My Home-grown Journey

Primrose

Kerik - Ask the Highways Department of your local council if they will put up a road sign saying Beware Toads/Frogs Crossing. I know this sounds silly but some local councils do this on roads in specific spots near ponds and streams to alert motorists to slow down.

rabialiones

JayneC wrote: »

Hi everyone,

Planted a few more seeds n onion sets this weeekend. I think my garlic is through - either that or the onions, can't remember what is where! I've made some labels from milk bottles now (thanks) so should be able to keep track of things in future:D

Planted leeks n broccoli outside and moved my spring onions into a Quality Street tin on my worktop! Do ya think that'll be big enough?! I might grow rocket in another?

I splashed out on 2 fruit trees from Aldi (an apple and a pear) yesterday. I've put one in the ground at the back of the veg patch and going to try to 'train' it along the fence. The other is in a large pot so we'll see how they get on.

My indoor seeds seem to be germinating quite well now apart from a couple of pots which i think may be parsley which can apparently be very slow. Or one might be cucumber! Oh well we'll find out eventually if they grow!

I have space for a wigwam of beans and a few sweetcorn in the ground - the rest will have to go in pots now!!

If I do well this year I may apply for an allotment. I've thought about it a lot but cos I work full time I'm not sure I have time to look after it properly.

See ya soon,

jayne x

hiya, would just like some info on quality street tin
do you have to put holes in bottom of tin or yogurt carton etc when planting seeds?

gtx

hi everyone

more and more seeds are sprouting - how big is big enough to pot on - turnips have grown really quickly but are very 'spindly'

hope everyone is doing well

gtx

phizzimum

notenoughcash - do frogs eat slugs and other pests? I think they probably are a helpful thing to have in your garden.

rabialiones - yes you need to put holes in the bottom of the containers otherwise the plants will drown when you water them.

betterlife

hi all, wow everyones been busy, well ive had my ducks for a week now and there settling in very well, my pea seedlings are doing great and looking very strong and healthy, as are my tomato seedlings and my leeks are starting to come up aswell, ive now got 16 autumn raspberry canes and a new black current. rhubarb is looking brill and blueberry and gooseberry and getting new buds on. have started digging some new veg patches but havent had much time this week with sons bday and making costumes for book week an umpa lumpa and a snake! won 1st prise though. so hopefully tomorrow will be spent digging beds and sunday planting more seedlings. hope this frosty weather goes soon as i was getting quite use to what i thought was an early spring. take care everyone x

JayneC

rabialiones wrote: »

hiya, would just like some info on quality street tin
do you have to put holes in bottom of tin or yogurt carton etc when planting seeds?

Hi,

I haven't put drainage holes in cos I'm keeping it inside so can judge the watering (hopefully) if they're going outside you'll need holes otherwsie they might 'drown' if it rains a lot! HTH. What are you planting?

Primrose

The only thing which worries me about planting seeds in tins, even with drainage holes, is that after a while they will go very rusty and I'm unsure whether the chemicals from the rust would be harmful. Last year I used a round chocolates tin for packing in all the loo rolls in which I was sowing parsnip seeds & climbing beans and by the time they were ready for planting out the tin had become very rusty. This year I'm using it again for the same purpose but will be lining the tin with a polythene bag just in case of any tin/rust contamination.

scotsaver

Hi everyone - not posted for a while as not been able to get much done out in the Garden as the weather has been awful, too wet, too windy and too cold. Seem to remember being a lot further ahead this time last year.

Things indoors look good though - have first pea shoot poking through the compost, couple of onion seeds, sweet peas poking up and tomatoes coming on really well, still no sign of anything else though.

Thanks to those who made suggestions of what to grow in total shade, shall sort something out in the next couple of weeks.

Good luck to everyone else.:D

rabialiones

JayneC wrote: »

Hi,

I haven't put drainage holes in cos I'm keeping it inside so can judge the watering (hopefully) if they're going outside you'll need holes otherwsie they might 'drown' if it rains a lot! HTH. What are you planting?

hi, i just ended up using plastic containers, which i put holes in. although they are tomato and pepper seed which i have planted and kept inside in a corner of room covered with polythene. packet states that shoots should appear in about 2 weeks. i think i have to leave them until then, without watering them
.
please correct me if i am wrong, this is my first attempt , so i am a complete novice.

Primrose

rabialiones - tomatoes and pepper seeds are normally very reliable germinators and 14 days is about right - could take a little longer if the temperature drops, so try and keep the containers in the warmest sunniest spot you can and remove from a cold window sill at night. The compost needs to be kept moist at all times though, but not drenched. Once your seedlings are between one and two inches high, transfer them into 3 inch diameter pots until they are showing signs of becoming potbound and the roots start appearing through the bottom. Peppers should be grown in pots that are a minimum of 6 inches diameter (and preferably 8 inches to improve cropping yield). I use compost from Growbags and mix in a small handful of chicken manure pellets as the Growbag compost won't really have sufficient nutrients to last right through the growing season. Tomatoes shouldn't be planted out until mid June when all signs of frost have disappeared. Harden them off gradually if possible before then, putting them outside on warm days and bringing them in at night. This will prevent a temporary halt to their growing while they get used to new conditions.