My Home-grown Journey

jintyb

Thanks to all for your posts, some great ideas there. I just thought I 'd share the offers in the Gardeners World at the mo: 3 raspberry canes for £3.49 ( they can go in pots or in a plot) and 10 packs of seeds for £1.99 ( pumpkin, beetroot, lettuce, cabbage, carrots and sunflower, poppy, lemon balm, cornflower and teasel) Log on to www.thompson-morgan.com/gwm. These are shown as FREE but you pay for P&P. This seemed good value to me, any comments appreciated!
Also can you use yogurt pots for seeds? What should I be saving to use planting seeds? Do I need a propagator?

SuzieMum

Excellent pics and I always wondered what to do with onions, my father in law says he always had enough to get them through the winter!! Say if I plant and harvest 20 decent sized onions, once they are picked is it too late to replenish with more to grow? What I mean is it there enough time in 1 season to grow 2 batches of onions in the same patch? Last yr I didn't get a single onion, they all went to seed so quickly, apparently not enough water?! Felt like I was flooding them when I did water them though!! Will hope for better this yr!
Funny you say that about the egg boxes being closed, I read today it should be light and cool! Oh Im sure either way they will chit!

notenoughcash

Sounds like you are going to be busy scotsaver! And that is a good tip about the toilet roll tubes, my mum gave me that idea. I usually cut them in half though. They protects the young plant from birds and slugs and then like you say they compost down. You may get a few funny looks from friends and neighbours though!

Those seed offers seem good jintyb and they're a decent brand too, hope they go well. Yoghurt pots are a great way to start off rather than paying for plant pots. You can get cheap propagator lids at wilko, but most things will be ok in a sunny window or greenhouse.

Everyone will give you different advise suziemum, just go with whatever suits you best. If something doesn't work one year try it another way the next. I usually rotate my onions, my patch splits kind of in quarters for rotation as different veg use different nutrients but i do grow two lots of onions. One plant in feb and harvest in oct, another lot plant in oct and harvest in july, then where they have been harvested I put in salad leaves for the rest of the season. Even small onions are good though, I have some the size of large sprouts which are great halved and put in casseroles.

notenoughcash

Well I have managed 4 hours in the garden today (some of that hangin washing out ) and have got loads done.

I've put in the canes ready for the peas to grow up

http://i716.photobucket.com/albums/ww162/mrsvela_2009/PICT0076.jpg

And made a make-shift raised bed kind of thing for the carots to keep them away from carrot fly

http://i716.photobucket.com/albums/ww162/mrsvela_2009/PICT0077.jpg



This is my free reused and recycled cold frame

http://i716.photobucket.com/albums/ww162/mrsvela_2009/PICT0078.jpg


And my bedroom window

http://i716.photobucket.com/albums/ww162/mrsvela_2009/PICT0075.jpg

http://i716.photobucket.com/albums/ww162/mrsvela_2009/PICT0074.jpg

kazzys51

Hi not enough cash I bought my tottys today!! got a pack of 24 in b n q 4 3.49 not bad might be too much for us though, got them in my egg trays,

are they supposed to be covered with the lid of tray? and i was going to put them in my porch its cold but not frosty its got a little window is this ok or is it supposed to be dark ? thanks for all this info k

scotsaver

Made it to the Garden Centre but after much debating decided to try and make do with the Canes that I already have, just hope they are strong enough for the Runner Beans. It was dry here yesterday so spent most of the day in the Garden, tidied up all the pots on the Patio and refilled them with fresh compost, dug over my new veg plot, dug over the old veg plot and cut down some other plants. It's raining here now so a day indoors, got some Coriander and cress to put on the Kitchen window sill, everything else will have to wait until I can buy some more Compost. Have a good day everyone.:D

Karmacat

Notenoughcash, those photos are fascinating, thank you! It does make me wonder tho - how long do you leave stuff on the windowsill? The windowsills of mine wide enough to carry any pots are either in full sun all day (wouldn't the seedlings get frazzled, and overheated by my gas fire in the evening anyway) one has afternoon sun which might be appropriate, and one never gets any sun at all.... I'm a bit lost to know whats best for seedlings started off in the house, to be honest.

notenoughcash

Hello everyone!

Kazzy I wouldn't set all the potatoes off at once. Do a few at a time three or four weeks apart and then they'll be ready to harvest at different times and give you a good supply. Cold is ok to chit them, it will be cold when they go outside so too much heat isn't good. I usually close the lids on the egg boxes but leave them in the window of the garden shed, other people leave the lid open. Try it both ways and see what works best.

It's a pretty rubbish day today here too scotsaver. I got loads done in the garden yesterday but just not fit today. Did manage to walk the long way round to the shop after school this morning though for a tin of tomatoes. I went through the woods (which were much muddier than I'd anticipated and I had to put everything in the wash when I got home) and saw loads of rabbits about 20 blue tits chittering to eachother and even a jay which was lovely. It's good to see all the buds on the trees and beginnings of life under the leaves too.

My bedroom is pretty cool karmakat where my pots are and I leave the window open for a couple of hours if it's a very sunny day. Just make sure you give them plenty of water, and they'll be behind the curtain by the time the gas fire is on so that shouldn't do them too much harm. Again this is one of those trial and error things, if it doesn't work one way try it another way next time until you figure out what's best for you. I don't leave the seedlings in the house for long. Once they've come through I put them under the cold frame to harden them off and then plant them in the ground with either a toilet roll tube or half a plastic bottle to protect them until they're stronger.

jintyb

Yesterday I bought tomato seeds and basil seeds. start them off at the weekend. Dont have a cold frame but Ive got one of those plastic greenhouse thingys. Will that be ok for hardening off?
Will start my tatties chitting too!
Have a great day, everyone!

ixwood

Great thread.

Do you grow anything permanently indoors or just seedlings? I'm thinking about trying salads and cherry toms indoors. Any other ideas? I have 4 south facing windows, 2 east and 1 north. About a foot wide.

I also toying with the idea of putting some racking in front of one window to maximise space/potential, but probably not worth it unless I can grow decent things indoors.