Green Finger Wannabe

annie-c

Hello and welcome!

Sorry for the shameless plug, but here is a link to the Oldstyle monthly gardening thread, where we update each other on out progress throughout the year - there are loads of tips and a few photos that might be of interest. Feel free to post here with your questions!

Gingham Ribbon- on the subject of potatoes, the ones in your orgainic delivery, though grown without chemicals etc, will still be prone to natural disease and may result in a disappointing size crop. Seed potatoes will be a 'safer' bet for your garden and will produce more spuds.

Penelope_Penguin

Brassic wrote:

Thanks for the replies so far. I'm really looking forwards to getting started, and much encouraged that I can do some planting straight away. Thanks for the advice on how to prepare the ground, I was a bit in the dark about that (I really am totally new to all this!)

I will take your advice on the salad, sounds good as we eat loads of it (can I grow cucumbers?). You can indeed! Too late for this year, but start next spring. Guess what, I have cucumber seeds to give away in the exchange!. I'll save you some. Have you found the thread? If not, let me know and I'll find the link.
Would also love to be able to grow runner beans, spinnach, herbs, potatos, sweet peas - however, as my husband has just pointed out, ease of growing is probably more important than my taste preferences :rotfl: No probs with any of these (though I've as yet had little luck with sweet peas, but am determined for next year). The rest are all really easy to grow, though spinach needs laods of water, otherwise it runs to seed and becomes bitter and inedible.
Cabbage would definitely go down well though

Thank you very much Penelope Penguin for the offer of seeds too! Off to check out the seed exchange now

Thanks!
Brassic - off to look for threads about home made pest control.

One other piece of advice, as a newbie, you may be keen to try to grow loads of things. Try to curb that urge - grow a few things and do them well. Next year grow them again, using experience learnt to do them better, and add a couple of new things. Otherwise, you risk growing lots of things, but none of them well.

Another really inspirational thread is "what are you growing in June" (there's a fresh thread every month). Just looked for it, but can't find!! Aahrrgh. Will give you loads of ideas and inspiration. See if you can find it and let me know!

Penny. x

Penelope_Penguin

Brassic wrote:

Have just been reading about the spuds - will definitely give that a try, along with the garlic - yummy! And have been googling for my local pound savers etc for seeds (can't seem to find the seed exchange though, is it external to MSE?) http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=2300128#post2300128 It's a MSE thread, but all business done by yahoo site. Please read it all the way through (it's pretty short) as there are a few important rules.

A very silly question now - should I be planning my beds in the sun or the shade? For veg, definitely sun, otherwise they decome drawn and leggy. (I'm ebaying for the books recommended so far - but may have to sell some on Thursdays 50p listing day first). I have an area to the back of the garden which has big fir trees behind it which I was considering using, or I could use an area to the side. Also, the soil seems really stony, lots of people talk about raised beds, if I did that (is there a big advantage?) do I just pour bought soil on top (is that expenisve?) without doing anything to the bit underneath? I would avoid the fir tree area. Not only will they cast shade, they will draw away moisture and nutrients. Their needles will cause the soil to be very acidic, and for veg, you need neutral or slightly alkaline.

I have a garden built on a Victorian waste tip, so keep a medium plant pot at my elbow, to put in bits of pottery, clay pipes, tiles, brick shards. You could do the same for stones (though you will find that they come back year after year - a stone harvest!). Raised beds are best if you have a heavy clay soil, to improve drainage. You need to build an edge to the bed (tanalised timber sunk into the ground and the edge left raise by about 10-15cm).Then add compost to raise the level. You'll still need to improve the soil underneath. If your soil is really bad, how about trying pots?
TIA and sorry for all the questions,
Brassic

Please, please, please try making your own compost. Get a bin (your local authority may sell them at a substantial discount) and you can turn your kitchen and garden waste into a great soil conditioner. You'll also reduce the volume of waste you throw away. There's bound to be threads on this topic.

Another piece of advice, talk to gardeners in your locality. They are often pleased to chat to a newbie, will give advice on what grows well, what doesn't and any probs in your area ( we have the oft talked of worm!!). If you butter them up they'll often offer you spare seeds, plants, produce. You may also need someone to water, care for your plants when you're on hols - they may do a swap, and you can pick their stuff while they're away. We didn't grow runner beans last year, but had a freezer full from a friend's allotment who went away just as they started cropping!

