off and put them in some compost?

Cheers
Cat

PS-Tigger-the tomatoes and cucumbers are looking brill!

Hi all,

While Ive been away Lisa (her in-doors) has picked a couple of pounds of Honeoy and Pegasus.

They are a bit nude now apart from leaves and some small fruit still developing so can anyone advise the best program of care?

On the subject of runners, my opinion is that they shouldnt be allowed to develop yet, time enough for those when the fruits are finished.

Thanks

David

Hmmnn - I find runners start before or at the same time as fruit, so I pin the runners down into the soil to develop a root system whilst I continue to pick fruits. I don't sever them from the parent plant until they have established some security. Then they're potted up or transplanted as new indivudual plants.