Here is my modest Carrot and French Bean harvest, not as sizeable as last years summer harvest but the carrots have definitely performed better this year with still loads more in the ground ready to harvest.

Carrots

Varieties Grown: Heritage ‘Beta III’ and ‘Scarlet Horn’.
See Post: Sowing carrots and other Veg in April

Bright Orange 'Beta 3' Carrots

Carrots Timeline:
Sowed: 6th April 2010
Harvested: 21st July 2010
No of Weeks: 15 Weeks

Comments on Carrots: They started off growing really slowly and had to be thinned out as they were too bunched together, this is when the spurt of growth began. I love growing carrots and I like to keep them in the ground until I need them in the kitchen.

French Beans

Varieties Grown: Heritage ‘Gauk’, ‘Maxi’ and ‘Major’ (Major yellow is being attacked by black-fly).
See Post: Sowing French Beans in Root-Trainers

'Gauk' Heritage Bean Harvest

Sowed: 3rd June 2010
Harvested: 21st July 2010
No of Weeks: 7 Weeks

Comments on French Beans:
My french beans have grown really quick this year even though they were off to a shaky start when they were planted into the raised plots and then quickly attacked by black-fly. I repeatedly squished the black-fly every few days. The molted red and green beans are ‘Gauk’, a heritage variety and the thin fine beans are ‘Maxi’.

Potatoes

Varieties Grown: Highland Burgundy (red flesh even when cooked), Pink Fir and Intl Kidney.
See Post: Potatoes Planted – Better Late than Never

Highland Burgundy Potatoes

Planted in Pots: 21st May 2010

Comments on Potatoes:
I have yet to venture into the pots of potatoes (as they were planted late, I’ve decided to leave them to it).

However now I’ve said this I can guarantee the curiosity will get the better of me at the weekend as I’ll dig down the pot with my fingers to try and find a few potatoes, photos to follow on that one!

Other Posts you may find interesting:

• Last Year’s Summer Harvest
• Top Ten Tips to Keep Your Vegetables Happy on Sunny Days
• 5 Common Pests and Diseases of Peas and Beans
• And the best vegetable performance award goes to…My Carrots
• 5 Reasons Why You Should Grow Nasturtiums Near Vegetables

My Monthly Newsletter is released at the end of the month,
Sign Up Now! to keep up to date with all the latest vegetable growing news on my plot, tips, advice and more.

Every year I grow Tomatoes even though I say its not worth the effort this year, I grow them anyway. I have a love hate relationship with them every year.

Out of all the vegetables to grow, most people start vegetable growing with tomatoes and I think they are the most attention seeking vegetables of all, requiring lots of care with watering, fertilising and pot swapping. Then there’s the pest control with aphids, blackfly, slugs, snails and the dreaded blight. Oh and then there’s the more watering and waiting nearly six months to reap any kind of harvest, thats if your lucky enough to get some tomatoes before any disease strikes your plants through no fault of your own.

If you get through all that and your a beginner vegetable grower, you deserve a medal and will go far in the vegetable growing world!

As any other vegetables in comparison like radishes, lettuce, chard, mange tout, french beans, runner beans, potatoes, onions, beetroot are far less painful to grow, don’t nearly require as much work, care or attention and still give you a great harvest in less amount of time.

Tomatoes

I know I make my life a lot harder by growing tomatoes in pots as they dry out a lot quicker than if I grew them in raised beds and this is half my battle. The other half is they require nurturing and watering in a mini-greenhouse for the first part of their lives where I forget to water them and forget to lift the lid on hot days which doesn’t help their growth.

For me growing tomatoes in pots is a battle for me to keep them alive, this is probably something you can’t believe that I’m saying for a such a keen vegetable grower but I’m an outdoor vegetable grower through and through. I watch the weather forecast closely and check when I can get my next free rainfall and when the next hot spell will be so I know when to water.

Yellow Pear Tomatoes (feeling neglected)

So I know your dying to ask, am I growing Tomatoes this year?

