Help MBE grow his dinner 2010

lemonjelly

Welcome Clarieloo.
I certainly hope it is possible, as that is exactly what I am trying to do this year!
I planted my broc seeds 4 weeks or so ago. I have some good plants growing, & will look to transplant these into pots in a week or 2.

lemonjelly

kirsty822001 wrote: »

Lemonjelly the sunshine continues YEY
The damn slugs grrrr I grew the 4 lots of salad plants in the house, then greenhouse and they were lovely,,giving me lovely leaves,,,planted out,,within 2 days the invites were out & it was a slug party at my house. I am going to invite them all back this time with me providing the beer:beer: mmwwwaaaahh

kirsty, my advice would be to not plant out your lettuce/other salad stuff at all if possible. To be honest, all my lettuce, toms etc are all grown in pots of one form or another. Provided your pot is large enough, the lettuce will grow.

I did try putting 6 lettuce in the ground last year. I only managed to eat 2, as the slugs got the other 4.:( All my other lettuce stayed in largeish pots & was fine.

I found last year I put my sprouts out too early too, & the slugs went for them. I was told this was because the plants were too young, and were therefore extra tasty to our slimey friends. The 2nd batch of sprouts were put out later & were not assaulted.

scotsaver

Hi everyone - hope all still doing well, looks like another bright day today so going to spend some more time sorting seeds in the Greenhouse, courgettes look like they need to go into bigger pots and so do my aubergines, peppers and chillies. Just wish the tomatoes would get a move on, this is the first year that I've had a problem, may have to end up asking around on the Allotment for any spares. Have a good day everyone.;)

mrbadexample

I've decided that this weekend will be planting weekend. Time to get the tomato plants off the windowsill and into the greenhouse. Earlier this week I sowed gherkins, another chilli, celery and some kale for my competition.

I planted 6 runner beans a week or so ago, and all 6 have germinated and are on their way. I think it'll be too early to get those outside until May though. It's been a nice week, but still a bit chilly at night. Last year I planted them directly outside, and one had the growing tip eaten by slugs - took it ages to recover. This year I've sown inside to get them a bit bigger before they go out.

I also need to get the tubs filled, and some carrots and parsnips started - I'm a bit later than I wanted to be with these, but in my defence, I am quite lazy.

I've got a big bag of shredded paper from work, to go into the compost bin. As I think most of the compost I'll generate will be grass cuttings, I plan to put a layer of paper in after every box of clippings to try and stop it going all slimy and horrible.

I'm a bit cross because B&Q had a 2 for 1 offer on fence-treatment stuff last weekend, and I forgot to get any; mine badly needs doing.

I'm keeping a close eye on the gooseberry bushes, as I am determined to be one step ahead of the sawfly this year. Last year they turned up early, and I wasn't ready. Apparently, they didn't read the book saying which month they'd arrive. :mad:

I made a rhubarb pie from my forced rhubarb, which was fabulous. :drool: Gave some away too.

Two of my "Pretty in Purple" chilli plants are already showing signs of fruit. :j

mrbadexample

Right, I've come in for a cuppa.

I've got 6 tomato plants into the greenhouse:





I've supported them with some string suspended from the roof:



The string's just loosely wrapped around the stem to offer some support, so it shouldn't hurt them. MBE snr reckons this is better than canes, so who am I to argue?

I've put in two kumatoes, and one each of Amish Paste, Orange Banana, Purple Ukraine and Millefleur. You can see the varieties here.

mrbadexample

I've split my sarracenia, which can just be seen in each of the far corners of the greenhouse in the above pictures. I should probably have done it earlier in the year, but I think it should be ok.

I'm still a little concerned that I might have jumped the gun putting the tomatoes out so soon, but I've got spares of everything just in case.

This is one of the 'Pretty in Purple' chillies that is showing signs of fruit:



I've also repotted my second best one, as I've promised it to a mate. I'm quite excited about these - can't wait. I had no success last year, but I think the mistake I made was not having them in large enough pots.

mrbadexample

I'm back for another cuppa. I went out to fill the tubs and get some seed planted, but thought I'd better tidy up the patio first. So, about 1½ hours later, I can see the patio again. I've scraped up all the weeds growing between the slabs, and swept it all. I'm knackered.

Still, it's done now. Here are some more photos to keep you entertained while I get me breath back:

This is my compost bin built from pallets:



Fortunately, the bits I knocked off the bottom make a nice lid, which I can open as much or as little as I need. Initially, I was worried that the gaps between the slats were too big, and it would be too draughty. Happily, the day after I made it, I acquired a couple of thin sheets of plywood, which is now lining the interior. :j The front panel is just wedged in place, so I can remove it when required.

These are my potatoes, just starting to come through:



This is a big fat grub I found: anyone know what it is?



It looked quite tasty. Well, it would if you were a bird, I guess.

floss2

mrbadexample wrote: »

I've also got my tomato growbags so I'll be ready to go soon. I've gone for the nice deep (and expensive at £3.99 ) Levingtons Giant Growbags, so I hope they're worth the expense.

I've been reading, but thought I would just chip in - I've got extra growbags so I can sit one on top of the other to make a double depth one - good for super-plants when you only have a small growing space

mrbadexample

floss2 wrote: »

I've been reading, but thought I would just chip in - I've got extra growbags so I can sit one on top of the other to make a double depth one - good for super-plants when you only have a small growing space

Ah...you spotted my small growing space then?

I've used ordinary growbags before, with decent results, but thought I'd treat them this year. When you make a double-depth one, I assume you take the whole top off the bottom one, and then the bottom out of the top one, IYSWIM? How do you do that without it all falling out then? :still want my confused smiley back:

mrbadexample

I'm done for today. I've planted up 6 tubs with spring onions, two sorts of carrot, radishes, turnip and beetroot. I've still got two tubs left to do, but they can wait for tomorrow. One will have parnsips in, but I think I need new seed.

I was going to mow the lawn (only for the clippings to add to the still-nearly-empty compost bin ) but one of my lovely mates has phoned me up to see if I'd like to go for Mexican food and a few beers.

Sod the garden then....... :wave:









^ gardening joke...sod...geddit?