Monday, October 12

Squashed

The first harvest if the week came from the garden greenhouse. All the aubergines and peppers were cleared. The aubergines were not going to do any more growing and the fruits were a variety of sizes. The variety - Jackpot - produces fruits that can be picked when small so this wasn't a problem and all the fruits are useable.





We also picked all the peppers as they were showing signs that they would start to rot before they turned red. Some had achieved the expected orange and some had started to make an effort to redden but hadn't quite got there.

Any remaining tomatoes were also gathered.

Behind the garden garden greenhouse, in what we tongue-in-cheek refer to as the cold-frame courtyard, is a kiwi berry - Issai- growing in a large pot. Last year we had a few berries which we really liked and so this year we have looked after it better and it has repaid us with quite a lot of berries. As they were beginning to fall from the vine it was time to pick them. The fruit are about the size of a small grape and taste just like the larger kiwi.
The main harvest from the plot was the squashes, mainly Crown Prince with one or two butternuts and spaghetti squash grown from the trial seeds sent by Marshalls. There is also a single round courgette in the photo below - can you spot it?
I picked the few fruits produced by the small Queen Cox. This was less prolific than the two harvested last week but the apples were delicious.

There are still berries to be picked and the outdoor cherry tomatoes are still ripening. The raspberries have plenty of buds and flowers that the bees are making full use of so even if they don't manage to set fruit they will have fulfilled a useful purpose.
The cabbages had suffered from the attentions of nibblers but had enough good leaves to make harvesting them worthwhile.
The weekend harvest saw the last of the potatoes lifted. These were planted quite late to use up the left over seed potatoes.

We also completed our apple harvest. We think these last apples are Golden Delicious but they came from our inherited apple hedge so we can only guess at the variety. After picking we made a start on pruning the hedge but need a step-ladder to finish the job.


I am also still managing to pick a few flowers for vases.
Copyright: Original post from Our Plot at G Dreen Lane Allotments http://glallotments.blogspot.co.uk/ author S Garrett

28 comments:

  1. You're still getting some great harvests. All those lovely squash, they're one of my favourite veg.

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    1. The squash did quite well considering, Jo. Crown Prince seems to be quite a reliable variety.

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  2. I've never seen or heard of Kiwi Berry before - is it a true vine or a shrub & is it only eaten fresh ?

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    1. It's a bit like a grape vine S and D. It is a vine but by pruning it you can make it resemble a shrub. We have never had as many as this year and are using them in fruit salads fresh. I have never heard of kiwis being used in any way other than fresh but I haven't really looked into it.

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  3. As someone who adores pumpkins, not only for eating but for their aesthetic values, your Crown Prince are making my heart go pitter patter. Oh, and the colours in that tray of peppers and aubergines is a pure delight to the eye.

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    1. It would have been good to have some of the peppers turn red though, Deborak

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  4. Those Crown Prince look fantastic! Now that the temperatures have dropped, even my greenhouse plants have slowed down - that's an amazing harvest of peppers for this time of year (at least it would amazing in my area).

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    1. The Crown Prince squashes usually do quite well for us, Susie. It has definitely become much cooler now.

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  5. I always wondered if the hardy kiwi tasted like the bigger ones. Whatever the variety, that is a lot of apples!

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    1. You just need more of them in a mouthful, Dave. The skin is much smoother so you eat them whole.

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  6. I really want one of those kiwi plants, they look lovely & juicy. As always impressive harvests x

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    1. This is the first year that it has done so well, Jo. It is also really the first year we have taken more care to look after it having found out we liked the berries. In previous years it has suffered from red spider might have been in a position where strong winds kept blowing it over. It is much happier where it is now. We have also put it in a larger pot and given it doses of tomato food.

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  7. What an interesting, varied and colourful harvest! I am green eyed re your kiwi fruits, my plant died!xxx

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    1. What is yours the same variety as ours , Dina are was it one of the larger fruiting varieties?

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  8. Beautiful harvests! We are having a few more nice days (I feel as if I keep saying that) so I am holding of on pulling too many things quite yet. I can't remember ever having such a drawn out fall with no frosts. I love that kiwi berry! I'm assuming this is the same as "hardy kiwi"? I've heard that they take several years to reach bearing age - how old is your potted plant?

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    1. Dave called it a hardy kiwi so it probably is the same thing as you are thinking of, Margaret. We planted it about four years ago and in previous years it has had one or two fruits but this year we have looked after it better.

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  9. It does not look like Autumn from the harvest quantity! Kivi cherry? That's new for me! ;)

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    1. The trees round about turning and autumn colour and losing their leaves,Malar so it is definitely autumn now

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  10. Congratualtions on such a marvellous harvest. Very impressed with the peppers after the cold summer we've endured :-)

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    1. Unlike us some things do seem to have minded the lack of heat and sunshine, Jayne

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  11. Ooh lovely, I see what you mean about the squashes sue. I must grown crown prince again. I only grew muscade de Provence this year because I spotted a pack of reduced seeds on the organic market stall in spring, for £1 I think. Th peppers and apples are brilliant too. My peppers probably need picking soon before they start to deteriorate, they've not exactly gone red but have darkened a bit.

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    1. Peppers that are still green are definitely better than no peppers at all, Lou,

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  12. Lots of fruits there. I have no idea on growing kiwi, but looks so interesting! Your bell peppers make me so jealous. I'm trying to grow bell pepper again this season, only three plants remain, and they looks so promising, I hope I can pick some soon.

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    1. I hope you have a successful pepper harvest, Endah

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  13. These are great harvest of fruits and vegetables ! Your own organic vegetables look impressive !
    Greetings

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  14. I do think Crown Prince squash are wonderful. I need to clear out our tomatos too, at least some of them, so that I can plant up the oriental leaves and lettuces for over winter. The weather has been so glorious here they are still ripening, albeit slowly.

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    1. We have had a mixture of lovely days and not so lovely. Today it is rather wet, Janet Crown Prince does seem quite a reliable variety.

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