A quick look at the vegetable growing progress after the recent dry spell and then the rain.
Everything seems to be growing very well.
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Hi, I’m Dan and I grow a huge variety of vegetables for eating and also some Giant and Exhibition Show varieties for Local and even National Competitions.
Throughout the year I will try to show how I go about growing my produce and hopefully give a few tips and tricks along the way.
Whether it be how I grow potatoes in containers, growing basic veg for the home to growing a 10 pound onion or even a 100 pound marrow I will chart all my progress.
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Why folks? This weather’s certainly changed in the last two days. Absolutely threw it down this morning and last night. So, it put about an inch of rain down at home. So, I’ve just come up here today. It’s blowing a gale. Just have a quick check. See how things are doing. See how much rain it’s put up put down. Now, it’s a bit windy, so it may get quite a lot of wind on the on the camera. So, I’m just hoping things haven’t been flattened and we’ll see how much rain we’ve got we’ve had put down. So, we’ll just give you a little bit of a look around. First time I’ve seen the soil nice and dark, so it’s givingven it a good old watering. So, yeah, should help things along. Looking really good, this bed now. All the onions growing really well. Oh, you can see me cabbage getting a bit buffeted, but they’ve been growing fantastically well, even in the in the dry weather. kale in the middle, red cabbage, seavoi cabbage. Looking pretty good. So, I’m surprised they haven’t been buffeted a bit more, but I think they’ll be getting strong enough now to to withstand a bit of wind. And even though it is windy, it’s quite sheltered actually cuz they’ve got a walls and fences up. So, yeah, pretty happy. Shellocks have perked up now. It’s amazing how this rain just sort of brings weeds on in a within a matter of like hours, isn’t it? you know. So, I’m going to have to do a bit of weeding cuz they’ll certainly start to to flare up a bit now. Now, this is another thing that needed water. The carrots, there’s a few misfires there, but uh I’m not bothered. I’ve got plenty of them, so they’re growing well. Growing nice and strongly now I’ve had a mole in this one. Can you believe it? There was all the carrots were pushed up, so I stuck my finger in and it just collapsed. There was just holes everywhere. So, what it’ll be like underneath, I have no idea. So, I’ve had a mole in there. The reason being is that there’s no bottom in this box and it just goes to the soil and we do have molds in the field. So, it’s one of those things. Peas will really do well with this rain. Really doing well. I like to tie them up every now every sort of six inches. Just put a piece of string right across just to make sure that they don’t get blown away cuz the tendrils will wrap on like that. But uh if you get wind like this, it can it can rip them off. So better to be safe than sorry. Yeah, the cabbages are getting a bit uh getting a bit blown. But I’m really pleased with these now. Growing really well. Really healthy looking considering the drought we’ve had. So I went to the poly tunnel and look at check out the size of these lettuce. They’ve absolutely flown along with the with the heat we’ve had. I’ve had I’ve taken three already. That’s the cost. That’s the multigrain. That’s can can that’s the black seeded Simpson. I’ve not taken it. That looks like a huge kind of lettuce. And this is that new pelleted variety called Vadasco. But everything growing really well. And this is the land crest. I’ve been taking quite a lot of that. It’s really really peppery. So surprised how well it’s grown actually. So like I said, I was going to do a comparison between beds, exactly the same like this in two different beds. This is a really mature bed that’s had all sorts of compost and m put in it over the years. And then this is the a newly dug one. As you can see, things are a lot smaller and a bit less advanced in here, but it’s they’ll still grow really well. So just goes to show you that the quality of your soil really does really does make a difference to how things grow. And as you can see, not a sign of a slug because of the little electric fences there. So, we got the French beans in now. So, it won’t be too long for those to start climbing up and then we should get a few French beans in a bit. So, one thing that has taken a bit of a battering overnight are these poppies. These oriental poppies. I do love them. Massive heads, but uh they’re so big and floppy. They don’t have to get buffeted about. Likewise, this red campion and things like that. Just check how much water we’ve actually we had. I’ll just take this stone out of here. I only put the stone in just to stop it blowing away and get it out. Oh, come on. So, that’s what water we’ve had. So, probably about 2 cm. So about 3/4 of an inch. So yeah, it’s had a decent enough soak. So it’s not been too bad. It’s certainly helped perk everything up. So another thing, these are my these are the iris. Absolutely lovely variety. Really delicate flowers. But again, they’re just getting smashed to bits in this wind. But I’m glad that’s the most that has come up in a while. Apparently they really benefit from being baked in the sun. So obviously this early part of the season has done them a bit of good. So I’ve got a few more perennials and things coming up in this flower bit. I planted loads of wild flowers in the gaps and stuff. So we’ll just have to see what comes up. So I went to my other bed, other beds. Not a lot in these yet, but got a bit of rocket in. This is the first bed I put the electric fence around. And again, no slug damage whatsoever. I’ve not put any electric fence around this bit. This is where the spring onions have are growing. Growing quite well. Probably be about 3 weeks and we should start taking some. I’ve grown absolutely loads. So, I won’t certainly won’t be short. And again, some in there. Some sweet peas. A bit more garlic in here. Another lot of carrots in there which haven’t germinated for some reason. And then the potatoes which are all coming through now. So, it’ be time to earth those up a bit. just top the pots up with the soil. So, we’ll just see how much how much water I collected last night off me little thing. That was These were both empty last night. So, it’s probably collected about six 6 in of water in the bottom. So, shouldn’t be too bad. There we go, folks. That’s a sign I’ve not seen for a while. A puddle. So, into