May Update: What are you growing in 2006? (Tips here for Fruit, Veggies and Flowers!)

Lulubells

I'm am loving this thread ! I too am very keen on the whole "grow you own veggy" idea.

I did have loads of seedlings growing 3 years ago - then feel pregnant and couldn't find the energy to walk up and water them each evening (I was asleep as soon as I got home from work !!), so now a few years down the line...with preschool etc I have a little more "me" time back and I'm throwing myself into my veggy patch. I have lots of different stuff started in the greenhouse and we're are just about to scrap the plot and put in raised beds - yippee !

Some great tips on here - loving the tomatoe plant tip and the idea with the potatoes buckets - thanks for those tips.

It's great to hear of others with the same interest ! I think some of my friends think I am old before my time - but I don't care !!

Cheers

Lulubells

nicki_2

Some iceberg lettuce and livingstone daisys are now trying to pop their tiny little heads out :j On another note though, I've just found 2 of my pots (beetroots/onions & carrots/parsnips) covered in ants :mad: I'm hoping they're not pinching all the seeds!!!

MORPH3US

I think i'm addicted to growing stuff.

Brought about 6 packs of 29p seeds from Lidl and planted up, after 4 days, I have about 10 iceberg lettuce's already, that was quick, now i'm getting impatient though that they rest haven't grown.

I hope my garden will be big enough for all this stuff!!

M

moggins

Still nothing with the tomato seeds and pumpkin seeds, I don't know what is going on there. The strawberries I planted yesterday are looking very happy and my combination of canes and net has managed to keep all cats away and still no cat poo on my fenced in veggie patch so that seems to have been a successful experiment.

I seem to be getting an awful lot of snails inside my mini greenhouse though and am wondering if the snails are eating the seedlings as soon as they emerge? Would it be to risky to scatter slug pellets on top of seed pots?

Kazonline

Hello all :hello:
It sounds as all you've all been very busy and I was hoping that I could join you and maybe ask for some pointers on getting started?
I did start a vege patch some years ago but had to move, and the current garden really doesn't have good sun nor soil (even grass struggles). However my patio does seem to get a fair bit of sun, and I noticed that a few of you have planted suff in pots. Am I too late to get things started, or are there a few things I could have a go at? I recall that courgettes did really well in my old patch, and I'm sure that I read somewhere that these can be grown in gro bags.
I'd really appreciate any advice as I've been a stay at home for nearly a year now and it drives me potty only having housework to do!!!
Kaz
PS I do have one of those small 4 shelf plastic 'greenhouse' things as well.

Linda32

Kazonline wrote:

However my patio does seem to get a fair bit of sun, and I noticed that a few of you have planted suff in pots. Am I too late to get things started, or are there a few things I could have a go at? I recall that courgettes did really well in my old patch, and I'm sure that I read somewhere that these can be grown in gro bags.

Hi, Yes you can do courgettes in grow bags or pots. I've never done them in a grow bag, but have done in a pot. You want one plant to a 12" pot. They grow really easy, just make sure the pot is on your patio where it will get the most sun and keep it well watered. Bear in mind that as daft as it might sound, rain water dosn't count, you still have to water the pot. Not enough rain is caught in the pot you see.

You will also need to get some pet bedding (straw) from wilkinsons, grab an handful and place under the courgettes as they grow, this keeps them clean and stop wet soil splashing them. You have to keep an eye on them too as they quickly turn into baby marrows.

These quite alot of veg that can be grown in pots, raddish, luttice leaves, carrots, baby beetroot, strawberries.
If you have access to a garden centre there will possibly be a section on whats called "crops in pots". Specifically aimed at getting people to grow their own healthy veg, you don't need an acre sized plot.

Now is about the earliest time you could have put your veg outside so you've got plenty of time. Its the frosts you see, these veggies are tender little mights.

The carrots you need to look out for are the stumpy sort, just right for pots. In fact its stoney ground thats unsuitable for carrots, thats what make them shoot off in all directions and makes rude looking veg :rotfl:

Luttice / raddish etc will be readt to harvest in about 12 weeks perhaps even sooner.

If you want to really get into it, you can stagger the sowing so that a new pot is ready every couple of weeks. It won't work exactly like that, just down to luck / poor weather / best will in the world that somthing else won't get in the way.

Hope you enjoy it and welcome to the world of gardening :T

Kazonline

Thanks Linda, that's great. I'll see if my friend fancies a trip to the garden center tomorrow and try and root out some plants. Is it best to go for plants or seeds (I did the courgettes from seed, but a pack has so many I kept the whole street in courgettes that summer ;-)
I'll give the lettuce a try for sure - we eat a small salad with just about everything, costs a small fortune! I normally buy iceburg - but I'm guessing that growing that would be a bit too ambitious?
Again, thanks for the advice, and more so for the welcome

Linda32

Kazonline wrote:

Thanks Linda, that's great. I'll see if my friend fancies a trip to the garden center tomorrow and try and root out some plants. Is it best to go for plants or seeds (I did the courgettes from seed, but a pack has so many I kept the whole street in courgettes that summer ;-)
I'll give the lettuce a try for sure - we eat a small salad with just about everything, costs a small fortune! I normally buy iceburg - but I'm guessing that growing that would be a bit too ambitious?
Again, thanks for the advice, and more so for the welcome

Regarding plants or seeds, well the plants will cost more, say £1.99 for six plants of whatever you want to buy, but the risky part is already done for you.

On the other hand the seeds are cheaper, but you need to sow the seeds / germination rates / compost / space on windowsills.

I've never gorwn iceburg, but for you and what you've said I'd look for luttice called "cut and come again", which means you cut leaves off, eat, plant grows more leaves, you cut again - magic :T

I love gardening, can you tell

chickadee

Hi everyone,

I've never posted on this thread before but here goes...

This year I have courgettes (seeds started sprouting almost as soon as they touched the compost!), 'tumbling tom' tomatoes, 'moneymaker' tomatoes, chillies, (just seeds taken from a shop-bought chilli pepper so I don't know how it will do) and 'california wonder' peppers. I also have seeds for radishes and salad leaves (the cut and come again type).

All of these are in seed trays on windowsills in my house. I have negotiated the use of my mum's greenhouse. I had to clear it of weeds and junk but that is all done now. She will do daily watering whilst I am working, I will do the rest. Then we will share the crop! Well, that is the plan, I hope we don't end up cutting the only tomato that grew into two halves! :rotfl:

When is it safe to start transplanting the plants into grow-bags in the greenhouse? I live in the North of England so we still get late overnight frosts sometimes. Will the greenhouse protect the plants from frost or will they still be caught?

I had the idea that I would use my now redundant dustbin to grow potatoes (our council has just converted us to wheelie bins). Is this a good idea? Can I plant several 'layers' of potatoes?

Its great to join in and see how everyone else is doing. I may even post some pictures if I have some successes.

chickadee
x

Strepsy

moggins wrote:

Still nothing with the tomato seeds and pumpkin seeds, I don't know what is going on there. The strawberries I planted yesterday are looking very happy and my combination of canes and net has managed to keep all cats away and still no cat poo on my fenced in veggie patch so that seems to have been a successful experiment.

I seem to be getting an awful lot of snails inside my mini greenhouse though and am wondering if the snails are eating the seedlings as soon as they emerge? Would it be to risky to scatter slug pellets on top of seed pots?

I would scatter a few at the bottom of the greenhouse (does it just sit on the floor?) or even around the outside of it. I wouldn't want to put them on the soil that edibles are growing in.