This is really useful when trying to be as self sufficient as possible all year. The squash are a better known harvest for winter but the beans are another great way of spreading harvests across the year, thanks once again for such a simple but useful method.
I absolutely LOVE ur videos Charles! I rush over like a giddy school kid whenever I see you have uploaded a new one. Thank you for taking the time to share!
Very informative videos -I love all the good advice! I usually watch them when I come when I come home after a stressful day. They are very calming and the ideas build up to the weekend when I spend hours and hours implementing all the great advice in my garden. A perfect solution for a mother to get some me time here and there!
Thanks for the information, more tools to help me feed myself. A beautiful garden and the promise of delicious meals through the winter.....you are an inspiration.
I am definitely going to try this with some beans next year, I use a lot of dried beans all year long and this is just a brilliant idea! Thank you for sharing😀
Squash are my favorite crop, so simple to grow, and so easy to store. We get some that will keep into early summer, though they do get hard to cut open, lol
Nearly half way through July I still have three of last year's butternuts and they've just got better and better in terms of eating quality. I wish I knew what I did right!
I had to eat green beans and mashed potatoes & gravy every day of my life until I left home. I hated them and swore I would never eat them again. 40 years later and I can't get enough of them...I love them...funny how that works :) I once stowed a butternut squash in a dark cabinet in early October. I left it till the first day of summer in June then, the wife and I had it with dinner. It was completely fine, I was impressed. We did live in a very dry climate at the time ( Nevada ), but even so, it proved the keeping quality of a good winter squash. Great looking garden....thanks for the video :)
When I get fed up with eating, picking, and freezing beans I leave them all for dried beans. Some for next year's seeds, of course, but primarily for cooking. Although Borlotti are the best bean I've grown specifically for drying I have used and thoroughly enjoyed all of them
Just want to say that I always learn something watching your videos. This year I left the purple podded green beans I grew go past the green bean stage to dry because I'd planted them such that I still had a hard time finding them. But from you I learned to grow a bean (like the Czar) that has a large pod and large dry beans. It makes more food from the same square footage as the smaller bean, so it just makes sense to grow a large bean! I'd figured that out for my carrots (don't bother with small ones, just grow larger ones) but I don't know why it didn't occur to me for the beans, so thanks for that! Next January when I'm poring over seed catalogues, I'll be checking on the size of the produce in addition to looking for short season varieties.
I love to add beans to stews and casseroles I grew a few but not nearly enough, next year I must grow more. It was lovely to see your winter squash they really are stunning thank you
Those Kuri squash look very appetizing and easy to find under the green leaves. I generally grow many varieties and have to snip off the end of the vines by mid-September due to early Autumns in northern U.S. The Blue Hubbard came as quite a surprise my first year. Weighing in an average of 15 pounds each, I'm thankful they store for many months. They were MUCH larger than I envisioned when planting those seeds. :-)
Jean that is an impressive weight. Yes the Kuri are convenient, and this year we harvested late August to plant spinach, so a second crop thanks to their early ripening.
When I was a kid my dad would get us kids a needle and string. Get the excess green beans and we would string them up. Let dry. In winter when we cooked the dried green beans we called them leather britches.
This is such a great help. I'm moving to a cold place in Australia from the coast and I've been worried about a winter crop. I'm already sowing too many beans so I might do just that, leave a bunch to dry. Thanks for another great video; by far my favourite clips, you really do this in such an enjoyable way. Side note: you should read audio books! You would have a great voice for it 😊
*addition, not alternative. Where will I go for my garden knowledge if you're off reading self-help books full-time? Haha. I love what you do and you've changed my practices for the better. Thanks again and keep doing what you're doing, please!
We have a medium sized garden and when I started growing veg a few years back we opted for the no dig, following a lot of Charles’s tips. We don’t have lots of time to spend gardening yet no dig keeps our soil healthy and allows both plants and wildlife to thrive. I can highly recommend it and your back will thank you for it too! We finally got rid of the last bit of our tired lawn this year by covering with cardboard, piling lots of compost, soil and leaf mould on top, then planting into the top and have been rewarded with a bumper bed of squashes, kale, sunflowers, zinna, echinacea...the bed is thriving and looks amazing to boot. All that prep must have worked as I haven’t fed the bed at all this year. Nature (and Charles) knows best!
Please cover growing carrots, celery, and fennel 😁 I have been binging on your videos. Have the Lettuce/Salad book, noticed you mentioned moon planting ... that would be interesting to cover as well. Thank you for sharing your wisdom!
@@CharlesDowding1nodig thank you for taking the time to respond and taking my request into consideration. 🤗 You are absolutely correct, keeps the mind and body busy 😁 Love all the experiments you conduct, thank you for sharing those with us.
Hi Charles, I love your videos. You are really charming and one can see the happiness in your face when you talk about your garden and all the delicious greens which are growing there. Just wanted to say Thanks for your amazing work! Greetings from Germany.
I love your presentations, very pleasant. Your garden is lovely. This is my first year growing..I'm grinding out in the yard clearing, planning, dreaming. My goal is a seven layer food forest. I have had many failures and a couple successes. Your grow is inspiring very much so. What do you do with soil prep, I am told nought to feed your plants but to focus on feeding your soil..makes so much sense. I live in Northern Caifornia up in the mountains. Looking at your design gives me some ideas. I thank you you so very much for sharing your garden and tips..
Thanks Jennifer. Yes feed the soil (actually the soil organisms) makes life easier, simply that, whatever you grow. Check this video for more on that & clearing weeds ua-cam.com/video/Mmv2zGfhG8w/v-deo.html I would go for 3-5 layers at first, at your latitude, it's still a lot.
I like your idea of a wigwam. Its gets windy here in SE of South Australia. Going to plant lots so I have plenty over winter too! Now. I'll just have to grow some bamboo for stakes. . . .
I love Borlotti beans but have never tasted fresh ones, i.e. only tinned. I don't have much space but I'm going to try these next year. Thanks, Charles :-)
Always a pleasure to watch your channel Charles! I’ve Red Kuri seeds coming in the mail soon based on this episode. I’m very eager for spring to arrive in Australia so I can start them off! Do you grow pumpkins Charles? I’d love to see an episode on them, they are one of my favourite things in the garden 💚🌱💚
Impressive how many squash are on the plants. Is there something in managing or handling the plants you do that make them grow more squashes, somthing like pruning? Or is it just depending on species?
I am doing what you're doing I also chop and drop everything from Weeds to grass clippings. But I am having a Time with all these Vines and weeds and it all started roughly about three years ago when I brought in the wood chips.
