Vegetable Growing 2025

Lifted the final row of maincrop spuds this morning. Some of them are enormous, I just hope they are OK inside.


Very unusually, the first root in the row was the complete opposite, all tiny with strange bumps on them. In all my years growing i have never seen this. I showed the to one of my plot neighbours, he had never seen this before either.

 

I have seen this before. I think its a result of drought followed by sudden water excess before the tubers have 'shut down' for the season; a last minute dash as it were.

 

Some of mine did that this year @Allotment Boy and the ones I left longer grew out into very odd shapes but still usable and tasty.

 

I'm not sure what that red variety is @Allotment Boy , but I have some that basically self propagate each year they look very similar.
I find that variety seems to do that even when stored, I dug a few about a month ago and they are already growing shoots, they seem to never have a dormant phase.

When I dig them they often have a sting of smaller tubers attached.

 

Thanks folks for your comments. I suspect it is a combination of all these things. You may be right @pete I think that particular root is from a self set one as it's a different red to the Sarpo Mira that I planted.

 

Lifted this potato today; Sarpo Mira.
It looks like a duck to me.
Nikon Z6ii - SOOC

 

OK so its the biggest but most were very worth while and I'm still picking, sweet peppers from Morrisons supermarket fruit seeds.


They were grown outside all summer and only recently brought under cover.

 

First sprouts.

 

My mystery purple potatoes are still alive and looking healthy, which is shocking considering last year's blight amargeddon. I dont think there is a huge amount of actual potato there so I could leave it longer, but it doesnt get much light now anyway. Should I dig it up now?

 

nice but wait for a frost first.

 

When I called in at the butcher's shop in Heligan last week I noticed a chestnut tree in the car park. The ground was thick with squashed chestnuts which grieved me. I love roasted fresh chestnuts but there were none fit to be picked up. Such a waste. I will try and remember next year.

 

A sweet chestnut? Because Horse Chestnuts aren't much use for anything; although they made acetone from them in the 1st and 2nd WW and children were asked to collect them.

 

I've been collecting chestnuts for a couple of weeks now got lots around here and it seems like a bumper crop this year.
Remember collecting conkers when I was a kid, mostly finished around here now for this year.
Kids don't bother with them anymore.

 

Some of the local NT properties have avenues of sweet chestnuts.