veg growing Newbies- Feb 2010! lets learn together!

Hippychick

I have just pottered around in the garden a bit and have sown my bbc salad leaves straight outdoors today into a wooden planter. I've plonked it in the shade so fingers crossed they germinate and do well.

I am a little bit behind everyone else on here it seems as I still have my tomatoes, spinach, beetroot and basil to sow. I was also thinking of doing some cucumbers and radish because I eat so much of them, any recommendations for any good types to buy? all of my seeds so far have been freebies lol.

kimmee

I'm so excited!! I've just harvested my first (small) salad I cut some small leaves off of the cut & come again salad leaves that I'm growing indoors, some baby spinach leaves (outdoors) and some chives that I grew last year, thought would die off but sprung into life again a while ago. I'm going to add it to the salad that I'm having tonight.

Won't it be great when we can have a whole salad of stuff we've grown ourselves? :j :j :j :j

seraphina

Right, had to move my tomatoes on today - the roots were all coming out the bottom of their little pots! The strongest ones have been moved into big 10litre pots that have the bottoms cut out and are stood on top of the growbags, so they get a bigger bit of soil to grow in.

When I took them out of the pots the roots were everywhere so I bet they're quite grateful! The greenhouse gets to about 5degrees C at night, but that's at ground level and everything's been growing great guns - they've been out in the greenhouse since March.

Courgettes are growing every time my back is turned, as are the radishes. It's very exciting!

lynzpower

kimmee wrote: »

I'm so excited!! I've just harvested my first (small) salad I cut some small leaves off of the cut & come again salad leaves that I'm growing indoors, some baby spinach leaves (outdoors) and some chives that I grew last year, thought would die off but sprung into life again a while ago. I'm going to add it to the salad that I'm having tonight.

Won't it be great when we can have a whole salad of stuff we've grown ourselves? :j :j :j :j

Wont it! I was so excited the other day as we had some ( bagged) salad leaves but I topped of with some HG cress and pea shoots and I just felt ever so chuffed with self :A:A

Cant believe what sainsbugs is actually charging for pea shoots :eek:

MORPH3US

Where do people use for their frost warnings?

Have just checked BBC which is saying the overnight low will be 4 degrees which is nothing to worry about.

But then Metcheck is saying it will be as low as -1 overnight and will "feel" like -2.

Any views appreciated.

seraphina

MORPH3US wrote: »

Where do people use for their frost warnings?

Have just checked BBC which is saying the overnight low will be 4 degrees which is nothing to worry about.

But then Metcheck is saying it will be as low as -1 overnight and will "feel" like -2.

Any views appreciated.

I use the BBC site, combined with a bit of nous - I pop out the back door at about 9pm and have a sniff as well. The BBC has been pretty reliable - it's never been colder than the BBC has said, and I have a max/min thermometer in my greenhouse. If it's going to be a clear night then it will be a bit chillier so I'll close up the cold frame if the BBC reads below 5.

wssla00

I find BBC weather far more reliable than others, but it's each to it's own I suppose

red-boxer

Quick question. Can anyone please tell me if i need to pinch out Gardeners delight tomatoes, and peppers, both are doing well

vish_2

Soubrette wrote: »

Vish, I started my alpine strawberries off in an unheated propagator but I would say most were up in about 2 weeks.

I did put them under my fluorescent lights in the kitchen (the ones that go under the cupboards) 24/7 though so they would have had a small amount of heat and light.

They are now in our windowsills.

Sou

Thanks Sou, very helpful! might just throw them out into the border and let whatever viable seeds germinate and start again with a new pack in the propagator. :beer:

vish_2

Hippychick wrote: »

I have just pottered around in the garden a bit and have sown my bbc salad leaves straight outdoors today into a wooden planter. I've plonked it in the shade so fingers crossed they germinate and do well.

I am a little bit behind everyone else on here it seems as I still have my tomatoes, spinach, beetroot and basil to sow. I was also thinking of doing some cucumbers and radish because I eat so much of them, any recommendations for any good types to buy? all of my seeds so far have been freebies lol.

I put some Marketmore 76 seeds in last week and they've germinated. Apparently they're the best outdoor cucumbers for outdoors as well. Next year though, I'd really like to plant Kyoto cucumbers (read about them in Joy Larkdom's Grow Your Own Vegetables (highly recommended) and she mentioned that they've got very few pests, are more vigourous and tastes better (japanese cucumbers have less seed in them).

The Marketmore 76 I got from Wilkinsons (3 packs mix and match for either £1.50 or £2.50) which is quite good. Couldn't find Kyoto type anywhere...

Hope that helps, don't know about radishes though, just wondering the same.