Vegetable Growing 2025

I went out after storm Amy to collect mine. Normally the squirrels get there first but with the trees being shaken, I managed to get a few kilo's.

 

Not noticed squirrels taking chestnuts, they seem to prefer acorns and Hazel nuts

 

You did very well with those. By contrast mine were bought as grafted plants and have been in the greenhouse the whole time. They were very slow to go red at first but they are doing so more now. As discussed on the tomato thread I think it was too hot in the GH for a while even with shading and a constant supply of water.

 

Those red pointed peppers seem to need a longer season to me, they were well behind as far as ripening is concerned than the mini orange ones I've grown, which are still outside but only slowly ripening now.
I agree it might have been too hot in greenhouses for them this year, only cacti seemed to do well in mine.
I never had any outdoor success with pepper a few years ago.

 

Yeah this was from two plants that had fallen over, they were pretty stunted too. I've got seven or so much larger, healthier ones that'll be picked closer to xmas and beyond

We have had one frost so far though, not sure if it was enough to make them sweeter

 

Definitely sweet chestnuts. I like roasting them over my fire.

 

It's been a good year for walnuts, though we have to compete with the crows ,their strong beaks easily get through the outer green casing ,hard shell to get to the nut. They don't bother with the ones which have dropped but attack them on the tree.
Then come the squirrels ,what they don't eat they bury throughout the garden , and the rest is ours. But overall a good year even though we only get a third.

 

Yes the Trust does have avenues of sweet chestnuts
but are we allowed to get them from the grounds ? One Trust we visited had a huge Mulberry tree overloaded with fruit. . We joined the crowd who wer collecting them until a friendly voluntary worker warned us we were not allowed .

Whether this was true or not I couldn't understand why there were no notices up, after all they were only going to waste. dropping onto thhe grass.

 

@Purple Streaks, I remember once about 20 years ago my daughter and I picked loads of plums from a tree in the car park at Errdig near Wrexham. I think it was quite late on in the day as I seem to remember it was going dark. We weren't sure if we were allowed or not but it was a distant corner and they probably didn't have so many volunteers in those days.

 

You could always ask.
Certainly at Killerton they are far enough out from the house and manicured gardens that nobody will notice if you get a pocketful. Might be different if you are seen staggering through the shop with a couple of carrier bags full of them.

 

You might be able to give a donation in return
.the properties usually have a collection of fruit and veg throughout the garden for a donation

Specially this time of the year.

 

I think they probably don't mind you picking from the ground the fallen ones,but if you let people have a free reign picking from fruit trees they get greedy and cause a lot of damage.

The walnuts in the park were stripped in the space of a couple of days and smashed to pieces in some cases.
I'd even suggest they were not quite ready as well.

 

Has anyone planted individual Shallot bulbs in the Autumn from the same years crop? If so how did you find the results compared to GC bought ones?

 

Only spring plant shallots, due to London clay, but have never bought shallots from a garden centre. Only from Sainsbury veg counter.