Tomatoes, Beans and Strawberries

Tomatoes, Beans and Strawberries

I was talking in my last blog about looking after tomato plants. Pinch out the side shoots as shown in the photograph,  if they are NOT 'bush' tomatoes. Keep looking for these side shoots - they will regrow and will develop as the plant grows. If you haven’t bought them from a garden centre you might find that you can think of planting them‘out’ in your greenhouse or polytunnel now. I’d be a bit wary still of planting them outdoors in case of late frosts. A fellow plot holder bought a few really nice, really strong potted tomatoes in a garden centre two or three weeks ago. Since he couldn’t put them out at the time, they have now become very overgrown and 'leggy'.

Now the broad beans are coming close to harvesting, young sweet and tender – I’ll maybe give them a few more days. They have managed to outgrow their very miserable appearance after the harsh winter. I didn’t sow any broadbeans in spring this year, only last autumn. I have found that the spring sown ones, coming ready about three or four weeks after the autumn ones are very prone to black fly attack, in spite of pinching out their growing tips. I could spray them with something nasty, I suppose but, I really don’t want to do that. In any case, other vegetables are ready to eat so they are not so essential to fill in the ‘hungry gap’.

Try this very tasty recipe given to me by a fellow plot holder which he had discovered in The Cook’s Guide to Vegetables and recommended it:

Broad Beans à la Paysanne

15ml Olive oil -                                      Heat in a saucepan.

1 onion – finely chopped                        Fry onion and ham until soft.

75 gm ham – lean, thick and finely diced     

350gm broad beans – shelled               Add the beans and lettuce.

2 Little gem lettuce – chopped .Cover and cook gently for 6 – 8 mins, stir occasionally.
75 ml stock – chicken or vegetable Stir in the stock, cream and seasoning and cook over a verylow heat for 20 - 30 mins, stirring occasionally, taking care not to break up the beans. 

50 ml single cream                                         

Salt and freshly ground black pepper    
Sprigs of fresh mint or chervil               

                                 Turn into a warmed serving dish and garnish. Serve with grilled meat or an omelette or as a lunch dish with crusty bread.

Notes: For a stronger flavour try smoked bacon or ham.

For a lighter dish, replace the cream with crème fraiche.

Runner beans and French Beans

Following advice from a well known TV gardener a couple of years ago, I no longer sow my beans straight into the ground – then wonder what happened to cause the abysmal germination rate of my beans. Now I ‘chit’ or sprout them first, over wet paper for a few days, until they start to sprout. Then, pot them up in 6 – 7 cm pots until they produce strong little plants. When all risk of frost has passed you can plant them out. (risk of frost is something you must gauge for yourself depending on where you live) this year, as soon as it had rained enough for the ground to be workable I put them all out. I know there is still a possibility of a late frost but now, I’m prepared to take that risk. In fact, last year I put my runner beans out at the beginning of May.

Runner beans and climbing French beans must have a strong wind proof frame to grow up – this can be as a tepee shape or as long crossed rows. Remember, when the beans grow up they will create quite a solid shape for the wind to meet and knock over.

I love runner beans, young and fresh they are probably my favourites but, they can grow past the young and fresh stage fairly quickly and become old and tough. When ready – what you can’t eat yourself, sell or give away – pick. Pick every day or every 2 days and if necessary put in the compost. Once you allow the beans to mature the plants will stop producing.

That said, each year I await with some impatience, the start of the runner beans but I really do get tired of them by the end of July. I did try freezing them last year. They were horrible. Best to eat them when they are fresh and enjoy then, await with impatience the bean crop next year.

French beans (kidney, flageolet and haricot) give a wonderful variety which can be climbing or dwarf (don’t need climbing frames). They can give you tasty young beans you can eat early in the season, pods and all, or even just pods as in the green French beans and ‘fine’ beans you see imported to our super markets. The pods can be a range of green shades or purple(though, in fairness, the purple ones are green when cooked). All, when picked young and fresh are delicious – don’t overcook them. Some varieties are excellent for drying and storing for the winter(or even for seed for next year – though, they are promiscuous, they will cross pollinate). My favourites are Borlotto(beige with red splotches) – can be climbing or dwarf – and Yinyang or Orca beans(very clear black and white in a yinyang design – how very pretty). I started with them a few years ago when my daughter bought a packet or them from somewhere – she gave me half – half of which germinated. I saved all of the beans for seed. The following year, I was able to use half, give some to other keen bean growers and keep some for seed. Don’t sow them too early – end of May- early June is good. More on this later.

Strawberries  Do keep a lookout for ripening strawberries. They are turning red now. I found a small ‘bunch’ ready on my plot. Unfortunately, so had the birds.  I do understand if you must net the crop when you only have a small patch but, please! keep the net high off the plants and leave an escape hole. Birds, especially blackbirds will find a way in but, if the net is high they are less likely to get their feet caught in the net and die a most distressing death or become prey for some larger bird or a cat. It is irritating when they take a peck out of every strawberry trying to find the sweetest but, life is harsher for them than for us.

The one strawberry I did get this morning which had not been attacked by birds or slugs was DELICIOUS! Roll on the strawberry season!