The Potting Shed - come on in, the kettle's on!

digitalphase

Our last frost date is late April. What a shame when I'd really like to get things going.

My gardening will suffer slightly this year as we're moving house soon and got a baby due early May, so won't have the time to spend on it as before. But will make sure I get out and about and still do stuff.

I have some tomatoes, chillis and baby cucumbers in my heated propagator at the moment. So far only got 5 toms, but they only went in the prop yesterday. Will give the chillis and cucumbers a bit longer yet to get going. Might put something else under there as well to get going. I think I bought some pepper seeds last year, so will dig them out.

In the garden all my plants are in pots as we rent, so move around with us. I have a rhubarb which I bought last year and didn't harvest, after reading advice that it's better to let the crown mature the first year and not pick any. So I did just that and have now got loads of leaves/stalks on there already. It doesn't seem bothered in the slightest about the frost.

Also got some strawberries which I had from last year, overwintered in a growbag and some pots. All doing well. Surprising actually, I didn't realise strawbs were so hardy.

I have also got a blueberry, which is on its third year with us and budded up ready. And a gooseberry and redcurrant that we got last year, which will hopefully fruit this year. I think there's another fruit bush as well, as we got a pack of three from Aldi... Can only remember the gooseberry and redcurrant though :rotfl:

In the new house there are some raised beds, so thinking I will plant carrots and beetroot and depending on how much space there is, maybe some spuds. Or I may get a big bucket and plant the spuds. Would also like to have a go at some onions.

angelavdavis

Hi Everyone,

We started our day yesterday in the garden by planting out some spinach under a glass cloche and some mixed salad leaves, radishes and spring onions.

We then went to the allotment site for the rest of the day.

Well, I have relented and glyphosated a couple of beds where, try as I might, I couldn't eradicate the couch grass and perennial bindweed. I think my allotment compost heap must be two-thirds couch grass.

I planted 300 summer flowering bulbs in the cut flower bed whilst OH weeded a border (more couch grass) and dug over the last bed which was one of the lasagne beds we started last year - just amazing that all the cardboard has rotted to nothing!

I then weeded the garlic bed whilst OH planted up the new herb garden. Finally, we got some more onions in, finished painting the pallet picket fence and tied the relocated tayberry into its new wires. It's all looking much tidier now.

As usual, still a lot to do. I spent today in the conservatory at home sowing more seeds until I ran out of newspaper pots.

Planted a mix of stuff in heated propagators now these are free since moving the germinated tomatoes and peppers: courgettes, cucumbers, aubergines, summer and winter squashes. Then planted some more without heat: celery, pak choi, beetroot, peas, dwarf beans, various chard. I have planted a few extras to sell at the plant sale at the site in a few weeks (all money raised goes to the society).

Lovely and sunny all weekend here - OH got sunstroke yesterday, poor thing!

miltonskeen

Hi guys.

Wonderful weekend in the greenhouse and garden! Like a summers day in Milton Keynes, I can feel I've caught the sun on my face. Set many many seeds off in the last few weeks...

Cabbages, toms, chilli, pepper, runners, carrots, onions, lettuce, rocket, leaf mix,

radiohelen

I may have peaked early but I'm not alone on our lottie... the spuds are in! One of my neighbours came and used his rotavator to knock down my dug soil and we put the spuds in and mounded up the earth over them. They look so neat and lovely in their beds. Our last frost is early May but I think they'll be OK. They've got a ways to go before they grow through my mounds anyway.
This week my mission is to plant broad beans and shallots. I've got some beans coming through from the autumn but there are gaps. The shallots need to go in to get a bit of cold on them. No-one mention the net of garlic hanging in the shed accusingly... I might get to that next week. There is already a stack of garlic in from last autumn anyway.

I've got peas in trays germinating, leeks are appearing now and I've got plastic fruit boxes filled with cut and come again salad which has germinated. Would you guys plant up a new box every fortnight or three weeks or once the seeds germinate/push up leaves to ensure constant supply?
I've also got a bunch of tomatos and tomatillos waiting to be potted up. They've only got their baby leaves at the moment and I've sat them in the cool northish facing dining room. The chillis and peppers are in the tardis, potted up and already onto their real leaves. They seem happy on the south facing wall.

lidlest

angelavdavis wrote: »

Hi Everyone,


Well, I have relented and glyphosated a couple of beds where, try as I might, I couldn't eradicate the couch grass and perennial bindweed. I think my allotment compost heap must be two-thirds couch grass.

!

I didn't think it was advisable to put weeds on a compost heap?

pawlala

digitalphase wrote: »

Also got some strawberries which I had from last year, overwintered in a growbag and some pots. All doing well. Surprising actually, I didn't realise strawbs were so hardy.

I've found all my strawberry plants have reappeared from last year, they've been in the outside border all winder. Very pleased!

Craftyscholar

digitalphase wrote: »

Our last frost date is late April. What a shame when I'd really like to get things going.

Also got some strawberries which I had from last year, overwintered in a growbag and some pots. All doing well. Surprising actually, I didn't realise strawbs were so hardy.
.

They must be. I have some in a strawb planter and we had two bad spells of lying snow, with the worst icicles hanging off the gutters for weeks that I have ever seen:eek:
Strawberry plants looking very healthy:T

Primrose

grumbleweeds wrote: »

My little boy (just turned 5) has been helping, he popped the tomato seeds in the propagator and every morning before school he takes a look. He wanted them on his bedside cabinet ("in case they die because they get lonely in the middle of the night") but I drew the line on the one )

Very wise ! Having them knocked onto the floor and all the black compost spewed all over the carpet would not make your morning ! But it's lovely that he wants to be involved and will give him a good appreciation of nature.

Optimisticpair

This season I'm a happier bunny.

Last year almost everything edible had to be grown in pots due to not being able to get tree stumps out as planned but I have paid someone else to come in this week with a larger digger and he got the blighters dug up. I had the big one hoisted out and it has gone to rot down in the local forest with its cousins. The propagator and my windowsills are brim full of half seed trays and chitting potatoes. Much happier bunny.

angelavdavis

lidlest wrote: »

I didn't think it was advisable to put weeds on a compost heap?

It isn't a great idea to compost perennials or anything in seed, but its against allotment rules to bin them and bonfires are frowned upon. I drown the worst weeds first and when they are unrecognisable, compost them. They stink but the plants love the vile brew that is created as a result.

I didn't get a chance to go to the allotment today but have been searching for sheds. I want a nice shed! We have an old one on the plot but its only 3 x 3 and you can barely have a sneaky pee in there (sorry too much info!)! I fancy this one, but have no idea if we have room for it so need to go up with my tape-measure. We have a lovely view of the sea from where the shed is, so it would be nice to get a bench under the lean-to section. Well, I can dream anyway!