Vegetable Growing 2025

You can actually freeze for later use. Peel, de seed and cut into pieces. Using a steamer, just give it a few minutes and then let it cool before freezing.
Need to remember that it is "part done" when you come to use it.
Hope you find a way to avoid wasting it.
Same here with only 2 to feed. Many recipes, especially those with a number of essential ingredients often result in "left overs" .

 

They last for months and months, stuff and roast makes for a good main meal, can make soup from the leftovers or reheat etc.

 

Got back from holiday yesterday.
Went to plots this am apparently we've had lots of rain. . Came home laden with produce. The lettuce that didn't bolt was eaten by slugs. Everything else is doing well.

 

I'm jealous, my Crown Prince squash didn't do anything this year.
However my South African neighbour introduced me to gem squash and I have four, now drying off in the greenhouse. Perhaps they would be more of a size for you. They grew outside - the one I planted in the greenhouse got mildew!

 

I mentioned earlier in the year I grew my pumpkins and butternut squash on an old manure heap. They produced masses of foliage but not many fruits. I got two crown prince , three pumpkins, and three butternut squash , only two butternut are decent size. So given the summer heat, and the rich growing medium not that good a result

 

We also did the same and had enormous amount of foliage. Fruits started and then didn't develop. Then the foliage became very mildrewed and then we had rain. So we have some small pumpkins and small squashes now. Not sure if they will increase in size.

 

My autumn crowns and Queensland blue (pictured) are still growing


Beetroot is a decent size, with some spinach and claytonia sown between, not sure they'll make it to a decent size. Needs weeded too


Kalettes are monster plants, five foot tall. Four foot brussel sprouts next to them. My other sprouts are almost at a harvestable size and I've topped a few plants as a test, the tops always rot with me anyway

Summer sown salad coming to an end with some leeks behind, these all followed early potatoes

 

Picked the pears at the Allotments today. Fingers crossed they may be edible this year, last year they all rotted as they ripened. I often wonder how do organic growers keep their produce so pest and disease free. Harvested lots of other things, brought home some more Charlotte spuds from store. I really must prioritise digging up the maincrop spuds before the slugs ruin them.
I set new posts for the summer Raspberry row, I'll do the wire another day.

 

@Allotment Boy what are the pears? We have Beurre Hardy pears which do not keep at all and once picked they need to be eaten in the next few days (fabulous pears though). The conference pears keep for longer but the Williams only last a few days.

 

I don't actually know, the tree was a 50p stick in a plastic bag, with a similarly dead looking apple, making a £1 purchase . It is a Williams looking type but they usually take weeks to ripen, but over the years they are suffering increasingly from some kind of rot that strts with black spots but eventually the whole fruit rots. This time I have a reasonably good crop of blemish free fruits so fingers crossed.

 

Re Squash/Pumpkin, I've often used them for roast veg soup, but I also just roast all the pieces and freeze them for using later if I don't need it all right away, especially if I have room in the oven, as it's wasted energy otherwise.
Makes the soup making process quicker later on as well if you have some already roasted veg - just bung it in a stock pot and add any other stuff you have.

 

I sliced and dehydrated two of my tromboncinos last week. Will try adding them to soups and risottos through the winter.

 

I have a crop of Crown Prince sat maturing on a table in the polytunnel along with a couple of local Marais de Vendée. Bit disappointed with the cropping of the latter but maybe it will taste good. If not, I'll go back to Utchiki Kuri.

Like @fairygirl I roast my pumpkins in wedges before using them in soups, risottos or baked veggie dishes.

 

Butternut squash harvest.

 

Those look good @NigelJ. I didn't grow any this year as the ones in the shop were so much better than mine last year and I didn't have the bother of storing them.