There are not many things left growing now. I had three small tubs of potatoes in the back garden. 'Plant now for new potatoes on Christmas Day' said the sign at the Garden Centre. But the foliage all went over a week or so back, and I decided It might be wise to harvest them earlier. I got 1.2kg of very nice looking spuds. I looked online - to buy organic new UK potatoes now would cost me around £2.20, which is what I paid for the pack of spuds at the GC! I am OK with that
I picked the 5 largest leeks and am leaving the rest to grow on. The leeks made a good quick soup - 4 portions did warm lunches for two days.
After the kale crop failed, I put in some carrots to fill the space - following advice on a TV programme about sprinkling seed liberally and thinning as they grow. I have been trying to do this - but thus far none of the carrots have grown thicker than my little finger.
I've been washing these and using them as crudités with hummus. But no sign of any bigger carrots pushing their strong orange shoulders up through the soil. Carrots clearly not going to be my thing this Christmas!
What do you think of the TV Christmas ads this year? I think the John Lewis one is good, not sure about some of the others. Is is fair to major quite so much on huge log fires, and groaning banquet tables, when so many are cold and hungry?
We’d have those delicious potatoes cooked and then tossed in oatmeal and butter. They look so fresh and appetising. Catriona
ReplyDeleteOoh, I'd never thought of using oatmeal (I sometimes sprinkle cornmeal on my roasties though)
ReplyDeleteYum!!! Fresh tatties!!! Wish I'd planted chard and other things. I just have my Welsh onions and some nasturtiums hanging on! I agree re the adverts.x
ReplyDeleteBut your kale is usually very successful Kezzie.
DeleteI've been thinking about what I will grow next year. Definitely peas, beans, broad beans, potatoes carrots (they took ages so yours may be okay in a while) tomatoes and squash. I'm giving cauliflower a try too. I grow for the pleasure of watching them grow as much as anything else.
ReplyDeleteWhat very lovely potatoes! Apart from JL advertisement I think they have been awful, far too much emphasis on food.
ReplyDeleteIt was your suggestion that started me down the spuds street, so thank you 🥔🥔🥔
DeleteThat’s a wonderful harvest
ReplyDeleteI do worry about the pressure TV ads and other social media apply to us to have the perfect Christmas- particularly as this very difficult time for so many of us
2022 has been , and continues to be, a difficult year
Siobhan
Yes, it's been a tough year for so many.
DeleteI harvested all three large planters of potatoes last weekend as the foliage had all vanished two weeks earlier. They were beautiful little spuds, but lots of them were VERY small. Even so they were perfect, so we split them into an equal weight for each of us and we ate half of mine straight away, they were too delicious to resist and have saved Alan's share for Christmas day.
ReplyDeleteNow all I have left to eat from the raised beds are about two dozen leeks.
There are some lovely Christmas ads this year, I love the John Lewis one, the Lidl one is good and always makes me smile and the PETA one is brilliant.
I think I have 15 leeks!! I have not seen the PETA ad yet, I shall Google it
DeleteThe potatoes look great. I grew beautiful cauliflowers a few years back but they were riddled with neon blue caterpillars - put me off!
ReplyDeleteNow we tend to stick to veg that are not as likely to be attacked by bugs as I don't like spraying edible crops much
Alison in Wales x
I suppose caulis, like cabbages, are prone to being eaten by Very Hungry Caterpillars. Which veg crop have you found most successful, Alison?
ReplyDeleteWell there's a few - beans - most varieties, beetroot, courgettes, leeks and spuds, we find them pretty bulletproof
DeleteAlison x
Leeks, spuds,courgettes all worked Beans failed this year
DeleteThose potatoes look marvellous. The turnip is one sad little vegetable! As for the Aldi commercial, I find it really weird. I guess log fires and groaning tables are supposed to evoke Christmas, but looking back I find that some of the less than bountiful Christmases in my life were very special!
ReplyDeleteThe best Christmases are all about loving relationships not lavish repasts
DeleteThe harvest looks wonderful, especially those potatoes!
ReplyDelete🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔✔️
ReplyDeleteYou have a nice little harvest, there! I didn't have much luck with anything I grew this year, except for the pea pods and the broccoli. I'm planting peas, again, this year, too, and not sure about anything else as it costs more to water the plants than to buy the vegetables!
ReplyDeleteThank you Bless. Yes, watering is an issue with hotter drier summers. We can at least conserve our rainwater here and use that
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