The Vegetable Patch

A bit late posting this. Our Christmas Brussels Sprouts from the allotment.

 

Went out to prune the fruit trees and are beginning to show signs of life already

 

There's a nice cabbage patch down at VP at the moment.

 

Can't pretend to any great liking for sprouts, but one recipe I have for them is not bad at all: shred the sprouts, saute them together with some chopped dried apricots, drizzle with water and maple syrup whilst sauteeing, and when done to your liking sprinkle with lime juice, add salt & pepper to taste, and serve.

Finished off the last of my home-grown veggies in late November, but the jams and other preserves will go on and on and on... Another 4-6 weeks or so and I can get to pruning the pear: year 4 of the multi-year plan to rehabilitate a tree sadly neglected, at least in the last decade or so, by the previous owners. I've just about got it to a manageable height, but it is still far too dense.

RCB

 

Plum trees fruiting at last after 3 years and looking abundant with fruit, Great crop of pears that look good and plenty, Apples a disappointment after a good crop last year nothing at all this time, Cherries in abundance at last but the birds already lining up to eat them and be lucky to get any myself, will net them next year

 

Had the same problem a couple of years ago
Try some reflective tape and hang a few old CDS (or even matter of heart DVD ) in the branches
Looks like a a summer Christmas tree but it saved a good portion of the fruit

 

Thanks Steve never thought of that will give it a go!!

 

Birds are scared by anything reflective
Also got a bird scarring sound emitter not too sure how effective it was tho

 

I was thinking it was time to bring this thread back to life!

Thumbs up to the plums, pears, and cherries. But yes, the birds will devour your cherries in the blink of an eye, and depending on the bird, may well do the same for your pears. Someone down the street from me has a pair of cherry trees, and he does hang streamers and other shiny things in his trees. It seems to work for him.

As for the apples, you may know this already but if not, they tend to be alternate-year bearing at the best of times, and even more noticeably so after a very good bearing year. A good excuse to get another apple tree, on the opposite cycle to the current one!

My pear tree got a good pruning back in February, and seems rather happy with it. It looks like a good crop coming. The blackcurrent, raspberries, and strawberries -- now moved into a fenced patch to protect them from the rabbits -- also look to be set for good years. The gooseberry is too new for anything more than a few berries this year. Welsh onions were, as always, the first garden produce ready, closely followed by the rhubarb, chives, and some herbs. The first sowing of radishes has been eaten; the second is about to be. Lettuces are also just about ready. Carrots are coming on, the beans have sprouted, and the parsnips are, as ever, taking their own sweet time about things. That leaves one more item to plant: every year I try at least one new/wacky edible; this year it's peanuts. The weather is finally warm enough now to get them into the ground.

RCB

 

Birds and nets -- one has to be careful. In the past, I've had to free birds that have got themselves tangled in the nets and only made things worse in their struggles to escape; you'd almost need a mesh resembling stockings to be safe.

Today I had another problem with birds and nets. The strawberries are beginning to ripen, and the robins in particular are keeping an eye on them. In fact, they've already been pecking at some of the berries. So, on with a pair of nets -- two needed to cover the whole patch. Stapled with care to the fence on one side, brought over and down to the ground on the other. What do I see later in the day? A robin, inside the supposedly protected patch! Time for another think.

Get out there to see to things, and by now there are two robins in the patch, fluttering back and forth, but without the wit to get out again. I think they must either have got through the seam on top, between the two nets, or squirmed in at ground level, between net and chickenwire, and then got up and over the wire. After removing enough netting for them to fly off, I ended up stitching the seam together with some twine, and using a long length of thin rope to stitch together net and chickenwire on the three non-fence sides. I do hope this works. Next year will have to rethink yet again, and I suppose build a better framework on the ground for the chickenwire, with more posts that I can then use as supports for other framed wire "lids" to attach on top.

I do wish they'd just stick to the worms!

RCB

 

My problem this season has been pigeons. We always have them on our allotment and any brassicas have to be netted. This year there seem to be many more of them - not sure why. They are also eating all sorts of things that are normally untouched by them - beetroot, peas, gooseberries, unripe blackcurrants. I am running out of netting, tubing and canes. I am beginning to think I should put a net over the whole plot.

 

Slugs, I am thinking of stopping trying to grow things because of these creatures.

They offer nothing to the world and destroy everything in their path.

Don’t mention pest control, none of them work.

 

The frogs in my pond usually take care of them.

 

I had a pond and frogs did good. However pond now gone. Strange to think the world could be defeated by slugs.

 

After no plums for 3 years they have gone riot and going to have a really good crop, Any one got a good jam or chutney recipe to use some up ?

 

Here put your plums to better use : https://andhereweare.net/quick-easy-plum-wine/

 

I've discovered a blackfly infestation in my greenhouse , predominatly on my new fruit shrubs . Looking at suitable " organic " solutions . Not overly keen on aerosol insectacides .

 

Sorry mate I just though what a waste on chutney if he has loads of plums he could use some for an odd bottle of plum wine.

 

Round up some ladybirds and let them loose on your plants. I had some greenfly on my peppers. Gathered a few from the allotment and brought them home. They flew off eventually but a couple stayed eating them up for a couple of days. Worked very well