Charles Dowding no kidding but it's not a problem that cannot be resolved. The soil has greatly improved is just I'm using a technique that is allowing the weeds to thrive.
I have a comment and a question. Comment. - After watching several of your videos with me while folding laundry, my son has asked for a little vegetable garden of his own to grow. So we spent some time this afternoon planning out a bed (4 ft wide by 18 ft long. Standard bed in my garden) for him to grow whatever he wants in. He picked tomatoes, collards, kale, turnips, pole beans, spinach, onions, and some scattered flowers. So he's not going to have much of any one thing, but he wants to grow it all! I thought you would appreciate knowing that not only have you helped me to *hopefully* become a better gardener, but you're videos are sparking an enthusiasm for gardening in my nine year old as well. My question is about different varieties of squash. I have only ever eaten pumpkin and butternut squash. I would like to branch out, but garden space is limited (especially now that I have given over one of my garden beds to my son) and I want to grow something my family will enjoy. Any recommendations? My children love my pumpkin custards, and, in the manner of all children, the sweeter the better.
Ah thanks Kassandra for such lovely feedback. I wish him an exciting time of discovery. And your gesture is generous - my favourite-flavoured squash is Crown Price, flat, round and grey, you call it a different name, fruits of 6-10lb and a rambling plant. There are some sitting on the windowsill here, even until May, a great delicacy, dense and sweet.
I could not find Crown Prince anywhere in the US. I was able to find a couple that look rather interesting, so I am going to be trying Red Kuri, which sounds very tasty, and sticking with my favorite small pie pumpkins. Though my children have both insisted on a small pumpkin patch for larger Jack-o-lantern pumpkins. After weeks of searching, I finally found some broad beans. The only ones I could get my hands on were Broad Windsor. I've never grown broad beans before, so I hope those are a decent one. I know they have different growth times, so this shouldn't be an issue, but will they cross pollinate with bush or pole beans?
I had the most amazing piece of luck last year. I was filling a bed in my polytunnel with soil and got some from a customer who was digging out a raised bed to replace it with a greenhouse. Come the spring I was inundated with self seeded squash plants. I had no clue as to the variety but figured they would be worth keeping. I transplanted some to the garden and allotment and some to friends and left some in the polytunnel. They were those blue prince ones you showed at the beginning. I am now saving seeds for next year. They are great if you get the small ones, cut the top off and scoop out the seed, add butter garlick and whatever and bake for an hour or so. Mush it all up with a fork or spoon and eat it straight out of the skin, saves on the washing up. Any recipes for runner bean seed purée? I just can’t eat beans whole, when I was at Uni, I was looking for a hypnotist who could hypnotise me into liking baked beans cos they were so cheap 😂
Beautiful squashes and beans. I grew my winter beans up corn stalks and surrounded the patch with winter squashes. Unfortunately my goats got to harvest most of it before I did.
@@CharlesDowding1nodig The goats have been re-homed and my copy of How to Create a New Vegetable Garden just arrived. All signs point to a better harvest next year.
hi. Charles another nice video I miss the name of the spinach what is the name of then .thank you got the beans seed .can't wait for this year your are the best teacher ever love it all .
I sure hope you would travel to Tasmania to teach a few of us here. Over here is somewhat like England weather and I am wondering if I could try your 'Garden Vegetables Diary' book ( certainly, I need to do a little reversal or advancement in the months - seasons on the calendar) I live by the Southern Coastal part of Tasmania - closer to Antartica if you may think. The ocean kind of warms up the coast a little more than the inland. (generally)
Hi Kelly and it sounds like my Diary book will work for you, with the 6 month switch. Your climate fascinates me, stronger sun but no gulf stream. We are 51N and the warm ocean is what makes our season so long.
Good morning Charles, how did you build the bean structures? We suffer from strong winds here, South Sardinia, and these structures must be strongly firm in the soil otherwise they will be blown away by the first mistral. Is there any video in which you show this? Thank you! Tiziana
Charles thanks for anther nice video. This year i go and try the Czar beans. I read that the seed were given by a Czar to England as a gift. Very difficult to buy this seeds in The Netherlands. So i ordered them in England. Yesterday got them by mail by D.T Brown. I hope i get a good crop of them.
Hello Charles, last question this week I swear. I just ate my first winter squash (Acorn Table queen), and a new passion-obession is born. Unfortunately I live in zone 4a and i'm limited in varieties of true winter squashes I can grow here. I was reading that winter squashes are fragile to transplantation, to avoid starting them indoor. In this video you say that you are starting them under-cover, so its beneficial to do that for people like me and you who live in colder climate right? Thank you sir! Sorry for the numerous questions.
Fantastic you managed that in 4A. I'm actually glad you asked because what you read is completely wrong. Utterly mistaken, and I find it so frustrating that people write this rubbish, based on what?! I have always transplanted squash, zucchini, cucumbers and they do fine. You're right that in a cool climate which includes here, you need to do it, otherwise there is no harvest.
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Absolutely amazing news! Thank you. Yes, very frustrating to read misinformation on internet. Its actually the reason why so many new gardeners give up on gardening I think. Thank you again!
Hi Charles when you harvest all those beans and squash and are left with all the green waste, is it not a lot to try compost so close to winter, wont it take longer to break down as temperature is dropping soon. sorry lots of green waste and noting to add to it.Great video as usual.Thanks Jimmy.
For squash it's less than it looks, may leaves already decomposed and hollow stems. For the beans we run the lawnmower over stems and leaves, result is again not so much and they decompose well.
Does the dried beans method work for any runner beans? I usually grow hestia and firestorm and we never seem to get through all the pods during the summer! They are very large beans so I assume would take quite a lot of boiling - would that work?
Great tips for winter food, thank you Charles. Can I find a plan veiw of your garden on your website, showing how your garden is laid out. Also which direction is best to lay your growing plots to get the most of the sun, avoiding showing other plants to a minimum. Thank you in advance. Sue
I don't have a plan Sue except in my head, I make notes of plantings. No worries about sun-orientation as so few of the plants I grow are tall. If you grow mostly climbing beans and sweetcorn, a N-S orientation is worthwhile but other factors count like slope and point of access.
Charles Dowding Would it be possible to explain, what it means N-S orientation? Should you grow beans only at the South location around you house? Or can you position at the West or East side of the house? Or behind the house, which will be North side of the house? Will it make a little difference? Or BIG difference?
Hi Charles. I've now got my well composted horse manure from the village and I am prepping my bed for squashes. Please could you advise as to whether it is possible to overfeed squashes with too much manure. I have wood ashes saved from the woodburner for potash that I could use too. Please could you advise how much horse manure and potash I should use per plant.
