Tag Archives: Squashes

Squashes

#NABLOPOMO: Indian Baby Pumpkin/Tinde

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My late Grandad liked tinde. Was one of his favourite foods, so at his wake, we had them. There were some left over, and we took them. A bit over ripe, but cookable. So ma, in her wisdom, decided to seed save.

Tinde, after much search engine-ing, translates to Indian Baby Pumpkin. A squash! A squash that we could possibly cultivate. I have yet to sown the conventional courgettes and squahes. Mum is one step ahead of me in her experiment. These were sown two weeks ago in moist compost pellets, that sit on a warm window sill. Ma has been watching daily for signs of growth.

Lo and behold, we have two squash babies coming through. We shall see, if they get any bigger and if we get any baby squashes.

Here’s hoping!

Squashes

Patty pan spaceship thingies

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Last year small pumpkins and patty pan courgettes were grown on the plot. Didn’t try this them this year. Firstly as the seeds failed, and second I wasn’t convinced about the small pumpkins and little gem squashes.

They all grew well, nestled amonst eight stalks of sweetcorn. The sweetcorn didn’t do so well. Grew tall, but the cobs weren’t that brilliant in the least.

So was I too quick to judge these squashes? I think I might try the space ship patty pan things again. Little gem didn’t quite have the flavour, and were beaten in the taste test by roasted sweet potatoes.

Will have to check the seed stasher and see what seeds i do have. The space ship shaped courgettes were certainly a good cropper. Except when you really don’t want to see another courgette.

construction, roses, success

Pods and pretty flowers

Bolting mooli pods are now waiting for us. Mooli seeds were sown, when the packet advised. However, the weather has sent them into a free for all. A tiny root, but wild foliage with flowers and pods forming. I remember these from my childhood, when they would form on a bolted mooli in the garden. We’d pluck them off and eat them like sweeties. They were potent, and firey. Crunchy, like radishes and with a kick. I think Ma even curried them at some point. Apparently, they are eaten with beer in Germany.

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Two Sisters and the rise of the triffids in the one bed. With the warm weather, this bed has burst into life. Has a few purple anemones bloom, but as you can see the foliage is now really quite strong. There are eight Incredible F1 Sweetcorn plants in there, with four squash plants. There would be nine sweetcorn plants, but one was a diddly little thing that didn’t quite thrive as it’s peer group did.  This is two sisters, rather than three as there is no Running beans in this formation.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=542900222426124&set=a.201843363198480.48643.186302798085870&type=1&theater

Making more of one’s beds, just won’t be lying in them. Two futher raised beds. This are altogether odd, with the spikes that need to be put into the ground. There for security, I know, but I will have to dig up the concrete like clay to sink them.  No, I didn’t construct them. Pops did. I asked for the drill, so that I could. Alas, pops took it onto himself to do the job to his exacting standards.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=542905822425564&set=a.201843363198480.48643.186302798085870&type=1&theater

Pascali rose  and Kestral potatos. There are nine roses on the plot, posh ones that is. Eight of them are in bloom. I think Ruby wedding is the only one of the ten that has failed to get any foliage. Still looks brown and sticky. That leaves one, the name fails me, that has died completely. I am anticipating, the one blue slash purple rose to bloom. Whilst I’ve been looking for a bona fide, blue, bloom. Blue moon is one concocted by scientists. Blue roses don’t exist by virtue of Mother Nature.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=542566072459539&set=a.201843363198480.48643.186302798085870&type=1&theater

The Christian Dior rose, has a lovely bright red bloom.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=539232816126198&set=pb.186302798085870.-2207520000.1373829003.&type=3&theater

And this one is harry wheatcroft apparently

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=536217093094437&set=pb.186302798085870.-2207520000.1373829003.&type=3&theater

The summer holidays will soon be upon us, and with that, there is plenty to do and to observe.

Yours in anticipation

Horticultural Hobbit

Planting out, Squashes

Out for the count

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All of the Squashes were planted out today. As were cucumbers. A couple of these were looking a bit ropey as I did so. The ghost rider was the ropiest of the squash. These were planted, with a small pot sunk next to to them; in addition there was a layer of mulch around them. With the exception of two, all were plugged into raised beds. The incredible sweetcorn was planted 3×3 in the raised bet, interplanted by way of experiment with trailing squash.

Running beans were also plugged in; scarlet emperor, painted lady and a handful of enorma.

Lots planted out. All in the lap of the Gods.

Yours in anticipation,

Horticultural hobbit