Yes of course I am, with all my gripes about growing them and the fact they are so needy, I still end up falling for the glossy fruit in the seed catalogues and think I’ll give it one more go, thinking I surely can’t be plagued by blackfly every year?! Can I?! Yes I can and have again this year.

Here’s a picture of my Tomato Plants which I decided to plant in my raised beds to save myself a headache on watering:

Tomato Plant in Raised Bed

Variety I’m Growing this year is: Yellow Centiflor.

Other Tomato Related Posts:

• Growing Tomatoes
• Potting On Tomatoes
• Tomatoes – Are Yours Red Yet?
• Tomato and Potato Blight Disease
• Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Peppers on the Deck.

Keep up to date with how my vegetables are growing, tips, advice and what to sow now and next – Sign up to my iGrowVeg Monthly Newsletter here.

Now I’m not about to moan at the weather, no not one bit (even though us Brits are famed for it), I’m grateful we’ve had brilliant sunshine for a few weeks (on and off and hopefully still for a few more months yet) however sudden hot weather and hot temperatures are not good for growing spinach and chard.

When you’ve grown vegetables for more than a few years, you begin to realise its not always going to be the best weather conditions that year for all of your vegetables to succeed, there will always be one type of vegetable (or more if you are unlucky) that is not growing so well or a complete disappointment – in my case my spinach, perpetual spinach and chard.

Flower head on Bolting Spinach

I grew Chard in my very first beginners year at growing vegetables and it didn’t grow to its full height but this year I thought I’d try it again with a variety called ‘Golden’ Chard from the Real Seed Catalogue which looked really lovely in their pictures and I was really quite excited to grow.

However this year was not to be for my Golden Chard which bolted even before I got to see anything golden about it.

Spinach Reddy - Bolted

Similarly with my Spinach ‘Reddy’ I did get to pick a few leaves before it went stringy and tasteless and then bolted (flowered and set seed).

I’ve learnt through reading vegetable growing books that if your spinach usually bolts in the summer then try growing perpetual spinach alongside it. As it belongs to the beetroot family and known as leaf beat, it is more likely not to bolt, so you will be getting some spinach out of the seasons crop. I’ve always put this into practise including this year but somehow this year my perpetual spinach has bolted as well!

Which Vegetables have disappointed you this year?

Other Progress Updates on my Plot:

Perpetual Spinach Leaves

• Growing Beetroot – Mid July Update
• June Harvests and Hedgehogs
• Harvesting Radishes – Pretty in Pink
• Vegetable Plot Update for May with Photos

Keep up to date with how my vegetables are growing, tips, advice and what to sow now and next – Sign up to my iGrowVeg Monthly Newsletter here.

I’m glad to report that my beetroot is growing very successfully under cloche number 3 next to the perpetual spinach and heritage carrots.

The main tips for growing success I’m following are water at soil level and not from above to prevent blotches on the leaves (I was watering above to start with, but now the blotches have disappeared) and I’m clearing away the leaf debris on the soil from the old leaves turning yellow to brown to prevent any pests or diseases living off the soggy leaves. I’m also saving water by not watering the root daily.

How is your Beetroot doing this year?

Please click here to see my photo slideshow of my Beetroot progress throughout the last 13 weeks.

If you want to read more advice about growing beetroot, please view my:-

• Top Tips on How To Grow Beetroot
• 10 Reasons To Grow Beetroot – My Favourite Vegetable
• Variety I’m Growing this year is: Moneta

Keep up to date with how my vegetables are growing, tips, advice and what to sow now and next – Sign up to my iGrowVeg Monthly Newsletter here.

Theres still plenty to be sowing in June and July to make sure you grab a harvest this summer and autumn. See my other posts Vegetables To Sow in June and Vegetables To Sow in July for more details of vegetables to grow at this time of the year.

I’ve now made my final sowings of Kohl Rabi, Broccoli and Kale, find out more about them below, as this is your last chance to sow them in June or early July.

Kohl Rabi -The German Cabbage Turnip

Kohl Rabi White

It is a very easy to grow vegetable but it very unusual looking. It is widely grown in eastern europe and apparently it tastes like a cross between broccoli, cabbage and turnip and its swollen stem forms above the ground. It likes full sun and fertile organic rich soil with drainage but will grow anywhere.

