Too much rain

[Stonehead]

We had three days of solid rain from Sunday through to Tuesday, the best we've had in three years and very welcome, too.

But, it's proved way too much for our pumpkins. They've grown well but are used to dry spells with the odd heavy shower.

Three days of heavy rain, then sunshine yesterday and crack, splat. Exploding pumpkins.

They were okay yesterday morning, but when I went out to pick some carrots just on dusk last night all the biggest pumpkins had cracked apart wth some force.

I had considered picking them yesterday (against the risk of frost) but decided against it for another week as almost all were not mature enough.

So what to do? I'll probably stick them in the sun porch for a few days covered with clear plastic to keep the flies out and see if I can ripen them enough to turn them into homebrew. If that doesn't work, they'll be pig food.

As the Big Lad, in his best very serious grown-up six-year-old voice, said "Oh, f****** hell, we've got a f****** disaster here!" (School has a lot to answer for!)

[Shirley]

ROFLMAO Stoney - that last bit made me laugh so loud... I can just imagine him saying it too!!!!!!

Our pumpkins and squash just haven't done anything at all.... really fed up... they weren't big enough to explode....

BUT the 3 ripe tomatoes that we had have exploded because of the rain... one left... one solitary small tomato.

The cabbage have been attacked from above by caterpillars and from under neath by cabbage root fly...

The only thing that has done REALLY well is the beetroot.

[PurpleDragon]

Stoney, try to warn before you post Big Lad's comments in future. My monitor is now the worse for splattered tea. I'm still chuckling. Ah, the joys of children.

Shirlz - are you short of tomatoes? Want some? I've got some gorgeous ones that I'm ripening off just now if you want some.

[Shirley]

Ohhh yes please PD !! I'd LOVE some...

I must speak to you on msn - I've got a load of stuff that might be suitable for your little one!!

[PurpleDragon]

Well, I'm here.

Which litt'lun?

Lala is currently supposed to be drawing a pirate ship for a competition but I think Dora has distracted her ...

[2steps]

what a shame about your pumpkins, stoney

I have a ton of unripe tomatoes after the plants went bad, they are ripening slowly on the window sills. everywhere I look - tomatoes

rained most of yesterday and so far all of today

[PurpleDragon]

For some reason all my tomatoes (apart from one) have not ripened on the bush, so I have brought them in and they are sitting in a bowl with a banana peel. This brings them on nicely - only a day or so and they are red.

[digiveg]

I just moved house and picked all our green tomatoes in hopes of ripening them at the new place - but then couldn't find them again. Two weeks after the move, we finally did - at the bottom of a big box of books...

Needless to say, not many of them survived!

...and I well remember my little sister (5 years old) coming in after going to see the builders outside, who were sitting around doing nothing. When my mother asked what they were up to, she replied - very seriously - that 'we're buggered for bricks'.