March « 2009 « TopVeg – growing veg,fruit&herbs

March 28, 2009

Leek Varieties

Filed under: root veg — Tags: leek, leeks, Pandora, variety — TopVeg @ 9:50 pm

The main points to consider when choosing which varieties of leeks to
grow are:

    * size
    * days to maturity
    * winter hardiness

*Short season leek varieties tend to be

* smaller
* less winter hardy
A popular short season leek is King Richard. It is

    * very early
    * high yielding
    * extra long, with a slim stalk
    * mild flavoured
    * easy as it does not need earthing up
    * OK till Christmas

*Long season leeks

    * may be harvested through the winter
    * are cold hardy
    * develop fatter stalks

Common long season varieties include:

* Autumn Giant

long season of production, stands cold, frosty weather, high yields, medium stems

leek-autumn-giant

* Autumn Mammoth

matures in late autumn, high yielding leek, thick stems, good resistance to rust

* Pandora

productive, long season, good tolerance of leek rust

Mature-leek-Pandora

* Musselburg

very winter hardy, mid season, lasts right through winter, good length

Comments Off

Parsnip Varieties

Filed under: root veg — Tags: parsnip, variety — TopVeg @ 9:41 pm

*Avonresister*

    * small conical roots
    * good mini-veg – grown at close spacings, 3in.
    * good canker resistance

*Countess*

    * vigorous , heavy cropper
    * uniform, high quality,smooth-skinned, sweet roots
    * good tolerance to canker

*Dagger *

    * smooth skinned, bayonet shaped, tender roots
    * suitable for mini veg
    * good canker resistance

*Excalibur *

    * smooth, almost bleached white-skinned roots with creamy flesh of
      sweet flavour
    * good tolerance against canker
    * good storage properties

*Gladiator*

    * fast maturing, vigorous
    * consistent high quality flesh, silky-smooth white skin, sweet
    * good yield
    * high resistance to canker

*Javelin *

    * good quality roots of smooth skin and good flavour
    * good canker resistance
    * high yields
    * good resistance to ‘fanging’ (forking of the roots)

*Tender & True*

    * long roots of mixed size
    * vigorous
    * good canker resistance

*White spear*

* smooth skin
* good colour

Comments (1)

Types of Tomato

Filed under: salad — Tags: tomato, tomatoes — TopVeg @ 9:30 pm

A visit to a supermarket will confirm the great variation in the types of tomato, which include:

    * standard tomatoes – the common, red, round tomato
    * cherry – smaller, round, sweet & bite-size
    * plum – small, plum shape tomato often strongly flavoured
    * beef – large tomatoes, more common on the Continent
    * novelty – various colours & shapes

Tomato plants have several different habits:

*Cordon or vine type*

    * grow on a single stem
    * require support
    * grow several meters if not stopped
    * have a longer growing season
    * produce a regular supply of tomatoes
    * offer a larger range of colour, shape & size

*Bush Type*

1. tall bush – 30-75cm high
2. creeping bush, less than 25cm high, ideal for hanging baskets

Bush types:

    * do not require supporting, trimming or stopping
    * have a shorter season
    * tend to produce a glut
    * need straw or plastic sheets laid round the plants as many fruits
      are at ground level

*Indoors or Outside*

* A greenhouse insures a constant supply of tomatoes regardless of the weather. The greenhouse varieties are the cordon or vine type grown on a single stem
* Outdoor tomatoes are grown in mild areas sheltered from cold winds.

Bush varieties & some cordon varieties are suitable for outside production. There are some dual purpose cordon varieties, which will grow in the greenhouse or outside, such as Ailsa Craig, Alicante, Gardeners Delight & Moneymaker.

