Allotments 4 All

Last year I purchased 2 bulbs if Caulk Wight from the Garlic Farm. The bulbs were what I consider 'normal'  size ie what you would purchase from shop for culinary purposes. There were approx 8 cloves per bulb. These were duly planted late October on raised bed topdressed with half a grow bag and chicken pellets. The bed had never held garlic before. Previous year had been onions and cauliflowers. After a winter of total neglect the resultant growth was harvested on 27 July. 15 bulbs were lifted but surprisingly these appeared in size and flavour to elephant garlic which I would have been delighted with had I actually liked the stuff. Does anyone have any idea how 15/16 tiny cloves could have not only become-so huge but changed species?  Garlic Farm did suggest I left the bulbs in for too long and diluted the flavour which I have refuted as that would not have chaned the specie from the parent plant. Any ideas/theories greatly received.

Good luck.

And here are the Thelma Sanders.  Both male and female bulging and would open were it not for the wool tie. 

Male picked and opened.  Pollen grains are visible ready to handpollinate the female.

Female tied up again.  Both handpollinated Thelmas in the same photo. 

Thank you very much, Galina, for capturing so clearly the different stages of squash pollination for true seeds. That’s perfect.

And I’m very pleased you have Red Swan successfully growing. It’s always good to have some beans for later in the season.I sowed mine about as early as is reasonable (5th May) and they’re past being good to eat now. One observation is that they are not quick to dry down for seed.

My earliest bean by quite a long way, both to produce snap beans and then dry pods for seed has been Black Valentine, (thank you, Markfield Rover) which I grew as a semi-runner up a four foot support. I’ve been harvesting seed for a couple of weeks or so. Definitely a good and easy doer.

I hope nobody is sick of handpollinating squash photos.  But today there were a few good examples in the garden.  Unfortunately my photo skills are not always the best, but I hope you can all see what it is meant to show and have a go at handpollinating.  As it has been mentioned that matching flowers can be a bit tricky, here are a few.

The basics are that you handpollinate a female flower with the tiny embryo fruit underneath with a male.  You close both the evening before they are going to open naturally, to prevent them from opening.  The following day, pick off the male alltogether, bring it to the female.  Open both making sure no bees try to get to the flowers, pick off the petals of the male flower and brush it gently all around the centre of the female flower.  You can actually see the pollen grains in the male flower.  Afterwards close the female again and mark its stem, so that you know at harvest time which is the fruit with the pure seeds. 

I was lucky to have a corresponding Sweet Meat female and male, both ready to open tomorrow and also the same on Thelma Sanders.  Thelma also has two further females, but they are not yet ready for another day.  Their flowers are greener and not quite full size yet.  However there are no corresponding males on the plants for these two.  Too bad, no doubt the bees will help out with pollen from the courgettes, which are also species cucurbita pepo same as Thelma, and we will hopefully get fruit, but no chance for another handpollination with these two.