Wednesday 12 July 2017

Home Grown Goodness

I'm not growing very much in the garden this year but I'm very much looking forward to the things that I have got out there.

There's only four containers filled with potatoes this year, two of Sharpes Express and two of Anya. I harvested the first of the Sharpes Express recently and though the harvest was rather small, the spuds tasted delicious. I'll leave the other three containers for a while longer to see if I can get a slightly larger yield from them.


I have three blueberry bushes which I grow in pots, each plant produced lots of fruit last year, however, only one is going to be productive this year. The second one is producing a meagre crop of berries and the third seems to be having a year off altogether.


The tomato plants are flowering and fruit is beginning to form. They're a little behind this year as the seeds were sown quite late but they'll ripen eventually. I usually grow about a dozen plants made up of a few varieties but I've cut right back this year, there's just four plants and they're all Maskotka.


There should be a good harvest when autumn comes around, my Gloster apple tree is only small but it's absolutely laden with fruit. I'm not sure if they'll all make it to maturity but it's looking good so far.


I must admit that I do miss all the fresh vegetables I used to get from my allotment but I don't miss the hard work, and a lot of time has been freed up since I gave it up. I'm still able to grow a few things in the garden so I'm pleased about that.

50 comments:

  1. I'm glad that you are still managing to have you edibles in your garden. I am taking blueberries at the moment, what a treat.

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    1. I'm not growing very much in the garden but it's nice to have a little something that's home grown. I love blueberries and my little bushes don't do too badly at all, they usually supply me with more than a taste.

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  2. It all looks good & any little bit of home grown is good. I'd love to do more, but can't get motivated in this garden. I've now got 2 raised beds, so will hopefully do a bit this year, along with my blueberries & rhubarb. Take care.

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    1. I certainly enjoy the small harvests I manage from my garden. I'll be interested to hear what you decide to grow in your raised beds. I find I'm more careful about my choices now that I have little space.

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  3. I can imagine it must be so satisfying to dig up those potatoes. Lovely to have fresh fruit and veg from the garden :-)
    We had raspberry bushes at our other house and we used to get tons of fruit from them, I do miss picking and freezing those.

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    1. It's strawberries that I miss the most from the allotment, I'd definitely like to have a small patch in the garden, when I get round to it. I couldn't be without home grown tomatoes and I considered not growing potatoes this year but ended up planting up four containers just so that I could get a taste.

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  4. It's all looking and sounding good. Enjoy. xx

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    1. The few things I've got growing are doing well so far. That's one benefit of only growing a small amount, you can give them a bit more attention.

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  5. Gardening is hard work. Things really die down here in the summer, the only things still producing are the tomatoes and the peppers.

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    1. Gardening is hard work but I can give the small amount I'm growing much more attention now, the allotment used to take up so much more time. I suppose you need to be careful what you grow in your climate and choose things which do well in the heat and humidity.

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  6. Lovely. It tastes so much better from your own garden too (as I've recently found out). I might try growing some potatoes next year. X

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    1. Home grown potatoes are delicious. I was going to give them a miss this year but ended up not wanting to miss out, so I've grown a token four containers. They taste so much nicer than shop bought.

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  7. We have inherited two plum trees in our new garden - one is laden with plums, but the other has about 6 on it!! There is also an apple tree which is in need of a good prune. Hopefully next year we can organise some raised beds for veggies.

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    1. I didn't get any plums off my little tree last year as it had leaf curl, it seems to be free of it this year but still no plums. Perhaps it's just recovering.

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  8. I am missing my garden a little but hopefully we will have time to get one started next year.

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    1. These things take time. I'm sure you'll have more things sorted out by next year and then you can make a start on the garden. It'll be interesting to see what does well in your new climate.

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  9. Wow, that's a nice pile of potatoes. The apples look great too. Gardening is hard work, but it's so rewarding when you can eat things you grew yourself!

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    1. That's true. All the hard work is so worth it when the things you've grown are presented on a plate.

