Wow Meg, that’s a lot for first pickings, what size of row do you plant? We tend to start picking when there are enough for a meal, I don’t think we could wait that long if some were ready…
I haven’t heard of that variety, but I know what you mean about some of the newer varieties having very little flavour, they seem to be bred for quantity and texture rather than taste, which seems ridiculous to me…
This year I am trialling an experimental variety from Thompson and Morgan known only as EXP5, which Mrs PM had sent to her amongst a batch of new variety flowers and veg as part of their customer evaluation program. We are hoping to have our first taste of them tomorrow and we will have to make a report to T&M on all aspects of their growth, yield, taste etc at the end of September, so we’re hoping they taste as good as they look…
Hi Barry I started picking a week ago and have had about 7lb so far off 18 canes half of which are next to a fence and don’t really produce many beans but act as a support.
This was not my first choice of variety, I grow for taste not quantity. I always start my beans off early indoors then plant out protected by plastic mugs. This year the first lot I started off in the house were ready to go out but the weather wasn’t suitable so disposed of them and planted a second lot of seeds purchased from the local garden centre. Big mistake.
It looks as thought these will crop heavily over a very short period of time so lots at once then none. Still at least I have some beans, my sister in Derbyshire has practical none, the slugs got all the plants.
My tomatoes are still a disaster…this is a first for us. My grandaughter mentioned yesterday, that last year she remembers picking the yellow coloured toms for us but eating as many as she put in the trug.
My runner beans have suddenly got bunches of beans and the flavour is good, even raw. Can’t remember which variety Tomorrow I’ll be picking them for the table and freezer (I’ll weigh them too)
Janela I wish you could remember the variety of beans , mine taste horrid raw and of not much at all when cooked (I steam them ). I am still picking lots but they will be over very quickly.
What a shame about your tomatoes. My one tomato plant by the kitchen door which I feed weekly has turned into a huge tree and is trying to gain access to the kitchen . There are quite a few tomatoes on there but if they ever ripen is a different matter. I am expecting them to split or drop off :roll:
Oh dear, I meant to look up the variety of beans Meg …I’ll do it tomorrow.
I have about six or seven tomato plants and they are no more than a foot high! They have a couple of toms on each, but they are small. We normally put canes in to support them.:surprised: All we can think is the rain, getting them in late and no sun. If we had known, we’d have grown them in the greenhouse.
My first real picking of beans today, we had 1lb 1oz and by Sunday there should be the same again. We have 18 canes.
My sweet peppers, grown from seed, are no more than 8 inches but they are flowering and I can see the peppers starting.
I do so love this time of year.
I put in two varieties of beans…Mr.Fothergill’s Enorma which are quite long but not doing as well as Marshalls Firestorm which are self pollinating and supposedly stringless…this is the one I’ve been picking and shoving in my gob as I go by. seems to be a good flavour raw, I’ve not cooked any yet.
I usually blanche mine too, never thought of freezing them without. I’ll try a few without blanching though.
Do you salt the water?
Enorma is quite a popular variety , I have never heard of Firestorm . I am going back to the old varieties next year , the ones I grew 2 years ago were good but I can’t remember the name.
I don’t use salt Janela
I must admit to never having eaten runner beans raw although I have been known to try most things, so I will have to give it a go tomorrow and let you know how it goes. We had some of our runners with lunch today, but like I have already said they didn’t seem to have much flavour. I do believe the modern varieties are bred more for yield and texture at the expense of taste…
Picked 2 lb of beans yesterday. There are loads more, from 2" to ready to pick size. They have loads of flowers too Looked at the toms again, tonight. They are growing and have turned a healthy green:shock:
I put the growth down to weekly feeding :-).
I cut some off it this morning just before the horrendous weather set in, we have strong wind and torrential rain and I had visions of half the stems being broken off.
I’m still picking about half lb of beans daily. My tomato plants are getting a gallop on :shock: gone a lovely dark green and there are a few flowers :shock: Chillie peppers have several large fruits but the sweet peppers which set tiny fruits a few weeks ago haven’t moved
I put some ‘cut and come again’ lettuce in troughs, with radish and spring onion. They were coming along nicely, then the bl**dy squirrel dug them all up :twisted:
Peppers are one of the things going well for me Jan, sweet peppers have big fruits and are turning red, with two varieties of chillie peppers fruiting really well and one plant just starting to turn colour, really pleased with them…
My spring onions are just about OK Maverick, but my carrot crop was destroyed by carrot root fly…:shock:
My beans are doing rather well Meg but only managing two meals a week from 6 plants, and the couple of cherry tomatoes that I managed to grow were tart with thick skins…the plants are now being composted as we speak…
Tomorrow I’ll be picking them for the table and freezer (I’ll weigh them too) 
seems to be a good flavour raw, I’ve not cooked any yet.
Looked at the toms again, tonight. They are growing and have turned a healthy green:shock:
