My first planting of runnerbeans are now in full cropping, I have two later plantings to follow on and these few were planted on July 27th hopefully to give a late crop in September. As there are only a few I am doing them in a wigwam rather than a row.

runner bean progress

This photo shows the progress of the last planting of runner beans back in July provided the weather stays reasonable we should get a crop from about mid September.

This last photo was taken on Sept.22nd when we returned from our annual weeks holiday so we have a good crop to look forward to.

We have had a good feed Sunday 27th September

Picked the last good feed on November 1st.

Starting begonia corms

lt is 2nd March and I am starting my begonia corms. With them having several growth buds you can if you want cut the corms so that each section has a growth on it and increase the number of plants. I do not like doing this as the cut area cannot form any roots, so you get a reduced root system and it is possible to attract fungal disease . As you will see I cover the corm with compost, this is so that any water collecting in the hollow that is often on the top of the corm will be absorbed and not lay to start rotting the corm but more important it means that all the corm can form roots giving a much better plant.

Now April 23rd they are growing and ready for potting up, at this stage you can take cuttings as in picture. I root them in a mixture 50% compost/50% perlite.

Begonia cutting rooted

The begonia cutting I took has now rooted and I have poted it up to grow on. By the winter it should form a nice new corm. I prefrer to do this rather than cut tubers up as yoy get a much better root system with a complete tuber .

A view inside my greenhouse on 1st August 2009 they are being fed twice a week with Phostrogen I have just watered them with Pravado against vine weevil.

Some of my begonias 2009

I grow Blackmore & Langdon begonias, they are expensive to buy but once you have one you can propagate by cuttings as I have shown.

Parsnips in container

As well as growing the carrots and potatoes in containers I am also trying some parsnips in an old kitchen refuse bin .

parsnips from container

We had the first few parsnips from the container today Sunday 23rd August. They are small but very tasty and are really only thinings which I can get out using a can of water to loosen them first.