False Economy

[newboy74]

Despite my blight anxieties I have had a bountiful crop of spuds which continues. Sadly my OH opened a drawer today and said" if I had know it was going to be a success I wouldn't have bought these" revealing a large bag of supermarket spuds which she then put out for compost. This I found rather upsetting as it seems to have defeated the object of the exercise really. I have fished them out of the bin as they have sprouted beautifully and I have planted them in empty spaces around the garden. Is there any chance I can still get a harvest off them before it gets cold and does anyone have any advice? here's hoping for an indian summer.

Similarly my French beans are coming on strong now however we have just bought a large bag of beans from the supermarket for two pounds which is probably a lot more than i will harvest.

I have no doubt that my harvest is fresher, tastes better and is organic but the supermarket is hard to compete with despite rising prices. Nevertheless I have loved growing veg this year and have learnt a huge amount about natural relationships. especially between brassicas and white butterflies! - all help welcome

[rustylady]

I get really cross with my daughters when they buy salad, beans and potatoes from A**a at the moment. There's loads at the allotment - they only have to ask.

[Guykp57]

Think I know where your coming from Newboy, My OH doesn't,t mind me growing and reaping but classic female statement "I don't do dirty veg" my pickled beetroot wont be the same as bought kind..she doesn't do peas,beans,but it won't stop me enjoying my plot and I really enjoy eating what I pick..patience will be used and ill turn her round.

[newboy74]

I'm looking forward to teaching my students where food really comes from and the magic of growing your own. hope they are interested. I always thought it came pre-packed from the supermarket.

[Alison]

I just don't buy supermarket veg, find most of it bland and at this time of the year I'm harvesting more than we can eat so busy storing / preserving the surplus for the winter although even then I'll have fresh cabbage, carrots, swedes, parsnips etc

[newboy74]

Thanks for your sympathy. My OH is as natural as they come but hasn't got the veg growing bug yet. The freshness of the veg I have produced this year is starting to convince her though. Can't wait till next year already.

[newboy74]

Is there any hope for my newly planted supermarket spuds? is there anything special I can do to look after them at this late stage or are they doomed?

[Soylent Green]

Yeah my neighbour turned down my offer to give him some potatoes. He had seen me putting comfrey tea on my raised beds and decided that he wouldn't eat anything that was fed on stinky water. He wouldn't have a problem eating GMO veg though.

[Farmer_Gyles]

Is there any hope for my newly planted supermarket spuds? is there anything special I can do to look after them at this late stage or are they doomed?

normally you're looking at 14+ weeks for earlies, longer for maincrops .... if summer lasts, you could get lucky .... frosts will be bad so see if you can make DIY cloches for them, it'll give them a better chance ....

i'll be planting some 1st earlies in old compost sacks this weekend .... they'll live outside for a couple of months .... when the tomatoes in the greenhouse are finished, i'll have a quick clearout and put the sacks of spuds in the greenhouse so that I get spuds for Christmas .... just makes sense to make the most of the space I have available ....

[Farmer_Gyles]

I get really cross with my daughters when they buy salad, beans and potatoes from A**a at the moment. There's loads at the allotment - they only have to ask.

my 16 (nearly 17) year old son happily eats the veg we grow, but he is very reluctant to have anything to do with home growing .... none of his mates families grow anything, they all seem to do their shopping at tesco, so he thinks me and the missus are abnormal ....

[Two_Sheds]

Is there any chance I can still get a harvest off them

Well, more chance than if they're in the bin.

As I dig my crop up, I replant all my tiddlers (smaller than a gobstopper) and they grow on to give me lovely spuds the following year, a bit earlier than the ones I plant in March.

[Two_Sheds]

I just don't buy supermarket veg

Me neither.

Our meals are based on what is ready on the plot, not on what we 'fancy'. At the mo, spuds are eaten every day and the pasta/rice is left in the store cupboard.

With blackcurrant ice cream for pud ~ it's the only way OH will eat fruit, and my machine has paid for itself already

(free fruit + sugar + double cream bought at end of day, gives us a tub of luxury ice cream for about £1.20)

[Soylent Green]

I really do worry about people who don't grow their own or won't eat out of a garden plot. As I said in my post about eating everything out of the garden, even if it's not A* prefect. Most folk believe that unless it comes from a supermarket its somehow bad for you, brainwashing by the media I say!

I really got started in veg growing after watching a documentary called 'Food Inc' the film was about the industrialisation of food production, it was terrible! Horrendous animal wealth fare and GMO crops damaging the customers health. I'm always watching these kind of documentaries now as the mainstream media doesn't mention anything about food health in my opinion. If people had to do without supermarket food what would they do? It is quite possible that something could happen and just like Cuba during its 'Special Time' we would have to revert to home production of fruit and veg and ancient farming methods to survive. It just goes to show how very divorced the general population has become from understanding food and why we as individuals need to secure the knowledge of growing.

By the way if you haven't all already guessed I'm a raving Permaculture Militant and Homesteader that wants to spread the word! Good Food, Good Health, Less poverty.

[Two_Sheds]

I'm a raving Permaculture Militant and Homesteader that wants to spread the word! Good Food, Good Health, Less poverty.

Have you applied to be a Master Gardener yet?
It ticks all your boxes, going forward with blue sky thinking outside the box

[Soylent Green]

Hi Two Sheds,
I have only been here a few days so I haven't found my way around yet. So what is Master Gardener?