Well now I'm not destringing many more redcurrants you would think my fingernails would recover but now we are podding broad beans - another fingernail blackening activity.
The strawberry production has now slowed down to a trickle so I guess most of my plants are mid season varieties, although there should be a few everbearing ones in there somewhere.
The varieties started off in separate rows but the problem is that they shared a bed and often it was difficult to tell which plant the runners came from, so now I have no idea which variety is which.
I know my early ones - Mae - died off and never really produced much, so that leaves me with Marshmello, which I think most of the plants are, some Florence and some Flamenco. Flamenco should be everbearing. Maybe I'll be able to pick them out later.
The moral of the story is "Don't put all your strawberries in one bed! "
Anyway I think next year we need a sort out - some new plants split into separate beds with some everbearers !
So it's from red harvest to green this week - lots of broad beans which are being squirreled away in the freezer for winter!
I can't believe it's July, but it is, so my July diary has been started here
Only one June video has been edited so far, as we have been too busy picking and eating fruit. We - well Martyn - took so much video last month that we have had to split it into flowers, fruit and vegetables. Here's the flowers bit to keep you going!
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I've been looking for a pale yellow rose, not too blousy, for ages and I've just seen one I love in your video, Golden Wings. I want one which will grow in a container though, I'll have to research this. Your Sweet Williams look lovely, I bet your house is filled with their scent. I planted early and late varieties of strawberries so ours are still producing. I'm like you though, don't know which are which as they're all jumbled together. I want to get some everbearers for next year too, which I will keep in a separate bed. I've looked at Flamenco and apparently their peak production is September, so you should be picking for quite some time yet.
ReplyDeleteSorry Jo but I think others have had this problem with Blogger recently.
ReplyDeleteIn reply. The rose in the video is a shrub rose so too big for a container. All the roses shown are shrubs except for the compost rose which is a climber of some sort - a cutting given to us of unknown parentage.
All our roses were from Gandy's roses and they have a massive range - try Googling them and you may find something that suits.
It seems to be a bean week for both of us.
ReplyDeleteAlso comments are disappearing for both of us.
Marshmello is the strawberry we chose when we re-stocked the bed the year before last. I'm very impressed with them. Gorgeous flavour.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone - it seems that the comments are now being saved - even though it says only 1 comment has been made. Blogger is obviously throwing a wobbly.
ReplyDeleteVrtlarica - Hope you enjoy your beans too. Are they braod beans?
VH - Marshmello is a lovely strawberry
No they are not broad beans. I don’t grow them as we dot eat them much. I grow French beans.
ReplyDeleteHi Vrtlarica - Our French and runner beans aren't ready yet - still to look forward to!
ReplyDeletethe flowers are wonderful...and your broad beans look great...i have stated picking mine too...I will definitely be sowing a lot more next year!!
ReplyDeleteHi Tanya - we have another lot growing on so should have plenty to freeze which is just as well as the peas aren't doing great. Some dastardly thing is nibbling the shoots as they try to pop through the soil! I keep resowing and resowing but it's getting a bit late for pea sowing
ReplyDeletethe close up of the broad bean looking out from its cosy home is a photo I have been meaning to capture for so long, but I just haven't been well enough. Utterly beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHi Carrie - Just couldn't resist it - it does look cosy doesn't it. Such a shame to disturb it really?
ReplyDeleteDon't plant all your strawberries in one bed?
ReplyDeleteTimely advice for me. All mine are one early variety (Honeoye) grown from two plants. I picked them hard tonight and the next picking will be the last. I was going to grub the old plants up and replace them with some runners I've got at home. I bought three plants: Florence and Trixibell and Cambridge Favourite to extend the cropping season and they are running away like mad. (The only problem is that since buying these I've been reading that Marshmello is THE strawberry - maybe in another year.) I can't manage 5 separate netted strawberry patches - Can I? So tell me: Are these Marshmello all they are made out to be?
My strawbs are all Marshmello (from Flummery) and I think they are nearly over too, boo hoo.
ReplyDelete(PS: I've had comments disappear this week too, Blogger has obviously had too much sun!)
Hi Mal - in a word YES I dare say that other strawberries are good too but we have been more than happy with Marshmello. Plenty of fruit, large fruit and taste delicious!
ReplyDeleteIt seems lots had problem with blogger comments BW - the forum was full of complaints but it seems sorted now.
ReplyDeleteWe did manage a punnet of strawberries yesterday but mostly smallish ones
Mal - Just a question do you manage to get fruit from early strawberries as I'm a bit worried that the frost will prevent this. Flowers produced early this year were blackening into May.
ReplyDeleteI'll look out for Marshmello, no idea what our plant variety is as they were given to us. Just started picking broad beans too, love them.
ReplyDeleteDamo - Marshmello was introduced by Marshalls so that would be a good place to start.
ReplyDelete