veg growing Newbies- Feb 2010! lets learn together!

izzwizz_2

CAFCgirl - Yellowing leaves are usually caused by overwatering, and if you've only recently potted up the cauliflowers there's no need to start feeding yet.

Fennel has survived so far and looks as if its growing, so fingers crossed. Am really hoping for some nice fennel bulbs

CAFCGirl

Thanks all

I think I've discovered whats killing them. My DH!!!!!!
I was telling him something about my chilli's yesterday and he said "Oh have you watered everything outside yet" and I said "No, nothing needs watering, they're still all wet" and he tried telling me it needs watering everyday. I pointed out it rained for 3 days last week, and they would get over-watered and he said "Oh well I've been watering them everyday!"

Now wonder the things Im growing indoors are surviving, he doesnt touch them!!!

lynzpower

Sorry just slowly catching up with everyone Ihave had to basically ignore what is going on in the "garden" Went upstairs to water and the so**ing pidgeons have been in the beetroots as well so another casualty _pale_

Some spring onions seem tohave survived.

Off to B&Q today as OH is here and he will get the compost up there so i can start to rescue whats left

Elantan- Im so sory to hear about the burglary, darling anything i can do, lemme know

Love to all,and hugs to those who have veg-casualties, truly- I know how it feels
xxxx

Dorastar

sarymclary wrote: »

Dorastar - I grew potatoes last year in bags (part of a kit I got as a 99p bargain). I'm not sure about how successfully you can move them. I put about 4/5 seed potatoes in each sack, which holds around 50l of compost. They grew very successfully, despite teh foliage being rather immense. They take around 12 weeks to harvest. You'll know when they're done because the plants begin to flower, and if gently remove compost to reach the potatoes, you'll see if they're green, or the correct white (or if it's a red variety, red) colour you'd expect. I had one bag not mature at the same time, and they were still rather green, so I covered them back over, and left them a few more weeks.

QUOTE]

Thanks - they look pretty happy and healthy atm so am tempted just to leave them all in their happy state - have got a pile more ready to plant out in other containers so can stagger them anyhow. Just got to work out what to do with spring onions/onions next - dd planted them and cant remember which is which in the pots oops

Megansmum

Hi All,

Well, i am absolutely gutted!:( All my tomato plants and cucumber plants are dead! The two new blueberry plants are dead, as is the kiwi plant. None of the pound shop and aldi gooseberry, rasberry etc canes have ANY growth at all !!:mad:

I suppose i should be grateful for the potatoes, strawberrys, onions & already established blueberry plants...but still...GUTTED!!!

Oh well, more lessones learnt for next year:

1: harden off well before putting out!
2: dont buy cheap fruit canes!

Glad to hear how well others on here are doing!! Keep it up guys and gals! :j

misskool

CAFCGirl wrote: »

does anyone have any advice on cauliflower?

DH and I bought some young plants from B&Q and have planted them out into seperate planters with two young plants to each tub (black tubs from morrisons).
They dont seem to be doing very well though. The bottom leaves are yellowing, and the plants themselves seem very droopy, and they havent really grown since we got them.
They're getting a lot of sun/daylight, and they have been fed with some plant feed......

on a plus note my basil seedlings are coming through and my chillis are doing exceedling well!

What have you planted them in? Cauliflowers (and most brassicas) like to be firmed in. So if planting in the ground, I'd prepare the area, drop them in and then heel it in.

If you've just got it in multipurpose compost, it'll be too soft and fluffy for them to grow in.

and it's too early to be feeding them. You just need to wait until they have started to form the curds. I don't feed brassicas normally (except maybe a splash of seaweed feed)

misskool

Dorastar wrote: »

Have only just started our first growing stuff and just wanted advice.

Have planted poatoes in an IKEA big blue bag (with holes in for drainage) and they have already shot up into plants despite our lack of care and concern. There are about 12 plants and they are crowded and obviously need more space - how can I best move them? and how long do I leave them before something potatoey can be harvested - I have 2 very impatient children!

You can't really move potatoes as they form from the roots. So just wait until they are ready to harvest, you'll probably have smaller potatoes as they won't have enough space to grow properly.

What variety of potatoes are they? Early potatoes take about 8 weeks to mature and maincrops will take up to 16 weeks.

If the children are impatient to harvest something, grow cress (ready to eat in 2-3 days) or beansprouts (5-7 days) or salad leaves (that'll take up to 2 weeks for some baby leaves)

vatic

Sorry to hear that Megansmum, I hate to see stuff die!

I was really chancing it last night because I left my butternut squashes and courgettes outside last night. I have been hardening them off for one week so far. I was out hanging out with friends and didn't get back until very late. It was quite warm outside even at that time of night and I was exhausted so couldn't be bothered to bring them back inside. Everything seems to have survived okay!

Just one question though... I have sort of dryish looking brown spots on some of the leaves of my courgettes and squashes in containers. Could this be from getting water on the leaves when watering and they're slightly fried? There is some new leaf growth, so I don't think the plants are dying. (Background: just moved them from tiny 9cm pots to 30cm pots last weekend).

lynzpower

Megansmum wrote: »

Hi All,

Well, i am absolutely gutted!:( All my tomato plants and cucumber plants are dead! The two new blueberry plants are dead, as is the kiwi plant. None of the pound shop and aldi gooseberry, rasberry etc canes have ANY growth at all !!:mad:

I suppose i should be grateful for the potatoes, strawberrys, onions & already established blueberry plants...but still...GUTTED!!!

Oh well, more lessones learnt for next year:

1: harden off well before putting out!
2: dont buy cheap fruit canes!

Glad to hear how well others on here are doing!! Keep it up guys and gals! :j

Megans mum -0 are you sure that your blueberrys are dead? Mine barely look like anythong, one better than the other admittedly, the 2nd , a very slight green tinge to what is effectively a twig in a pot. Did you use ericacious compost? Did you use ericacious feed? Not sure if other canes do? I was blimmin lucky someone told me about ericacious otherwise id never had known .Also v unlikely to get any blueberries from a cane in the 1st year ( you might get a few if you are lucky) but the 2nd year is stronger growth?

If you have been using eric compost, I found it quite fine and have been topping up the pots with it as the weather has blown it away/ worn it down. Also feeding once every 2 weeks a la titchys info.

Anyway, back from B&Q, thrilled to see that its finally raining here in london after a dry few week, have been rinsed like mad for a short taxi ride, but now have another 240 litres of compost so should work for a while?

Anyone with some info about potatos, I thought the earlies were meant to flower then when the flowers are dying, time to pull the pots. Mine have been in since March so easily 8 weeks but no flowers yet, although not sure they have had enough water, I can never really tell.

Hugs to everyone experiencing losees _pale_

lynzpower

Oh also- who is growing babycorn?

Can I ask, ( same question I always ask) what size pot per plant?

I am about to start them off now