Kitchen Garden Forum

Geoff, make yourself a pick axe handle out of your orange tree then every time you use it you will remember it

robo wrote:Geoff, make yourself a pick axe handle out of your orange tree then every time you use it you will remember it

That's a wonderful idea.

Did everybody have a chilly night? 6 degrees here for about three hours last night.

My hands were certainly chilly picking veg at 6am this morning.....

Yes I think the sudden overnight temperature drop has affected my outdoor tomatoes. I was too busy yesterday to pick a lot of ripe ones, all of which were perfect but when I went to pick themthis morning I found that a large proportion of them had started to split their skins overnight. Whether that was due to sudden temperature change or other issues I don't know because they,ve been regularly watered .
Am going to process a lot of them anyway but means I now have to do it sooner than later before fungus starts to appear across the cracked areas.

My climbing beans seems to have perked up a little with the cooler temperatures but my sweetcorn has been pulled up an puton the compost heap as it comoletely died back..

The temperature dropped to 5C here last night, but what a gorgeous sunny day to follow! Butterflies made the most of it, on the last buddleia flowers, on red valerian, scabious and Joe Pye weed. Skipton was very busy this morning and Malham Show will have been packed!

Further to Garlic on March 15 of this year. Both shop & Nursery garlic , you couldn't spot the difference. Decided to look at my allotment bible. "THE VEGETABLE EXPERT Dr. D.G. Hessayon. Who states Buy a head of garlic from your greengrocer or supermarket. Enough said. Just paid 70p for three heads.

I have grown garlic in the past from supermarket purchased bulbs and it has been fine. There may be good reasons for purchasing from a proper garlic supplier but wth prices rocketing many people will be looking around and be prepared to take a risk. if you have healthy well nourished soil you may possibly run a lower risk of them becoming diseased.

It would be interesting to do a comparison trial - grow one batch of supermarket purchased
bulbs and another batch from a professional garlic grower and see if there is any noticeable difference.

Are the bulbs sold in supermarkets treated in any way which makes them more susceptible to disease?

I went on my annual leave forage to the local IneXcess & bought loads of tulips & other bulbs - all just £1.49 per pack & got a packet of garlic - 3 bulbs nice, firm & big cloves. (Hidden in with the tulips)? Can't remember the variety as took them down to lottie but nice purple flush to the bulbs & a great size which if I achieve I will be very pleased. I'm expecting when my seed supplier order comes they won't excite me quite as much - we will see!