Very interesting and informative as always, Mark. I have had a lot of success with 'Midnight' courgettes in containers - they seem to produce for a reasonable period if I cut off any leaves showing signs of mildew. I might try some of those Alice's Dream tomatoes - they sound great!
Next year is going to be a real learning curve and experiment, as we are moving a lot further north than we originally planned - to the north coast of Aberdeenshire! It will be very interesting to see what I can grow outside and in the greenhouse there, and I might have to invest in a polytunnel!
A long overdue reply Angie, but finally catching up. I'm always looking for new courgette varieties to try and will add 'Midnight' to the list. Thank you.
Hopefully there will be plenty you can grow outside in Aberdeen but a polytunnel will certainly widen your options considerably and extend the season. Best of luck with the move - look forward to hearing all about once you've settled in.
this year we had a bean harvest despite it being so hot and dry. Clearly the ravenous molluscs were too busy hiding from the heat and dry to eat everything to the ground as they had in the damp of last year.
One thing I did notice - it is a LOT easier playing 'Hunt the Bean' when you grow purple-podded beans. Only one of the French Beans 'hid' to become big & bumpy. Far more Runner Beans went that way. Yay the Ragout of Beans recipe. Next year I shall try purple-podded Runner Beans - and a sturdier construction Bean Frame. Ours only survived the gales at the end of August & Storm Amy because it was belayed to the garden fence!
I really enjoyed reading about these experiments! I haven't grown any of these (yet) but will save this for later plans. Unfortunately I won't be able to join the live sessions, but what a great idea! My food has definitely become better since I have fresh herbs in the garden.
It's amazing the difference that having fresh herbs on the doorstep can make to your food - so glad you are discovering that! Do you remember what variety of courgette was that you grew this year?
I love the flavor of Pink Berkeley Tie Dye, but I haven't grown it in a few years because it doesn't keep well on the bench for me. I need my tomatoes to hold up for a few days after they're ripe, and I found that Pink Berkeley Tie Dye didn't like to wait for my attention.
That's really interesting about Pink Berkeley Tie Dye - my plant only produced a few fruits but I did notice that seemed to lose condition fairly quickly. The Alice's Dream lasted a lot better for sure. What are your favourite varieties at the moment?
Cherokee Purple, Carbon, Black Krim, Brandywine, German Johnson, Polish, Pineapple, Hughs, Cherokee Green, Green Giant, Green Zebra, Ananas Noire, Kellogg's Breakfast. I lean heavily toward large slicing tomatoes with excellent flavor. I don't really grow cherry tomatoes or sauce tomatoes. I make sauce from the ones I listed. I only enjoyed cherry tomatoes when I commuted to work because they were portable. At home, there's cutlery, and it's easy to cut apart a large tomato.
I totally understand your preference for larger tomatoes - a lot quicker to pick and process, too. Perhaps the main reasons for growing cherry tomatoes here is that they ripen better in our climate. Thanks for your list - I've only grown Brandywine and Green Zebra before - so have made a note of the others.
Carter's Polish climbing bean, from Seeds of Scotland, has performed well for me this year and is still surviving in Northumberland after a couple of light frosts. The pods are flat and fairly easy to spot because they're mottled purple. I'd love to find a runner bean that's easy to spot amongst the leaves! The Moskvitch tomatoes from Real Seeds have a really good flavour and texture.
Ooh, I just had a look at pictures of Carter's Polish bean and it looks really pretty, Reminds me a bit of Major Cook's bean, a heritage variety I tried a few years ago. I've added it to my list to try next year. Also thanks for the Moskvitch tomato tip - Real Seeds have such a wonderful selection and that's one I've not tried before - it sounds like it is well suited to the climate here.
Very interesting and informative as always, Mark. I have had a lot of success with 'Midnight' courgettes in containers - they seem to produce for a reasonable period if I cut off any leaves showing signs of mildew. I might try some of those Alice's Dream tomatoes - they sound great!
