growing own veggies in bags and pots (Merged)

richyrich7

riskyinred wrote: »

Am I too late to grow potatoes if I want to do it inside? I'd quite like to have my own for Christmas dinner. I have a large, deep planter I'm planning on doing it in, should that make any difference.

Depends on the variety 1st earlies will produce tubers at about 10 weeks from planting, probably best kept indoors now as they might get caught by blight as they emerge from the soil, sow them near the bottom cover with 4" of compost when the leaves show add more compost but don't cover all the leaves and keep doing this until the compost gets to the top.

EagerLearner

Uh-oh - looks like my red pepper tree has some black marks on some of the peppers - any ideas?

The potted strawberry plant has only yielded one strawberry, which is now ready to eat. Please think of it at around 9pm tonight, when we will both be sharing it and enjoying the toil of the land :rotfl:

Questions...:

1) Our kos lettuce seedlings have not survived last week's events, despite our bringing them indoors (or maybe because of it??). We thought it was better to shield them from more battering as we have no greenhouse n the back patio. Anyhoo, best to admit defeat chuck the soil. We will prob have to sow more seeds this weekend. Are we still in time?

2) We also brought the carrot in because of the weather... that ok, or should they be out as they *seem* hardier? The dill has also come in.

Jack's_mummy

My carrots in tubs have survived every weather outside and are fine, the tops get bashed about alot but as soon as the wind drops they perk back up. I'd sow some more lettuce too. Again mine are outside all year round and do fine if they survive the slug attacks

competitionscafe

Some of my lettuce seedlings got flattened /smashed by the heavy rain, but I guess they needed thinning anyway (survival of the fittest!) the flat leaf parsley plant also collapsed with the weight of water which made it easier for the slugs to eat It has since sprung back up and recovered though (minus holes in lots of leaves, think the caterpillars are having a good go too!)

Spent the weekend throwing out the bolted /gone to seed mizuna and golden streaks mustard and eating some of the radishes to free up 3 windowboxes, one has now got Komatsuna mustard spinach in it (sown today) and the other 2 will get a mix of cut and come again salad leaves for late summer/ autumn (mizuna, tatsoi, green in snow, saisai, rocket etc).

The aubergine and peppers seem to have been a failure in the Scottish weather - neither have grown very much let alone produced any flowers/fruit. Only got 1 strawberry from my 3 plants but they are shooting out runners all over the place.

On the plus side I have a tub of mixed salad leaves (red oak leaf, green oak leaf and claremont) which should (fingers crossed) be ready for their first cutting for baby salad leaves in a couple of weeks.

I also sprayed everything with garlic and chilli spray to cut down on the aphids, spider mites, caterpillars etc - 'recipe' here (I added a little ecover washing up liquid and some veg oil to the 2 red chillies and garlic cloves):
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/grapevine/weeds-pests-diseases/homemade-organic-insect-repellent_21071.html

kazwookie

My potato leaves are suffering in this weather and being eaten as well.

I am going to firlke first and then tip 2 of the bags out this weekend and have a grand weigh in!

Davesnave

EagerLearner wrote: »

Uh-oh - looks like my red pepper tree has some black marks on some of the peppers - any ideas?
Questions...:

1) Our kos lettuce seedlings have not survived last week's events, despite our bringing them indoors (or maybe because of it??). We thought it was better to shield them from more battering as we have no greenhouse n the back patio. Anyhoo, best to admit defeat chuck the soil. We will prob have to sow more seeds this weekend. Are we still in time?

2) We also brought the carrot in because of the weather... that ok, or should they be out as they *seem* hardier? The dill has also come in.

Eagerlearner, when I looked at your blog, one photo seemed to show a seed tray with only about 8 lettuce in it, and they were at the two leaf stage. If that was how they were, then I'm not surprised you had a few problems. A seed tray is a w-i-d-e area and if it has very little in it, then the soil will splash up over the plants and it may even get totally waterlogged.

Now I'm not sure if I've got this right, but by contrast, I've got my stuff in a 60 x 20 cm trough, sown about the same time as yours, maybe later, but there are 3 rows with perhaps 70 or 80 plants in each row, so not so much of the soil is now showing. As they grow, I will take some out, leaving maybe 20 plants per row. (This is swiss chard, mizuna, salad bowl lettuce and... errrr ...something else, all of which I'm going to crop small.) Last time I thinned-out like this, I stuck some of the lettuce/chard in the garden, and it just grew away, so now I have some large plants too. I have kept my trough under the shelter of the house and an overhanging plant or two, but it has been out in the elements all the time. You really shouldn't have to worry about things outside at this time of year.

