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| Wednesday's harvest |
We managed to pick some wasp free greengages which as usual were delicious. Initially the planting of a couple of greengage trees was tactical, someone stole all our ripe plums and we reasoned that greengages never looked ripe and consequently were less likely to be stolen. The wasps aren't fooled though they know just how sweet the green fruits are.
This year the prize for most prolific plum tree goes to the Victoria which so far surprisingly hasn't attracted the wasps attention.
After complaining last week that the sweet peas were over, they are starting to produce more flowers but still with very short stems. They perfume the bathroom despite short stems.
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| Friday's harvest |
This week we picked the first couple of cobs of sweetcorn. The cobs are smaller than usual. I don't think this summer has provided the warmth needed.
We are still picking apples from what we think is Discovery. The apples are small as we don't thin them out - no problem we can just eat two instead of one.
Up until now we have been harvesting the small cherry tomatoes but now the larger ones are ripening. They need to get a move in as there are plenty of green ones.
The pear trees growing on the plot have produced more fruit than usual. The Red Williams looked quite comical.
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| Saturday's harvest |
All the climbing, French and runner are keeping us busy picking and freezing. The yellow climbing French beans are less prolific and the plants not as strong growing but we are now harvesting yellow beans.
There are plenty more beans to harvest so we should be well stocked up over winter.
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| Sunday's harvest |
Potato digging is well under way. We never water potatoes so the dry conditions this year have lead to smaller than usual tubers but there is very little slug damage. The slimy pests seem to have been very selective in their choice of food.
We pick salad leaves, mini cucumbers, tomatoes and grapes as we need them so these rarely are photographed but are enjoyed nonetheless.
Our complete September so far harvest is listed here
Your purple beans are uniformly purple. Many of mine come out a bit blotchy - purple with green patches. I wonder if this is to do with the variety, or if it is perhaps caused by variable shading. How depressing that someone would stoop so low as to steal plums from someone else's trees.
ReplyDeleteOur purple climbing beans are Cosse Violettr, Mark they also said go a darker green than the green ones after they have been cooked
DeleteWhat a wonderful harvest.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anne
DeleteI can see a few neighbour's greenhouses from my window and note that their tomatoes are still very green here. The purple pears look delicious, as does all your harvest Sue.
ReplyDeleteThose pears were very tasty, Angie :-) The tomatoes seem to be definitely on the turn now, fingers crossed.
DeleteThat's a brilliant idea to grow greengages to foil the thieves - I wish I had thought of it because we have always had all our allotment plums stolen too (the thieves also leave a pile of pips under the tree just to remind us how delicious they found them !!).
ReplyDeleteIsn't it tempting to spray them with something that will give them a bad stomach ache, S and D.? Greengages really worth growing as well as they are delicious
DeleteAll your harvests are beautiful, but I gotta say, that pear tree is amazing--I'm surprised it doesn't snap from the weight of those gorgeous things. You've gotten an amazing variety of goodness. I just love seeing your photos. Have a good week
ReplyDeleteThat tree is amazing, Sue it never seems to grow any more and doesn't have many leaves either maybe we need to cut the top back
DeleteOh, look at all those lovely beans! Hopefully we'll have better luck with ours next year. And those Victoria plums look a bit like the French Prunes I have - it's my favourite variety of those that I grow, but unfortunately not very prolific. This year, we only got a handful of small plums from it (harvested just this morning).
ReplyDeleteUsually our plumbtrees have a really good harvest one year and then a much weaker year the year after, Margaret after all the effort of fruiting they need a year's rest. Hopefully you will have a bumper crop next year
DeleteFabulous harvest as always. I've had a super crop of pears too, enough to give some away x
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jo
DeleteOh my gosh, so much amazing food!! I also tend not to water my potatoes but with the incredible hot summer, I have watered now and then (geez, just realized I've got the sprinkler on outside). Potatoes here have also been quite small so thanks for the insight as I don't always know why things come out the way they do.
ReplyDeleteAt least the trial weather meant we didn't have any blight, Susie. We only really water things that we know really need water in order to survive You can't water everything and really you never water as efficiently as the rain does anyway
DeleteYour plums look delicious. After a decent harvest from my little tree last year, it hasn't produced one single fruit this year. It's in the ground though now so we'll see what next year brings. Your apples look delicious, they really look home grown and tasty, I get fed up of the offerings in the supermarket. I've been promised both apples and pears from my next door neighbour, they've had a bumper year this year.
ReplyDeletePlums are often biennial croppers Jo so you will probably get a good harvest again next year. Our Oullins Gage plum didn't do as well this year so hopefully next year that one will be the main cropper. The greengages are the same this year we didn't get as much fruit as the previous year.
ReplyDeleteWow you had an awesome harvest this week. I wish I had the plums you do. I'll be buying them from the farmers market this week I'm sure. My newly planted plum tree is growing really well. It seems so much healthier than any other plum tree I've had here. Maybe it will work out.
ReplyDeleteBut you have those gorgeous peaches and melons, Daphne that I wish I had.
DeleteThat's really a good harvest! Potatoes look so good even though small in size! Nothing taste more good than own harvest vegetables and fruits!
ReplyDeleteYou are right about today, Malar
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