Last Chance to Sow – Kohl Rabi:
Sow: April to Mid July
Harvest: 10 – 12 weeks later.
Variety I’m Growing: Kohl Rabi ‘Superschmelz’

Kale – Strong, Resistant to Weather and Leaves for Winter

Black Kale

I’m looking forward to growing Kale ‘Nero di Toscano’ which is also known as black kale as it can reach up to 18 inches high and resembles a palm tree like appearance. This should bring a bit of height into my plot late in the season and I will have something to harvest in the winter.

I’ve been reading the blog ‘In My Kitchen Garden’ about a passionate Nero di Toscano grower who encouragingly says that it can’t be killed and survives hot sun, drought and cold snaps.

Last Chance to Sow – Kale:
Sow: March to June
Harvest: September to March
Variety I’m Growing: Kale ‘Nero di Toscano’
How Do I Grow? Growing Kale

Sprouting Broccoli – Early, Hardy, Harvest in 4-5 months

Broccoli Spears

After looking at my post last year ‘4 Alternative Vegetables to Grow in August’ and doing a bit more digging about quick sprouting broccoli types, I found the variety ‘Spike’ from The Organic Gardening Catalogue.

This annual sprouting variety is very quick growing with spears or heads ready to harvest in 4 – 5 months which is about August or September.

Last Chance to Sow – Broccoli ‘Spike’:
Sow: April to June
Harvest: August to September
Variety I’m Growing: Broccoli ‘Spike’

Top up your sowings of lettuce and carrots to continue your harvest through summer to autumn.

Inspirational Lettuces – Fiery Red and Cool Mint Crisp

Lettuce

Fancy a change with your salad? Why not try some of the new varieties of cool, fiery and unusual coloured lettuces. There are a wide range of lettuce alternatives at The Real Seeds Catalogue.

To name a few which look interesting Carmona – a bright red and lime green butterhead lettuce currently on Special offer, Devil’s Tongue Romaine – large upright lettuce with big long leaves in purple/red colour, Australian Yellowleaf – very bright acid yellow/green frilly leaves and there’s plenty more to choose from.

Sow Now – Lettuces:
Sow: April to July
Harvest: May to September
Varieties I’m Growing: Lettuce ‘Red Flame’ and ‘Mint Crisp’
How Do I Grow? Growing Lettuce

Carrots – Its Time to Sow Late Maincrop or Autumn Varieties

More Carrots Harvested

If your carrot crop hasn’t been the best this year, why not try sowing now and in July to get your main crop varieties off to a great start. Why not try some of the Maincrop varieties at The Organic Gardening Catalogue, Autumn King is always a popular variety.

Sow Now – Carrots:
Sow: April to July
Harvest: May to September
Varieties I’m Growing: Carrot ‘Flakee’ and ‘White Kuttiger.’
How Do I Grow? Growing Carrots

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See the latest issue here.

Last June an unexpected guest arrived in our garden which prompted me to make this post – Hedgehogs – Gardeners Friends or Pest Control.

One year later, almost to the day, ‘Hedgy’ as he’s now known (not very original I know) has emerged again from underneath our workshop, pulling up the long grass down by my vegetable plot, collecting it all up and disappearing back under the shed. I’m glad to see him back on the plot as my french beans had slug trails on a few days ago, I hope he doesn’t mind slugs for lunch.

Hedgy our Garden Hedgehog

Today whilst watering my plots, I harvested the following vegetables:

• A handful of Broad Beans – Aquadulce Claudia,
• Rest of the rogue Peas – Meteor,
• A handful of Perpetual Spinach leaves,
• 6 Yellow Mange Tout,
• Couple of Shallots.

Top Tips for Storing & Preparing Fresh Hand Picked Vegetables

• Perpetual Spinach leaves can be stored in a plastic bag for up to a week in the fridge.