me other bed. Now, what I’ve done, I’ve just constructed myself a raised bed about 12 in higher. So, I’m going to consider growing some asparagus in this. I’ve actually ordered some crowns for this year. I know it’s way too late, but if I can get them in, it’ll help get give them a bit more energy for next year. I know you got to wait two or three years, but uh I thought I better get it all made because this is quite a wet part of the garden. So, I’ll need to raise it up to improve the drainage. But uh be enough for about 10 crowns in there. So it’s another little project I’ve done. All the flowers are coming out. All the shrubs and the and the ferns. So second lot of peas in here doing well. I planted a few of the spare spare leaks in this bit. And then this is where I’ve just planted the leaks out about a week ago. They’ve all taken. I do actually have to give them a bit little bit of a watering because when it was so dry they were starting to suffer with the with the heat and the lack of the water. Right then folks, on to me little fruit bit. They’ve got a bit of a a battering in the wind, but it’s all been held together with this wire. And there’s tons of flowers coming on. These are the thornless blackberries. So, should get a good crop. And my apple tree, which has been growing for two years in a pot, I have finally got my first ever apple. only one and I think there’s another one somewhere lurking. One there and two more there. So, I’ve got my first ever apples. So, whether they get big enough to eat, that’ll be a mystery. So, we’ll have to wait and see. So, all in all, really, I couldn’t be happier. Everything’s growing well. Not as much damage as I thought they’d be. I thought all my onions would be flat and me cabbages would be snapped off cuz it’s been really, really windy. But uh luckily we’ve been uh protected a little bit so it’s not too bad. So a little bit of rain and that’ll do everything in the world of good. Can just do with it stopping now and uh back to the sunshine. So anyway folks that’s about it. Things are growing really well. Couldn’t be happier. I’ll see you later.
17 Comments
Looking great Dan and hope all is well with you, cheers Nick x
Hi Dan. Everything looking 'blooming' great now we've had the rain. I remember being told years ago that, you can water your plants, fine…But nothing beats rain water. So true and what a difference!! Out early doors at half 5 Saturday morning and the aromas was amazing!! Nice one Dan and catch up soon, much love, Andy and Karen 👍😎
My sweet candle carrot seeds turned out to not be viable. Trying nantes 3 from last year. Hoping there going to germinate soon
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Beautiful Mr. Dan!!! As always, thank you for sharing. :)!!!!!
Waether really changed over the last couple of days. the wind is smashing my rhubarb and its as bog as it was in 2021 and I was close to a record. I'm close this year got to hope the storms don't ruin it. Great update mate
Eyup Dan. You don't think them little moley bastards pissed in your pluviometer then? This gardening game gets trickier dunnit? I'll sithi after.
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Looking good Dan.
My peas have got sat on, flattened and half eaten by pigeons. I covered them up but now the pigeons have been at the beetroot close by 😂. I've got a mole too – he's been having a great time digging up every single bed. At least my onion and garlic are doing well like yours.
looking awesome fella
I need a bit of advice if you have the time. I did my early potatoes same as you, in buckets with spuds galore ferts Var. Rocket and jazzy. Planted 19th March and they did get a bit nipped by frost. Problem is they have both flopped and started to yellow a little. 2nd earlies and main all look good. Could they be ready or something else?
Dan, I love your updates buddy. Hello from North Texas!!!!
I put 200 Sweet Candle carrots in this year. I counted them up yesterday – I've got 11 that have come up. No rain and empty water butt's have killed the rest
Been really busy lately. So this isn't a rant, it's just me trying to give some advice on apple trees before I have to run off again. Hopefully it's helpful to you, or somebody in the comments with the same issue.
It's a nice idea, and did it myself. But apple trees do not like being in pots, they just kinda hang on, looking a bit sad. They want to be in the soil, or raised bed. Mulch about two feet around them, and a few handfuls of chicken manure pellets in spring. Avoid manure, or hay, unless you know for sure that it's free from herbicides.
Didn't you have a Jonagold apple tree? They aren't self fertile, and needs another non-triploid cultivar to set decent fruit. Don't get a golden delicious, it's related to Jonagold. Get yourself a young James Grieve or Katy whip. They do well here in the north-west of Ireland, so should have no issues where you are.
If you were near hand, I'd give you one or two I grafted this year. Get a young one, or two-year-old tree, the few flowers they will put out should be plenty to get a half decent crop on the other tree. Orin Martin has some excellent videos on shaping young fruit trees. But he has a load of stuff covering fruit trees in general also.
Don't be tempted to buy an older tree in a large pot from a garden centre. They likely don't pay somebody a decent wage to maintain their fruit trees properly. So you're paying for their screw-ups in cash, and time to correct. If you have a decent fruit nursery nearby, they may have bare root whips heeled into a sand bed over winter. Then you can pick out a tree, but you can't go far wrong with whips.
Sorry again for the wall of text, but hope it's useful to somebody.
If nothing else, check out Orin Martin's videos on fruit trees. He's been teaching this stuff for forty plus years, so they are pretty easy to understand.
Take it easy, and best of luck with your apple trees.
Dan top tip, earth up around the stems of all your brassicas to stop wind rock and blown heads etc.. I do all my brassicas like that and they root from the stem to and the plants are solid and nor rocking. Seen them do it in thr fields in Lincolnshire too
Looking good Dan. Last year a friend told me to give my young apple trees some tomato food so I did and it made a huge difference to the size of the apples. They weren't shop size but a lot better than the litle crab apple size things I was getting. You probably know this tip.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
Everything’s growing well. It’s been a dry year for parts in Australia while other parts are flooded.