Kitchen Garden Forum

JohnB, your post is very appropriate in time because I spent about an hour yesterday cleaning up our shallots (Jermor and Yellow Moon) and garlic (Mersley Wight), cutting off the roots, the long stems and the loose outer skins. And I did notice that amongst the Jermor there were quite a few softish ones which won't keep (although they have been drying , upside down, in a very warm greenhouse now for about a fortnight), so I will use them up as soon as poss. The Yellow Moon however were much more solid and hard, so they will are likely the better keepers. Shallot Man, you are right, I probably lifted them too early.

Monika, it's not 'just me!' then I've found Jermor do really well where I am but they do grow thick stems and like onions with thick stems, they just don't keep as well as thin necked varieties, so I understand now, leave them till they are really ripe, as per Shallot Man comment and dry really well before storing. Ahhh, next year!

I went away for a few days and came back to shredded cobra beans stems and no leaves. Sweetcorn and tomatoes fallen over and slugs EVERYWHERE! My neighbour said the weather had been 'interesting' while we were away. I think I'll pull the beans up, is it too late to sow again? I've had about 12 beans from 10 plants. Not a very good return!

Retropants that,s gutting for yiur first yea in new garden plot but I fear you,re probably too late now to resow your beans unfortunately. Even if we have a late Indian summer, they really dont like chilly nights. Yiu could try some dwarf ones but only if you have cloches or fleece to put over them as the nights cool down. Tall plants climbing up poles are pretty impossible to protect.

thanks Primrose! never mind, there's always next year. I lost most of my little gem lettuce too, some to bolting during the dry patch and the rest to slugs. I think we had about 5 out of the 20 or so. You live & learn! Previously on the allotment, a few losses didn't matter, as we could grow a lot more.

Told the new petrol on sale next month, is not suitable for mowers.

As I understand it, E10 fuel will only be the lower 95 octane petrol, higher octane (mostly 99) will continue to be E5. Look on the pump label to see f your local supply is E5 or E10.
I wouldn't pay much attention to general advice but contact the manufacturer, asking directly about your model.

Our runner beans are reaching for the sky! I planted a few left over runner bean seeds in a large pot and stood it against our south facing house wall. Well, the plants are now climbing up through the Virginia creeper on the wall and have already reached the first floor. Yesterday's picking had to be done with a step ladder. It's just a shame that there is no window at the spot, otherwise I could be picking runner beans out of the window!

I was just going to suggest reaching out of the window to pick them Monika when I read the rest. Next year you'll have to relocate the pot elsewhere. Probably makes a nice decorative feature/ How many beans did you plant and what size pot it it?
Probably going to have to restrict my veg growing next year so thinking of alternative more manageable options.

Monika wrote:JohnB, your post is very appropriate in time because I spent about an hour yesterday cleaning up our shallots (Jermor and Yellow Moon) and garlic (Mersley Wight), cutting off the roots, the long stems and the loose outer skins. And I did notice that amongst the Jermor there were quite a few softish ones which won't keep (although they have been drying , upside down, in a very warm greenhouse now for about a fortnight), so I will use them up as soon as poss. The Yellow Moon however were much more solid and hard, so they will are likely the better keepers. Shallot Man, you are right, I probably lifted them too early.

Monika. I use to leave mine outside all weather's when drying. Upside down in rabbit mesh. They soon dried out with the wind after rain. Did try one year hanging them in the greenhouse. Not much success, think they got too warm their.

You will soon have to call the fire brigade Monika ,tell them there is a cat stuck up there somewhere but you haven’t seen it for 15 minutes when they go up the ladder just say (can you pick them beans while you are up there and I’ll make you a cuppa )

Shallot Man wrote:

Monika wrote:JohnB, your post is very appropriate in time because I spent about an hour yesterday cleaning up our shallots (Jermor and Yellow Moon) and garlic (Mersley Wight), cutting off the roots, the long stems and the loose outer skins. And I did notice that amongst the Jermor there were quite a few softish ones which won't keep (although they have been drying , upside down, in a very warm greenhouse now for about a fortnight), so I will use them up as soon as poss. The Yellow Moon however were much more solid and hard, so they will are likely the better keepers. Shallot Man, you are right, I probably lifted them too early.

Monika. I use to leave mine outside all weather's when drying. Upside down in rabbit mesh. They soon dried out with the wind after rain. Did try one year hanging them in the greenhouse. Not much success, think they got too warm their.

SHOULD HAVE READ CHICKEN MESH.

Thank you, Shallot Man, I will do that next year. Just to qualify the greenhouse drying: it's a wooden greenhouse and I dry the shallots and garlic by 'hanging' them upside down in the wooden slats on the top shelf. The greenhouse door is open all day (it has a second netting door to keep out any wildlife) and it has two top and two bottom vents which are open all day, so there is a constant light breeze.

Monika wrote:Thank you, Shallot Man, I will do that next year. Just to qualify the greenhouse drying: it's a wooden greenhouse and I dry the shallots and garlic by 'hanging' them upside down in the wooden slats on the top shelf. The greenhouse door is open all day (it has a second netting door to keep out any wildlife) and it has two top and two bottom vents which are open all day, so there is a constant light breeze.

My greenhouse is only 6'x 4' would get far to hot. Never had any problems outside drying. In fact at the end, would not use any other way. I think that hanging them through chicken wire, any liquid would drain down. Which I think save neck rot.

Unusual summer treat for lunch today. Giant globe artichokes from local market cooked and served without all the poncy removal of the outer leaves and stripped to their heart.
Probably not meal you would serve in polite company but a real treat dipping all the leaves in butter and chewing off the fleshy bits.
These artichokes were massive so probably not UK grown.
Does anybody on here grow them and manage to get them to these jumbo sizes?