Revisited! Great 'Grow Your Own' Hunt: share your top tips on home cultivation

Emma_whitnash

SJ_Jones wrote: »

I live in a flatshare in SE London, & I have a balcony off of my room. In this I grow:

• Tomatoes - 3 plants (grew last year in a growbag, BIG success, trying this year from 3 individual pots...)

• Dwarf Beans - :mad: 3 plants (grew last year all in 1 big pot, very little success, trying this year from 3 individual pots...)

• Raspberry Bush - Last year had very little, but that's normal for 1st year, looks like lots more coming through this year.

• Courgettes - had 2 plants in 1 pot last year, doing the same this year, but 2 plants each in 2 pots... they grew one at a time, but were gorgeous!! And you have to pollinate them yourself if not many bees etc around.

• Carrots - in a trough-type-pot, suspended over the railings... They grow, they're not big, they're not plentiful... but they're tasty!

• Radishes - in empty plastic meat containers from Tesco (ie they were sold containing chicken wings, beef joint etc)

• Garlic - a little experimental, trying this from my own cloves

• Salad Leaves - oriental & lams lettuce, did well last year. Grew in troughs on ground last year, this year suspending over balcony railings to make room for other things

• Various herbs - bought from Borough Market & Tesco... too hard to grow from seed (Mint, Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Parsley & chives)

• Aubergine - tried last year with little success, learnt a bit more for this year, and trying again with plants from Tesco

• Butternut Squash - tried last year, as yet haven't bothered this year, may be tempted if I get bored. Again you need to pollinate them.

• Strawberries - First attempt this year

• Flowers - growing poppies & wildflowers to try & attract bees. butterflies etc

I may qualify for farm status(!) as up until Friday I had a Mallard Duck nesting in the Raspberry Bush... she left with 8 little ducklings :T (with some assistance as I'm 3 floors up!

Wow, you're growing that lot on a balcony!! Impressive!

SJ_Jones

Emma_whitnash wrote: »

Wow, you're growing that lot on a balcony!! Impressive!

Thank you! It's quite a tight fit, but it's fun & it's worth it!

jmcmh

I have been making home made garden compost successfully from kitchen rubbish etc for some years now.
Originally one of the items I used was teabags. However after a couple of years I found I was digging these up again in the Spring much in the same condition as they were when added.
Since then I squeeze the excess tea out of them and dry them. I open them and add only the used leaves to the compost.
The last time I used complete teabags in the compost was 5 years ago and I am still uncovering some of them every time I dig in the garden.
I wonder has anyone else had the same problem with their compost.
I have since found out that the 'paper' used to make this product is the same material which was used several years ago in the production of ladies disposable knickers!!

Yummymummy69

@ Modern Slave -best thing for a rabbit is kill it and make it into a nice pie!! :-) Long slow cooking, succulent meat, yummy! And it would be free!! Yay!
I garden, getting better, my veggie plot looks good this year. Not much work at this time of year - winters the hard work time, digging it all over!!

I have Leeks, carrots, courgettes, pumpkins, radishes, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, rhubarb and potatoes! Forgot the sweetcorn!

Happy growing!

Khrisb

Chives flower with a lovely big flower dont take much space and keep coming back each year

fannyadams

I have problems working out how many plants i need to have to feed the 4 of us. then I found this:
www.vegetablegardenplanner.com

looks like a useful site and it's free

Professional_complainer

I would say Yes, yes, Yes to all those questions. My partner started me off this year, so i am a virgin to the grow your own. He has an idea that if you can eat it don't grow it! I have used his herbs and strewberries in the past from his garden and I have enjoyed. Yes it has and is hard work as I am working and its a committment but it will be work it. Relaxing not sure but a challeng and the products do taste better, than the shops

newsgroup_monkey

Professional_complainer wrote: »

I would say Yes, yes, Yes to all those questions. My partner started me off this year, so i am a virgin to the grow your own. He has an idea that if you can eat it don't grow it!

A-M-E-N! Flowers look lovely, but really, what's the point? Unless you can cut them and put them in a pot in the house, I'm not bothered.

Look at chives - lovely flowers and you can eat them. Same with Sunflowers.

The exception is nasturtiums and Marigolds - grow them as sacrificial flowers and if you're lucky, they might even survive!

Lotus-eater

fannyadams wrote: »

I have problems working out how many plants i need to have to feed the 4 of us. then I found this:
www.vegetablegardenplanner.com

looks like a useful site and it's free

It's American, which is against it

It's actually not that bad for amounts, but gave me 60 climbing french beans for 3 people! I don't know how they grow out there, but if I grew that many here, I'd be swimming in them!

newsgroup_monkey

Lotus-eater wrote: »

It's American, which is against it

It's actually not that bad for amounts, but gave me 60 climbing french beans for 3 people! I don't know how they grow out there, but if I grew that many here, I'd be swimming in them!

Wow! You're not wrong. I had about 20 runner bean plants last year and couldn't give them away!