Gardening in Charlbury June 2011

Tue 21 Jun 2011, 10:41

For the first time ever my broad beans have run into trouble. They were standing upright but before I had a chance to stake them and tie them they fell flat and mice or perhaps rats nibbled the beans (leaving the pods) Lost more than half the crop in a matter of days ? just because the pods were lying too close to the ground I guess. Be warned!!

Tue 14 Jun 2011, 10:20

if anyone would like a 'Crystal Apple/lemon' cucumber to try I have some surplus, all hardened off and ready to go. I've planted three and if they're as prolific as they claim I don't really need to plant the other five plants I have!

Follow the path across the allotments from Enstone Road gate all the way down to my garden gate, I'll leave them on my garage roof where you can help yourselves.

Sat 11 Jun 2011, 18:19

More on cucumbers..
Not all outdoor types are ridge cucumbers. The wonderfully named "burpless" can be grown either outdoors or indoors, isn't a ridge cucumber (which means its skin is smooth) but doesn't need its male flowers removing. At least that's the latest information I have!

On another front we're all looking forward to the rain tomorrow for our veggies - but not the cold nights.

Tue 7 Jun 2011, 18:01

And I forgot to add have been found to interfere with bats' echo location system too.

Tue 7 Jun 2011, 17:58

Not just cats - lots of birds and things like hedgehogs are put off by them (and I still hear some at 56yrs old being able to distinguish 22khz alas so the mosquito they put outside shopping malls drives me "batty"). Having lost a number of very tame songbirds the last couple of years I *am* seriously considering borrowing a .22 rifle though....!

Tue 7 Jun 2011, 17:26

Could I put in a brief word against sonic cat deterrents? When they say "inaudible to the human ear" it's not actually true for everyone: Anna's parents once lived next to a chap who had one, and I could hear its very unpleasant noise through several walls. We ended up surreptitiously disconnecting it every time I came to visit!

Tue 7 Jun 2011, 15:28

Helen,keeping the soil damp will make your plot a lot less attractive to cats.

Tue 7 Jun 2011, 15:06

Apparently lion droppings are effective and probably a good fertiliser as well! I know they keep lots of lions at Heythrop zoo... The other idea is to arm the children with powerful water pistols. Also very effective... and er... more fun that the lion poo?

Tue 7 Jun 2011, 15:00

Short of felinicide, which I'm not seriously advocating, what can I do to keep neighbours' cats from fouling my garden vegetable plot and digging up my seedlings? Already I've spent about £50 on Get off my Garden (which works as long as I apply it daily -- and that's expensive) and a new venture into a sonic cat deterrent, not to mention the lost plants from their digging, so I don't really want a suggestion like "get a greenhouse" thank you.

Mon 6 Jun 2011, 11:51

This site: www.victoriananursery.co.uk/vegetable_seeds/cucumber_seed_crystal_apple/ clearly says NOT to pick out the male flowers, yes it's a ridge type. All the other sites I've found talking about them say they're dead easy to grow, which kind of implied to me minimum of work - aside watering of course.

Mon 6 Jun 2011, 09:40

I'm not sure this is right Nick - I think Crystal Apple (or Crystal lemon) counts as a ridge cucumber - therefore you don't pick off the flowers. I'm forwarding this to Peter Bridgman our chair for his opinion...

Cheers Geoff

Sun 5 Jun 2011, 22:57

Jodie
I think you have to pick the male flowers off Crystal Apple cucumbers. Those are the ones WITHOUT the bulge(which will turn into the fruit) in the stem behind the flower. Otherwise the fruit may be bitter. Is that right Geoff?

Thu 2 Jun 2011, 16:24 (last edited on Thu 2 Jun 2011, 16:25)

Thanks Geoff. I found 'Crystal Apple' referred to in 'The Vegetable and Herb Expert' (called crystal lemon elsewhere) book as a prolific cucumber that will do well outside producing lots of cricket ball sized lemon yellow fruits, small and sweet. As I have a lovely warm sheltered back wall and my husband is a fan of anything novel I thought I'd try them! I'll let you know how they do - who knows if there's lots there may be freebies going in a few months!

Thu 2 Jun 2011, 14:49

Yes give your squash and cucumbers 7 - 10 days in the outside with the cloches off and they should be fine. Technically they need a minimum of 50 degrees Fahrenheit - that's 10 degrees Celsius. Keep an eye on the weather forecasts.

However mine have been out for a week now and look fine.

But
a) watch the wind - they can snap easily if they are exposed
b) keep well watered - squash in particular are thirsty when the fruits start to set.

Don't know your cucumber variety - are they ridge cucumbers for outside? See this link for some tips;

www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/cucumber_ridge_page1.asp

Geoff

Thu 2 Jun 2011, 08:47

So if I start hardening off my very healthy cloche grown butternut squash plants they could go out soon? Also I have a bunch of cucumber plants that I'm planning to put in a grow bag against my sunnmy back wall, but wasn't sure when they could go out either. They're crystal lemon variety - supposedly small, sweet, yellow and happy outdoors.

My strawberry pot has been but in a special anti-blackbird cage as saw they were feasting on them last week. I'm happy to support garden birds but not at the expense of my first strawberries!

Wed 1 Jun 2011, 18:55

Okay - it's 1st June and despite a few freak years with June frosts I've put everything out - as John says after hardening off in a cold frame or just outside near a wall.

However my leeks are pathetic - they can take cold weather but they just won't put on any growth. They are netted but they do keep disappearing.

Also it's time to net my soft fruit otherwise the birds will have a feast. Rhubarb been very poor though - just too dry.