My passion for gardening has taken a back seat during November due to my trip to France, illness and of course the National Novel Writing 30 day challenge. However, much to my surprise everything, bar the cucumbers growing in pots, survived despite being unloved and neglected. Temperatures in the day hovered around 18C and 12C at night. So not cold, but it rained, oh boy did it rain!
The green peppers planted in the raised bed, continue to thrive and bear fruit! I will certainly plant these again next year although I will not bother with the orange peppers as they took far too long to change colour. The pot grown peppers are now passed their best and it will not be long before I finally find the time to recycle them in my new composter.
I planted garlic cloves as an experiment at the end of October in the raised bed rather than in pots. So far so good. My last attempt to grow garlic in pots a year or so ago proved unsuccessful. I think it was probably due to lack of water. Anyone had any success growing garlic in pots?…and if so please share your secret
The Couve Galega planted at the end of September have somehow escaped the attentions of the army of snails and caterpillars who have taken up residence in my absense. The Galega cabbage, I’m assured, is the tall cabbages seen growing everywhere here in the Algarve and are used to make Caldo Verde
The Aubergines planted in June are still bearing fruit.
This year I bought favas seeds (broad bean) from my local hardware shop. Forget buying the prepackaged seeds in posh packets at over €3.50 a go, mine were a real bargain at just 38 cents for the same quantity. I planted these on the 24th October and they are doing well. I’m personally not keen on broad beans but Mr. Piglet loves them.
The olive tree crop is disappointing as the olives are really small so not worth the effort in the pickling stakes. If anyone has any suggestions to encourage them to grow larger, please share!
GRowing Fruit and Vegetables in Pots
I planted these potatoes at the end of October in a plastic purpose made potato grow bag.
I planted these sweet potatoes in a large pot in the middle of September. Maybe they will grow, may be not, but I thought it would be worth a try. No idea how long they will take to grow so I will leave it until February before taking a peek.
Finally my winter strawberries! They are not huge but they are soooo sweet! My summer strawberries are busy producing lots of babies at the moment which I am in the process of rooting and potting on.
Related posts
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Portugal: Growing Fruit and Vegetables in Containers – July
Portugal: Growing Fruit and Vegetables in Pots – June
Problem Cucumbers – Is it Anthracnose, Downy Mildew or…?
Garden Diary: Container Gardening – Cochonilhas or Mealybugs?
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Piglet in Portugal 
Your olives … you might have chosen the wrong kind of tree. The olives look like the little, but delicious ones you get in Liguria called Tagiasco, from which they make my most favourite preserved olives in “salamoia” …. you would do better with a Leccino which has big olives …. don’t know if you can get these in Portugal though. Or you could plant more trees and make oil 🙂
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I have a question about your aubergines. I’ve had some in a pot last year, they turned out fine. But a few fruits didn’t turn into dark purple but into a dark yellow-brown shade just like yours on the pic. Why is that? It looked odd to me and because there were just two or three fruits of that kind I didn’t eat those. Was I wrong?
And I am envious about your straberries. Having self-grown strawberries in November must be awesome.
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Hi Blueberrie and welcome 🙂 Strangely enough I was thinking the same about the aubergines. I may just pick it and eat it anyway!
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Wonderful display, Pip. You must save a lot of money, growing your own, and it must bee so rewarding to be able to go out and pick fresh veggies whenever you need them. Do you keep the neighbours supplied too? 🙂
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Hi ad, it probably costs me more to grow them. but they taste good.
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That’s waht my sister tells me too. She ends up giving at least half of hers away. 🙂
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Good to see them thrive… Hope you are feeling better!
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Do you prune your olive tree every year? It’s not supposed to do that every year. And you may have bought a variety that it’s closer to the wild (here called zambujeiro, Olea europaea var sylvestrys).
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Hi Fernanda, I think you are right! They resemble large raisins more than olives. Can I still eat them…well I was thinking of using them in cooking as I’ve got a recipe for a savoury olive cake.
Several months ago you posted a recipe in one of my comments. It was for custard with egg whites. Not usre what it was called, but I can’t find it and would love to try it. Please can you recommend any traditional christmas recipes, savoury, sweet and cakes. I would love to try some
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If you can use them in cooking? If your tree it’s a “zambujeiro” I have no idea, we simply cut those trees or put a graft of “good olive tree” on it. I suppose that you know that you have to “cure” the olives before using them to whatever you want.
A recipe for “custard with egg whites” maybe it’s “farófias”?