Comments Off

Plant early potatoes

Filed under: potato — Tags: early poatato, plant — TopVeg @ 2:18 pm

The soil covered with polythene 5 weeks ago is now dry and warm enough to plant early potatoes.

mark-out-potato-row

The bed is 1.8 meters wide. Two rows of potatoes will run down the length of the bed. To measure this out:

    * place a stake in the center of the bed (0.9m from edge)
    * the distance between the center of the rows is 70cm. So, place a  stake 35cm from center stake. Repeat on the other side.
    * at the other end of the bed, place 3 more stakes, as above
    * tie the end of a ball of string on one of the outside stakes, and  stretch the string to its opposite number at the other end of the bed. This marks the middle of the potato row.
    * repeat, running the string along the center of the other row.

string-marks-center-of-pota

middle-of-row-marked-with-string

Use the rake to make a shallow trench down the middle of each row.

rake-pulls-soil-out

use-rake-to-move-soil

Lay a measuring tape in the middle of the row. Put the seed potatoes on the edge of the row, ready to put in at the correct spacing.

space-potatoes-out-using-tape

The small seed is put 20 cm apart, & the large seed is 25 cm apart. The seed is put this close because there are only 2 rows, & the outside edge of each row has a path running beside it. So there will be plenty of space, light & air. Also, these are early potatoes, which will be lifted as soon as they are the size of a hen’s egg. So they can be planted closer than main crops, which will be left to grow bigger potatoes.

Make a hole in the trench, by pulling the soil back with a trowel.

make-hole-with-fork

fork-pulls-soil-back

Take a potato and place it in the hole. The top of the potato should be about 8cm down, below the top of the level harrowed surface.

place-potato-in-hole

plant-potato-in-hole

chits-pointing-up

Plant the potato with the chits (little shoots) pointing upwards.

plant-potato-with-chits-upward

Sprinkle soil over the potato, so that it is just covered. Leave the trench, and it will act as protection, creating a warm, damp environment, which will encourage growth.

Cover the planted potatoes with polythene, to provide protection from the forecasted frosts.

A few potatoes were planted 3 weeks ago. One has just emerged, & is showing a tiny shoot

potato-shoot-emerges1

Comments (1)

March 27, 2009

How to Pick Brussels Sprouts

Filed under: brassicas — Tags: brussel sprouts, pick, sprouts — TopVeg @ 11:13 pm

sprout-stalk

Brussels Sprouts start to develop at the bottom of the main stalk first. Then the sprouts further up the stalk start to grow, and the last to develop are those sprouts at the top of the stalk.

It is important to cook even-sized sprouts , so they all require the same cooking time. If the sprout buttons were different sizes, the smallest ones would be overcooked and the largest ones may still be crunchy, when all cooked together.

brussels-sprouts

To obtain even sized sprouts, only part of the stalk is picked. Picking always starts at the bottom of the stalk, where the sprouts are largest.

Sometimes the sprouts at the very bottom of the stalk do not develop
into tight buds, but blow out into loose leaves. It is best to remove
these loose sprouts, as soon as tight buttons appear above them.

sprbut2

The large, yellow leaves at the bottom of the sprout plant should be broken off and disposed of, on the compost heap.

sproutbutton

The sprout buttons are picked individually, by pressing them downwards,
and slightly twisting, so that they snap off the stalk. Usually there
are about six sprouts on each stalk which are of a similar size.

At the start of the sprout harvesting season, the bottom sprouts will be
picked from each plant, as required.

SPROUTBRIDGET

At the very end of the season, the sprout stalks will look bare, with just a few sprout buttons at the very top of the stalk.

sprout-b2

The Brussels sprout plants will produce green vegetables throughout the winter, if picked with care.

Comments (3)

March 25, 2009

The Perfect Seed Bed

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: seed, seed bed — TopVeg @ 10:15 pm

The condition of the seed bed at planting is critical to the success of
the vegetable garden.

Plant seeds into a dry soil, and then water them in. The nobbly bits of
hard soil will help prevent capping

When seeds are planted into a dry seed bed, the soil particles and
crumbs are at their minimum size. When the seed row is watered, the soil
crumbs will expand, making the soil firmer around the seed, so that the
soil is in close contact with the seed, allowing the seed to take in
water. Soil/seed contact is important.