Next year is going to be a real learning curve and experiment, as we are moving a lot further north than we originally planned - to the north coast of Aberdeenshire! It will be very interesting to see what I can grow outside and in the greenhouse there, and I might have to invest in a polytunnel!
A long overdue reply Angie, but finally catching up. I'm always looking for new courgette varieties to try and will add 'Midnight' to the list. Thank you.
Hopefully there will be plenty you can grow outside in Aberdeen but a polytunnel will certainly widen your options considerably and extend the season. Best of luck with the move - look forward to hearing all about once you've settled in.
This is so inspiring! Garlic Chives are my new autumn favorite herb.
A wonderful herb, I so agree. The flowers are so pretty and tasty, too!
Dear Mark,
this year we had a bean harvest despite it being so hot and dry. Clearly the ravenous molluscs were too busy hiding from the heat and dry to eat everything to the ground as they had in the damp of last year.
One thing I did notice - it is a LOT easier playing 'Hunt the Bean' when you grow purple-podded beans. Only one of the French Beans 'hid' to become big & bumpy. Far more Runner Beans went that way. Yay the Ragout of Beans recipe. Next year I shall try purple-podded Runner Beans - and a sturdier construction Bean Frame. Ours only survived the gales at the end of August & Storm Amy because it was belayed to the garden fence!
I really enjoyed reading about these experiments! I haven't grown any of these (yet) but will save this for later plans. Unfortunately I won't be able to join the live sessions, but what a great idea! My food has definitely become better since I have fresh herbs in the garden.
It's amazing the difference that having fresh herbs on the doorstep can make to your food - so glad you are discovering that! Do you remember what variety of courgette was that you grew this year?
Yes, especially the parsley's flavour is so much better fresh! I do remember, the courgette variety is 'Piccolo.' I'll be growing it again next year!
I love the flavor of Pink Berkeley Tie Dye, but I haven't grown it in a few years because it doesn't keep well on the bench for me. I need my tomatoes to hold up for a few days after they're ripe, and I found that Pink Berkeley Tie Dye didn't like to wait for my attention.
That's really interesting about Pink Berkeley Tie Dye - my plant only produced a few fruits but I did notice that seemed to lose condition fairly quickly. The Alice's Dream lasted a lot better for sure. What are your favourite varieties at the moment?
Cherokee Purple, Carbon, Black Krim, Brandywine, German Johnson, Polish, Pineapple, Hughs, Cherokee Green, Green Giant, Green Zebra, Ananas Noire, Kellogg's Breakfast. I lean heavily toward large slicing tomatoes with excellent flavor. I don't really grow cherry tomatoes or sauce tomatoes. I make sauce from the ones I listed. I only enjoyed cherry tomatoes when I commuted to work because they were portable. At home, there's cutlery, and it's easy to cut apart a large tomato.
I totally understand your preference for larger tomatoes - a lot quicker to pick and process, too. Perhaps the main reasons for growing cherry tomatoes here is that they ripen better in our climate. Thanks for your list - I've only grown Brandywine and Green Zebra before - so have made a note of the others.
Of those I listed, Cherokee Purple is the earliest.
Carter's Polish climbing bean, from Seeds of Scotland, has performed well for me this year and is still surviving in Northumberland after a couple of light frosts. The pods are flat and fairly easy to spot because they're mottled purple. I'd love to find a runner bean that's easy to spot amongst the leaves! The Moskvitch tomatoes from Real Seeds have a really good flavour and texture.
Ooh, I just had a look at pictures of Carter's Polish bean and it looks really pretty, Reminds me a bit of Major Cook's bean, a heritage variety I tried a few years ago. I've added it to my list to try next year. Also thanks for the Moskvitch tomato tip - Real Seeds have such a wonderful selection and that's one I've not tried before - it sounds like it is well suited to the climate here.