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Post by Ann on Jun 15, 2006 16:44:01 GMT
I'm hoping for a good year for my fruit. One apple tree is absolutely laden. My fingers are crossed that because there are so many strawberries this year, the woodlice will leave me a few - so far they haven't, but I live in hope. Meanwhile in the front patio tomatoes are already setting, which has to be the earliest it's ever happened. Earlier this year I bought a dwarf peach tree. It was covered in blossom, and the label said it was self fertilising. I took no chances and was out there with a small brush and look what's happened!  There are so many baby peaches on there, that I may have to do a cull at some point. At the moment I'm just feeding and watering them and watching to see how they grow. I really hope they continue to thrive. The thought of being able to pick my own, fully ripe peaches, instead of having to make do with bought ones that have been picked too early, is mouth watering. This is a shot of the tree itself.  Meanwhile, the raspberry canes have gone beserk! They've been full of flowers and the fruit is coming along nicely, although I may need a stepladder to pick some of it! Who'd have thought raspberry canes would grow so successfully in a pot?!  |
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Post by gill on Jun 15, 2006 18:33:20 GMT
WOW  Those raspberries are HUGE!!! I'm sure I read somewhere a few weeks/months ago that raspberries did not do well in pots - obviously either the author of that article was wrong or yours have not read the books!  Personally I would think you could grow most fruits in pots as long as you replenish the compost every year, or every other year, and feed them  Haven't grown any fruit or veg myself though so I'm no expert  I'd love to though - perhaps in our next place, wherever that may be  Can't imagine anything being more tsasty than your own homegrown fruit & veg! Neil's dad used to produce the most gorgeous tomatoes in his greenhouse - it was one of my favourite treats to pick a couple of ripe toms that were still warm Yummy!!! |
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Post by Ann on Jun 15, 2006 18:46:52 GMT
Gill, the biggest canes came up last autumn and survived the winter, then come the spring they just took off. Much the same thing happened last year, although they didn't grow as tall as these have. I tend just to top the compost up each year, but I do give them regular good feeds as well.
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Post by Lesley on Jun 16, 2006 20:04:04 GMT
fresh peaches would be fantastic! i hope the birds don't get at them. will you be putting a net around the tree? my sister has an apricot tree, but the birds beat her to the fruit every year. she usually calls to tell me if she was able to have at least one! we have two apple trees that at the moment have a large amount of apples on each (trees are only 7 years old). however, the kids usually have to 'test' some. maybe this year they will leave a few!
lesley
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Post by Ann on Jun 16, 2006 21:56:36 GMT
Yes, if some of the fruit look like growing to maturity I'll definitely be netting the peach tree! My patio often resembles a scene from "The Birds" these days as I have about 5 generations of blackbirds all hovering in hope of getting some raisins and the starlings have discovered the fat ball.
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Post by Cathrin on Jun 17, 2006 17:23:36 GMT
We lost our first strawberry to the birds, but shared the second one We wnt for one of the pink flowering types, then added a couple of alpines and have now added acouple of differnt type of pink strawberrys, not sure why as we are both not that keen on them untill we tasted our first home grown one and the flavour was so different to the shop boput forced ones ;D Our black grave vine has flowers, our chillie plant is going nuts and so are our dwarf french beans. We have just ordered our 2 apple trees (dwarf and semi-dwarf) but they will not be delivered untill after the autum and will only be a year old (maidens) so we can train them as we want them to grow. I will be harvesting our first garlic plants this week and we have already been eating the home grown spring onions, now that is some flavour  That rasberry cane looks magnificent Ann! I hope you get to the strawberrys and peaches before the birds do LOL |
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Post by Ann on Jun 17, 2006 21:21:09 GMT
It's the woodlice that do for my strawberries Cathrin. I realised last year when I took various measures to stop the birds, snails and slugs from getting to them and they were still being eaten. This afternoon I noticed a couple that are ripening nicely, but chances are by tomorrow they'll be half eaten. I have alpine strawberries in my front patio. I bought one solitary plant about 5 years ago and now they're coming up in all the cracks between the paving slabs. You do need a few plants though as the fruit is so tiny.
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Post by Lesley on Jun 20, 2006 6:11:59 GMT
we really enjoy growing fruit and veggies here - but it is a difficult battle with pests (children as well); and summer water restrictions. also there are two grocery stores within a few blocks (one with really nice organic produce). however, i am still trying.
lesley
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Post by Ann on Jul 6, 2006 11:35:13 GMT
My raspberries are on the turn. Another day or two and I'll be able to start picking. I feel pancakes with raspberry puree and whipped cream coming on!
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Post by Lesley on Jul 10, 2006 1:52:11 GMT
ann can i come over for breakfast?
lesley
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Post by Ann on Jul 10, 2006 13:11:54 GMT
ann can i come over for breakfast? lesley Any time! |
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Post by Lesley on Jul 11, 2006 3:31:03 GMT
ann, craig would like that - 'i'm just going over to ann's for breakfast' 'i'll be right back'!
lesley
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Post by Cathrin on Jul 12, 2006 10:30:07 GMT
ann, craig would like that - 'i'm just going over to ann's for breakfast' 'i'll be right back'! lesley I'll pop in with you Lesley ;D I'm sure Mark would be most impressed LOL Well we are having very good luck with our dwarf french beans (do they taste sweeter or is it my imagination?) our black grapes (2 bunches) are swelling and growing, the herbs have gone nuts and the strawberry's (touch wood) are no longer being eaten ... except by us Mark is talking about getting some empty bottles, filling them with good quality olive oil and adding some of the herbs like Rosemary, oregano or garlic (again home grown) for flavored oils for cooking. A good idea and decorative too! They might even make good xmas prezzys for a couple of our friends. |
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Post by Ann on Jul 12, 2006 19:15:12 GMT
Sounds like a great idea Cathrin! Much as I love flowers, especially the ones with the strong perfumes, there's something so very satisfying growing things you can eat isn't there!
I have 2 dwarf apple trees here and I sank the pots they came in into the ground. I put a potato in each one every year and a couple of months later I dig up my own potatoes! The beauty of using the pots is that it makes harvesting so much easier and you don't end up with "the ones that got away" that start growing where you don't really want them. I've just been taking a look at my current crop and I can see at least one potato just under the soil.
Jen and I were in Morpeth earlier today and came back via Seaton Delaval. There's an old fashioned family run nursery there, just 2 huge, ancient greenhouses, a hut and some land. (The grapevines in the greenhouses would make you green with envy, heaven knows how old they are as they're massive.) We arrived just in time to see a family group of about 7 coming out of the hut each clutching punnets of the most beautiful looking strawberries. This year the owner has used some of the ground for planting a stack of strawberry plants. Naturally, we couldn't resist and went and picked a punnetsworth for ourselves. Then we stopped off at the icecream parlour a couple of hundred yards further down the road and bought a tub of icecream. Beautiful!
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Post by Chris on Jul 23, 2006 23:58:02 GMT
The raspberries are cropping like crazy ....so it's raspberries and cream, raspberries and sorbet (with mango is good), raspberries in smoothies etc, etc. Good job I adore raspberries. ;D
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Those raspberries are HUGE!!! I'm sure I read somewhere a few weeks/months ago that raspberries did not do well in pots - obviously either the author of that article was wrong or yours have not read the books! 
Haven't grown any fruit or veg myself though so I'm no expert 
I'd love to though - perhaps in our next place, wherever that may be 
Can't imagine anything being more tsasty than your own homegrown fruit & veg! Neil's dad used to produce the most gorgeous tomatoes in his greenhouse - it was one of my favourite treats to pick a couple of ripe toms that were still warm 
