Summer Bits and Bobs.

[Clive.]

I can never get my head around pollination dates and things but with 54 varieties across 8 acres in the big garden with a selection of crab apples too..it is something that we tend not to trouble about...and may be so for most locations unless its the only apple tree down a very long lonely fen road.
I should add that Arthur Turner and Queen fruit very well each year, Hawthornden seems a degree biennial and Rev W. Wilks very much biennial and really over fruits one year and then tends to have a total miss..

C.

[oldherbaceous]

Thank you, Clive, i’ll do some homework….

[oldherbaceous]

Is the Queen apple, also known as, Essex Queen and also The Claimant, or do you think they are different types?

And something that I never knew and have just learnt is, Laxton Bros was a Bedford company…

[Clive.]

I seem to think that the old metal labels on a wall or two, that I know, say Laxton Bros, Bedford at the base of the label.

Fruitid.com lists The Claimant as a synonym of Queen....but I just know it as 'Queen'. It was an unknown variety at work which we got identified many years ago via East of England Apples and Orchards Project at an apple day at Wragby..they then asked if they could keep my examples for their travelling display as they were better than theirs that year.
Then I thought to double check I would purchase the variety independently, on a small rootstock for home. It fruits well on a small rootstock and is marginally earlier and larger on such...it doesn't keep like a later type would but at its moment in time it is lovely..

Errant blackberries are now in the green bins....I have found the NE corner of my garden fence, behind the bottom shed, once more...it was all a little incursion coming over the fence from beyond....

C.

[oldherbaceous]

Thank you, Clive, very interesting indeed….

The Blackberries in the bin, sound like a good job done!

[Clive.]

I managed to start on the raspberry rows this evening....I would have been annoyed with myself if I hadn't got that job at least started.....

Just sometimes I post up jobs that i want to get done on here to push myself on into getting them done.

Blooming windy old lot again this afternoon and evening..

C.

[oldherbaceous]

Lifted my Pink Fir Apple potatoes this morning and since they had died off very early this year, I was pleasantly surprised to get about 20kg off 10 roots…..that bit of ground has been rotovated and now planted up with asters for cutting.

[Cider Boys]

The weather yesterday and to-day has been just as I like it, warm sunshine with just a tinge of autumn in the air.

Yesterday I ran my collie at a sheepdog trial held near Glastonbury, my run was very poor, neither the dog nor I have worked any sheep for many months now and it certainly showed. Nevertheless I watched some superb runs from the experts and met some lovely people from South Wales and from around the West Country. The backdrop of the Tor in the sunshine was a marvellous setting for the trial. There were also cyder orchards each side of the trial field with a variety of ripening apples, a wonderful sight. Glastonbury is such a magical place and the tor was packed with people climbing to experience the stunning views. When I returned home my youngest son arrived with his family to raid my fruit and vegetable garden, I was pleased to supply them with fresh produce which makes all the effort worthwhile. Today I decided to clear my last row of peas and cut all my Butternut Squashes and let them ripen off the ground. I am fortunate to have lovely sandy loam but it is plagued with Black Nightshade and I have spent many hours today hand weeding them in the warm sunshine before they set their dreaded black berry seeds.

Enjoy the countryside and gardens.

Barney

[Westi]

Good to get down to the plot today, not as bad as expected, but lot's of puddles so left the spuds alone as no rain in the forecast for the week so time to dry out. Great harvest of runner beans, toms, cucumbers, way too many apples again but I didn't leave this lot on the bus; , salad, last of the blackberries on a rouge branch in the raspberry bed, a few other berries, fennel bulbs, sweet corn etc. The sweet corn is a bit weird, nearly white but it is ripe, well what I took. I will find the label at some point, just to ensure I don't grow these again! They will probably be super sweet & taste lovely but plays with my brain a bit not to see deep yellow kernels. The stems on my QLD Blue pumpkins are going brown/tan but still too green overall so cut off a few leaves to let them get a tan. Tidied all the dahlia's & edged & weeded the front flowers on plot 1 so quite productive.

The ground elder has not even had a small impact from the neighbours solution, still chipper & green, so tried to pull as many roots that were newish before they got any deeper. Going on line soon to buy something professional that will at least show some impact on top, even though I know this will be a long battle. His solution has washing up liquid in the mix so can't see how the rest of his solution will dry if showers?

Obvs there was a hiccup in this nice day, wouldn't be right without one! Bank Holiday bus service! Did my research on their site, one bus per hour to drop me off on the shortest route home with my heavy load. Along it came & I jumped on & luckily asked the driver, to be told it was a rotational service on BH's & the one I wanted was the next hour! Twas a tad peeved along with another couple so dog, me, harvest in bag & back pack had to walk uphill & another 3 blocks! Note to self - again as said it before, Do not go down to the plot on Bank Holidays! ;(

[tigerburnie]

It's looking like summer is done here today, raining and dark, nights drawing in and temperatures are tumbling, not been a bad season after all, still stuff in the greenhouse to crop, but apart from Rasps and Blackberries outside gardening of the edible kind is done.

[Westi]

Well today I decided to subscribe to the KG mag & have it delivered. Should have done it sooner really as only kept buying it from the little newsagents in the next village to keep it ticking over, but it caved along with the great butcher next door to them & both are still empty. I have just been picking it up from the big chain newsagent in our Hight St., but recently have been sending Mr - & getting the previous months as forgets to check the date & ignores my waving of the previous months to show him the cover pic! KG sales might drop off a bit, soz about that KG!
Weather holding fine down here & no rain so will be going down & start getting the spuds up tomorrow. Will start with the Jazzy as less of them & can carry them home & they have a connection to the site thanks to Parsnip & taste great. The main job will be the tunnel; it's highly productive but needs some tlc & tidying. Then will move onto sorting Plot 2's outside flower beds weeding, trimming & edging etc. The Nuke it spray has arrived to slow/kill the ground elder, but will wait if any breeze....it's right among stuff I don't want to kill!

[retropants]

I think my butternuts are duds this year, there’s only been male flowers, so not a single fruit. They look really healthy, but didn’t start growing strongly for ages, so very behind. Probably not worth persevering with them is it?

[tigerburnie]

I found Butternuts rather unreliable, one year good followed by two bad, so gave up.

[Westi]

With the help of the dog I got the Jazzy out...along with some 2nd earlies, which was not in her remit but she does rather excel in digging & unlike me doesn't put the fork through them! I got a bit carried away & weeded the main crops left as well as they stood out like a sore toe being so wild & weedy when all the other beds down that side are neat & tidy.

QLD Blue pumpkins turning grey, why called Blue I don't know, maybe someone colour blind first grew them? The butternuts are small but OK & the Little Boo I grew in the empty patches are going crazy. I don't know these but they are only small & white so thought the kiddies relying on the food bank might enjoy having these to carve as well as eat & thinking I might put some little tea lights in the collection box as well. Took a harvest, pulled some spent crops & had several chats so didn't sort the tunnel but that is defiantly for Friday - can't find the fruit as so much growth hogging all the nutrients.

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kY%Fo+D4TcaajxwCvMh3Bg.jpg (4.16 MiB) Viewed 1683 times

[Westi]

Just thinking no Stravaig on line for a long time!