Lizzie no worries about all that chemical thinking, just add whatever compost/manure you have, a little wood ash is fine but not strictly necessary - best is to add it to compost heap. The manure on top stimulates biology which makes nutrients available.
A shame and that suggests you need to increase the fertility of your soil with more organic matter/compost of any kind on the surface. Healthy and fertile soil should give at least four squash per plant, when spaced at 1 m apart. Maybe you are spacing too close?!
Great video. Those Czar runner beans look like butter beans. I wonder if the taste is similar. There is also a variety called Greek Gigantes which is twice the size of the czar. Have you grown these in UK climate?
Hello Charley, I need your help. I had butternut squash growing in my compost pile, it was quite late and it has just started to produce flowers. Will it have time to mature? I'm in Torquay, Devon.
Highly unlikely - there will be some fruit, but I don't think they can mature into sweet squash and they will be more like marrows, quite watery with soft skin
How to keep the plant contained but still yield well. Im keen to grow pumpkin and squash in a small area. Ive always let them go but get little yield as i get a LOT of leaves. Where and when to prune back is the question?
Fewer leaves usually means less fruit so there's a balance to be found. The spacing I use of 1 m/3 feet works nicely and I flick the trailing stems back on top, if they spread out from the edges
@@CharlesDowding1nodig thank you so much for your amazing wealth of knowledge. I’ve been watching all your vids several times, to remind and inspire me. Between you, Huw Richards, Richard Perkins and a few others, I’ve been getting back into it more intensively. 🧡🌱🌻
Thank you for the video Charles, have planned to grow the Barlotti beans next yr but now will add the Czer to the list. Is it possible to put the names on the screen because I don't always hear too well. Regards maggs h
You can, in principle, dry any bean! French beans can be dried and saved for either seed or winter eating as well, but the yield will be much lower than beans bred for, well, dry beans :P
Charles do you ever bother to chop off the growing shoots of pumpkins to encourage the plant to focus on ripening a lesser number of fruits? Mine have set lots of fruit but sending out ever expanding shoots with even more immature fruit taking up energy... Or does the plant know best?
Hi Charles, I've been sowing Czar this Spring, but I'm finding germination difficult. Maybe I'm sowing them with the wrong orientation in the soil or maybe watering them too much. I've been mainly sowing into small pots about 1.5" deep in common or garden compost. Secondly, I'm growing these for winter storage. Do you have any tips for keeping the mature bean pods dry when they mature in the early autumn? Thanks for such a brilliant series of videos. I recommend all my friends on the allotment to follow you.
Thanks and maybe too cool at night Andrew. Worth germinating in the house even in May. It's not orientation, could be old seed though. Harvest when bright yellow or brown and get them under cover then.
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thanks Charles, it's not old seed, so I'll do as you say. I know that you tend to give newly planted seed a good soaking, how much do you water them after that? Ungerminated seeds that I've excavated have been squishy with nothing happening as far as producing radical etc is concerned. Last year I left ordinary purple runners to mature. We're eating them now and they taste great.
Hi Charles, thanks for the video. I've just harvested some runner beans, but I didn't know the varieties as they are all from fellow allotmenters! Most of them are purple flecked with black, some are white, some are black - are they all edible too? Thanks!
My Marina Di Chioggias (4 beauties) are ready I think. The vine is dying, but the stems attached to the squash are very green and thick. How can I tell whether to bring them in?? Thanks Charles!
Sounds great but no rush to harvest, it's still summer and they will dry another 3-4 weeks I expect, harvest when the stalks are at least half dry and browner. Cut the trailing stems to harvest, not the stalk.
Hi Charles, hope you can help me I'm home schooling my son who's going on 13 and part of his home schooling is earth science we are from Scotland so could you tell me what veg we can grow in winter ? Also if you'd be willing we would love some of your seeds I know I'm asking a lot x
Well done Sharon and you need to buy some plants now, not seeds as it's too late to sow, except say mustards, cress, salad rocket in boxes of compost on a windowsill. You can sow garlic & broad beans eg on windowsill to plant outside in say early March. Find info on soil & composts at bottom of this page www.charlesdowding.co.uk/no-dig-growing/no-dig-growing-preparation/ I don't sell seeds, try The Seed Cooperative, Lincs.
Thank you, Mr. Dowding, for all your inspirational and informational videos. I am getting ready to plant winter squash and I have been reading up on the possibility of cross pollination. I noticed you had the Marina di Chioggia and Red Kuri squash right next to each other and from what I found researching, they are both c. maxima. Do you have any issues with cross pollination or is this another gardening myth I can stop worrying about?
Hi Charles, I’m after some advice again 😉 I’m growing Red Kuri Squash for the first time and the three seeds I planted have turned into some crazy out of control plants, and they’re taking over... They have a lot of fruit on them, all quite small at the moment but they are no longer in the growing area, a lot of them are on slabs. Do I need to put something under them to cushion them a bit? I hope you’re season is going well so far. Thanks for any help.
Hello! Are you adding any additional "feed" before planting or planting squash seedlings directly into your compost without additional nutrients? Thanks!
Hi Charles, I'm a newbie in gardening and want to try no dig method. I live in tropical country and we have rocky/gravel soil here. In prepping the land do i need to dug the land and get all the rocks before putting the needed compost? Thank you and more power and more subs!
Hi Charles, roughly how many Borlotti bean plants did you you have growing up that wigwam? I’m growing some Borlotti and Czar this year. Thanks for the inspiration.
Hello Charles! Question about pumpkin and squash all together. Do you let them side shoot or would it be better cutting off the side shoots just like tomatoes, cucumbers,...? Kind regards
Are you bothered by squash vine borers or stink bugs on your winter squash? I can hardly get my fruits to ripen before the pests take over. Zone 7a, Tennessee, USA
Thankyou Monica and I have not heard of it. Bring one to Bruton's pumpkin Festival on 27th October! www.hauserwirth.com/events/24545-pumpkin-festival-2019
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thankyou !! It would be a pleasure to be part of the Festival! Maybe next year I could really arrive with my Pumpkin😊.... In the meanwhile if you like and agree, I could send you my own seeds of Zucca Mantovana with recipes of "Tortelli di Zucca", a delicious way to cook this sweet variety of Pumpkin 😋😊
Your squash is so nice! I went out to the garden to check on my spaghetti squash and found it was infested with vine borers. 😫 I actually thought it was just pale because we have had so much rain. I managed to get two off the vine before they completely destroyed it. Then I checked the pumpkins at the other end of the property, and had to tear out a plant. I’m so devastated. What the heck?
