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

Fruittea · 12 March 2017 at 10:56AM

Morning Everyone
I see people have been busy. I have nearly finished with the decorating so it's time to make some space for the garden. After the builders left the garden looked like a tip but I did a bit of planting and can now see some things coming up. It still looks a mess but every day will bring something along.
I have 6 different types of tomatoes this year - some saved from old seed but we'll have to see how they go.
This morning I'll be sowing herbs seeds. All seeds were purchased in the sales or are from last years seed - so no expenses yet.
The potatoes are all chitting nicely - I plan for the first earlies to go in in late March but I might pop a couple in a pot to get some very early.
I haven't been down to the allotment recently but the last time I was there the onions and garlic etc looked good. I hope to go down on Tuesday and will do an update.
I'm also going to put a couple of dwarf beans in a pot and keep them in an unheated green house - to see if I can get some early beans. Still have a couple of bags in the freezer but they won't last much longer.
And I'll sow some lettuce.
Well jobs planned - best get on with it them.
Happy days!

CAFCGirl · 13 March 2017 at 8:20AM

tibawo wrote: »

Anyway, moving forward I know when I do get my allotment I might be lucky and find useable things on it but know that I will have to purchase others. I have a small tub in the house that i can start to store my trowel etc but thought i might [funds permitting] start getting vouchers etc , where do purchase things from? I was thinking wilkos might be an ok one?

Mine is mostly a mix between £ shops, Wilkos, and B&Q. Although the most interesting stuff usually gets found at bootfairs and charity shops for me - things like the wooden rounds for making seedling pots, and other such tools.

CAFCGirl · 13 March 2017 at 8:27AM

Not been on all weekend as I spent it all at the plot! Happy days!
Saturday was 9-4 and Sunday 9:30-2 (I was so achey!). I've managed to cleared two really good size areas which I think I will use for bean trellis to come up and possibly my onions or garlic.
Direct sowed some cabbage, nasturtiums and beetroot. Saved 2 bits of rhubarb my Dad had dug up during the week and lobbed on the compost pile! So they went back in. This week is also looking like glorious weather to be spending some time up there and I'm hoping to go again today for a couple of hours.

Timed it well going up so much this weekend as the annual plot inspections took place yesterday and I managed to get a green tick against my name as well as a little star (which roughly translates to "keep an eye on" LOL) Cant say I blame him. 3 years Ive had it and only now looking like Ive done much! This year is my year.
Ordered a load of pallet collars for raised beds from the resident go to chap on site, whose lovely and takes payment in beers.

Yesterday evening saw me still sowing seeds and peas (ruthless), cornichons (never grown before), and tomato and lavendar seedlings potted on. Today I am hoping to stat off a few more and write myself a nice jobs list for the week.

Happy gardening everyone!

Fruittea · 13 March 2017 at 9:22AM

Sounds as thought you've really got it together CAFCGirl. It is amazing what you can do once you put your mind to it. And it look it like it's going to be a fine day here in Gloucestershire. I should really do some garden planning - I'm all a bit random at the mo. I always feel better when I have a plan.
On tools - car boots are always good for some of the old style tools. Worth having a look around especially after Easter - it always seems as though people have a good clear out.

determined_new_ms · 13 March 2017 at 5:23PM

went down the allotment for 3 hours this morning. Could have stayed longer but had an appt so had to go. More digging over. Did a small bed as my neighbour gave me 19 strawberry plants so I needed to get them in. Definitely getting a plan of where things are going to go

I was given 7 blackcurrant bushes - but think I'm only going to take 4. Also going to email my other neighbour and ask if she minds me taking some cuttings off of her redcurrant bushes.

Woke up this morning to a flurry of germination

a couple of broad beans, purple brussel sprouts, 1 regular brussel sprout, 3 sunflower seeds, 2 calabrese. Yay the anxiety can abate

Kantankrus_Mare · 13 March 2017 at 5:48PM

Finally found you all!

Sounds like you are all well ahead of seed sowing!

Only thing I had on the go up to a week ago was bell peppers and sweet peas. Didnt think either were going to do anything when just after two weeks they came alive.

Think I have made mistakes in the past with peppers by starting them in airing cupboard which gives too much growth too quickly and ends in leggy plants.

Seems the new slow way of sitting them on front table in front of sunny window gives better results.

There are some sweetcorn seeds just coming through too.

We transferred my small greenhouse from home to the allotment where it will get more sun. Thought we were going to have to buy lots of new glass as lots got broken when we dismantled it but luckily a neighbour at the allotment is giving up their plot and we got first refusal for the greenhouse. We took what glass we needed and offered the frame to a new family that have just taken on a plot.

I have the usual growing at the plot, rhubarb, onions, garlic, leeks, various fruit bushes and three beds of strawberrys which we moved from the shade of last year into hopefully full sun this year.

I am ok at growing veg but this year I want to also have a full plot of colour with various flowers.

Not really knowlegable about this so a bit trial and error. At the moment I have dafs along the front which are just flowering. Have planted some dutch iris bulbs hoping for some summer colour that will come up year after year.

Quite a few tulips have popped up that we planted last year. I also planted a honeysuckle which will hopefully spread and also a clematis.

Sounds like a lot but I want to grow flowers for cutting through the summer so today bought some seeds of cosmos and a mixture of other things I cant remember the name of. Lol Told you I dont know what I'm doing!

So any advice is welcome!

smeeinnit · 14 March 2017 at 5:25PM

Hello all

A little more done today, planted my onion sets in modules to give them a headstart. Tomorrow I may sow some more seeds in my windowsill propagators. Not sure where to put them as I do not have windowsills in my house!

determined_new_ms · 14 March 2017 at 6:25PM

I'm going to make a womery! Have been googling ideas and have a plan and best of all we have 3 largish orange crates that stack into one another so just need to purchase a little tap thingy and worms. Need to fashion a lid but we have mdf and wood in the garage. Oh not impressed when I told him in the winter they will have to come in the house :rotfl:

cleaned the inside of the greenhouse, sowed some carrots in a container and some lettuce in modules today, Several things have germinated, more calabrese, sprouts, 2 more sunflower seeds & 2 tomato seeds. Will wash out some pots when madam has gone to bed. No sign of aubergines planted 2 weeks ago or peppers last week. Not sure if I should purchase some more aubergine seeds or try again? argh! Just realised none of the cauliflowers I sowed 2 weeks ago have germinated. You think they will?

need to pick up compost tomorrow to do more sowing. What compost do you guys get? all of the books I've been reading say to use john innes no.1 then no.3. Debating if multi compost will do for potting on?

e4rly · 15 March 2017 at 12:46AM

determined_new_ms wrote: »

I'm going to make a womery! Have been googling ideas and have a plan and best of all we have 3 largish orange crates that stack into one another so just need to purchase a little tap thingy and worms. Need to fashion a lid but we have mdf and wood in the garage. Oh not impressed when I told him in the winter they will have to come in the house :rotfl:

Lurker surfacing to say I love my wormery, one of my favourite things in my garden! The first tray of compost felt like such an achievement (although I'm aware that, ahem, I did none of the work...) I'm not the most green fingered but have found it really easy, although it does transpire that worms don't eat avocado seeds - who would have thought :rotfl:

I didn't find they needed to come inside in the winter, I just covered the wormery in bubble wrap and left in in a sheltered part of the garden, close to the house. They seemed fine and there are loads of them still!

zafiro1984 · 15 March 2017 at 10:53AM

I really must get started, all I've done is to plant the earlies. I have peppers on the windowsill that's all.
I think I'll catch up on paperwork over the next two days which will make me feel clear and then I can start.

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

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