veg growing Newbies- Feb 2010! lets learn together!

Megansmum

Hi all,

I had a good few hrs in the garden today, potted on my toms and cucs (just sent eldest dd out to put them in covered gazebo as haven't hardened them off at all!)

Finally placed two trellised planters i bought last year, and planted my peas in there - though i didn't harden them off either!!

Re-homed 5 strawberry plants into a 5 piece tub just to make room in raised bed.

Earthed up all my potatoes, which have gone mad.

Onions look to be getting big...have one flower on one strawberry plant!.... fruit trees flowering nicely..... weeds everywhere! :mad:

Not seen any slugs but millions of ants and dd2 found herself a new pet caterpillar called charlie!

Tomorrow i'm off to Morrisons for flower buckets and then on with the sweetcorn! I also need to sow more peas, plant out leggy brussels and cross my fingers!!

Happy growing all !!:D

Glitterati

Hi All, I am new to the gardening world, so new in fact that (excluding when I was a child) I have never actually planted anything! I have recently moved back in with the parents temporarily (i hope!) and decided I would love to grow some salad and veg in pots in the garden so that I can take them with me when I move out. I really fancy growing them in those brighly coloured tub trugs but I wondered does anyone know where you can get them from cheaply? Also I've read that people have mentioned using fertiliser, will I need to buy any of that to add to compost or does it just depend on what you growing?

I am thinking about growing raspberries and saw mentioned that you can buy raspberry plants, has anyone seen these for sale cheaply?
Sorry for so many questions! I just can't wait to buy the things I need now and then get growing!

ds1980

My salad and radishes are doing well, one betroot stem is showing through and onions are doing well but not much else, think i should have courgettes, cucumebrs, peppers and cucumbers but dont think theyve grown. one problem i do have is that i have realised all the small plants that were growing are tomatoes!!!!!! I could work out why but now realise that when all of mine fell to the ground last year the seeds come from there!!! Stupid boy i must have about 200-300 tomato plants growing now!!!! Was thinking can i make money from them!!! I was going to plant a few up and give them to neighbours and friends. Dear oh dear! Same will happen again this year as we go away for 2 weeks in the summer! ANy help to stop this would be great!

tim_n

Glitterati wrote: »

Hi All, I am new to the gardening world, so new in fact that (excluding when I was a child) I have never actually planted anything! I have recently moved back in with the parents temporarily (i hope!) and decided I would love to grow some salad and veg in pots in the garden so that I can take them with me when I move out. I really fancy growing them in those brighly coloured tub trugs but I wondered does anyone know where you can get them from cheaply? Also I've read that people have mentioned using fertiliser, will I need to buy any of that to add to compost or does it just depend on what you growing?

I am thinking about growing raspberries and saw mentioned that you can buy raspberry plants, has anyone seen these for sale cheaply?
Sorry for so many questions! I just can't wait to buy the things I need now and then get growing!

You make a couple of pints of fertiliser a day (or more) naturally which will be fine for lettuce. Next time you pop to the bathroom (or your other half depending on which is more convienent) take a plastic milk bottle, if you're a girl you might need a funnel!

Urine is high in nitrogen which is great for leafy veg. Water it down 1:10 and feed once a week.

Doesn't sound pleasant but works a treat. How MSE is that?!

Alternatively you can put some nettles in a bucket outside, pour some water over the top and leave for about four weeks covered. The stinky stuff inside is exactly the same - water down to weak tea colour (about 1:10) and put on veg.

Getting a bit late for strawberries and raspberries - you might get some autumn ones. If you've got friends who've got them, ask nicely as both varieties send out tones of runners which are free. Alternatively pop to your local nursery and fork out cold hard cash (but usually cheaper than garden centers - shop around, there's a big difference in price!) You can currently pick up both in Poundland as well.

sarymclary

elantan wrote: »

sarymaclary thanks for the advice re ladybird ... i found green fly today and spent ages squishing them as i am trying to avoid chemicals as much as possible ... will try and find ladybirds tomorrow ...rarely see them about though ... can you suggest anything else.. (did have one wasp but the blighter escaped lol )

I have found that ladybirds seem to favour a nice warm spot in the garden, and where there is a nice amount of foliage to hide amongst. So I have some periwinkles that they are often on, and in a row of alpines I have beside my garage wall. I took a plastic cup and just went searching around the garden, looking on the underside of shrub leaves, etc. Each ladybird can eat around 50 adult aphids per day! In the USA they actually offer 500 ladybirds (or ladybugs as they call them) for $2, but they can't ship abroad I'm sure.