Broad Bean Harvest

• If you pick broad beans off the plant so that the bean pod flesh has been exposed, they may go black inside the pod. At this point just shell the beans and discard the pods, the beans are ok to eat. Broad beans shelled are best eaten on the day of picking so leave them on the plant until eating.
• If you do not wish to string and hang your shallots or store in an onion bag, you can wrap them in tin foil and put into a plastic box to store in the fridge. By wrapping and storing in a box this will omit any onions smells on your fridge.
• Mange Tout can also be stored in the fridge in a plastic container or in bags and can last for 1-2 weeks,
• If any of your peas make it to your fridge (mine don’t make it out of the garden!) then you can store them in their pods in the fridge for a week or if you have a large crop they can be shelled and frozen. Lay them out on a baking tray and put them in the fridge, once frozen they can be bagged and put bag into the freezer and then won’t come out in a big frozen lump.

If you liked this post, you may also like:

Spinach, Mange Tout, Peas, Beans Harvest

• Beneficial Insects in the Vegetable Garden
• Harvesting Radishes – Pretty in Pink
• Vibrant Leafy Vegetables To Add Colour To Your Beds
• Top 10 Tips to Keep Your Vegetables Happy On Sunny Days
• Vegetable Seeds To Sow in June
• Vegetable Seeds To Sow in July

I have fallen in love with mange tout flowers and pods, there are an array of different coloured flowers and pods that are available to grow in our gardens and allotments. Last year I was wowed by the deep crimson and pink flowers of the ‘Weggisser’ variety by The Organic Gardening Catalogue but I think I’ve found one of my favourite flower and pod colour combinations in the variety ‘Golden Sweet’ from Real Seeds.

‘Golden Sweet’ Two Tone Flowers
This variety of mange tout has two different coloured flowers usually next to each other on the stems. One flower is pale blue outer petals with a deep purple inside petals. The other is a more typical pale pink outer petals with deep crimson insides.

This is a very unique and beautiful sight seeing these two coloured flowers on the same plant, its a bit like 2 for the price of one! It is worth mentioning this variety is very tall and is already reaching the top of my 6 foot tall bamboo canes.

So far the flowers are not as abundant or as striking as the Weggisser variety I grew last year but they are delicate and unusual enough to keep your interest until the pods arrive. The mange tout stems are yellow (instead of the usual green) which gives the plant a yellowy green shimmer from afar. This mange tout also has grey flecked green leaves with red stem circles which are stand out from the foliage.

‘Golden Sweet’ Yellow Pods
The yellow coloured pods form quite quickly after the flowers (within a few days) and hang from the flower star shaped base and against the yellow green background of the mange tout plant can be clearly seen (which is an advantage over green podded varieties).

Where can I get buy ‘Golden Sweet’ Mange Tout Seeds?
Golden Sweet is available from The Real Seed Catalogue.

How Do I Grow Mange Tout?
Read my guide Growing Mange Tout to help with sowing and harvesting.

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The growing season is truly here on my vegetable plots and before we’ve even got started my spinach decided to run out on me by bolting shortly after the few hot spells of sunshine about a week ago.

I still managed to harvest the leaves before it flowered and I also have a Plan B as I’m growing Perpetual Spinach (Leaf Beat) which doesn’t bolt and I’ll still get large spinach type leaves to pick until September.

Other Observations for May are as follows:

• No slugs or snails this year therefore my leafy greens and cabbages are growing great,
• Sporadic Carrot growth, no one row has completely germinated, I will re-sow in the gaps,
• Radishes have gone banana’s, I have 3 rows fattening up at the same time, lovely tasting,
• Mange Tout growing vigorously out growing 1 foot canes already, added some 6 foot canes,
• Beetroot is my favourite vegetable this year for its deep red stems, a joy to see,
• Cabbages Summer and Winter are growing strong with big leaves, no pests so far,
• Spring Onions germinated and growing strong, need thinning as a bit close together,
• Peas – I thought all my peas died in the frost but a few plants have grown up through my broad beans and have pods on them, guess its my lucky year!

Harvesting Now and Next
Radishes ‘Pink Beauty’, Bolted Spinach ‘Reddy‘ and in a few weeks Broad Beans.

