February Update: What are you growing in 2006

wigginsmum

This is my first year growing fruit & veg. So far we've planted a stepover apple and a minarette apple, a rhubarb crown still in the shed, summer and autumn raspberries (15 canes in total), a redcurrant, a whitecurrant and a tayberry. Soft fruit is so expensive that it makes sense to have a go at them; had a huge success with blackberry icecream last summer, using free blackberries from the railway embankment at the end of our garden. I've got Ken Muir's book on growing soft fruit and it has very detailed instructions for a novice like me.

This weekend I'll be starting a cut-and-come-again salad bowl, various culinary herbs + some medicinal ones just for interest, wood strawberries, mini Savoy cabbages, mini caulis, and several types of tomatoes (will work out what needs to go in the electric propagators). If it works, I'll have a go at asparagus next year. Thinking of early potatoes in a plastic tub rather than in the ground.

Wendrie

Depends if you are planning on planting 'em out or not, if you are then toilet roll inners, newspaper sheets folded into pots or yogurt/other food pots. If you aren't planning on planting them into the ground then a grow bag or some other container for the compost is necessary.

Current crops are mainly grown in the ground - square raised beds so the kids and I can weed easily. But we also grow potatoes in old bins and have grown various plants in a wide variety of plastic/terracotta pots and containers.

Try the local £ shop - or as you buy some seedlings/herbs/larger plants reuse the pots for the next lot of seeds. Depending where you are there is bound to be someone with a shed full of pots to get rid of - we got rid of two large blue IKEA bags worth from our shed on Freecycle (someone wanted them for a gardening art project - I told her she could take away as much as she wanted!) Freecycle is a good place to start - as it will be free and reusing unwanted stuff http://www.freecycle.org/display.php?region=United%20Kingdom

annie-c

Update: Lidl have lots of gardening equipment available from Thurs 2 March:

http://www.lidl.co.uk/gb/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20060302.index

annie-c

Wendrie, does sweetcorn take up a great deal of room; I have a few sq feet that I don't know what to do with yet, and sweetcorn sounds like a nice idea?

BASIL

ok so i dont have a greenhouse, coldframe or anything else - my other half wont put up with things on window sills so i can only do things straight into pots or the little ground that isnt completely ankle deep in mud. i would really like to do some home growing but need some general advise of where to start... any sites that you could direct me to would be great....

not up for growing masses as will not be able to put in the time due to work so maybe potatoes, carrots, cabbage, peas, peppers ... things like that...

thanks in advance for any help!

:rolleyes:

squeaky

If you browse the threads listed under "Grow your own" in the Food section of our MEGA Index sticky there are some helpful tips for all sorts of things and include links to sites.

HTH

Wendrie

Sweetcorn can be squeezed together a bit closer than they suggest on the packet - I've not had much luck in this country, except for the garden that faced due south and sloped so each of my raised beds actually had more sun than if they were all flat. I'm told that you get a good result if you use root trainers or toilet paper inners so the roots get a start indoors in the warmth and then get moved out into a cloche. But we've so little space here that i've not attempted it in this garden. I'll get more meals per square foot if I plant carrots/potatoes/tomatoes/parsnips. I used to also plant climbing beans out at the base of the sweetcorn once they were knee high and let the beans climb up the corn - and supply the hungry feeders with nitrogen as they fixed it in their roots.

If the corn is in a very sunny place - go for it, should be fun to do but be aware that squirrels also love corn and whilst it is funny to see them eat the corn from the cob like a typewriter it can also be frustrating <G>

Wendrie

My favourite small garden book is "Square Foot Gardening" http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1591862027/qid=1141033323/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl/202-5426643-3271864 hmm Amazon shows me there have been two more editions since I bought mine wayy back in 97 The raised beds and close planting have meant I've carried on gardening even while working full time.

BASIL

great thanks for that squeaky. :rolleyes:

annie-c

Thanks to everyone who has posted updates, questions and advice!

Just advance notice that I'll be opening the 'March Update' thread on Wednesday, so we can carry on there with the new month's updates and tips.