My Home-grown Journey

notenoughcash

I plant all of mine out eventually but I'm sure salad leaves and cherry tomatoes would work indoors, also probably herbs, cress, possibly chillis if you have the space.

Everyone has been so generous since I put the word out that I'm hoping to expand my growing spave with an allotment. Friends and family have passed the word on to their friends and family and I have a real good collection of donated pots and seeds now.

The weather forecast is looking very cold for this weekend so I doubt I'll get much chance to do any more for a few days now, but the seedlings in my bedroom window are doing great and will be ready for hardening off once this cold front passes!

Off to wilkos either saturday or monday to see what's happening in there and may even walk along to the lidl store if I have time while I'm there.

scotsaver

Hi notenoughcash - Lidl's are supposed to have Seeds at 39p a packet, I'm popping in there to check it out on my way to the School run this afternoon, will let you all know if there is anything exciting in there.;)

Not done anyting in the Garden since Tuesday as it's been too wet and now too cold and the ground was frosty this morning, Snow forecast for the weekend but will be going to the Garden centre tomorrow as need to get some bags of Compost which OH can help me carry.:cool:

Got some Coriander seeds in a couple of pots on the Windowsill and some cress so at least that's a start.:rotfl: Just felt I had to plant up something as I'm itching to get started, most of my packets say sow in Feb, not long to wait now.;)

Primrose

notenoughcash - Good luck to you. Growing vegetables is so addictive and even if you have a bad year with poor results, hope springs eternal and there's always next year when you can try again. We also have limited veggie growing space in our garden but I'm continually looking around for ways of extending our growing area. Every year I seem to sneak a little bit more of the lawn to convert to veggie growing, and our front garden borders now contain soft fruit bushes, strawberries and a grape vine instead of shrubs & flowering bedding plants. This year I'm also experiment with growing potatoes in potato container sacks for the first time, and I extend my vgeggie growing area by planting decorative vegetables like beetroot, Swiss chard and other things mixed in with the flowers with tomatoes and climbing beans against the fence at the back of the border. Even my patio containers have a few parsley plants mixed in with geraniums and petunias. I grow peppers, chillis & aubegines and dot their pots around in a sunny border wherever I can find space. The chillis and peppers look very decorative among the flowers as they ripen. As we pay a huge amount of council tax I take the view that our front and back gardens have to earn their keep and be a productive as possible. And it's fun too to feel that even in a small way you are being self-sufficient and saving money, as well as the convenience of just popping outside your kitchen door to pick lovely fresh produce.

daska

other tips I've picked up for newbies...
a. use empty yoghourt/cream pots for seedlings etc, just remember to put drainage holes in the bottoms.
b. clear plastic punnets and pots with plastic lids are good mini propagators (I buy my cream from Tesco because the pots come in a sleeve rather than being printed) but remember to punch some airholes as well!
c. milk bottles, especially the 4 and 6 pint ones - cut them in half and you get cloches from the top half and seed trays from the bottoms.

kerik4

scotsaver wrote: »

Hi notenoughcash - Lidl's are supposed to have Seeds at 39p a packet, I'm popping in there to check it out on my way to the School run this afternoon, will let you all know if there is anything exciting in there.;)

Not done anyting in the Garden since Tuesday as it's been too wet and now too cold and the ground was frosty this morning, Snow forecast for the weekend but will be going to the Garden centre tomorrow as need to get some bags of Compost which OH can help me carry.:cool:

Got some Coriander seeds in a couple of pots on the Windowsill and some cress so at least that's a start.:rotfl: Just felt I had to plant up something as I'm itching to get started, most of my packets say sow in Feb, not long to wait now.;)

I went to Morrisons and got some seeds at 59p per packet or 4 for £2, 20% off named brands like Mr Fothergill, so bought my lettuce, rocket, spring onions, peas and tomato seeds. :T
I'm keeping egg boxes - can I use them for seedlings?

rinroo

I really want to grow veg. I managed tumbling toms and strawberries in hanging baskets last year though didn't get that much from them. They did look nice though.

I have a big slug and cat problem so it is putting me off. I could only realistically grow in containers and baskets as my back garden is over run with my sons toys and the front grass and planted border is being used as the local cats toilet Does anyone have any advice that could help me get around this. I have heard copper tape on pots apparently works? Does anyone use this.

I would happily give my front planted border up to veg but it would be ruined by cats.

I get though so many pepper and at approx 68p each they are getting more and more pricey will these grow ok in pots?

Notenoughcash - you pics are great, looking forward to seeing them in a few weeks when you start planting out.

Edit: Was thinking of purchasing a potato barrel (plastic one) are they worth the money or would a sack do?

notenoughcash

Hey all, I have decided I got a bit ahead of myself with planting my seeds and maybe I should have waited an extra few weeks. I only did half a dozen each of sprouts, brocolli and cauli but they're going to be ready for planting out before it's warm enough. Ah well, it was only an experiment (plus my getting too over excited!) I'm going to put them into peat pots under the cold frame this week and see if anything comes of them.

Not really done much else this week, everything's ready to go as soon as weather starts to warm up but I'm a bit stuck until then so we spent the day in the local park yesterday and both boys took bikes without stabilisers. Setting off and pedaling is great, stopping is not, so I'm a bit achy from all the bike chasing and pulling them out of ditches and bushes but at least we had fun!

rinroo I wouldn't bother with a potato barrel, find old broken bins or buckets ar empty sacks and spend the money on extra seed potatoes instead!!

Rowan9

Love this thread!! Your enthusiasm shines through. I'm still at the stage of growing tomatoes on my windowsill (bought ready grown!) but last summer I did plant salad leaf seeds and had a supply all summer. Hoping to do more this year but we are putting the house on the market so veg will have to be in pots rather than dig up what is ok shrub cover.
I'll keep watching to see what you are up to in here
w

scotsaver

kerik4 wrote: »

I went to Morrisons and got some seeds at 59p per packet or 4 for £2, 20% off named brands like Mr Fothergill, so bought my lettuce, rocket, spring onions, peas and tomato seeds. :T
I'm keeping egg boxes - can I use them for seedlings?

I think egg boxes may be too small, you could maybe start them in that but would need transplanted fairly quickly I would have thought, I use yoghurt pots and old plastic pots/containers that tomatoes etc have come in from the Supermarket.

Managed to get my Plastic Greenhouse fixed at the weekend, had a roll of plastic sheeting left which is just as well as I've phoned Norfolk Greenhouses, where I originally bought it from, and they no longer supply this sheeting so will have to invest in a new Greenhouse next year I think.

We have had 5" of snow here in Kent so far so not much gardening going to be happening here for a while.;)

kerik4

scotsaver wrote: »

I think egg boxes may be too small, you could maybe start them in that but would need transplanted fairly quickly I would have thought, I use yoghurt pots and old plastic pots/containers that tomatoes etc have come in from the Supermarket.

Managed to get my Plastic Greenhouse fixed at the weekend, had a roll of plastic sheeting left which is just as well as I've phoned Norfolk Greenhouses, where I originally bought it from, and they no longer supply this sheeting so will have to invest in a new Greenhouse next year I think.

We have had 5" of snow here in Kent so far so not much gardening going to be happening here for a while.;)

Our garden's looking quite sorry too - measured 13" this morning in Surrey!! The bamboo was weighted down under a mound of snow so had to rescue it...can't imagine starting the veg off next month!! :eek: