Edible Gardening

Although we have been invaded by slugs this year, more than any other year I can remember, they haven't attacked our Rhubarb. It may be because our very prolific Rhubarb patch is 71 years old.

Thanks all, will get Epsom Salts and make sure I'm watering properly. Would be surprising, but could just be the latter.

Was once told 'the night before the first frost' !

I emptied the tubs of compost yesterday and found I had quite a nice lot pf potatoes anyway

I've had a problem with T&M. I bought some padron pepper seeds which produced a great crop but our first time cooking them and eating them near blew my head off! I don't know what they were but they certainly weren't mild padron!!

Wow - thanks for this! I wasn't aware that this would work. So you can literally pick them from the plant when they start turning pink, bring them in the house and they'll ripen lined up on a windowsill?Ta

If you have fennel, or know someone who has fennel growing in the garden is a good addition. A few sprigs of the ferny leaves in each jar gives an authentic cornichon flavour.

I was given a couple of peaches and nectarines last year although they haven't ventured out of the greenhouse yet but I can recommend apricots if you are having problems. I have grown "early moorpark" for around a decade now, it's never suffered any problems and fruits quite well if the...

After some poor results so far this season I have dumped my Tomato, Runner & French beans seeds and bought fresh. Ok, it could be a poor season here weather wise.

I agree you need to remove the suckers but as it's a newly planted tree, it will take a while to really establish and put on a lot of growth. It depends what root stock it's on but you should see more growth next year and then more again the following year. The old saying, first year sleep...

I personally wouldn't take runners from first year plants, wait until the second year. Let the plants build up their strength first.In fact, I bought some bare root strawberry plants at the beginning of the year and they are producing runners. I've cut the runners off so they can put all...

I agree with @JWK - that's great that you got to the bottom of it - and don't need to worry about your crop either.It crossed my mind later on that it could have been Portuguese laurel, but I forgot to mention that anyway! Good luck with your gardening - and if you get a chance, add your...

I might well do that, Pete!

@Tufty , I tend to nip out new shoots once I've got the number of squash I want on the plant.

If its a primocane (fruits in the first year) you can cut it down in winter. if its floricane new canes will fruit the year after, then you can prune them. primocanes can also fruit in the 2nd year but a smaller amount. you can trim them in summer if theyre too high but sterilise your tool...

There are said to be more than 20000 edible (that is, not harmful) plants but less than 400 varieties which are generally eaten . The typical supermarket contains around 20.

We used netting from this lot and it worked fine....

i germinated some store strawberries and theyre currantly sitting in a pot 1 inch big. ive heard they can get viruses after a few years, wouldnt this make the runners all infected though? not sure. but then there are plenty of 100, 200+ year old cloned fruits so why not. i have a houseplant...

I wear swimming goggles, for me it's definitely the eyes.

What about these being mirabelle plums - those are yellow rather the purple in the photo I agree?But the mirabelles are worth mentioning as they are, from childhood memories in my grandfather's garden in Surrey, much earlier than the Victoria type plums and beautifully sweet.As a...