I can't believe how well the strawberries are performing this year. This is what my hubby picked last night, about five pounds, and we're getting this amount nearly every day. My daughter, who is a proper strawberry fan, is eating them for breakfast, lunch at school, and tea. She follows that with some for supper before she goes to bed, nothing like getting the most out of the strawberry season. I've got Honeoye, Elsanta and Alice, though which is which I don't really know as I can't remember which were planted where, so much for my carefully made notes. This is one glut which I don't mind at all, there's always someone willing to take strawberries off your hands if you've got too many, my mum and dad have been enjoying them too.What about the weather? It's been fantastic for sitting and watching hubby and son playing cricket on Saturday, not so good for getting round to weeding the allotment. I think I would have burnt to a crisp if I'd spent any serious time down there this weekend, all we've managed to do is pick the strawberries and give everything a bit of a water, though the water butts have now dried up and as there's no water on the site we have to take water with us when we go which is a bit of a bind, but we do manage.
I noticed at the weekend that the first of the tomatoes are just starting to grow. I've had flowers for a while but it seems to have taken a long time to see any fruit. Just a matter of time now before I taste those first sun warmed tomatoes.
Wow they look scrummy, my father in law has been bringing us some from his allotment, they are so sweet and yummy. Ours aren't doing well at all this year but they were only moved in this year so think they may been a year to settle in. Fab weather but like you say it makes watering interesting with no water supply - we got a camping water bottle which holds a lot of water and then use big 6 ltr milk bottles too.
ReplyDeleteYour strawberries look delicious Jo. We have been picking ours every evening too - there are just enough coming through from the strawberry patch to keep us happy each day! The hanging baskets however are not faring too well - they did better last year funnily enough.
ReplyDeleteI'm loving the warm sunny weather but in a perfect world it would rain overnight to keep everything fresh and happy - our water butt is empty too!
Jeanne
x
How many strawberry plants do you have? That is a lot of picked strawberries!
ReplyDeleteThat is too bad that you need to take water to the allotment. I don’t think that I would do that. I would leave it all to Mother Nature and her water supplies. I hope you get some rain, so you don’t need to carry all that water.
I'm sitting here drinking a cup of tea and eating strawberries!
ReplyDeleteYes it's certainly been a good year and I hope that the raspberries (ate the first few this morning!) and blackberries are just as prolific!
I go to the plot early, and don't do a lot when I'm there!
Having no water on site must be a real bind when it's like this.
My tomatoes have got flowers on them, and like you can't wait to taste the first one! Flighty xx
They look delicious - how do you get so many? I have about 10 strawberry plants and have not had one strawberry. I do have pigeons though. Any tips, gratefully received for next year. Am green with strawb-envy.!
ReplyDeleteWay to go Jo!
ReplyDeleteThe Honeoye are the more acid ones.
countrymummy - best advice: get some nets - seriously.
Too many?! No such thing!
ReplyDeleteYou are lucky - ours were quite badly affected by the late frosts and not doing too well this year.
We are eating for England and still have more than we can use. I'm making jam this afternoon! It will be a taste of summer later in the year.
ReplyDeleteoo, you've changed your comment settings so now i can leave comments from work :) those strawberries are very handsome. mine are in the main more unconventionally shaped! i'm glad they are being so prolific after your initial worries about the frost. i made my very first batch of strawberry curd with my latest strawberry haul & it is delish! the recipe is on my blog should you want to preserve some of your harvest. lasts 2 months - well, if it isn't eaten in five minutes ;)
ReplyDeleteYou'll soon be able to tell strawberry growers from those who don't by the red faces with yellow spots!
ReplyDeletePity it's only shortlived but we are buying some perpetual fruiting varieties to add to next year's collection and the alpines grow through to the first frosts so that's a bonus roo.
Ooh, lucky you. All my excuses just evaporated.
ReplyDeleteI reckon go for jam, it will taste amazing.
Strawberry glut huh?
ReplyDeleteI best make a trip to the plot then...yours look delish
Wow lucky you. I managed about 6 this year from my new plugs so hopefully I will get my allotment space this year and I can re-plant them there. Enjoy them and have a great week. Amanda
ReplyDeleteI'm sure your strawberries will come good next year, Scented Sweetpeas. At least you're not missing out if your father in law is bringing you some from his allotment.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame about the hanging baskets, Jeanne. You get years where things just don't do as well though, they'll probably pick up again next year. Glad that you're getting plenty from the strawberry patch though.
I'm not sure exactly how many strawberry plants there are, Vrtlarica. I would guess at about twenty five. I'd like to get some everbearers for next year to prolong the season. I try not to water anything too much, but we hadn't had any rain for so long that everything was parched. We had a good downpour during the night though so that will have given everything a good water.
Glad to hear that your raspberries have started producing, Flighty. Fingers crossed for a good harvest. Having no water on site is a bind when the weather's like it is at the moment, but usually there's enough in the water butts to keep everything going.
I have about twenty five plants, Countrymummy. They're in their second year now, which I've read is their most productive. I always net the plants otherwise the birds get to them first. Hope you get some strawberries off your plants.
Thanks, Mal. I've noticed that some are a little more acidic or tart than the others, those will be the Honeoye then.
My strawberries were also caught by the frost, Nome. They were covered in flowers, which turned black in the middle. Luckily they produced many more flowers giving us such a large haul. There's always something though that doesn't do as well as you'd hoped. Hope your's do better next year.
It's nice to have enough to preserve them for later in the year, Vegetable Heaven. My daughter is managing to get through most of ours at the moment.
I played about with the settings after there was spam left in the comments, Steph. I'm glad that it's enabled you to leave comments from work, I aim to please. I'll have a look at the strawberry curd recipe, though I doubt my daughter will leave enough strawberries for me to make it.
You're right, Green Lane Allotments. I've told my daughter that she'll end up looking like a strawberry the amount that she's eating. I would like to get some everbearers too for next year, I must look in to it while it's fresh in my mind.
I'm so pleased with the strawberry harvest, ReapWhatYouGrow. I've no chance of making any jam at the moment, my daughter is eating most of what I pick, but she might end up leaving enough once she gets fed up of them.
They taste delish too, Allot Of Veg. I hope you find a glut at your allotment too when you make the trip.
Hope you get your allotment space soon, Eight by Six. I'm sure your plants will produce much better next year, these are in their second year and have gone mad.
Hi Jo...I read this post and totally believed I left a comment until I realised my name wasn't there!!
ReplyDeleteWe are having a great strawberry year too....I keep thinking I will make something nice with them but they taste so darn good they aren't lasting long enough!!
Maybe I will get something nice made after the novelty has worn off with everyone...I'm thinking cheesecake, and tart and jelly and ice-cream....god you've just got to love strawberries!!
I'm exactly the same, Tanya. I should really make something with all the strawberries we're harvesting, but it's so nice just to eat them fresh. My daughter can't get enough of them.
ReplyDeleteSo jealous of you! :D just got my new lotty, can't wait to get my strawberry bed in! Nice blog by the was, hope you don't mind me adding you to my allotment links? :)
ReplyDeleteAll the best, enjoy your harvest.
Craig.
www.dykesedge.blogspot.com
Thanks for visiting and for your comment, Craig. Congratulations on your new lottie, I'm sure you will have it just as you want it in no time at all. I'll pop over to see how you're doing.
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