Please advise where I can get the white runner beans seeds. I think you said Caesar AR and I googled the name nothing came up. I live in London England and would like to try them next year for winter food. Thanks
My bean harvest this year has so far not happened, since all my early sowings got eaten by slugs or mice. I have re-sowed more again now, which I know is really late, but I was wondering if I could dry the beans in a dehydrator as well? Or will that cause issues when it comes to using them?
I'm curious how you prepare all the hard squashes for meals. Do you just bake them and scoop out the flesh for side dishes, or incorporate them into casserole type dishes?
First step usually is halve them & scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Options then include cutting in pieces, roast & add to other veg, or blend into a soup with onions etc. Crown Prince are best trimmed of their skin but Kuri skin is edible.
Yes Moon they are caused by flea beetles, whose main period of activity is spring and summer, less from August/late summer. SO I just sowed my first pak choi of 2018, today. More details here ua-cam.com/video/HPQ-BVN9qVY/v-deo.html
Would it be possible to pick the first set of beans for a week or two before leaving the rest for an autumn harvest? Or would they not have time to dry off? Asking because I’m aware beans produce more with regular picking.
I planted my Uchi Kuri and Giant Pumpkin Inside and they did ok. Just about 1 Week ago I took them out on the balcony where they got 2-5C - is that going to affect them badly?
Oh dear. I think I messed up already. I’m in zone 9b and just planted Japanese kuri squash about a week ago end of October. I thought winter squash was supposed to be planted in Autumn for harvesting through winter. I think it has 90 days to maturity. Hope I’m able to harvest something. ☹️ They’re already putting out their first true leaves.
Hi Charles I’ve just planted out red kuri squashes but they have been ravaged by slugs. Any suggestions for organic slug control would be much appreciated
Sorry to hear that helen, my approach is to keep hiding places to an absolute minimum, so near to new plantings there are no areas of long vegetation, no mulches of hay or straw, and my beds do not have wooden sides were slugs would also hide
Hi Charles, I hope you are well. I was wondering if my red kurai squash will ripen off the plant? I harvested my main plants a while ago but I have another plant which I didn’t have room for a threw on the compost... and it grew. It has about 5 squash but they are not quite ripe yet.
Need a nice one hour long episode of this winter long term storage stuff
I love winter squash...so easy to store and enjoy over winter. I love red kuri ,butternut , and jarendale.
This is really useful when trying to be as self sufficient as possible all year. The squash are a better known harvest for winter but the beans are another great way of spreading harvests across the year, thanks once again for such a simple but useful method.
I absolutely LOVE ur videos Charles! I rush over like a giddy school kid whenever I see you have uploaded a new one. Thank you for taking the time to share!
Very colorful pumkin and lot of beans so amazing
Very nice variety of winter squash and beans, Charles! I'll be harvesting winter beans tomorrow if it stops raining.
Thank you Mr.Dowding. Just wonderful, truly a pleasure to watch you Sir.
Thanks Jason
Very informative videos -I love all the good advice! I usually watch them when I come when I come home after a stressful day. They are very calming and the ideas build up to the weekend when I spend hours and hours implementing all the great advice in my garden. A perfect solution for a mother to get some me time here and there!
Ah thanks Nina it is heartwarming to know this.
Thanks for the information, more tools to help me feed myself. A beautiful garden and the promise of delicious meals through the winter.....you are an inspiration.
Very nice variety of huge winter squash......What an amazingly monster cabbage looking veggie behind you....the size is unbelievable!
Yes they are wonderful Brussels sprouts for winter picking, from a May sowing
I am definitely going to try this with some beans next year, I use a lot of dried beans all year long and this is just a brilliant idea! Thank you for sharing😀
I've only ever tried butternut squash. Need try Crown Prince! Great video, thank you.
It's so good!
Squash are my favorite crop, so simple to grow, and so easy to store. We get some that will keep into early summer, though they do get hard to cut open, lol
Nearly half way through July I still have three of last year's butternuts and they've just got better and better in terms of eating quality. I wish I knew what I did right!
I had to eat green beans and mashed potatoes & gravy every day of my life until I left home. I hated them and swore I would never eat them again. 40 years later and I can't get enough of them...I love them...funny how that works :) I once stowed a butternut squash in a dark cabinet in early October. I left it till the first day of summer in June then, the wife and I had it with dinner. It was completely fine, I was impressed. We did live in a very dry climate at the time ( Nevada ), but even so, it proved the keeping quality of a good winter squash. Great looking garden....thanks for the video :)
Yes it is funny!
We ate the last Kuri squash in early May this year, our climate is damper, as you say it's about moisture.
I love winter squash. I like ones that store super well!
Crown Prince are ... the best!
@@CharlesDowding1nodig yes, I’m trying these next year 🤭
Thankyou so much for speaking about saving squash and Beans for winter. I am going to give this a go this year and your video is very encouraging. :)
Wonderful and good luck
When I get fed up with eating, picking, and freezing beans I leave them all for dried beans. Some for next year's seeds, of course, but primarily for cooking. Although Borlotti are the best bean I've grown specifically for drying I have used and thoroughly enjoyed all of them
Just want to say that I always learn something watching your videos. This year I left the purple podded green beans I grew go past the green bean stage to dry because I'd planted them such that I still had a hard time finding them. But from you I learned to grow a bean (like the Czar) that has a large pod and large dry beans. It makes more food from the same square footage as the smaller bean, so it just makes sense to grow a large bean! I'd figured that out for my carrots (don't bother with small ones, just grow larger ones) but I don't know why it didn't occur to me for the beans, so thanks for that! Next January when I'm poring over seed catalogues, I'll be checking on the size of the produce in addition to looking for short season varieties.
Thanks Paula, nice to hear!
Lovely video and presentation as always, Charles. :) And some valuable information for an aspiring self sufficient gardener like myself. Thank you! :)
Thanks and i hope it works well for you.
I love to add beans to stews and casseroles I grew a few but not nearly enough, next year I must grow more. It was lovely to see your winter squash they really are stunning thank you
Those Kuri squash look very appetizing and easy to find under the green leaves. I generally grow many varieties and have to snip off the end of the vines by mid-September due to early Autumns in northern U.S. The Blue Hubbard came as quite a surprise my first year. Weighing in an average of 15 pounds each, I'm thankful they store for many months. They were MUCH larger than I envisioned when planting those seeds. :-)
Jean that is an impressive weight.
Yes the Kuri are convenient, and this year we harvested late August to plant spinach, so a second crop thanks to their early ripening.
