Fruit patch - Claire's Allotment part 23

[antfiresbetter]

It is always hard to find sweet things to grow. It sounds like you have a nice selection! Last year I grew ground cherries Physalis pruinosa. They are also called husk cherries. They were prolific and tasty, and made a nice jam. Have you tried them?

[clairesallotment]

@antfiresbetter No I haven't, but I'll have a look at them now as they sound wonderful. Anything that makes great jam is good!

[clairesallotment]

@antfiresbetter Just looked them up, and they what I call Cape Gooseberries, or very similar. They're lovely.

[ILuvCaroline]

I am planting everbearing strawberries. Not sure if they will survive in the winter but I am willing to try.

[clairesallotment]

@ILuvCaroline They should survive outside over Winter, as other Strawberries do. They'll die back and the leaves will all go. They'll look dead, but will come back again in the Spring. Sometimes you'll loose the odd plant, but that's not often.

[antfiresbetter]

@ILuvCaroline My sister grows them in Alaska, and they survive, so I bet yours will too!

[Duncanforbeshendry]

GREAT videos i am up to 24 , we meet last Friday at local talk, my talk is now on u tube Duncans organic talk c u Duncan Hendry

[clairesallotment]

@Duncanforbeshendry It was great to meet you last Friday. I'll have a look at your talk.

[Jackdaw1802]

I'm a first time vegetable grower and I'm finding all your videos so helpful. Thanks so much

[clairesallotment]

@Jackdaw1802 Thank you, I'm glad you find them helpful. Any questions just ask, and I'll reply asap.

[archdeaconj]

Claire is very fond of manure, but I can't get any. I've just put some bonemeal around the raspberry canes, and am hoping for the best. I'm wondering if I need to put another lot on later in the year.

[clairesallotment]

@archdeaconj Try cow, or chicken manure. Good old fashion rotten leaves work just as well. I always cover each bed with a layer of manure at the end of the season. This way it has all winter to get down into the soil and put all the goodness back for the next season.

[archdeaconj]

@clairesallotment Thx. I managed to get some rotted horse manure which I've put round the gooseberry bushes and rhubarb. Here's something new I'm trying: I've got a comfrey bush doing nothing, so I've picked a lot of the leaves, left them to wilt, and I'm going to line trenches with them before planting First Early potatoes (I live in N. Yorkshire in case you think it's a little late).

[clairesallotment]

@archdeaconj Comfrey makes excellent plant feed, gets a bit smelly sometimes, but who cares about that.

[archdeaconj]

@clairesallotment Well, it wasn't smelly because I just lined the trenches with the wilted leaves. I've heard you can soak them in water and make a liquid fertiliser, but I haven't tried that. Here's a thing: end of last year I planted garlic cloves with the spring cabbages. Amazing results. Slugs never touched them - for some reason they don't like garlic. Perfect bulbs of garlic, a bonus.

[clairesallotment]

@archdeaconj Glad is wasn't smelly. Yes you can soak them in water, but it doesn't take long 3 or 4 days I think. They say you should plant garlic in the early winter as it's good for them to have a long cold snap which makes them grow better, but it's so difficult to find garlic to plant at that time of year.

[archdeaconj]

@clairesallotment I planted them last October, so they experienced the 'cold snap'. I got them from the supermarket, Spanish I think. Incidentally, what do you call early winter? I've often wondered this when gardening books refer to 'early winter' or 'late winter'. Winter officially begins at the winter solstice,around 21 December. So 'early winter' would presumably be from then until, say, end of January and 'late winter' would be, say, March and April up to 21st. Is this correct?

[clairesallotment]

@archdeaconj Early winter is December. Spring starts in March, Summer starts June, and Autumn starts September. There are 3 months in each season, so it's early, mid and late. Hope that's helpful.

[archdeaconj]

@clairesallotment Ah, right. That's useful to know. The gardening seasons don't correspond exactly with astronomical seasons, then? So all of December is counted as early winter in the gardening calendar, whereas officially / astronomically the first two thirds of the month would be late autumn. Must make a note of this. Sorry, in my last posting I meant (last line) '...February and March up to 21st'.

[clairesallotment]

@archdeaconj Yes that's right, all of December is early Winter. When I first started out gardening I wonder about the same thing, and found what I needed in a book. Can't remember which one, I'm sure I've still got it. March 21st is always the first day of spring to me, even thought sometimes people say it's on 20th March some years. My birthday's on 21st March which is the first day of Spring to me anyway.

[webkey1234]

Last year i had strawberrys but they didnt fruit allot so im thinking of making three raised beds full hope that will provide enough to give away. for some brownie points lol

[clairesallotment]

The first year you plant strawberries they tend to only have a few fruits. When they get established in the 2nd and 3rd years you will get loads. Make sure you look after them by removing all the leaves at the end of the summer, and watering them well during the summer. By the time the plants get to their 5th year they tend to slow down on producing fruit, so save the runners for new plants.

[saphiablue]

Enjoyed the video. I'm a knew gardener and will attempt to grow some beans, although we are still in winter here in New Zealand.

[clairesallotment]

Take what I've done and do it 6 months later or earlier, depends which way you look at it. Good luck.

[chuckysg1]

hi i would like to say thank you.i never done any growing till one day i was looking on here and started to watch your films.i am now digging up my garden.and got 2 greenhouse's on there way thanks keep up the good work.i hope lots more films on the way :) lee from kent

[clairesallotment]

Hope you're still enjoying gardening, how's everything growing?

[greentxmama]

Great video. I love the idea of having a fruit patch...and how nice that will be once it starts to grow and fruit. :)

[clairesallotment]

I'm especially looking forward to my blueberries, and goji as I've never grown goji before.

Keep gardening

Claire