Photo Misson: Summer Pairs

Here’s your next photo mission. Take a photo of your favourite summer pairings. It has to be something you grew (edible of course) paired with your favourite accompaniment. As you can see I like to settle down on my deck, in the evening, with a massive bowl of Strawberries and a glass of chilled rosé. Ahhh!

But you don’t have to go for Strawberries and wine, you could choose New Potatoes with Mint, Salmon with Dill, or even Radish with Yoghurt – whatever floats your boat.

Send your photos to gill [at] carsonified [dot] com and I’ll make a post of the best photos. I might even choose a winner this time!

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9 Comments on “Photo Misson: Summer Pairs”

  1. Love the photos

    How many strawberry plants do you have to get a bowl full like that?

    I have about 30 plants but only seem to get one or two a day

    I only ever get the odd one that looks perfect like yours the ret look like proper home grown ones, you know the ones small and veery strangely shaped :)

    Sharon

  2. My Granny used to say “the answer is in the soil” so it looks like mtp has very good stuff which I suspect she feeds well. They look really tasty.

  3. My strawberries aren’t as red as that, I am still waiting for one big strawberry to ripen. And I have my name on that until my daughter saw it. I have alpine strawberries which haven’t even got into the kitchen they just had to be eaten straight away.

  4. My alpine strawberries never make it in the house either the girls pick and eat them like sweets

    I grow my strawberries in pots I have one that holds about 30 plants

    What does everyone think is it better to grow them in pits or in the ground?

    Sharon

  5. Hi Sharon,

    The trick with Strawberries is to replace the plants every three years. If you think about the third year as the peak of their productivity then in the first year they should produce a few strawberries. In the second year a few more and in the third year they should be pumping them out. In the fourth year they will start to decline again.

    So it’s best to let some runners grow in the third year so that you can grow some new plants for the following spring. You don’t have to replace all of your plants at the same time – it’s best to stagger them.

    In answer to your question I have about 10 Strawberry plants all of them are three year’s old.

    But Debbie is right, the soil needs to be top notch. Feed them with well rotted manure in late winter to early spring to encourage the crowns to sprout and I give them a quick feed with Chicken manure in Spring when the leaves are starting to grow.

    I don’t put straw down as I don’t have a massive slug problem, but putting straw under the berries will help protect them from nasties.

    That’s it really. I can’t tell you what variety they are because a friend gave me a bag of anonymous runner plants about six years ago and I’ve been growing from that batch ever since!

  6. Hello Fellow Strawberries-growers!
    I have 2 strawberry beds, each one is 1.2m x 2.4m, and this is their second year, and I am collecting 3 kgs from them every two-three days now. It is just ridiculous, how many strawberries I have this year!!! Before I planted them, I dug up the beds thoroughly, added a little bit of sand to improve drainage, added loads of compost and plant food and a little bit of vermiculite (or whatever the correct spelling is), then left the beds for 3 weeks and then planted all them up. I know the recommended planting distance is: 30cm apart and 60cm between rows, but I just stuck loads of them in there, and they seem to be very happy – judging by the harvest! I then covered the spaces in between them with chipped bark. Last year they produced load of runners, some of which I potted and used this year to make a third bed. In autumn, I chopped all the runners off and most of the leaves, leaving just 2-3 leaves on each plant. And then this spring, I sprinkled some Ken Muir’s strawberry food around the plants. That was all, but the harvest is just crazy! I have already fed all the family and neighbours, and froze loads, and there are stll loads there. Also, a good idea is to plant 1 early, 1 mid-summer, 1 late-summer varieties, to keep the supply. Or, just plant a perpetual variety – I recently got Flamenco, and it is the most delicious kind I have ever tasted. Just gorgeous. So I am going to multiply Flamenco through runners this year, and have a 4th bed!!!
    Happy gardening.
    Russky

  7. Hello, there i listen to your podcats and cinema everyday! i love it sooo bloody much!! i just want you to now that i would love to spend a day with you and be a guest star on your podcasts.

    i have to admit to something first for everyone to now i’m going to come out the closet and say what you think i’m going to say.

    lot’s and lot’s of misterious lovin
    John

  8. ah radishes with sea salt and beer, one of my favs! though i don’t think i can have it last long enough to get a picture, but will try!