As Manchester United begin their year long reign as the second best team on the planet (by a country mile I have to admit!) I can now devote the rest of the summer to worrying about whether I'll be good enough to get into the tickets at this year's shows. More importantly I have to make sure I have 6 decent veg for the set of six at Harrogate to fend off the gobby Huddersfield (and Ingleton) contingent which shouldn't be too difficult.
It will soon be time to start harvesting my large shallots when they reach my desired size of 45mm. By measuring them each day with my new digital vernier I can tell they are putting on about 2.5mm in diameter every 4 days. I expect to start harvesting between the 7th to about the 12th of June therefore, but only if there are still fresh green shoots emerging from the growing point as in the photo below. If there isn't it means the shallot has started into its secondary growth cycle and will probably go double and be no good for showing.
I haven't shown the carrots i'm growing in pipes in the greenhouse for a while but I have to say i'm quite happy with the way they appear to be growing considering i've never grown them this way before. The stump carrots 'Caradec' in the smaller pipes are also growing pretty well.
My Sweet Candle stumps are looking healthy in their enviromesh frames but then again they did last year too. It was only at pulling time that I realised I had 60 octopi ! I'm hoping the cups will concentrate water straight to the roots and prevent my borehole mix getting too dry.
My onions are at last starting to grow having been planted into the greenhouse border for over 4 weeks now. I'll never grow decent large specimens until I can get proper heating and lighting during the winter months but these should make a couple of pounds or so. After the longest day in June they'll start to swell and the more leaves you can have by then the bigger the onion will be. Using Dynamec this season for the first time means I have no sign of thrip damage yet.
The small canes and plastic clips have now made way for three larger canes around each onion and string to support the foliage and keep the onion growing upright to create a symmetrical bulb that is so important on the show bench
I may leave these until well into August as I shan't be wanting any onions for exhibition until the first week in September. By which time the football season will have started again and there'll still be a gulf in class between Man U and Huddersfield. Or Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea come to that!
7 comments:
I think you've answered my email question about whether to harvest my shallots. Thanks for that.
Slugs have got over 50% of my Sweet Candle, although I should salvage a few. I might try your tube idea for 2012 - looks like a sound idea.
My shallots are measuring over
45mm now. Do you just take those off the clump and leave the rest to grow on or do you lift the whole clump as Graham Watson does on his dvd.
I lift my shallots individually over a week or so as they reach size. I prize them carefully from the clump.
Graham Watson grows hundreds so he obviously cannot piss about like I do. It's a personal choice.
The plural of Octopus is NOT Octopi you dummy !
Althought judging by your ever balloning girth you do seem to like things that end with a pie.
I always like to give well thought out witty answers to pisstaking comments....but on this occasion I can't be arsed so I shall just say......
FUCK OFF!
ponton is good for thrip
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