We've had some very heavy rain these few days and I haven't managed to get any decent photos of my garden until today. I wanted to do my LUT Garden Report before I go away to HiveFest next week.
Chinese Cabbage Mustard Green
I've been looking forward to my Chinese cabbages growing this month. Despite the slugs eating a lot of my produce, the Chinese cabbage have done very well. As they grew, I noticed they didn't look like Chinese cabbage, and they had prickly hair on they leaves. I picked a few leaves and blanched them and they tasted more like mustard greens. This was confirmed by google afterwards 🙃 That's annoying! But it's ok, it's still edible, in fact the few leaves that I blanched tasted really nice, maybe coz it's from my own garden.
A week later I noticed caterpillars had started to invade my garden and they were pooing and laying eggs all over my plants. The mustard greens had grown quite tall and when I peeked inside, it was full of green eggs. Ewwww!!! 🤢 It looked horrible. Although I was very proud of their progress, the sight put me off from eating them so I decided to discard them. It was sad to let them go, but at least I know how to grow them next year.
Purple beans
This is a much happier story. In my previous LUT Garden Report I mentioned my broad beans plant suddenly started to grow again after laying dormant for 2 months. On the 18th August it was smaller than my hand. Today, less than 3 weeks later, it is still quite short, probably about twice the height of my hand and it has 3 full grown purple beans and more on its way!!
Pumpkin and beans
Talking of beans, I was given two broad bean seedlings this month. They are the two on the right in this photo taken 3 weeks ago. I have sprayed neem oil on them, and all my other veggies, but the slugs have still been nibbling away. This week we've had a lot of rain and suddenly they've grown a lot in the past couple of days. Not sure if they will produce beans.
I was also given a couple of pumpkin plants. One didn't make it, and one is still thriving. This little baby was 4 weeks ago.
And this is from today. It's starting to grow a lot of flowers, who knows, maybe I can enter the Hive Pumpkin World Championship organised by @hive-world-champ after all. I still have time till the winners are announced at the end of October
Wolfberry
I'm very happy with the progress of my wolfberry plants. They've done very well this month, you can see how much they've grown. I think I can harvest my first batch next week by cutting some stems. That will help them to regrow and become more busher.
Bak choi
I'm still trying to grow some bak choi because the bugs keeps on eating them all. I've decided to keep them under a net now but I noticed it's not 100% foolproof as I can still see some flies inside. At least the bok choi seems a lot healthier than when they were uncovered. You'll notice I've set up an irrigation system that runs along the entire raised bed. I won't have to worry about my plants when I go away to HiveFest next week.
Tomato
And finally my tomatoes. They didn't produce much fruit till last month, I think that's quite late in the season. We're at the end of the summer now and I don't know how much longer it will take for the tomatoes to ripen. I've cut off a lot of the leaves and the top part of the plant so the energy will concentrate on growing the tomatoes.
Likewise for my four other younger tomato plants. There are only a handful of tomatoes here, I doubt they will come to fruition. If not, I will be quite satisfied to know at least they didn't die under my watch.
LUT Garden Report #9 will follow next month. It will be interesting to see the progress with me being away for two weeks.
I remember a while ago @riverflows made me a garden journal footer and I been meaning to dig it out to use on my LUT Garden Report. Finding content on Hive is not the easiest. I finally found it today. It was from three years ago!! Back then I had the same problem with growing healthy bok choi as I do today, guess some things never change 😄
The caterpillar eggs do sound gross. Hard to stop such things though. Nature is relentless 😅
It's nice that some things worked out though. Tomatoes look great. Cutting off the top is a smart idea. I've never tried that
It doesn't kill it, so very safe to prune it back, especially the leaves if it's blocking the sun in front of the tomatoes.
How's your new place going? All settled down now?
It's a good tip for sure. I'll remember that for when I give tomato growing another go.
Things are good. Everything is settled down. There are still a lot of smaller projects on the go that I pick away at myself on weekends. I'm painting the exterior of the house now which is taking an extra long time because I hated the color I originally chose and redid the whole thing a different color. 😅
Duh!! It will grow on you!!! You have too much time on your hands 😄
Its true that things grow on you but I'm much more satisfied with the new color. Lol
Ohh but how beautiful is everything you show here, you have a good crop with a variety of plants, it looks so nice, organized and clean that I feel a little envious and ashamed, I don't have enough time to create something so nice.
It made me laugh that the leaves you ate were not the ones you expected, thank goodness google always helps us out.
You have a good hand for sowing.
Your final comment is also very funny, so much looking for the old post to realise that some things never change, next year you will make it for sure.
I wish you a pleasant trip and the best vibes and good times at the hivefest, I say hello to all our acquaintances hehehehe.
