I was recently given a courgette plant, which I had to reluctantly accept (cant stand the things🤮). Planted it in a raised box, keep it watered etc and it seems I haven’t killed it off yet. But how big is it going to get/does it spread out like melons do, and how many of the bloody things am I going to have to try to give away?
Pick them while they are still tiny, slice them thinly and put them in salads - much more interesting than cucumbers because they have a slight crunch.
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Apparently this makes them invisible.
Chocolate Courgette cake
120g butter (softened)
125ml sunflower oil
100g caster sugar
200g soft brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
130ml milk
350g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp cocoa
450g courgettes, peeled and grated finely
1 tsp vanilla
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Line a 20 x 35cm baking tray with baking paper and set the oven to 190ºC/350ºF.
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Mix the butter, oil and both sugars together until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, one at a time and then the milk until mixed thoroughly.
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Sift the dry ingredients together and fold into the mixture. Stir in grated and peeled courgettes, vanilla and spoon into tin. Bake for 35 -45 minutes
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PS Mark if that doesn’t work, I can send my slug round.
got enough of my own thanks, but even they don’t seem to like them either 
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OH makes this, possibly different recipe, and we have one on the go at the moment. She also puts a chocolate ganache on it for extra effect. We also make it for next door as 8 year old won’t eat vegetables, but will eat chocolate cake
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Hi
I am v excited as I now have 15 baby tomatoes! I should get a life I know! I am fed up of weeding my gravel. Roundup was brilliant until only the farmers were allowed to use it and continue to poison us I have tried vinegar but it only kills the tops not the roots. My area is far to large to clear, line, and re gravel. I am permanently bent double pulling out baby weeds! Any ideas?
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You can buy glyphosate from Spain on Amazon but it’s expensive.
Started picking raspberries today…9 to be precise
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@Wozza time to give up and pull them out I’m guessing?
Yep 
Yes ours have gone now. But had many happy times picking kilos of them. I still have bags of them in the freezer. I noticed this week several attempting a comeback. Will leave them and see if they come back rejuvenated
I knew you were going to say that! Worst garlic year ever! SO much rust! Oh well I can get the sweet potato in!!
I’ve picked 1/2 and left half as they seem so healthy inside I’m thinking if I can get even a bit of extra growth it will be worth it!!
Trying amaranth this year for greens, seeds and flowers. Hoping it works! Got the bed prepped and sown this morning.
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Anybody got any advice to share on nurturing young fruit trees, we’ve had mixed results, most die because we’ve not been at the house full time to look after them I guess, but that’s all about to change.
Most that have survived have hardly grown at all in almost a decade, the 3 or 4 that have grown never produce any fruit.
What fruit trees? Whereabouts in France are you?
Normandie, various types to be honest, last one to die was a plum tree, but others are apple, pear, plum all failed.
I lost the first lot of fruit trees I planted - they were mainly apricots. Our land is clay - should have asked you what soil you have - and I think I created a hole with solid sides like a bucket so when I watered the young tree its roots just sat in water that didn’t drain away and the roots rotted. I take much more care these days to break up the tree root ball a bit - so baby roots are pointing outwards and I make sure I break up the sides of the hole and put in plenty of well mixed soil / light compost (eg leaf mold) so the baby roots can get well established before they reach the clay.
If your soil is very light / sandy you may have the opposite problem that water is draining away too fast. Hot summers can play havoc, important to keep watering probably for a couple of years until they are well established.
All sorts of things can cause no fruit, not least late frost killing off the flowers. As you are now going to be there, perhaps you can keep an eye on that - maybe throw light gauze over them if a frost is due.
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I forgot apricot that’s another that failed, our soil is clay too and yes I think the hot summers and lack of water have played havoc.
We’ll see if some TLC can turn things around given time.
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Our Kiwi has set flowers for the first time, loads of them. It’s five years old and for the first 3 years it didn’t really grow much to the point we were thinking ‘whats the point ?’. Last year from early spring it had a massive growth spurt and more than trebled in size. This spring it’s continued and now is about 2.5m tall and supported by two steel arches I put in early last year. Don’t know much about kiwis but I’m told it will fruit later in the year. I stopped counting at 50 flowers and there may be up to 100.
Anyone know anything about kiwis (the fruit !) or have one ?
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