I dont grow cos lettuce, so I can't comment on it, but it must be easier than the iceberg ones I used to do, which sometimes rotted before I could harvest them. Now, I just do the red & green salad bowl types, because they are so blooming easy to grow and pick, a bit at a time, keeping the root producing more. I'd recommend them. Same goes for Mizuna, though that does get tough eventually.

We all get problems; my pak choi has bolted, even though it has had more than enough water, and the caterpillars got it too. It could be worth growing as a 'distraction crop' though, as the cabbage white butterflies just home in on it!

I can't really advise about the black spots on the peppers. Lots of people are having grief this year with the more exotic things that like sun & warmth. But carrots shouln't be a problem outside, as they are tough as old boots. Never grown dill, but if it is like fennel there should be no problem. Fennel self-seeds here.

You have plenty time to sow more stuff. The autumn may well be better than August - it often is.

Lotus-eater

Davesnave wrote: »

You have plenty time to sow more stuff. The autumn may well be better than August - it often is.

I blinkin hope so! One day of sun this month, lucky it was a relatives wedding that day

EagerLearner

Davesnave wrote: »

Eagerlearner, when I looked at your blog, one photo seemed to show a seed tray with only about 8 lettuce in it, and they were at the two leaf stage. If that was how they were, then I'm not surprised you had a few problems. A seed tray is a w-i-d-e area and if it has very little in it, then the soil will splash up over the plants and it may even get totally waterlogged.

Now I'm not sure if I've got this right, but by contrast, I've got my stuff in a 60 x 20 cm trough, sown about the same time as yours, maybe later, but there are 3 rows with perhaps 70 or 80 plants in each row, so not so much of the soil is now showing. As they grow, I will take some out, leaving maybe 20 plants per row. (This is swiss chard, mizuna, salad bowl lettuce and... errrr ...something else, all of which I'm going to crop small.) Last time I thinned-out like this, I stuck some of the lettuce/chard in the garden, and it just grew away, so now I have some large plants too. I have kept my trough under the shelter of the house and an overhanging plant or two, but it has been out in the elements all the time. You really shouldn't have to worry about things outside at this time of year.

I dont grow cos lettuce, so I can't comment on it, but it must be easier than the iceberg ones I used to do, which sometimes rotted before I could harvest them. Now, I just do the red & green salad bowl types, because they are so blooming easy to grow and pick, a bit at a time, keeping the root producing more. I'd recommend them. Same goes for Mizuna, though that does get tough eventually.

We all get problems; my pak choi has bolted, even though it has had more than enough water, and the caterpillars got it too. It could be worth growing as a 'distraction crop' though, as the cabbage white butterflies just home in on it!

I can't really advise about the black spots on the peppers. Lots of people are having grief this year with the more exotic things that like sun & warmth. But carrots shouln't be a problem outside, as they are tough as old boots. Never grown dill, but if it is like fennel there should be no problem. Fennel self-seeds here.

You have plenty time to sow more stuff. The autumn may well be better than August - it often is.

Hmm, sorry as a newbie my brain tries to follow... how many seeds should we have per tray for the lettuce then ? The trays do have holes so I thought the water would drain ok...

Will try putting the carrots and dill back outside then :T

Davesnave

EagerLearner wrote: »

Hmm, sorry as a newbie my brain tries to follow... how many seeds should we have per tray for the lettuce then ? The trays do have holes so I thought the water would drain ok...

Will try putting the carrots and dill back outside then :T

Err..... I don't count the seeds, but I would think at least 100 to 200. I know that might seem wasteful but coverage of the tray with leaves is the aim while things are small. Trays do have holes, but the sort of rain we've had has been literally litres over an area like that in a couple of minutes at times.
If you can put a bit of glass over the top until the seedlings are through that's good, but not on hot ,sunny days because lettuce don't germinate in high temperatures.

TBH I'm not highly experienced person with veg, but I do know that the lettuce type I grow will stand transplanting, so I could grow enough in a 9 cm square pot and then plant them out when about 8-10 cm tall into something larger. You do realise that a seed tray is scarcely deep enough as the final home for lettuce? That's why I use a trough, which is about twice as deep as a tray. They just need a decent root run and not to dry out on those sunny days (?) when we are out at work.

crnflke

EagerLearner wrote: »

Uh-oh - looks like my red pepper tree has some black marks on some of the peppers - any ideas?

I have had this on some of my peppers, I looked it up and I think it's blossom end rot, which can appear due to erratic watering apparently. As soon as I spotted it I just cut those peppers off the plant and binned them, the rest seem ok, fingers crossed.