Penny. x

Penelope_Penguin

Gingham_Ribbon wrote:

What's the difference between 'seed' potatoes and just planting some spuds from my organic delivery?

We've got a big, deep tub in the garden not being used. It seems daft NOT to use it if I could have a tattie crop for Christmas, but I don't want to mess up incase it disheartens me.

Mornin' GR. Seed potatoes are treated and are certified disease free. They're grown in Scotland, where the insect that carries the likes of potato blight can't live (or something to that effect, it's early in the morning!). You can try planting some from you veg box, but they may or may not work. Early potatoes will work best (early is a bit of a misnomer, it means that they mature quickly), so a few new potatoes in a pot. Let us know how you get on. As you say, give it a go! Us gardeners get used to disappointment. My motto is "next year will be different". If I ever feel the need for a coat of arms, I'm having that translated into Latin, above crossed spade and fork, and dwarf bean rampant!! :cool:

Penny. x

annie-c

Penelope_Penguin wrote:

Another really inspirational thread is "what are you growing in June" (there's a fresh thread every month). Just looked for it, but can't find!! Aahrrgh. Will give you loads of ideas and inspiration. See if you can find it and let me know!

Penny. x

Here is is! What are you Growing in 2006 - June Update


:T Annie-C

Gingham_Ribbon

Thanks everyone. I presume I need to wait until they're sprouting, but how do I do that without them going green?

annie-c

Gingham_Ribbon wrote:

Thanks everyone. I presume I need to wait until they're sprouting, but how do I do that without them going green?

Keep them in a cool dark place, eg under the stairs cupboard. To separate them and keep them dry, old egg boxes are ideal. Don't let them sprout all over but knock off all but about 3 sprouts and leave them till they develop good strong chits of about 1cm in length.

Good luck!

culpepper

Weve got 2 of those greenhouses.I got them in homebase last autumn for £30 each.
Our local poundstretcher has them at £35 (cheaper than the ebay link once you add postage) but might have them on offer later on.
I grew rocket and spring onions last winter in one of them and they now have tomatoes(seeds from some shop tomatoes), pepppers(seeds from shop peppers), Aubergines and cucumber, growing in them. I think the covers will be too far gone by the time they are 2 years old but will probably buy some polytunnel plastic to recover them.
Last May I started my veg patch from a bramble patch and grew potatoes,french beans,lettuce ,rocket ,perpetual spinach and spring onions.I got most of my seeds in June and they were reduced in the garden centre and wilkinsons.

purplepixi

It's not too late to start planting things, I've got some peas and beans germinating in a window - to get them going.

I recently went to the libruary, and I got some very good books.

Back Garden Seed Saving
ISBN: 1899233091
Author: Sue Stickland
This one is basically about saving your veg seeds so you don't have to buy them again. I found it interesting. There are instructions for the following: beetroot, spinach, beet, chard, broad bean, carrot, celery, celeriac, cucumber, french bean, leafy brassicas, leek, lettuce, melon, onion, parsnip, pea, pepper, chilli, radish, runner bean, spinach, squash, marrow, pumpkins, courgettes, tomato, turnip, swede.

Vegetables
ISBN: 0330315943
Author: Roger Phillips & Martyn Rix
This is basically a huge book of vegetables - mostly with colour photos too. over 650 different veges included. This is great if you don't know what's what, and gives you many vegs that you might not have considered planting - well worth a look.

The Sustainable Vegetable Garden
ISBN:1580080162
Author:John Jeavons and Carol Cox
This is about getting higher yields from making your soil better, but also talks about making beds, compost, planting, planning crops, arranging the beds (ie what you should and shouldn't put next to each other), keeping the garden healthy, and a little about collecting seeds.
I've not read too much of this one so far, but it looks quite interesting.

Hope these are helpful

Laura

soba

Is it still possible to get seed potatoes for planting this year? I've looked in the local DIY store and Wilkinsons and seen nothing. Or have I missed the boat again?