The only new growth on all of my pathetic-looking runners is a few clumps of black aphids, ever-tended by the caresses of ants.

My neighbour recommends talcum powder for ants rather than insecticide, Bert. Make of that what you will. Roger

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My neighbour recommends talcum powder for ants rather than insecticide, Bert. Make of that what you will. Roger

Sounds interesting- we don't use insecticides other than starch solution once or twice on the aphids on the broad beans but we stopped as it smells worse than cat poo. 

In any case, we want insects in our garden- not just the pretty ones like the butters and dragons but the ants too; but food crop is food crop.

I wonder if the talc works like chalk- interrupts the scent trail- is that made from their formic acid?

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Sounds interesting- we don't use insecticides other than starch solution once or twice on the aphids on the broad beans but we stopped as it smells worse than cat poo. 

In any case, we want insects in our garden- not just the pretty ones like the butters and dragons but the ants too; but food crop is food crop.

I wonder if the talc works like chalk- interrupts the scent trail- is that made from their formic acid?

I think the scent trail was the explanation, Bert. I tried using in on a nuke hive the ants were exploring - without success. Needs to be dry, I'd guess, so a good time to try.

R

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I think the scent trail was the explanation, Bert. I tried using in on a nuke hive the ants were exploring - without success. Needs to be dry, I'd guess, so a good time to try.

R

What's a nuke hive? 

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What's a nuke hive? 

Hi Bert

Nuke = nucleus = a small "backup" hive - a small colony with a spare queen in case a main colony goes queenless.

It's also a way of propagating new colonies. Think of it as "taking cuttings".

A full summer beehive can have 40,000 bees. A nuke might have only 2000 or so, but it's viable.

At the end of the year you unite nukes with main colonies as they would not normally survive a winter.

The ants were scavenging in an empty nuke box I put in the garden.

R.

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I think the scent trail was the explanation, Bert. I tried using in on a nuke hive the ants were exploring - without success. Needs to be dry, I'd guess, so a good time to try.

R

Scent is important. In our previous house I successfully discouraged ants from visiting our kitchen across the patio by wiping the trail with kitchen bleach. But not recommended for plants!

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Scent is important. In our previous house I successfully discouraged ants from visiting our kitchen across the patio by wiping the trail with kitchen bleach. But not recommended for plants!

I recall reading an article about an Aussie chap who used slugs to graze the joints between tiles in his shower. Maybe one could come us with a similar plan to the lead the ants astray? A thin trickle of golden syrup up to the compost heap, perhaps?

Good grief - I've found the article!

http://www.anapsid.org/slugcleaner.html

R

 

 

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Collecting seed from hollyhocks, fennel etc, to spread around with future years in mind. Meanwhile the nasturtiums are mounting a takeover bid, and the clematis and honeysuckle that I planted earlier (to cover a north-facing fence) have woken up now they have enough moisture in the ground, and are producing long shoots.

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Not tomato ripening weather. Cut the tops off the plants today and put them on seed trays. The wind was bending them over.  Put the cover back on the new growing room as I do not wish to loose any. 

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I currently have an abundance of ripe tomatoes as expected, even though my sister and both kids say they’ve been picking them like mad while we were on holiday.  Most are the self sets from my compost so there’s a variety but they’re all really sweet and tasty. I have lots of red Apache chillis too, so I feel a session of tomato ketchup and chilli sauce making coming on!  

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Not tomato ripening weather. Cut the tops off the plants today and put them on seed trays. The wind was bending them over.  Put the cover back on the new growing room as I do not wish to loose any. 

I'd second that Art; I have huge numbers of mature tomato plants this year, with fruits; all but one plant was from seed and I don't have a glasshouse right now. But at the end of August, only the non-seed plant had given ripe fruit.

Today, after a 5 or 6 degree morning, two huge beefsteaks, three yellow plums and some cherries are ready to pick. 

"The tomatoes ripen fastest when the frosts are setting in?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p--E3Ld5se4

(skip the ad)

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I currently have an abundance of ripe tomatoes as expected, even though my sister and both kids say they’ve been picking them like mad while we were on holiday.  Most are the self sets from my compost so there’s a variety but they’re all really sweet and tasty. I have lots of red Apache chillis too, so I feel a session of tomato ketchup and chilli sauce making coming on!  

Hi Caz;

like you, we have bowl-loads of ripe chillies but I am green about all your red toms- and I've seen pictures from other posters who have had a good tom year. I'm in the deep south, and running behind all!

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Hi Caz;

like you, we have bowl-loads of ripe chillies but I am green about all your red toms- and I've seen pictures from other posters who have had a good tom year. I'm in the deep south, and running behind all!

Yes, I see both you and Art are running behind with the ripening and that’s odd as you’re further South, we have missed out on the summer rain and cloudy days here this year though.  The oddest thing is that my most prolific fruiters are the self sets that sprouted up in the border from my compost.  I only roughly transplanted them because I didn’t think they’d make anything and they’ve had little care other than watering.  Food for free!