I prefer to avoid chemicals, so try the soap spray idea too, if you struggle to find the ladybirds, however I have found this year to be a bumper year for finding them.

sarymclary

Glitterati - I got one of those plastic trug tubs from Instore (Poundstretcher) recently for about £3. I use mine to keep compost in under my potting bench, but intend to buy more, as they are so useful. I also bought 2 square, medium sized containers in there, suitable for growing veg/salad in, for £3.99 for 2. They also have very cheap seeds, and fruit shrubs/trees. I got a Goji berry in there for about £2 last year, and I am growing their veg seeds successfully now. Also, if you have a Wilkinsons near to you, try them too, as they have a very extensive gardening range in there. I am intending to get their water butt soon ... currently using an old plastic dustbin, which I have catching the rain off the greenhouse roof.

I went to a garden centre yesterday and the prices in there were astronomical. Double the prices of other places. I am growing Lupins I collected the seeds from in my garden, and they wanted £2.99 for each a small plant. For a strawberry plant half the size of the 12 I have, they wanted £9.99 for in a small terracotta pot! My favourite trick is to harvest as many seeds from any plants I buy each year, but also to visit the DIY centres after a busy weekend, and buy their limp and lifeless looking bargain buys for pennies, which with a bit of TLC always perk up.

Right, back off out thin out my petunia seedlings, which have gone beserk!

heynonnynonny

Megansmum wrote: »

Hi all,

I had a good few hrs in the garden today, potted on my toms and cucs (just sent eldest dd out to put them in covered gazebo as haven't hardened them off at all!)

Finally placed two trellised planters i bought last year, and planted my peas in there - though i didn't harden them off either!!

Re-homed 5 strawberry plants into a 5 piece tub just to make room in raised bed.

Earthed up all my potatoes, which have gone mad.

Onions look to be getting big...have one flower on one strawberry plant!.... fruit trees flowering nicely..... weeds everywhere! :mad:

Not seen any slugs but millions of ants and dd2 found herself a new pet caterpillar called charlie!

Tomorrow i'm off to Morrisons for flower buckets and then on with the sweetcorn! I also need to sow more peas, plant out leggy brussels and cross my fingers!!

Happy growing all !!:D

Afternoon megansmum hope you manage get some flower buckets, I was in store earlier but forgot to check to get some more!!

Was about to go out and sow some lettuces but we got sidetracked when my cat walked in with a baby rat...she's never ever done that before and not sure if she knew what to do with it, think a nest may be by my shed? Rescued a scared baby rat and am now trying get the other cat back in so we can let the baby rat go, adorable little things. Will go out shortly and sow the lettuces, got some salad planters from Wilko, and will repot courgees, am looking at having at least 6-7 healthy plants now so am over the moon.

heynonnynonny

Recued a bay shrub for the princely cost of £2.50 instead of 15 quid today from B and Q, always wanted grow bay so am really pleased with that find.

alliwantistosave

SallyForth wrote: »

I have had birds attack my lettuce in the past, so it could be, although with mine they left sort of stumps and everything left behind was shredded if you see what I mean.

I have children's windmills (the sort you often find at the seaside) stuck in between my veggies. I found them reduced at Tesco last year, and they are all sparkly and glittery, which the birds don't seem to like.

If I see them again, I will definately get more as they work well in smaller pots and containers

Thanks for that something has been attacking my seedlings so I have just brought 3 windmills for £1.50 and will see if that makes a difference

sarymclary wrote: »

I prefer to avoid chemicals, so try the soap spray idea too, if you struggle to find the ladybirds, however I have found this year to be a bumper year for finding them.

I don't seem to have any in my garden I have had to use the diluted washing up liquid in the past but it needs to be done daily and again if it rains so lots of work :mad:

heynonnynonny wrote: »

Recued a bay shrub for the princely cost of £2.50 instead of 15 quid today from B and Q, always wanted grow bay so am really pleased with that find.

Wow that is a great deal well done you :T I want a bay maybe I will pop to B&Q tomorrow

Hope everyone is having a good gardening day

GarnetLady

heynonnynonny wrote: »

Was about to go out and sow some lettuces but we got sidetracked when my cat walked in with a baby rat...she's never ever done that before and not sure if she knew what to do with it, think a nest may be by my shed? Rescued a scared baby rat and am now trying get the other cat back in so we can let the baby rat go, adorable little things. am over the moon.

I used to have a cat and he was a real hunter. His speciality was bringing home live baby animals and leaving them under the kitchen table. We went in one day and could hear squeaking noises, looked under the table to see a baby rabbit looking back! Poor thing was rather confused. He also systematically emptied a mouse nest once.