The great, good and not so good bits about growing your own dinner 2017

At long last paperwork finished and put to bed so I've started. Went the the plot to have a look at what's happening. Sprouting broccoli doing well and so are the cabbages, I've still got some leeks and some brussels. Leeks and sprouts will have to come out. Earlies are showing but well wrapped up under fleece, Overwintering onions started to grow and so has the garlic.

I need to move the strawberries under cover to bring them on but first I need a couple of scoops of fresh muck dropping over the fence to make a sort of hot bed for them.

Mini digger up and running, I've got DH to build me a new asparagus bed with it, plus a trench for the main potatoes which have started to sprout but they aren't going out until next month. New fruit cage also going up for raspberries. Blackcurrant tips have started to turn green, I'll probably make some icecream or sorbet in the next few days with them.

Sown loads of seeds in modules, some for inside, some for outside. Dwarf beans, beetroot, lettuce, tomatoes, aubergines, sugar snap, leeks, parsley, celery, swede, peppers, cauliflowers. Not too many of each as I don't want to have many gluts this year. I'll sow more of the same in about 6-8 weeks time.
Sown carrots in the tunnel just one line and I'll repeat every three weeks, with a major sow in August to take me over the winter.

Need to organise the automatic watering better this year. I bought it last year when the plants were already growing but now most of the beds are clear I can make a better job of it. It's things like this that take up the time.

Magnolia almost out, that cheers me up - Spring is almost here just hope for no frost to blacken the flowers.

Fruittea wrote: »

Sounds as though you've made a great start to things Zafiro. I'm also cracking on with things. Sown lots of flowers too as the garden was flattened last year. The greenhouse is full of trays just waiting to germinate. Such a great time of year.

Thanks Fruitea, I've been reading your posts and can see you've done far more than me. I've still a freezer full of fruit and veg - too many runner beans and tomatoes if I'm honest, so this year the aim is to grow a wider variety over a longer period so I don't end up with too many gluts.

I think I may try sweet potatoes, a friend grew them last year, terrific crop and they were huge. Anyone tried to grow them???

Someone earlier mentioned making wine. I'd be grateful for the low down on best wine and how to do it. I had a go at cider a couple of years ago - it was absolute rubbish

So I have spent today making my wormery. I am so excited by this it isn't true! After much research I have picked up 3 polystyrene boxes from a fish monger. Cleaned and cleaned. Used a stanley knife to cut bits off so they all fitted together snugly. Used a hot glue gun to fill up big air holes from their original life and a nail to make loads of little holes for them to wiggle up through. Just waiting for the worms to arrive, should be today or tomorrow and then I can start.

Really hope it works! Think of all that lovely compost!

Also have arranged to pick up several bags of well rotted chicken manure to cover a bed 3 x 2 meters at the lottie which I'll collect on Friday :-)

Not a great deal to report here. Had an hour or two in the garden yesterday, did a bit more tidying up. Replocated another errant bramble to the boundary with the woods. Picked some odds & ends to go in my ramen, couldn't resist a couple of wild garlic fronds - it's a little early but my excuse is that it's a test picking. This weekend: the dreaded greenhouse candle (though I might wait for a rainy day - it's a little less antisocial)

I am determined for another full weekend at the allotment, which might start tomorrow if the weather looks good

All the seedlings are looking ok(ish). Think I can safely say I've lost the brussels and spinach - started too early. But the cucumbers, cornichons, tomatoes, lavender etc all seem to be doing ok. Peas are pretty much always a safe bet really. Oddly I have only one sunflower come up out of 12, so might get some more in.
Be interested to see if anything that was sown direct has started to come up yet at the allotment...... we wait with baited breath

Happy growing everyone