veg growing Newbies- Feb 2010! lets learn together!

heynonnynonny

Evening all hope you have had a good days gardening. Acquired chilli, sweetcorn and pepper plants 99p each from Focus today although didn't set out to buy anything couldn't help myself. Am off to check out the last few pages as have missed a few!

heynonnynonny

GarnetLady wrote: »

I can't believe how much compost I've used so far. Was counting it up last night and so far I've used 380l! I've another 70l in the garage, but I have a feeling I might need just a bit more. I'm using the Asda stuff just now, it isn't bad but it is really compacted, hard work to get it out of the bag!

I know yeah...lol there is no room for food in the trolley when we go shopping just full of compost :D

Lotus-eater

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 metoffice website, it's always been spot on with me, but I have to remember that I often get temps that are 2, 3 or 4 degrees lower than they say, I live in a dip and it is partly because of that.
Last night they said it was going to be 1 degree lowest and it went to -3 outside and -2 in the greenhouse,
Brrr

I haven't got anything tender in the greenhouse yet

katholicos

Had a good couple of hours in the garden today, DD remarked that it is more like an allotment than a garden now...it suits me just fine because we never used it for anything at all before. Today I sowed some broad beans and more onion sets and leeks and rhubarb and mixed salad leaves and radish. Phew! All in containers. Being somewhat incapacitated i find that the best way of doing them is to use my plastic patio table to do all the work above waist level and than move the container to where i want it (with a bit of help if necessary).

I'm also beginning to mark out where i am going to have my other small raised beds and pots/containers on the other side of the garden. Cut open loads more empty compost bags and skewered them to the ground in preparation.

Signs of life beginning to show in the propogators; sugar snap peas, dianthus and a couple of other veggies i can't remember right now.

All in all, a very good couple of hours. Hope you have all been enjoying your weekend!

GarnetLady

heynonnynonny wrote: »

Evening all hope you have had a good days gardening. Acquired chilli, sweetcorn and pepper plants 99p each from Focus today although didn't set out to buy anything couldn't help myself. Am off to check out the last few pages as have missed a few!

I live quite close to Focus. Not good at all. :rotfl: My homemovers 10% discount card helps!

heynonnynonny

It's terrible, it's an obsession isn't it! They have half price hanging baskets, bedding plants and heathers too atm

misskool

vish wrote: »

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.

I'm growing crystal lemon and socrates f1 as well. Crystal lemon is a small round yellow cucumber that's supposed to be more digestible. The Socrates is a greenhouse cucumber.

Last year I grew t&m's masterpiece and they were yum! If growing outdoor cucumbers, please remember the ones that grow here won't be like the one in your supermarket. You get little spikes (spikelets) that you just scrub off.

Radishes, I grow Saxa (cheapie ones from Lidl) and French breakfast from Wilko's. Saxa is the standard round one and french breakfast is one that is a bit longer so you can slice it. Last year we also grew a mix from moreveg, which were really spicy.

A good website to browse is moreveg.com, they sell vegetable seeds in small quantities at 50p a pack and free p&p if you spend £3/£5 (?). Good for you to try something unusual that you wouldn't normally get, or something that wilko's don't stock.

morg_monster

Well I have had two days in the garden, lucky me! My mum came up to help out yesterday as i had the day off work. She did SOOOO much, what a star! Pruned lots of stuff for me, pulled out some bindweed, forked over the beds and rearranged the herb garden for me. amazing! She identified lots of plants for me too, which is great. The previous owners of our house made the garden gorgeous, but it means there is so much upkeep to keep it looking nice.

While she was doing all that, I mostly did a lot of weeding, and then I built my link-a-bord raised bed, and filled it with 650L of compost. I had calculated we needed 600L, but after 650 it was still half empty! not quite sure what happened there. So anyway this morning I went to get some "well rotted manure compost" from a place in woking to fill up the bed, but after I started piling it in I did get a bit worried that it wasn't as rotted as they claimed. Oh well hopefully it won't burn everything I plant out... It doesn't smell too much, just mildly fruity... Certainly I think the roses will appreciate it anyway.

Planted up some french beans and some more runners, and some marigolds to sit near my tomatoes and attract all the bugs away. Hoping to get some plants out into the mini greenhouse this week. Was going to put the sweet peas and some other flowers out tonight, but chickened out and brought them back in... i want my windowsills back!!

Its been so nice being outside, usually we get quite a few planes over but obviously not at the moment, so it's lovely and quiet. I had a little robin investigating what I was doing this afternoon, and a red admiral butterfly was sunning itself on the path. Also some less desirable wildlife showed itself too, a rat scuttling across the end of the garden (we back onto a wood). Wish I could be outside tomorrow too!

Ooh best thing - just won a lawnmower on ebay for £8.50!! yay!!

vish_2

misskool wrote: »

I'm growing crystal lemon and socrates f1 as well. Crystal lemon is a small round yellow cucumber that's supposed to be more digestible. The Socrates is a greenhouse cucumber.

Last year I grew t&m's masterpiece and they were yum! If growing outdoor cucumbers, please remember the ones that grow here won't be like the one in your supermarket. You get little spikes (spikelets) that you just scrub off.

Radishes, I grow Saxa (cheapie ones from Lidl) and French breakfast from Wilko's. Saxa is the standard round one and french breakfast is one that is a bit longer so you can slice it. Last year we also grew a mix from moreveg, which were really spicy.

A good website to browse is moreveg.com, they sell vegetable seeds in small quantities at 50p a pack and free p&p if you spend £3/£5 (?). Good for you to try something unusual that you wouldn't normally get, or something that wilko's don't stock.

Checked out the website - i'm in oriental veg heaven!

i have a list of about 20 different types of seeds that I want to get... but will wait till next year to order then as I already got loads from Real Seed to plant this year (my veg patch is only 100cmx200cm!).

THANK YOU! :kisses3:

skaps

Got some flowers yesterday from my mum to put outside and in the hanging basket. Saves me having to buy some. Need to buy some lawn seed but cant find any cheap, anyone have any ideas? The lawn is looking really horrible with all the holes left by me deweeding (think thats a word) and the remaining grass looking terribly dry. Any advice would be appreciated.