December Raspberries, so is Greta onto something!

[difflock]

See images

[Khriss]

Probably, forest fires above arctic circle n my primroses coming out ( poppies didnt quite make it) K

[peds]

I'd love a bit of heras fence for my peas, beans, and raspberries. 

 

Also December raspberries here, November isn't unheard of, but Mid-December is taking the piss a little.

 

I was shown a picture of someone's apple tree in blossom last month. 

 

Oh well. 

[Peasgood]

I have grown raspberries commercially for decades, it is quite normal. Downside is that it is at the expense of next years crop.

Last nights supper was home grown, outdoor, fresh dug new potatoes. They were nice too.

[difflock]

I have noticed the recent? practice of leaving the potato's in the drills, and only digging for direct sale. Whereas they used to be dug and put in pits, then more recently into expensive to construct potato stores.

What changed?

Better tyres and machinery, or spraying off the tops instead, and leaving in the ground, or what?

[Ty Korrigan]

Camellias in full bloom and Forsythia flowers emerging in Brittany.

   Stuart

[sime42]

I'm currently thinning and lightly reducing an oak tree. I've been waiting until now, mid-December, for the leaves to fall off. There's still a few hanging on but what is most noticeable is that the branches are also covered in fat leaf buds. I'm sure that's not right. Saw the same on a lilac yesterday as well.

[Peasgood]

1 hour ago, difflock said:

I have noticed the recent? practice of leaving the potato's in the drills, and only digging for direct sale. Whereas they used to be dug and put in pits, then more recently into expensive to construct potato stores.

What changed?

Better tyres and machinery, or spraying off the tops instead, and leaving in the ground, or what?

I am guessing but once the stores are full enough to fulfil contracts the price of potatoes can be so volatile it is often best to leave them in the ground until you know it is financially sensible to spend some money lifting them. They do keep fairly well in the ground as we rarely have prolonged spells of frost that will reach them.

[Macpherson]

1 hour ago, Peasgood said:

I am guessing but once the stores are full enough to fulfil contracts the price of potatoes can be so volatile it is often best to leave them in the ground until you know it is financially sensible to spend some money lifting them. They do keep fairly well in the ground as we rarely have prolonged spells of frost that will reach them.

Just out of interest, I've always wondered how commercial growers avoid having tatties coming up everywhere forever when doing crop rotation,  I have raised beds and no matter how careful I am I end up with them coming through in every bed...

I don't really mind, sometimes I leave them and sometimes I don't but how does this work on a large scale ?

[muttley9050]

See images

My raspberries are always cut back long before now to stop this happening and focus on next year's crop.