If soil is sticking to hands and tools when preparing the seed row, the
soil is too wet for sowing. When planting into soil which is too wet,
the soil particles will shrink as they dry out, and the soil will become
loose and open so that the soil/seed contact is reduced.

This is particularly important with small seeds which are planted
shallowly, for example, cabbage seeds at 2cm deep.

A previous post has discussed the initial preparation of the seed bed
The soil should not be worked into a dust, because when it is watered, it will slump and become too dense, so that oxygen is not available to the seed.

To plant small vegetable seeds:

    * soil needs to be friable not sticky
    * better to plant in dry, well-structured soil then water in
    * use a rose on the hose or watering can to avoid swilling the soil.

Comments Off

Grow Carrot Fly Free Varieties in the Vegetable Garden

Filed under: root veg — Tags: carrot, carrot fly, carrotfly, carrots — TopVeg @ 9:41 pm

carrot-fly-resistant

Carrot Fly Free varieties of carrot are available to grow in the Vegetable Garden. Three examples of carrot fly varieties are:

     * Resistafly – mid to late season use
    * Flyaway – early
    * Early Nantes – suitable for early sowing under glass

Growing carrot fly resistant varieties is a great example of biological control – a method used in organic vegetable production.

Comments Off

Leather Jacket Control

Filed under: pests&diseases — Tags: leather jacket — TopVeg @ 2:20 pm

leatherjacket

Leather jackets have been a great problem this spring. They have attacked young
cabbage plants and young courgettes. They nip the stem at soil level – killing the plant.

There are few chemicals available for use on vegetables which kill
leatherjackets. The active ingredient for the job is chlorpyrifos, &
Dursban is about the only product on sale. It is water soluble and
should be well watered in to make sure it reaches the leather jackets in
the soil.

Click this link to download a leaflet on leather-jackets and how to control them.

Comments (1)

March 24, 2009

How to Grow Florence Fennel.

Filed under: herbs — Tags: florence fennel — TopVeg @ 9:38 pm

Florence Fennel

How to grow Florence Fennel by John Oldham

Warning! If you can’t stand the taste of aniseed, read no further!

Florence Fennel is a dwarf form of the herb Fennel (Latin name – Foeniculum vulgare), which is grown for its aromatic bouquet and is often used as a garnish for fish dishes.

Florence Fennel is a bulbous vegetable formed from its swollen basal stems. It can be sliced into salads, to which it imparts a delicious aniseed flavour. It is perhaps best in it’s own right, sliced and braised in butter, lemon juice, and enough water to cover. It makes a superb accompaniment to white fish, or meat, especially pork.

Although modern varieties claim to be “bolt-resistant”, they nevertheless have a tendency to “run to seed” if sown too early in the year. My own experience suggests it is best not to sow before the end of May. There are a number of good varieties, among them “Zefa Fina”, and “Goal”.

* Sow under cold glass in polystyrene modules or small pots.
* Keep under glass after germination (which takes about 10 days).
* Thin out to 1 plant per module or pot.
* When the plants are about 2” (5cms.) tall, harden off in a bright sheltered but not too sunny spot outdoors before planting out about 10-12” (21-26cms.) apart, same distance between rows.
* The young plants must not be allowed to dry out at any time.
* During the growing and maturing period they use lots of water, and I find they benefit from small feeds of a nitrogenous fertiliser.
* Harvest when the rounded “bulbs” are up to the size of a tennis ball.

Author – John Oldham

Click the link for information on Storing Florence Fennel.

Comments (1)

March 23, 2009

Blackleg, aerial stem rot, and tuber soft rot of potato

Filed under: pests&diseases — Tags: blackleg, potato — TopVeg @ 12:35 pm

Blackleg, aerial stem rot, and tuber soft rot of potato are all similar
diseases caused by several types of soft-rot bacteria (Latin name -
Erwinia carotovora).

potato-Blackleg

Comments Off

« Newer Posts — Older Posts »