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I can almost smell the warm soil from your pictures. It’s winter here – well almost – as it officially begins in two weeks. But it is rainy and cold and dreary.
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Hi fee, the soil and plants are full of mosquitos at the moment…it’s gardening hell this time of year 🙂
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You are going to laugh, every day though my pregnancy with Little Mr. I CRAVED broad beans. Even though I loved most veggies, I would drive Himself crazy by requesting them constantly and never got sick of them.
I loved them both before and after the pregnancy but during it it was like I NEEDED them…
Viva la Fava!
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No…mine was worse. Bread pudding and hot chocolate!
Have you got any good favas recipes?
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I had a lady bring in a sweet potato this year that she grew from what we consider an annual sweet potato vine. It was huge…she grew it in a huge pot in a really hot spot! Totally makes me want to try that next year 🙂
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Hi RNP, when you say vine, does that mean it sould be grwoing up something rather than me burying the plant in soil?
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The one we have here is grown as a vine in hanging baskets…you are doing it right 🙂
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Felicitations et bonne continuation!
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Obrigadinha
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PS: If you can swim in he sea almost year round you can surely plant veggies almost year round!! 😛
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I’m wondering if that olive isn’t one of the wilder varieties? That place is fantastic for fruit and veg… almost year round! Have fun in the sun!! 😉
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Hey aj, I did not realise you could buy wild Olive Trees. I got these from the nursery in Monchique. Not sure I’d like to swim in the sea at the moment…having said that I’ve never tried…perhaps i should don my wetsuit and give it a try!
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I’m delighted to see your garden still bearing fruit . . . and veggies. 😀
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thanks Nancy my garden keeps me out of mischief 🙂
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Am fascinated comparing! This is November [last month of spring for us], and tho’ we have had some blindingly hot days, 12 &18 degrees sound pretty average for me, well, perhaps 20! Love your healthy green peppers, and my strawberries [not many this year: too busy to fertilize!] are the same size or a tad bigger and so sweet!! Is it worth soil, fertilizer, care to grow potatoes/sweet ones in pots? I have held back for the sake of practicality: would love your view???? 🙂 !
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Hi Eha, seems strange we are on the threshold of winter and you summer.
I would not have started growing potatoes in pots except a friend lent me the pots and bought me some seed potatoes…last year so I initially had no choice. She just turned up with them unannouced, but I’m pleased she did. However, once I tasted my new home grown potatoes I was hooked.
I now try and plant a new bag or pot every month so they are ongoing. As for the Sweet potatoes they are a particular variety not grown and rarely available in the Algarve, they are purely and experiment
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Truly thanks for this: I love the idea of putting one pot of seed potatoes down per month! We seem to have a v similar climate: perhaps, just for fun, I should try the same early autumn [getting too hot now!] . . . sunny greetings . . .
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You are the Gardener in Portugal! Those peppers have me drooling.
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Hi Alice, I am really pleased with the peppers. AFter all my failure they are a nice surprise
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Bravo, Pip. You are quite the versatile seasonal gardener. I’m major envious of your success. All of your plants look lovely and that olive tree is amazing even with little olives.
Thanks for the update. I always enjoy seeing what’s going on in your garden. 🙂
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thanks EC. I love reading about your gardening challenges…do you not grow anything this time of year?
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You’re welcome Pip.
Unfortunately, after our last frost which was mid-October, nothing grows until after winter. 😦
This is why I enjoy gardening vicariously through you during the winter months. Thank you for sharing the love of gardening going all year through. 🙂
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So you can’t even grow parsnips, brussel sprouts, winter cabbage. It must be cold!
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We’ve had several nights of below freezing already.
We’re in an unseasonably warm spell right now it’s in the mid 50F to 60F.
If we kept the milder tempts, we could grow those veggies, but it’s not worth trying because they probably wouldn’t mature before more freezing weather hits.
I do wish I had a greenhouse, I would be one of the happiest winter gardeners that you’d ever meet. lol
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Reblogged this on Piglet's Plot in Portugal.
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Wow. You never cease to amaze me with your garden. I hate broad beans too. How on earth can Mr Piglet like them?
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Hi Linds, I don’t know how he eats them either the skins get stuck in my throat and make me….yuck.
Anyway, I ate them in a restaurant in a salad last year they were cold and served with the skins removed. The recipe as far as I could tell included , garlic, lardons and herbs. they were delicious! But this is the only way I will eat them.
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