Help MBE grow his dinner 2010

misskool

well done on the chillies!!

Mine are still tiny

but have peeked at first set tomato and lots of strawberries growing up....

kirsty822001

Mr B your purple chilli plants are FAB I love them and also really am v jealous ! I want to have them growing here now!!!
I have taken ur advice and put my chilli and peppers in large pots, as last yr my first yr of growing mine were not very good either, so potted on today,cheers :-)
Everything is doing well, my sweetpeas and french beans are climbing FAST!
My rasps are shooting out lovely new growth, goosgogs are fattening up and sour! Strawberries fattening and still white, no redcurrants but its the first year.
Potatoes are massive i have 3 bags and some in the ground, no flowers yet and i have no idea what variety as i chucked the packet !!!
Broccoli,onions,parsnip,sweetcorn,beetroot,radish,and carrots all been outside for last couple few weeks all doing great and growing well.
Tomatoes.cucumber,courgette,pumpkin and squash all growing nicely in pvc 3 tier thingys,,toms are huge some are in by my patio doors, have loads of types which is exciting.

I have not bought salad for weeks, cut and come again leaves for sarnies are perfect let 3 or 4 grow big for lunches/dinners.

I am after an allotment,,waiting to hear this week if can get half a one ,,all of the above are in pots or squashed in and around my small flower garden.
Survival of the fittest in my small space!! Oh and i am still partying with the slugs, now i let them eat certain things, they leave other things alone which is weird,,eat a lettuce and leave another whole right next to it!
They drink my free beer, they dont come back after partying all night on the beer!!
happy gardening all, enjoy the sunshine:)

lemonjelly

Mr BE you appear to be making more progress than I!

Unfortunately I am struggling. i planted my beans & sprouts outside, & have done my back in. All movement is severely limited now!:( And pain!:(

The brocolli desperately needs planting out, & soon. I need my back to heal.

My tomatoes are coming along well, as are the courgette plants. Cucumbers are still a little on the small side, but look healthy. Chives are kicking in.

Is it a little sad to be proud of the quality of the first lettuce batch?:o Mine looks really good. I'll harvest that next week, & plant a further batch.

I haven't got anything flowering yet...:(

lemonjelly

Kirsty I am preparing for slug battle. I can't find any slug traps at the mo - still looking for them.

They will not get my produce this year...:mad:

kirsty822001

lemonjelly wrote: »

Kirsty I am preparing for slug battle. I can't find any slug traps at the mo - still looking for them.

They will not get my produce this year...:mad:

Lemonjelly you poor thing hope your back gets better soon. Its such a painful and frustrating thing to have a bad back,I sympathise.

I heard coffee granules are used in the a new 'natural' slug repellent,,so i am saving the dreggs from our morning coffee to chuck on the garden to see if it works, having said that the slugs have left my stuff alone lately,,no idea why I only provided the beer once. Beer coffee, goodness whats next a nightcap?? cheese and biscuits??;)
There are a few fat toads around so I think they are feasting on my free slugs. I got my beer traps from my uncles £1 shop in west wales,but I think wilkinsons have them,homebase definitely did.
Hope you are mobile and pain free soon, rest rest rest and plan your next gardening moments :-)

kirsty822001

Mr B when do you harvest your gooseberries? Mine are fat,still firm and very sour I have no clue as to when i should pick them any clues? I seem to remember as a kid some of them had a pinky tinge on a bit of them i may be wrong i usually am

mrbadexample

kirsty822001 wrote: »

Mr B when do you harvest your gooseberries? Mine are fat,still firm and very sour I have no clue as to when i should pick them any clues? I seem to remember as a kid some of them had a pinky tinge on a bit of them i may be wrong i usually am

:think: When they're ready. It's the first year I'll have a proper crop as they're still young, about 3 years old. I reckon a couple of months yet. You'll know when you eat one and it doesn't make your face implode.

There are different varieties, with different colouring. One of mine is a Hinnomake red, which will be pinker than the yellow variety.

kirsty822001

thanks Mr B,,mine are very very sour and strip my mouth of the first layer of skin!!! I shall wait ,,wasnt sure if i needed to pick them and then they ripen or leave them, although it is fun giving the kids a bite of one and saying how lovely they are,,,and waiting for the sour dance that follows :rotfl:
methinks mine is invictia,,but not defo
cheers:D

lemonjelly

kirsty822001 wrote: »

Lemonjelly you poor thing hope your back gets better soon. Its such a painful and frustrating thing to have a bad back,I sympathise. Hope you are mobile and pain free soon, rest rest rest and plan your next gardening moments :-)

Thanks for the kind words Kirsty. Actually, rest is usually not good for a bad back. Movement is one of the best things. That & being careful how you bend. A lot of walking has significantly helped me, & it is a lot better today!:) (either that, or the Crowded House gig last night did wonders!)

kirsty822001 wrote: »

I heard coffee granules are used in the a new 'natural' slug repellent,,so i am saving the dreggs from our morning coffee to chuck on the garden to see if it works, having said that the slugs have left my stuff alone lately,,no idea why I only provided the beer once. Beer coffee, goodness whats next a nightcap?? cheese and biscuits??;)
There are a few fat toads around so I think they are feasting on my free slugs. I got my beer traps from my uncles £1 shop in west wales,but I think wilkinsons have them,homebase definitely did.
Hope you are mobile and pain free soon, rest rest rest and plan your next gardening moments :-)

I don't drink coffee. I'll keep on the look out for slug traps. The sprouts I did plant out look to have taken well, & I hope to plant the rest out (or find willing accomplices to assist me) this weekend. My Brocolli really desperately needs planting out.

I have noticed a lot more birds & birdsong - anyone else notice this? It really is lovely early morning/late evening to relax in the garden with the birdsong. There was a tiny bird on next doors ariel the other evening. He didn't half make a racket for something so small! & sunday night, quite late I could hear a frog or toad!

lemonjelly

Been spending time gardening. All 23 sprouts are now out. All 12 brocolli plants are out. A fair few tomatoes got repotted, as did most of the cucumbers. I need to move a few courgettes into bigger pots. I need more bigger pots too!

Apparently it'll be nice tomorrow, then a couple of more miserable days, approaching scorching towards the end of the week/weekend...:)

Oh, & I moved the first batch of my lettuce in (yummy) in anticipation of eating it through next week. I planted batch 3 today, so am hoping to have a consistent supply!:D