...well, a fortnight actually, and this is what happens, overgrown courgettes which have turned in to marrows. We returned from our holiday to find that everything is doing well. As I suspected before I left, the tomatoes have started to ripen, as have the peppers which are also turning red.We had a lovely holiday. It only drizzled one morning and one afternoon out of the whole fortnight so we did really well with the weather. I understand that there was a little more rain than that here in Yorkshire which is probably why everything at the allotment has grown so well, including the weeds!
My French beans are just starting to produce. I've picked the first few which have been eaten over three meals. This year I have grown Sonesta which is a yellow dwarf bean and Blauhilde which is a purple climbing bean, as well as Safari, a dwarf bean and Blue Lake, a climbing bean which I have grown before. I'm very impressed with Sonesta which have produced a good crop from the few plants I have and taste delicious. They also stay yellow when cooked which adds a little colour to the plate. My runner beans have romped up their wigwam whilst I've been away and are now covered in red flowers, so it won't be long before I'm harvesting those too.
Holidays over, it's now time that I tackled those weeds. They're so bad that once I stride in to the thick of them you may never see me again. Wish me luck.
Welcome back, Jo!
ReplyDeleteI also find that yellow beans will stay yellow after cooking and purple ones will turn green.
Last year we had some overgrown courgettes and they were just as good as small ones.
Welcome back! Glad you had a lovely holiday and aside from the monster weeds, the lottie is still going well for you. Do the varieties of dwarf bean taste different, or is it just their appearance? :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you holiday was a good one and yes it did rain more in Yorkshire.
ReplyDeleteCourgettes don't need to be given too much opportunity befoer they become marrows do they
Sometimes I'm sure that if you could just stand and watch you'd actualy see them get bigger!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back Jo, sounds like you had the best of both worlds, sun on holiday and rain at home. Good luck with the weeds!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a great holiday. Sounds like the weather was fabulous! Yes, we have definitely been getting more than our fair share of rain down here... Great to hear that your peppers turning red - our chillies have just started to turn this week but our peppers are still very green at the mo.
ReplyDeleteHello it's good to see that you had a good holiday, and that everything is doing well on your plot.
ReplyDeleteThere's been some welcome rain here this week, and I've twice forgotten to look at my courgettes so I'll probably have some marrows as well now! Flighty xx
Chickens LOVE overgrown courgettes (marrows) which makes me very happy. Glad you had a lovely holiday. On the pepper front - I have three very unripe ones and I thought I'd planted chillies but, no sign of chilli growth at all...
ReplyDeleteGood to hear you had a lovely holiday Jo. You've certainly come home to lots of delicious produce. Your marrow-sized courgettes are amazing! My runner beans are still coming thick and fast and a sweet crunchy cucumber seems to appear from nowhere every day! I may try your purple climbing bean - sounds pretty.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with those pesky weeds.
Jeanne
x
I wish you luck with the weeds...and sympathy as I know how terrible mine are. The weather since we returned from holiday has been rubbish except of course for those days when i can't get to the allotment and then it is beautiful....I think i will just have to bite the bullet and get wet before i have courgettes longer then my legs and weeds taller then my corn!!!
ReplyDeleteMarrow soup, stuffed marrow...
ReplyDeleteInterested to hear about your yellow beans. I bought some seeds on holiday for sowing next year, and it sounds from what you say as if they'll be worthwhile.
The overgrown courgettes have been used just the same as the smaller ones, Vrtlarica. More beans have now been picked and eaten.
ReplyDeleteThe different varieties of beans do taste different, Steph. Some have a more delicate flavour than others which are more intense. I'm loving the yellow beans, I've never grown them before.
I'm having to keep my eyes on the courgettes to avoid any more turning into marrows, Green Lane Allotments. They seem to grow in front of your eyes.
Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment, Meredehuit. That's so true, but it's good to have something which needs very little help to grow.
Thanks, Damo. The weeds haven't been tackled yet, a job for the weekend I think.
I had a pepper with my tea last night, Amy, but the chilies are still green. There's plenty of time for them to ripen yet though.
Those courgettes only need a little rain to make them swell, Flighty. I hope you got to them in time before they grew to monster proportions.
I'm sure your peppers will ripen soon, Projectforty. I only have one chili plant, but it's grown really well and is full of chillies, they're just refusing to ripen yet.
My runner beans aren't yet producing, Jeanne. There's plenty of flowers though, so it's only a matter of time. The purple French beans look pretty but they turn green on cooking. I much prefer the yellow dwarf bean which keeps it colour and tastes delicious.
It's Sod's law that the weather won't cooperate, Tanya. All this rain is just helping those weeds too. I still haven't done anything about them, so I think it will have to be a job for this coming weekend.
The overgrown courgettes have been used just the same as smaller sized ones, Linda. I'm impressed with the yellow beans and will definitely grow them again. I hope your's do well for you.
Glad to hear that you had such a good holiday Jo and that the wet stuff kept at bay. Interested to hear your comments re Sonesta particularly the fact that they retain the colour when cooked. I am trying the dwarf bean 'Stanley' this year for the first time but have still to pick ~ soon I hope :) Good luck with the weeding.
ReplyDeleteI'm really impressed with Sonesta, Anna. I'll be growing it again next year and would recommend it. It's a bit depressing now that our holiday is over for another year. We don't usually go quite so early in the summer holidays.
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