Planting Plans For One Person

RAS

ceridwen wrote: »

I'm very vaguely remembering summat about starting off initial germination of any seeds on damp paper, to see if they are still viable - so that one can tell after just a few days presumably (rather than sticking them in soil and sitting wondering for several weeks if they're actually "doing anything").

As some of my seeds are a bit "old" now - I think it might be best to do this with them before getting them going "properly". Would this work?

I germinate almost all my seeds except beans and peas like this, although I have read that it works for french beans as well.

It is great with older seed - I only want a dozen cabbage and this way I can use older packets, identify which seed is still viable and raise say 2 dozen seedlings. If I was to sow in a seed tray, a lot of the non-viable seed would rot and affect the young seedlings.

With toms and the like, which need higher temperatures to germinate, it works a treat. Since I only want a couple of plants of each variety, I can start with three seeds and if they do not germinate quickly, add more seeds until I have a couple germinated.

It is important not to get the too warm and to pot up the seed as soon as the radicle shows, or they will go leggy, but otherwise it is a time saver, seed saver, space saver and money saver.

ceridwen

RAS wrote: »

back again!!!!!

Some great links on their ceridwen. Will defo be linking into some of them if I get going on a local project this spring.

Hi RAS

I've been thinking on about your mention of a local project you are thinking about. Have you seen about Grofun (a Bristol-based initiative by the look of it):

www.grofun.org.uk

Seems like a good idea to me.

I've noticed how you seem to have some involvement in growing foods in African communities - and, yep, a lot of that knowledge will be transferable to (and needed by) us here in Britain. So - if thats the sorta thing you are involved in - I'll do what I can to help with this. So - I've been sitting there speculating with myself today whether you are involved with the London project to have 2012 (think it is?) community food gardens growing by next Olympics or whether you might be Cottage Smallholder (who has been visiting my blog recently - I feel flattered by that - as they are quite well-known!) or this is some similar initiative to Grofun - anyways - I'll help if I can.

A point to note - I'm far from computer-literate - its just not how my brain functions for a start-off. I added to my grey hairs yesterday when I thought somehow or t'other I'd managed to accidentally delete my side blog (ie My Gardening Notes) - thank goodness it was only part of one post - so I retyped that in, saw the rest of that blog was still there safely okay - heaved due sigh of relief. So - can I suggest you copy off that blog of mine - in case I lose it myself anywheres along the line accidentally. Whether you want to print it off or what is up to you - I have no facilities of any description to copy anything off - and wouldnt know how to use them if I did:rolleyes: . So - in order not to lose those links - I suggest you DO copy it. I've put a noticeable amount of the information I want to have myself/make available on it now - some bits still to go.

I will do what I can to work with anyone who "gets it" about the need to ensure Britain (or anywhere else come to think of it) has food security. I want to do my tiny bit to ensure people are fed okay.

ceridwen

Also found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyXJzjJnd88

ceridwen

rhiwfield wrote: »

Not sure if its been posted before but ordinary builders buckets (black for heat absorbtion) are great for growing early potatoes. I drill several large holes in base for drainage. The handles make them easy to move about (useful when covering against late frosts or putting in a sunny area) and 2 seed potatoes sown in early March will usually give 0.5 kg of new potatoes as early as late May or up to 1 kg if left longer. Buckets cost less than £1 so this is a cheap and cheerful way of GYO if you havent got veg bed space. The buckets can be used for a second crop of a different veg when emptied of potatoes. Spent compost can then be added to your raised beds in winter. When not in use buckets can be stacked to avoid wasting space.

Thanks for that.

I've just been trying to work that out from there - if I were to grow potatoes in those potato growbags I have. I've read each potato growbag can take 5 plants. According to my (dicey) maths - then I guess that means that if I put 5 seed potatoes in each potato growbag and leave them to produce maximum size potatoes - then I would get 5 kgs of potatoes per potato growbags. Translate that back into "English" and that would be 12 lbs potatoes = 24 helpings of potatoes per potato growbag.

Hmmm.....3 potato growbags = 36 lbs of potatoes = 72 helpings of potatoes = 24 weeks worth of potatoes (if eaten at the rate of 3 helpings of potatoes per week).

Have I got that right?

Also - thought I read somewhere that its best to remove flowers from potato plants - and they will then put all their "energy" into growing potatoes. Does that sound like a good idea?

rhiwfield

Ceridwen,

I've not used growbags so I really dont know if you can scale up as you suggest.

One of the reasons we dont grow to max capacity is that I want to harvest all potatoes before blight hits us, so I dont grow for maincrop, particularly given the weather of the past 2 summers. I dont use chemical sprays to stop blight though I know a local farmer has had to spray several times over last few years to keep his maincxrop blight free

It does mean that we get lots earlies when shop prices are high. The yields I mentioned are without doing anything to flowers.

harib0uk

Just came across a free garden journal that might be of use to some, it's a pdf file so you'll need adobe reader for it

ceridwen

Hi RAS - and anyone else interested

Re your earlier mention about starting up a foodgrowing group - well - I guess I've found pretty much all the useful info I can find at present on t'Internet and its under the "Councils/community groups" label on my gardening notes blog:

http://mygardeningnotes.blogspot.com/search/label/Councils%2Fcommunity%20groups

Suggest you get a cup of coffee before you settle down for a read - it'll take a while......:D

RAS

Thanks for all that, will do so when I have time.