@livinguktaiwan 😘
I didn't realise it was 3 years ago, how quick time goes by!
I guess you'll be seeing quite a lot of posts about Hivefest next week, or at least I hope there will be a lot
The first image, in my opinion, it is "bitter" mustard greens, not general mustard greens. So, That's really bitter in taste. We usually eat bitter mustard greens with spicy chili sauce to serve rice to reduce the bitter taste.
Hope you can see the bak choy can be harvest. In my back garden, similar with you, the bugs attacks always. So, for now I never grow green leaf in back garden.
I thought the position is big role to avoid bugs. Also, in the future, you can start to plant flowers like marigolds to attarct bugs.
Marigold is definitely on my list of plants next year, hopefully but will help. The bugs here seems very strong, I've seen the bugs climb into my spring onions, I would have thought they don't like spring onions.
The cabbage >> greens thing was quite annoying, they shouldn't be selling you some other seeds, that's quite dangerous and unprofessional. Have to make sure I buy my seeds from a reputable source in future
I've talked to a lot of people who often have bugs and worms get into their leafy greens. That is part of the reason that I have avoided trying to grow them myself up to this point. That stinks that they just can't mind their own business and leave your stuff alone!
The biggest problem was the mustard greens had grown quite tall and was a perfect breeding ground for laying eggs. I'll have to reconsider whether I grow them again next year. I do like my greens though 😔
There is something quite special and tasty about greens!
The garden looks like you put a lot of care into it. It is too bad the bugs and slugs are making a meal of them instead of you. The irrogation system you set up for your bak choi is neat looking. I do wish you better luck and a fine harvest.
Thanks @coinjoe. This has been a great learning season for me, upwards and onwards for next year
My mom has the same issue with her snow cabbage, the bugs aren't helpful.. We harvested them and would replant again.. probably need to change the soil too..
Maybe I have to cover them next year,and yes, adding more soil, hopefully that will help
Ours aren't on raised beds, but pots haha..can't cover the entire place
Wow, your garden looks nice. I haven't tried to grow one of my own yet, but it's in the plans. My family back in the US is always complaining about the bugs (and squirrels) eating what they grow in their gardens.
Luckily we have no little animals coz we're quite urban (hope I don't jinx it now 😅)
I loved this growth report, and of course, in the end the rain and slugs take their toll, whoever is on watch can do little about them. I send you my best wishes with the garden, and I hope those tomatoes take colour soon! They look great! Regards
Yeah, it's a battle with nature, there's a limit in what we can do there. We're getting less sun now, hopefully they will turn red sometime, otherwise I don't know what I can do with so many green tomatoes
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I am totally impressed with your garden. Baby caterpillars and all! 😄
No!! No caterpillars 😫 Or slugs. Otherwise I'm fine with everything else
Your garden seems to be doing very well. I'm particularly interested in the veins of the mustard greens. At first I thought it was a lettuce, I won't lie, but then a little research clarified everything xd
Tomatoes I think grow well, but It is sad how the insects attack your plant, It's a great move you pull it out rather than infecting all your plants.
Whats Wolfsberry?
I had purple beans once, they locked great, but after cookings became Green with not much taste 🤷♀️
Haha Always knew you have to step in challenge 😘 I still go for it as "crazyest Mini pumpkin harvest Project ever" 😅💖😘
Wolfberry is part of the goji berry family, the leaves are high in iron and we normally use the leaves to make soup. I just harvested for the first time and made a soup with eggs for lunch.
I might enter the phantom pumpkin category 😄
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I am very pleased that you are taking part in the first Hive World Championship.
Your garden looks interesting. I wish you much success.
Thanks @hive-world-champ , I'm not sure what if anything I hvi to enter yet , got quite a few budding flowers so far
Wow your garden is looking great. I am getting ready to plant mine soon! In Arizona we have 2 growing seasons, the fall and spring.
It's great you can pretty much grow all year round Sara, and I imagine grow so much variety as well
How have you been recently? Busy in real and your studys? Are you still doing the course at Cambridge?
Hi Pauline, Doing good. Missing the fact that I am not in Croatia. Scotty sent a video of him Sergio and Andrea. So fun. I finished the Cambridge program and in October I am going to start a Blown glass class at the community center. Super excited. You know how much I love Chihuly and blown glass. I am seriously considering traveling to England in April for an event for the program I did at Cambridge. It would be so fun to hang out with you in your home country! Right now I want to see the art in London, especially the National Gallery, go to Kew Garden and spend some time at the Henry Moore Studio and Gardens on my way to Cambridge. How is Hive Fest?
Sometimes insects can be annoying when trying to grow organically. I found putting the netting on as soon as I plane the bed has helped tremendously.