Great setup you have there chap, thanks for all the great gardening tips!
Thankyou, enjoy your crops.
When I was a kid my dad would get us kids a needle and string. Get the excess green beans and we would string them up. Let dry. In winter when we cooked the dried green beans we called them leather britches.
Nice memory!
Good frozen for soups, pies, breads, etc. Cooked and mashed and portioned out before freezing.
I love uchi kuri, Hokkaido variety is outstanding food source, taste nothing like standard pumpkin more like a sweet potato.
Those brussels sprouts look massive.
This is such a great help. I'm moving to a cold place in Australia from the coast and I've been worried about a winter crop. I'm already sowing too many beans so I might do just that, leave a bunch to dry. Thanks for another great video; by far my favourite clips, you really do this in such an enjoyable way.
Side note: you should read audio books! You would have a great voice for it 😊
Thankyou Chris and glad to help. Nice to hear of career alternatives!
*addition, not alternative. Where will I go for my garden knowledge if you're off reading self-help books full-time? Haha.
I love what you do and you've changed my practices for the better. Thanks again and keep doing what you're doing, please!
Love being in your garden!!
Ah that is nice, thanks Nancy
I really enjoyed this one! I especially loved the way you made the intro and outro! Keep up the great work.
I've got plans for a much bigger veg plot this year and I'll be using your no dig method. Wish me luck!
Yvette Moore that sounds exciting and enjoy lovely harvests
We have a medium sized garden and when I started growing veg a few years back we opted for the no dig, following a lot of Charles’s tips. We don’t have lots of time to spend gardening yet no dig keeps our soil healthy and allows both plants and wildlife to thrive. I can highly recommend it and your back will thank you for it too! We finally got rid of the last bit of our tired lawn this year by covering with cardboard, piling lots of compost, soil and leaf mould on top, then planting into the top and have been rewarded with a bumper bed of squashes, kale, sunflowers, zinna, echinacea...the bed is thriving and looks amazing to boot. All that prep must have worked as I haven’t fed the bed at all this year. Nature (and Charles) knows best!
Great information and interesting varieties.. thanks Charles.
Please cover growing carrots, celery, and fennel 😁 I have been binging on your videos. Have the Lettuce/Salad book, noticed you mentioned moon planting ... that would be interesting to cover as well. Thank you for sharing your wisdom!
Hi Donna, time is short and I shall do my best. Am creating an online course too.
Gardening is never short of interest.
@@CharlesDowding1nodig thank you for taking the time to respond and taking my request into consideration. 🤗 You are absolutely correct, keeps the mind and body busy 😁 Love all the experiments you conduct, thank you for sharing those with us.
Hi Charles, I love your videos. You are really charming and one can see the happiness in your face when you talk about your garden and all the delicious greens which are growing there. Just wanted to say Thanks for your amazing work! Greetings from Germany.
Thanks so much for your comment, lovely to hear, I hope your cooking work goes well
I love your presentations, very pleasant. Your garden is lovely. This is my first year growing..I'm grinding out in the yard clearing, planning, dreaming. My goal is a seven layer food forest. I have had many failures and a couple successes. Your grow is inspiring very much so. What do you do with soil prep, I am told nought to feed your plants but to focus on feeding your soil..makes so much sense. I live in Northern Caifornia up in the mountains. Looking at your design gives me some ideas. I thank you you so very much for sharing your garden and tips..
Thanks Jennifer.
Yes feed the soil (actually the soil organisms) makes life easier, simply that, whatever you grow.
Check this video for more on that & clearing weeds ua-cam.com/video/Mmv2zGfhG8w/v-deo.html
I would go for 3-5 layers at first, at your latitude, it's still a lot.
You teach so many skills.
I like your idea of a wigwam. Its gets windy here in SE of South Australia. Going to plant lots so I have plenty over winter too! Now. I'll just have to grow some bamboo for stakes. . . .
Cool, grow the bamboo! I made a mistake and called my teepee a wigwam. The teepee conical shape is good against wind.
I love Borlotti beans but have never tasted fresh ones, i.e. only tinned. I don't have much space but I'm going to try these next year. Thanks, Charles :-)
Great!
Awesome update thank you Charles and blessings
Thannk you Charles you are inspirational.
Just had some butternut squash and I am already looking forward to plant it's seeds this spring :)
Always a pleasure to watch your channel Charles!
I’ve Red Kuri seeds coming in the mail soon based on this episode. I’m very eager for spring to arrive in Australia so I can start them off!
Do you grow pumpkins Charles? I’d love to see an episode on them, they are one of my favourite things in the garden 💚🌱💚
Sounds great and no pumpkins here, too watery for me :)
That’s a shame!
Impressive how many squash are on the plants. Is there something in managing or handling the plants you do that make them grow more squashes, somthing like pruning? Or is it just depending on species?
Thanks and I do nothing with them, it's about soil richness, and the weather being warm enough
I am doing what you're doing I also chop and drop everything from Weeds to grass clippings. But I am having a Time with all these Vines and weeds and it all started roughly about three years ago when I brought in the wood chips.
you have a problem?
Charles Dowding no kidding but it's not a problem that cannot be resolved. The soil has greatly improved is just I'm using a technique that is allowing the weeds to thrive.
Ah ok, cardboard next!
You have too much bactiria in your soil and not enough fungi so your nitrigen is to high thats why weeds grow
thank you but how can one change that?
I have a comment and a question.
Comment. - After watching several of your videos with me while folding laundry, my son has asked for a little vegetable garden of his own to grow. So we spent some time this afternoon planning out a bed (4 ft wide by 18 ft long. Standard bed in my garden) for him to grow whatever he wants in. He picked tomatoes, collards, kale, turnips, pole beans, spinach, onions, and some scattered flowers. So he's not going to have much of any one thing, but he wants to grow it all! I thought you would appreciate knowing that not only have you helped me to *hopefully* become a better gardener, but you're videos are sparking an enthusiasm for gardening in my nine year old as well.
My question is about different varieties of squash. I have only ever eaten pumpkin and butternut squash. I would like to branch out, but garden space is limited (especially now that I have given over one of my garden beds to my son) and I want to grow something my family will enjoy. Any recommendations? My children love my pumpkin custards, and, in the manner of all children, the sweeter the better.
Ah thanks Kassandra for such lovely feedback. I wish him an exciting time of discovery. And your gesture is generous - my favourite-flavoured squash is Crown Price, flat, round and grey, you call it a different name, fruits of 6-10lb and a rambling plant.
There are some sitting on the windowsill here, even until May, a great delicacy, dense and sweet.
