Allotments 4 All

I had an Ambrosia Red that was the wrong size, way larger than a cherry, which we ate and enjoyed, but did not continue with. 

And likewise very appreciative of several tomato varieties from the Seed Circle. In my case, Boxcar Willie, Silvery Fir Tree, Blue Beauty, Fruity Yellow, Borgo Celano, Ambrosia Rose UBX, Ron's Carbon Copy, Mango Lassi, Sunfired Flare.

Ambrosia Rose UBX was from the 2022 circle. I'm growing two plants. One has small cherry tomatoes and one larger slicing size. They both have the same smoky pink colour. I'm wondering whether anyone else has had a variation in size.

I always enjoy growing some potatoes from seed, so your tps from Pink Dog would be very welcome.

This year I'm growing on the potatoes I grew last year from your Pink Fir Apple x Inky Squid seed which was another Jayb cross. I called it Inky Fir Apple at first but I rather like the sound of inky Fir Squid. I had some very dark blue and some slightly lighter ones. They made surprisingly vigorous plants for their first year and I dug them up quite late by which time they had got a little chewed but yielded plenty of seed potatoes for this year. I'm looking forward to digging them up soon but of course the drought has affected all potatoes so the crop might be small. I'd like to keep it going though.

This would be another very interesting cross with Pink Fir Apple, valuable for its blight resistance. I believe Jayb also did one or two other crosses with Sarpo Kifli? 

And there are potatoes to dig up.  This time it was Pink Dog, bred by the originator of this seed circle, Jayb.  Pink Dog is doing well with really nice salad spuds and the harvest was big.  Most of the tubers are long, hinting at their ancestry of the famous salad potato, Pink Fir Apple.  Such a useful shape for slicing into 'pennies' for potato salad.  But occasionally we get crazy shapes, like one of the potatoes in the photo! 

Pink Fir Apple itself is not good with late blight, but Jayb managed to cross them with the very blight resistant Sarpo Kifli, and as a result her potatoes are doing well with late blight. 

However this year Pink Dog surprised me - it made berries for the first time.  This has never happened in all the years I have grown them.  Would you like some of these tps for the circle? 

The other photo is of one of the handpollinated buttercups. 

We have Galina, Auntie Madge, Ambrosia Gold, Bosque Bumblebee, Stupice (and Papa Gary, one I am developing) all picked in the last hour.  Thanks chaps for this seed circle bounty, (not all from last year).  Tomato salad tonight   

Quote from: JanG on August 14, 2025, 07:54:36One cuts up and roasts so easily for two or three people as an accompaniment for summer vegetables.

Your quote actually made me think of it for the circle, although Buttercup is a pretty standard commercial squash.  Different flavour and texture to Golden Marbre, very dry and quite sweet flesh, that goes well with other things.  Bakes and fries beautifully and stores well.  Some can turn quite colourful in storage, with a reddish hue that looks very decorative. 

I'd be very interested in seeds of 'Buttercup'. It's a squash variety which has eluded me for some time. Quite an old standard I believe. It's one of the parents of the landrace Juliev contributed last year.

Given the greater difficulty, at least for me, of hand pollinating Cucurbita in UK, your squash successes are particularly welcome, Galina.

And your Golden Marbre looks beautifully prolific.

Two of the Golden Marbre plants growing from the seeds of the mature one in the photo above.

Is anybody interested in Buttercup squash?  Got a couple of handpollinated ones and several more just for eating.  We normally cut these open after Christmas, as they keep so well, but these early handpollinated ones look pretty full sized now, so by the time the seed circle comes around, the seeds should be ready. 

Sorry

Galina, I have to admit I do rather like the racoons as I hand raised an orphan for the SPCA, Rosie, in the 80s and that softened me up. I see their cheeky little faces peeping at me from the grape arbor when the outside lights turn themselves on, they freeze but I can see them clear as day. There is usually a Mum with a couple of babies each year. We gave up on the pond because the ate the fish and pulled all the plants up now they drink from the fountain we put in it's place. I don't mind them eating the grapes but they leave so many on the floor which is right on the path to my front door. Lovable little brats.Fortunately the bears can't climb my fence and they would not freeze so all is well.

We had a wee bit of sun today not much but at least not rainy and cold so fingers crossed it will keep up. One of my squash plants has given up. one of the smaller ones  @ of the others are doing very well and one small one is hanging on. I picked the small one off the dried up plant, I will keep it and cure it and see if it is edible but I won't use the seeds from it.