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  10. Your apples look lovely. My blueberry has taken the year off too.

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    1. I've found that fruit can be very temperamental, it can seem to sulk and be unproductive for no apparent reason. I'm hoping that it's just a blip with my blueberries and that they go on to give me a bumper crop next year.

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  11. Oh, those apples are gorgeous! I have a few fruits on a couple of my trees and I've bagged them all otherwise they will likely get infested - do yours usually get by unscathed without protection?

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    1. The apples are looking great so far. This is the biggest crop I've had from the tree so far but the apples I've had previously have been fine without any protection. I'm keeping my fingers crossed now that most of this fruit goes on to mature.

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  12. Everything looks delicious, Jo. Homegrown potatoes are the best! :o)

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    1. They are, they were very tasty and I'm looking forward to emptying out the other three containers now.

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  13. Looking good! With us being away at planting time, our potatoes didn't make the bags they usually grow in, we'll definitely miss them.

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    1. I think you get used to home grown produce, I know I miss my home grown veggies from the allotment but I'm pleased I'm still able to grow a few things at home.

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  14. It's all looking very productive. My new potatoes are due for harvest this weekend - I can't wait 😊

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    1. That's definitely something to look forward to. Enjoy.

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  15. My crop of blueberries are brilliant this year, infact all my berries have done well.

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    1. It's brilliant when a crop does well, I had a great year with my blueberries last year but I think it's going to be just mediocre this year.

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  16. Glad you have some things from your garden to enjoy!

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    1. It's nice to still have some things to harvest even though I no longer have the allotment.

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  17. I bet you enjoyed those potatoes!
    I hope the tomatoes behave themselves and ripen up well for soe tasty salads.
    Lisa x

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    1. The potatoes were delicious. No sign of any tomatoes ripening yet but I'm expecting them to be late this year because I was slow in sowing them.

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  18. Your freshly picked potatoes look lovely, the apples are looking good too. You can't beat homegrown xx

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    1. You can't. I'm especially looking forward to the apple harvest, they're such a pretty colour, they look so appetising.

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  19. What wonderful crops! I have missed growing runner beans in pots this year, as otherwise no room in the garden for them. Must make a bigger effort next year!
    Margaret P

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    1. I used to grow all sorts of things in pots before I got my allotment, even things like sweetcorn. It's quite surprising how well they do.

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  20. Those apples look lovely Jo. We're reaping the rewards for our hard work at the allotments, which means I'm busy processing stuff in the kitchen so that we can have a taste of summer in the depths of winter.

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    1. I'm really pleased with my little Gloster apple tree, it's done so much better than the Golden Delicious I've also got. That's one of the great things about an allotment, being able to grow sufficient quantities so that you're still eating home grown during the winter months.

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  21. Your apple tree looks great, we are hoping for a decent crop from our apple trees this year. Um, blueberries, I'm not too sure if they are worth the bother, we picked from two of our bushes today and got just half a pound although there are more to ripen.

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    1. I don't get huge harvests from my blueberries but I think it's still worth growing them, they're so expensive in the shops for even a small punnet, and I do enjoy them.

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  22. Your small harvest is great - better still, it comes without the back breaking work of an allotment. x

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    1. True. It was the time it took to keep on top of everything at the allotment which really took its toll.

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  23. No matter how much or how little, homegrown is delicious.

    All the best Jan

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    1. I do enjoy my home grown produce no matter what quantity I've grown.

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  24. We harvested the first spuds at the community allotment this morning (well, they did and I held the bag open to put them in!). Cooked with some mint when we came home and they were delicious .... ground to plate in 40 mins.... perfect.

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    1. There's nothing quite like that first new potato taste of the season. I cook mine with mint too and then smother with butter, mmmmmm.

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  25. It always a treat to have home grown produce. Those potatoes and apples look great. xxx

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    1. It is a treat, that's why it's worth growing even a small amount if that's all you've got room for in the garden.

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