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thank you. I will look and see if I can find some.
I could not find Crown Prince anywhere in the US. I was able to find a couple that look rather interesting, so I am going to be trying Red Kuri, which sounds very tasty, and sticking with my favorite small pie pumpkins. Though my children have both insisted on a small pumpkin patch for larger Jack-o-lantern pumpkins.
After weeks of searching, I finally found some broad beans. The only ones I could get my hands on were Broad Windsor. I've never grown broad beans before, so I hope those are a decent one. I know they have different growth times, so this shouldn't be an issue, but will they cross pollinate with bush or pole beans?
I've just planted two wigwams of runner beans, one to eat fresh and one to keep.
`You are well organised :)
I had the most amazing piece of luck last year. I was filling a bed in my polytunnel with soil and got some from a customer who was digging out a raised bed to replace it with a greenhouse. Come the spring I was inundated with self seeded squash plants. I had no clue as to the variety but figured they would be worth keeping. I transplanted some to the garden and allotment and some to friends and left some in the polytunnel. They were those blue prince ones you showed at the beginning. I am now saving seeds for next year. They are great if you get the small ones, cut the top off and scoop out the seed, add butter garlick and whatever and bake for an hour or so. Mush it all up with a fork or spoon and eat it straight out of the skin, saves on the washing up. Any recipes for runner bean seed purée? I just can’t eat beans whole, when I was at Uni, I was looking for a hypnotist who could hypnotise me into liking baked beans cos they were so cheap 😂
Yes v fortunate. Steph's book has recipes like that, original & plant based nodighome.com/store/
Beautiful squashes and beans. I grew my winter beans up corn stalks and surrounded the patch with winter squashes. Unfortunately my goats got to harvest most of it before I did.
oh no
@@CharlesDowding1nodig The goats have been re-homed and my copy of How to Create a New Vegetable Garden just arrived. All signs point to a better harvest next year.
great video! i am waiting for my runner beans to dry but they are still very green. next year i will try the Borlotti beans :)
Me too
Great video Charles. Do you store your winter squash on a sunny window sill all year - until you eat them? Or only until they harden off?
Yes until we eat them!
Got about 4kg of beans from my runners this year. Going to keep warm in more ways than one this winter ;)
Super result Roger
Praise indeed, thanks Charles :)
Hello Charles, I want to grow as many things as I can on my small plot. Would trellising winter squash be a good idea in order to save space?
It helps, needs to be strong, is not too easy 😀
hi. Charles another nice video I miss the name of the spinach what is the name of then .thank you got the beans seed .can't wait for this year your are the best teacher ever love it all .
Super! thanks Mary and the spinach is Medania
I sure hope you would travel to Tasmania to teach a few of us here. Over here is somewhat like England weather and I am wondering if I could try your 'Garden Vegetables Diary' book ( certainly, I need to do a little reversal or advancement in the months - seasons on the calendar) I live by the Southern Coastal part of Tasmania - closer to Antartica if you may think. The ocean kind of warms up the coast a little more than the inland. (generally)
Hi Kelly and it sounds like my Diary book will work for you, with the 6 month switch. Your climate fascinates me, stronger sun but no gulf stream. We are 51N and the warm ocean is what makes our season so long.
Thank you so much for your time and effort replying me. Much appreciated
Good morning Charles, how did you build the bean structures? We suffer from strong winds here, South Sardinia, and these structures must be strongly firm in the soil otherwise they will be blown away by the first mistral. Is there any video in which you show this? Thank you! Tiziana
Teepee means wind flows around more than against, circular not linear shape, to a point at the top. 20cm in the soil if you can. No video
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thank you! I will try stright away.
Charles thanks for anther nice video. This year i go and try the Czar beans. I read that the seed were given by a Czar to England as a gift.
Very difficult to buy this seeds in The Netherlands. So i ordered them in England. Yesterday got them by mail by D.T Brown. I hope i get a good crop of them.
Excellent well done. As long as they grow, you have food and seed!
I live in the US and have been trying to find them,
Hello Charles, last question this week I swear. I just ate my first winter squash (Acorn Table queen), and a new passion-obession is born. Unfortunately I live in zone 4a and i'm limited in varieties of true winter squashes I can grow here.
I was reading that winter squashes are fragile to transplantation, to avoid starting them indoor. In this video you say that you are starting them under-cover, so its beneficial to do that for people like me and you who live in colder climate right?
Thank you sir! Sorry for the numerous questions.
Fantastic you managed that in 4A. I'm actually glad you asked because what you read is completely wrong. Utterly mistaken, and I find it so frustrating that people write this rubbish, based on what?! I have always transplanted squash, zucchini, cucumbers and they do fine. You're right that in a cool climate which includes here, you need to do it, otherwise there is no harvest.
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Absolutely amazing news! Thank you. Yes, very frustrating to read misinformation on internet. Its actually the reason why so many new gardeners give up on gardening I think. Thank you again!
Hi Charles when you harvest all those beans and squash and are left with all the green waste, is it not a lot to try compost so close to winter, wont it take longer to break down as temperature is dropping soon. sorry lots of green waste and noting to add to it.Great video as usual.Thanks Jimmy.
For squash it's less than it looks, may leaves already decomposed and hollow stems.
For the beans we run the lawnmower over stems and leaves, result is again not so much and they decompose well.
Does the dried beans method work for any runner beans? I usually grow hestia and firestorm and we never seem to get through all the pods during the summer! They are very large beans so I assume would take quite a lot of boiling - would that work?
Yes it does! Soak overnight the boil one hour
Great tips for winter food, thank you Charles. Can I find a plan veiw of your garden on your website, showing how your garden is laid out. Also which direction is best to lay your growing plots to get the most of the sun, avoiding showing other plants to a minimum. Thank you in advance. Sue
I meant, over shadowing other plants.
I don't have a plan Sue except in my head, I make notes of plantings.
No worries about sun-orientation as so few of the plants I grow are tall. If you grow mostly climbing beans and sweetcorn, a N-S orientation is worthwhile but other factors count like slope and point of access.
Charles Dowding
Would it be possible to explain, what it means N-S orientation?
Should you grow beans only at the South location around you house?
Or can you position at the West or East side of the house?
Or behind the house, which will be North side of the house?
Will it make a little difference? Or BIG difference?
Hi Charles. I've now got my well composted horse manure from the village and I am prepping my bed for squashes. Please could you advise as to whether it is possible to overfeed squashes with too much manure. I have wood ashes saved from the woodburner for potash that I could use too. Please could you advise how much horse manure and potash I should use per plant.