As I was enjoying some for tea today, it occurred to me to set some in pots for next year and label them by appearance. There are at least five varieties including tumblers, tiny tumblers, plum toms and regular sized ones.  Some will be ones I’ve grown and others are shop bought. 

On another note, my green grapes are ripe and sweet but my black grapes haven’t completely turned colour yet. 

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Yes, I see both you and Art are running behind with the ripening and that’s odd as you’re further South, we have missed out on the summer rain and cloudy days here this year though.  The oddest thing is that my most prolific fruiters are the self sets that sprouted up in the border from my compost.  I only roughly transplanted them because I didn’t think they’d make anything and they’ve had little care other than watering.  Food for free!

As I was enjoying some for tea today, it occurred to me to set some in pots for next year and label them by appearance. There are at least five varieties including tumblers, tiny tumblers, plum toms and regular sized ones.  Some will be ones I’ve grown and others are shop bought. 

On another note, my green grapes are ripe and sweet but my black grapes haven’t completely turned colour yet. 

Suddenly, the toms are ripening faster than I care to eat them: 4 big beefsteaks- perfect with no blight; a dozen or more sweet yellow plums and a few cherries. 

The wind in the night blew over many of my freestanding tomato plants, but also blew about 100 walnuts of the tree. Opening some, a few are shriveled and black from earlier drought, but many are golden, ripe and bittersweet, the way walnuts should be. Funny how they look like little packed roast chickens when you open the shell.

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Suddenly, the toms are ripening faster than I care to eat them: 4 big beefsteaks- perfect with no blight; a dozen or more sweet yellow plums and a few cherries. 

The wind in the night blew over many of my freestanding tomato plants, but also blew about 100 walnuts of the tree. Opening some, a few are shriveled and black from earlier drought, but many are golden, ripe and bittersweet, the way walnuts should be. Funny how they look like little packed roast chickens when you open the shell.

Yes, that’s a point!  Non of my toms have suffered from blight this year either. Probably due to the dry summer!  

I wish we had walnut trees around here as I love all kinds of nuts. I remember having an almond tree in my school playground but that was dug up years ago.  A couple of years ago we planted a community orchard on waste ground, to encourage locals to pick them for free and eat more fruit.  We should have included nuts, although hazelnuts are prolific here in hedgerows and we’re surrounded by chestnut woodlands. 

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It may be too late for Scotland, but the weather message for England is to get out there and pick anything nearly ripe on Saturday before it gets blown off on Sunday!

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It may be too late for Scotland, but the weather message for England is to get out there and pick anything nearly ripe on Saturday before it gets blown off on Sunday!

4kg of walnuts- less than half truly ripe, fallen from the wind.

Dad has taken home a dozen green plum tomatoes, also relieved of their positions.

Nonetheless:

6 huge ripe beefsteak toms;

40+ small, sweet yellow plum tomatoes;

a similar number of chillies- habanero and thai;

2 butternut squash;

6 cucumbers;

7 fully sized corn cobs;

3 beautiful, blemish-free purple aubergines;

half a dozen baby turnips;

a dozen purple heritage carrots;

a bag load of rainbow chard;

and the usual herbs, including a glut of horseradish.

Happy harvest!

 

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Cold night's coming up. Time to unwrap the bubble wrap and line the TWO growing rooms. Brought some plants in today as they were in bud....

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I moved my big pot of chillis from the back garden into the S/W facing front porch, to guard from the cold nights.  There are still a lot of fruit on it to ripen and in past years I’ve left them on the plant to dry out, once I stop watering. That way I don’t have to think about preserving them all and I get home grown chillis all year. 

My black grapes have almost fully turned and are plump and sweet and my green grapes have almost been eaten.  My plums look ripe but taste quite tart, so I may leave them for the birds and especially as my mum in law has sent me a bag of damsons for jam making. 

Tomatoes are still ripening and miraculously stayed on the vines during the strong winds during the week.  I am regretting not growing courgettes this year, as there will be no chutney to go with the Christmas ham. Although we will be making chilli jam and that’s just as nice! 

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Apples picked today at West Dean; Christmas Pearmain, Newton Wonder, Lord Lambourne, Dumelow's Seedling, Crawley Reinette, Alfriston, Bossom, Winter Queening, Falstaff, Greensleeves, Lemon Pippin, Margil, Court Pendu Plat, Tydeman's Orange, Spartan,Wadhurst Pippin and Bramley's Seedling. 

The great unadventurous British public has heard of Bramleys and was buying as much of them as the rest put together

Our local apple is Bossom, found in an old cottage garden about 5 miles away. It was very difficult to find out its history - put 'Bossom' into Google and it asks 'Do you want bosoms?' Well, not just now ...

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