So many questions, so little time!

[daisymay]

Hi everyone,

sorry to lump this lot together but as any of you who have children will appreciate - Beth is 5 weeks old now so I have to be very creative with the little free time I do get in the day! Quite a few things puzzling me at the moment I am sure you can all help me with:

1. Aubergine Calliope - how do I tell they are ready? The biggest one I have is about 3 inches long and about 2 inches wide. The top is purple merging down to a white base. I sillily (is that a word?!) through the packet away - DOH!

2. Greenhouse Tomatoes - not going red - should I be worried yet? I have been littering the greenhouse with banana skins as I heard this is meant to help.

3. Mini-corn - new one on me, got it from the seed parcel that was going round. How do I tell it is ready to go? cobs have formed and have tassles and the bit of the top is out too?

4. Peppers Sweet Banana - also again, how do I tell when I can pick them if I want to use them green, is it just a case of picking them as and when? I picked one last night and the flesh was very thin.

5. Parsnips -  sowed them on 8th Aprill, I rooted around in the soil and the tops of these look like they are huge, but the other thread suggests leaving them to the first frost - is this for later sowings normally? will they not get too big and spoil if I leave them that long (though first frost could be next week with this bloomin' weather!!)

thanks guys..... she has just woken up so best rush!

DM x

[daisymay]

[tim]

CALLIOPE? - "matures at 4". But pick earlier than later.

TOMS? - forget the Banana hassle - they'll ripen. One of our varieties - Nepal - is green all the way up. And if they don't, Fried Green Toms!!
And if not, put in a box & they'll progressively ripen indoors.

[OllieC]

Minicorn - mine are perfect when the tassles turn purple.
Parsnips won't go woody until the start regrowing next year! Or just eat them now! I claim to wait until the first frost, but I did have a sneaky one a few weeks ago... yum yum. By the time I pulled some of mine up last Feb, most had been hollowed out by mice.

[saddad]

Aubergines and Peppers... ready as soon as big enough. Peppers can be left on the plant to get bigger/turn red.. Aubergines best picked before they go dull (loose the shine on the skin)...
Hope Beth isn't giving you too much run around...
;D

[Mrs Ava]

Mini sweetcorn I pick as soon as I see the silks, I do not wait for them to dry.  The smaller they are, the tenderer they are.  Tomatoes, I have only picked a bowlfull so far, indian summer expected soon.