Lizzie no worries about all that chemical thinking, just add whatever compost/manure you have, a little wood ash is fine but not strictly necessary - best is to add it to compost heap.
The manure on top stimulates biology which makes nutrients available.
Thank you Charles. Please be assured I really value your videos.. I am learning so much.
Thank you 😊 I’ve had a really good year for kuri squash, however, I only ever seem to get one squash per plant, do they need pruning?
A shame and that suggests you need to increase the fertility of your soil with more organic matter/compost of any kind on the surface. Healthy and fertile soil should give at least four squash per plant, when spaced at 1 m apart. Maybe you are spacing too close?!
Great video. Those Czar runner beans look like butter beans. I wonder if the taste is similar. There is also a variety called Greek Gigantes which is twice the size of the czar. Have you grown these in UK climate?
Yes I know them, true Lima bean but also Phaseolus. These Czar taste like butter beans.
Hello Charley, I need your help. I had butternut squash growing in my compost pile, it was quite late and it has just started to produce flowers. Will it have time to mature? I'm in Torquay, Devon.
Highly unlikely - there will be some fruit, but I don't think they can mature into sweet squash and they will be more like marrows, quite watery with soft skin
How to keep the plant contained but still yield well.
Im keen to grow pumpkin and squash in a small area. Ive always let them go but get little yield as i get a LOT of leaves.
Where and when to prune back is the question?
Fewer leaves usually means less fruit so there's a balance to be found. The spacing I use of 1 m/3 feet works nicely and I flick the trailing stems back on top, if they spread out from the edges
@@CharlesDowding1nodig thank you so much for your amazing wealth of knowledge. I’ve been watching all your vids several times, to remind and inspire me. Between you, Huw Richards, Richard Perkins and a few others, I’ve been getting back into it more intensively. 🧡🌱🌻
How many Kuri plants can I put into a 3.5x10 foot bed? I was going to put them in a field, but will have to use the raised beds for them this year.
Three or four Heather
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thank you
Thank you for the video Charles, have planned to grow the Barlotti beans next yr but now will add the Czer to the list. Is it possible to put the names on the screen because I don't always hear too well. Regards maggs h
Yes good idea
I never knew you could dry the runner beans for dried bean
You can, in principle, dry any bean! French beans can be dried and saved for either seed or winter eating as well, but the yield will be much lower than beans bred for, well, dry beans :P
Thank you x
Charles do you ever bother to chop off the growing shoots of pumpkins to encourage the plant to focus on ripening a lesser number of fruits? Mine have set lots of fruit but sending out ever expanding shoots with even more immature fruit taking up energy... Or does the plant know best?
Plant knows best Alison in my experience, I never do any of that extra work.
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Great - thanks. I'll let them go..
Hi Charles, I've been sowing Czar this Spring, but I'm finding germination difficult. Maybe I'm sowing them with the wrong orientation in the soil or maybe watering them too much. I've been mainly sowing into small pots about 1.5" deep in common or garden compost. Secondly, I'm growing these for winter storage. Do you have any tips for keeping the mature bean pods dry when they mature in the early autumn? Thanks for such a brilliant series of videos. I recommend all my friends on the allotment to follow you.
Thanks and maybe too cool at night Andrew. Worth germinating in the house even in May. It's not orientation, could be old seed though.
Harvest when bright yellow or brown and get them under cover then.
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thanks Charles, it's not old seed, so I'll do as you say. I know that you tend to give newly planted seed a good soaking, how much do you water them after that? Ungerminated seeds that I've excavated have been squishy with nothing happening as far as producing radical etc is concerned. Last year I left ordinary purple runners to mature. We're eating them now and they taste great.
Not water too much.
Squishy is rotting and for me that is old seed, even if the packet was new
Hi Charles, thanks for the video. I've just harvested some runner beans, but I didn't know the varieties as they are all from fellow allotmenters! Most of them are purple flecked with black, some are white, some are black - are they all edible too? Thanks!
Hello Alun and yes they are all edible, though coloured ones are I think less tasty than the white ones - see what you think!
My Marina Di Chioggias (4 beauties) are ready I think. The vine is dying, but the stems attached to the squash are very green and thick. How can I tell whether to bring them in?? Thanks Charles!
Sounds great but no rush to harvest, it's still summer and they will dry another 3-4 weeks I expect, harvest when the stalks are at least half dry and browner. Cut the trailing stems to harvest, not the stalk.
Excellent - thanks for that cobber!
another enjoyable video how do you use your patty pans
i like them sauteed with onions, follow Steph's blog for recipes & other info nodighome.com/
i will thanks
Hi Charles, hope you can help me I'm home schooling my son who's going on 13 and part of his home schooling is earth science we are from Scotland so could you tell me what veg we can grow in winter ? Also if you'd be willing we would love some of your seeds I know I'm asking a lot x
Well done Sharon and you need to buy some plants now, not seeds as it's too late to sow, except say mustards, cress, salad rocket in boxes of compost on a windowsill. You can sow garlic & broad beans eg on windowsill to plant outside in say early March.
Find info on soil & composts at bottom of this page www.charlesdowding.co.uk/no-dig-growing/no-dig-growing-preparation/
I don't sell seeds, try The Seed Cooperative, Lincs.
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thank you so so much for the advice I appreciate it truly I do . Xx
Thank you, Mr. Dowding, for all your inspirational and informational videos. I am getting ready to plant winter squash and I have been reading up on the possibility of cross pollination. I noticed you had the Marina di Chioggia and Red Kuri squash right next to each other and from what I found researching, they are both c. maxima. Do you have any issues with cross pollination or is this another gardening myth I can stop worrying about?
Sounds great! The seeds will be cross pollinated. But each plant grows fruits true to type :)
Hi Charles, I’m after some advice again 😉 I’m growing Red Kuri Squash for the first time and the three seeds I planted have turned into some crazy out of control plants, and they’re taking over... They have a lot of fruit on them, all quite small at the moment but they are no longer in the growing area, a lot of them are on slabs. Do I need to put something under them to cushion them a bit? I hope you’re season is going well so far. Thanks for any help.
Yes they go travelling and the fruits will be fine, because they grow a hard skin, I never cushion them anywhere
Charles Dowding - excellent 😃
Hello! Are you adding any additional "feed" before planting or planting squash seedlings directly into your compost without additional nutrients? Thanks!
No none, I would say if so, I am showing you all you need to do
Hi Charles, I'm a newbie in gardening and want to try no dig method. I live in tropical country and we have rocky/gravel soil here. In prepping the land do i need to dug the land and get all the rocks before putting the needed compost? Thank you and more power and more subs!
