The Season Is Ending

Discussion in 'Fruit and Veg Gardening' started by Sjoerd, Sep 17, 2019.

  1. Sjoerd

    Sjoerd Mighty Oak

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    The season is truly winding down and we are getting the beds ready for the winter. The spuds will go in this bed next season.
    zzz8.jpg

    The green top layer are leaves from Crocosmia lucifer.

    We are beginning to harvest the summer leeks. Here you can see three specimens--you can see that one of the three leeks have a length of white that is almost twice the length of the other two.
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    I tried using a a cardboard tube that was the centre of the paper towel roll which I slipped over the foliage and pushed it further into the ground. See this foto:
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    Why did I do this? Well, because we use the white part of the stem to eat and the green leaves is too tough.

    The harvesting was done, but this trug had had a "harvest" of something else .
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    New haircutting tools. Is there anything that my Bride CAN'T do?!

    Then there was this--One of our courgette plants began to develop this:
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    Here is a close-up:
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    Just look at all those buds forming. I wonder if they are all male blooms...that would be a pity; however, if even half of them are female we will have an enormous harvest !

    Well, many of the veggies are ending their production, but one thing is just beginning and that is the Clematis terniflora. I have them is several places because I like looking at them, their fragrance is divine and the pollinates love them as well.
    zzz9a.jpg

    You may recall that a while ago I was planning to make a new queen in a hive that had lost its queen, presumably because of old age. So then, I placed a frame in this queenless colony and they made a queen cell.

    It was too late in the season to let the larvae develop further...this means that should the larvar develop into a queen she could not be fertilized as there are no more drones left. The consequence of this is that she could not lay any eggs to make winter bees, and the ones remaining in the colony now will certainly be dead is a couple of weeks. The colony would cease to exist.

    Well, when we opened the hive to unite the new colony and the old one, I discovered that there was a new queen present and not only that...but she had begun laying.

    I decided to leave her alone, as she seemed to be functioning well and just kept the new little colony. Here a pic:
    zzz9ab1b.jpg


    Here is something else entirely....
    One day our apartment building had a strange guest:
    zzzb.jpg

    A closer look shows that it was a peacock !
    zzz9abcd.jpg
     
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  3. Cayuga Morning

    Cayuga Morning Strong Ash Plants Contributor

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    Wow that was an interesting posting Sjoerd! What do I begin? I love your idea of cardboard tubes on the leeks. At what point did you do this? I will be saving cardboard tubes this winter for my leeks next year!

    That courgette sure looks odd. Are you sure it is just super fertile? Not sick?

    Congrats on the new bed hive!! Do it just may make it, huh?

    A peacock!!!???
     
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  4. Netty

    Netty Chaotic Gardener Plants Contributor

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    You are always so busy Sjoerd! Sad when the season comes to an end.
     
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  5. Sjoerd

    Sjoerd Mighty Oak

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    Thanks CAYU, I am glad that you liked this one. You asked at what point I applied the cardboard tubes. I slipped the tubes over the foliage as soon as the foliage was longer than the tube...~1/3 longer.
    The courgette: No, I am sure that it is "sick". I am guessing that it is a form of fasciation.
    What are you saying here, mate?BTW---yeah, a peacock. It came from the deer park adjacent to our home.

    Yeah I know NETTY. I am always busy because there is always so much to do. hahaha.
     
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2019



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  6. hummerbum

    hummerbum Young Pine

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    Whoa, you have been busy!!! Gives me an idea to grow leeks next year. Love leeks in place of onions. The peacock is beautiful, so is the clematis. Don't you just love a woman who can do anything? Haha. Winding down and your garden is still beautiful.
     
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  7. Sjoerd

    Sjoerd Mighty Oak

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    Hahaha...I do indeed. I never underestimate my Bride.
    Planting the leeks: I begin with making a deepish furrow.
    In the bottom of the furrow, I make a hole with a bulb planter and the leeks go in this.
    ** Before dropping the leek plantlets into that hole, one can trim a small bit of the roots off as well as 1/2 to 1/3 of the foliage. These steps are taken to stimulate root development and foliage growth. I have done this, sometimes I do one or the other. It is not essential, just a common gardening practice here.

    I water in the hole and then let the soil fill up the hole naturally with rain and wind.

    After the hole is full and the leeks are growing, I then earth them up.

    When the leek foliage begins to grow strongly, I then place the cardboard tubes around the plant and earth it up again a bit to keep the plant upright.

    In the case of summer leeks, I begin harvesting them about now...every year is different.

    Good luck with doing them, mate.

    Leeks--I really like eating them, I find their flavour so tasty.

    Thanks so much for your remarks today.
     
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