Here’s a Photo Gallery of My Vegetable Plot at the end of May:

Other iGrowVeg Vegetable Plot Posts you may be interested in:

• 5 Weeks Update – Carrot, Beetroot, Cabbage, Chard & Spinach
• April’s Vegetable Plot Update – New Seedlings
• February’s Vegetable Plot Update – Carrot & Leek Harvest
• May’s Vegetable Plot Update for Last Year 2009
• Vegetable Seeds To Sow Now and Next
• Vegetable Variety Directory

I grow radishes every year just because they are quick growers. I’ve been experimenting with growing different varieties so I can get the taste right for me. I prefer the milder taste radishes but previous attempts from Scarlet Globe and French Breakfast have been a bit too hot to handle!

This year I think I’ve cracked it with the radish variety Pink Beauty. It has a very mild taste with great crunch and wateriness, I’ve used them sliced in stir-frys and salads already from my couple of harvests in the past few days and they add a different texture and colour to the dishes. I’ll definitely be growing them again.

Reasons Why You Should Grow Radishes

1. They are one of the quickest and easiest vegetable to grow,
2. They have a long sowing period from February to September,
3. Radishes only take between 4 to 6 weeks to grow,
4. They can be grown in hanging baskets, window box, pots or beds,
5. They come in a variety of different colours – red, white, pink,
6. They come in a variety of different tastes – very mild to hot,
7. Radishes can be grown amongst other larger vegetables or under bean poles,
8. They make a fresh and crunchy addition to salads on sunny days,
9. Knowing you have grown them yourself,
10. From Plot to Plate in less than 60 seconds!

Radishes Pink Beauty

Radish Harvest in 4 weeks

Red Radish

Photos from Left to Right: Radishes – Pink Beauty, French Breakfast and Scarlet Globe.

Other Radish Posts:

• Radish – Variety: Pink Beauty
• How To Grow Radishes
• Radish Harvest and Radish Recipes

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I know every year I know I go on about Broad Beans but I truly love them! I think they are a bit like marmite you either love them or hate them. The thing I love the most are the flowers and then discovering the first beans amidst dying flowers. I’ve managed to capture my broad beans in this cycle this year, see the photo below which shows flowers, dead flowers and first beans.

Broad Bean Flower and First Beans

This year I’m growing Aquadulce Claudia which is a variety known for having tall plants. They certainly are tall and hopefully this means more broad beans pods! Over the past few years I’ve worked my way from up from the dwarf variety The Sutton which still gives a reasonable harvest to Super Aquadulce another variety with fairly tall plants but medium pods.

The biggest Broad Bean Myth is:

No Bees = No Beans

Wrong! Modern broad bean varieties are not dependant on pollinating bees, so if you don’t see any bees, don’t worry you’ll definitely still get beans! If you do see bees around your broad beans this will enhance your bean crop.

Top 10 Broad Bean Facts

1. Only bees which have long mouth parts can extract the nectar in broad bean flowers. However sometimes other smaller bees, honeybees and ants can take the nectar from the back of the flower.
2. Bees collect nectar from broad beans mostly from 2pm to 4pm in the day,
3. Apparently broad bean flowers are edible,


Broad Bean Flowers

4. In China, broad beans are fried and eaten as a snack,
5. In Italy, broad beans are a good luck charm,
6. Broad beans are also known as fava, faba & horse bean,
7. They are rich in protein and high in vitamin C,
8. Broad beans stems are square and not round,
9. They are one of the easiest vegetables to grow,
10. Broad bean flowers are a stunning sight and smell beautiful.

Other Bean Posts worth a look:-

• How to Grow French and Runner Beans
• Transplanting Bean Seedlings into the ground
• How to Sow Broad Beans in Autumn for Spring Harvest
• Blackfly or Black Bean Aphid on Broad Beans
• Pests? Ants on Broad Beans
• Vegetable Directory – Aquadulce Claudia Broad Beans
• Vegetable Directory – Crimson Flowering Broad Beans

Subscribe

To the iGrowVeg.com Monthly Newsletter to receive all the posts I have released in the month in one handy to read newsletter, emailed for your convenience to your inbox on the last sunday of every month. Read the latest Issue here.