This year growing vegetables seems to be more challenging. We've had warm weather which seemed a good thing (for Ireland high 60sF or low 70sF is warm), however as I grow from seed and grow organically I've had lots of problems with pests eating emerging seedling. After re-sowing seed 3 times or more, I finally have late crops that look good. In this bed: Turnip Milan Purple Top, Dwarf Bean Purple Queen, Lettuce Little Gem and Pak Choi. (Unfortunately the Pak Choi bolts very quickly and I've not had much success with it.)
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| Above: Courgette Tondo di Piacenza - a few days away from the garden and suddenly these round courgette can go from golf ball size to big melon size! Some courgette are now starting to get blossom rot / mildew (small once pictured at bottom) so they get picked off and discarded. |
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| Beetroot Boltardy and Beetroot Chioggia - they have been a great addition to summer salads (grated and with red wine vinegar). The round shapes look good, however, the pear shaped ones definitely wound't win a prize! Even with the challenges of growing veg, it's fun and worth it! |
Copyright: All words and photos are property of Kelli's Northern Ireland Garden.
Your veggies look real good. Will they have time to mature now before cold weather? I've never eaten raw beets, but with red wine vinegar they sound o.k. I love pickled beats...have the tried that?
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping things mature before we get frost. September is supposed to be good weather-wise and frost is likely to come in October. I think pickled beets would be good.
DeleteI agree with you that it has been a challenging year for growing veg. floods in the Spring; really hot and dry in July, really cold and wet in August. some amazing storms; hail; thunder and lightning; what else can happen?? Try pairing your beetroot with Balsamic vinegar and chopped chives...
ReplyDeleteBeetroot with Balsamic vinegar and chopped chives sounds like a good combo.
DeleteMy beetroot harvest has been non-existent this year but I have sown some late ones which have now popped through. The courgettes are slowing down now - that picture of yours almost looks like a melon.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if it is just me but each year seems to bring a fresh challenge and some nice surprises too though.
ReplyDeleteYour cold weather has moved here :) We haven't had so much rain and cold day in decades. I gave up growing Pak Choi because of it's early bolting. I've sown them for years and never got the chance to try them.
ReplyDeleteBeets always look so funny growing out of the ground like that. I have to fight the urge to stick them back in. My tomatoes had a horrible foliar disease and I'm waiting for the last ones to ripen before ripping them out. They look wretched. Your courgettes look wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThat's very well growing vegetables! Hope you have good harvest!
ReplyDeleteOf our beet row, we have 3. Not because of pests or disease, but because someone forgot that he had planted seeds when he cultivated ditches. We ate lots and lots of red beets when I was a kid. My favorite was boiled with lots of butter, salt and pepper. Mom always pickled and canned them. She said that they had to be pickled to can them. Not always my fav.
ReplyDeleteI envy you those beetroot, I had problems with germination this year and the one which did germinate hasn't grown very well so I'm left without. Still, there's always next year.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that vegetables do so well there where it's cool. How about warm weather veg like tomatoes and peppers, do they grow well for you?
ReplyDeleteHi Robin, we can grow tomato and peppers but they are best grown in a greenhouse or sun room. I have outdoor tomatoes growing and will get a small harvest.
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