Thanks Pei, no need to do much except remove a few larger rocks if they are protruding above the surface. Just start level and best of luck
Hi Charles, roughly how many Borlotti bean plants did you you have growing up that wigwam? I’m growing some Borlotti and Czar this year. Thanks for the inspiration.
I plant either 6 or 8 depending on bed width, these were six
Hello Charles! Question about pumpkin and squash all together. Do you let them side shoot or would it be better cutting off the side shoots just like tomatoes, cucumbers,...? Kind regards
Maico just let them sideshoot and the harvest grows!
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Okay thanks! Enjoy the weekend!
Are you bothered by squash vine borers or stink bugs on your winter squash? I can hardly get my fruits to ripen before the pests take over. Zone 7a, Tennessee, USA
Sorry to hear this Traci and we are fortunate not to have those pests. You may need to use a mesh cover all summer.
Great video, Charles! Thankyou🙏🏼♥️....have you ever had in your garden the Mantuan Pumpkin (Zucca Mantovana in italian) ? It has a taste of chestnut!
Thankyou Monica and I have not heard of it. Bring one to Bruton's pumpkin Festival on 27th October! www.hauserwirth.com/events/24545-pumpkin-festival-2019
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thankyou !! It would be a pleasure to be part of the Festival! Maybe next year I could really arrive with my Pumpkin😊.... In the meanwhile if you like and agree, I could send you my own seeds of Zucca Mantovana with recipes of "Tortelli di Zucca", a delicious way to cook this sweet variety of Pumpkin 😋😊
Ah yes please Monica, see my address here charlesdowding.co.uk/contact-us/
Can you please do a video on the trellising methods you use for your beans? Would like to know more. Thank you.
Isaac, it's always time permitting...:)
@@CharlesDowding1nodig please do a video on trellising beans
@@AzulaChild that is nice of you and I shall do this when I can! Have lost my videographer, son at university.
Nice! :-) Thank you for sharing!!
Your squash is so nice! I went out to the garden to check on my spaghetti squash and found it was infested with vine borers. 😫 I actually thought it was just pale because we have had so much rain. I managed to get two off the vine before they completely destroyed it. Then I checked the pumpkins at the other end of the property, and had to tear out a plant. I’m so devastated. What the heck?
You are unlucky! Here we do not suffer that pest.
@@CharlesDowding1nodig oh I’m so jealous!
Hi Charles
For a new bed would it be ok to push the canes for the wigwam through the cardboard beneath? Thank you Peter
For sure yes Peter
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thank you Charles
Does anyone know what the gigantic green brassica is behind Mr. Dowding when he was showing those super red squashes?
Gabriella they are Brussels sprouts! A much underrated vegetable, so delicious, these are to crop from late autumn to late winter.
The leaves themselves look like they'd be good to cook and eat. Like gigantic collards.
Yes they are edible, a little tough compared say to cabbage.
Here in Toronto, Brussels sprouts have become very fashionable now that people know not to cook them to death. :)
Have you ever tried growing smaller winter squash (like the red kuri) vertically? If so, was it a success?
Not successful here, too windy. Plus with vertical growing, the crop was less because the stems can't root into soil
Please advise where I can get the white runner beans seeds. I think you said Caesar AR and I googled the name nothing came up. I live in London England and would like to try them next year for winter food. Thanks
Czar
Bing, I put the name in the video intro for people to read, thanks Andrew it's Czar.
Goodle Czar and many options come up.
My bean harvest this year has so far not happened, since all my early sowings got eaten by slugs or mice. I have re-sowed more again now, which I know is really late, but I was wondering if I could dry the beans in a dehydrator as well? Or will that cause issues when it comes to using them?
I don't know Alex but am pretty sure that the beans will not be so tasty and will be shrivelled
I'm curious how you prepare all the hard squashes for meals. Do you just bake them and scoop out the flesh for side dishes, or incorporate them into casserole type dishes?
First step usually is halve them & scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
Options then include cutting in pieces, roast & add to other veg, or blend into a soup with onions etc. Crown Prince are best trimmed of their skin but Kuri skin is edible.
Thanks. I've grown Kuri many times but never found the skin that nice to eat.
Hi Charles do experince very tiny hole in pak choi and choi sum? Please advise.
Yes Moon they are caused by flea beetles, whose main period of activity is spring and summer, less from August/late summer.
SO I just sowed my first pak choi of 2018, today.
More details here ua-cam.com/video/HPQ-BVN9qVY/v-deo.html
Would it be possible to pick the first set of beans for a week or two before leaving the rest for an autumn harvest? Or would they not have time to dry off? Asking because I’m aware beans produce more with regular picking.
Possibly, if your summer and autumn are warm. Mainly a question of there being time for pods to ripen their seeds
@@CharlesDowding1nodig thanks. Thats what I expected. It's early spring down here so I'll look at trying it this season and see how it goes.
Those white runner beans look delicious. Can you please tell me how to spell the name of that variety? Thank you.
Hi Janet, they are Czar, an old fashioned pole/runner bean
I planted my Uchi Kuri and Giant Pumpkin Inside and they did ok. Just about 1 Week ago I took them out on the balcony where they got 2-5C - is that going to affect them badly?
No but it will slow them down! Watch for wind too, it's early for them to be outside, here at least
Oh dear. I think I messed up already. I’m in zone 9b and just planted Japanese kuri squash about a week ago end of October. I thought winter squash was supposed to be planted in Autumn for harvesting through winter. I think it has 90 days to maturity. Hope I’m able to harvest something. ☹️
They’re already putting out their first true leaves.
To those people who dislike the video: What the heck do you dislike?
Someone's gotta #spread negativity
I’ve just had to compost my Czar, Borlotti and standard runner bears. They were being eaten alive since being planted out less than a week ago ☹️
Ah what a pity, what maddening pests
Hi Charles
I’ve just planted out red kuri squashes but they have been ravaged by slugs. Any suggestions for organic slug control would be much appreciated
Sorry to hear that helen, my approach is to keep hiding places to an absolute minimum, so near to new plantings there are no areas of long vegetation, no mulches of hay or straw, and my beds do not have wooden sides were slugs would also hide
Hi Charles, I hope you are well. I was wondering if my red kurai squash will ripen off the plant? I harvested my main plants a while ago but I have another plant which I didn’t have room for a threw on the compost... and it grew. It has about 5 squash but they are not quite ripe yet.
Not fully sweet and hard skinned but they may improve in flavour a little, will need eating first
@@CharlesDowding1nodig thank you