veg growing Newbies- Feb 2010! lets learn together!

soullessfire

The yard did smell a bit, but I took the pressure hose to it before starting all this malarkey and gave it a good scouring. He tends to go on the far end which isn't too bad, so I just spray that area down once every month or so and it keeps things ok.

Really am jealous of everyone's plants. I've only got garden centers and TV to go by so i'm comparing mine to greenhouse brought on plants and there's no comparison lol

mutley74

Cafc - I heard white vinegar is good to de-odourise smells.

Just bought 3 bags of Erin compost for £12 plus got a free sweet chilli plant (well asked for it!).
Spring onions - from my experience they are slow to germinate and grow very slowly initially. Mine seem to grow a bit better when planted outdoors and well watered. Also thin them out so they dont get overcrowded.

katholicos

sarymclary wrote: »

Katholicos - wow! you've got such a huge amount of stuff going on in your garden, and it all looked very organised too. Well done. I've bought good value large tubs from Poundstretcher/Instore, and they're pretty good quality too.

I've got some Homebase wilted bargains this week too, and a bit of plant feed and tlc has brought them bursting back to life. One of them is a standard fuschia that I've planted up in a nice wooden tub as a birthday gift for my 2nd eldest sister. I just have to strap it carefully into the car to make the 100 mile journey to visit her tomorrow, and hope it survives! I got 2 lovely rhododendrons half price too, and they are beginning to look absolutely fantastic. They had bedding plants and hanging basket plants at less than half price too, so £1.49 for 6 plants was good value, and they're all good sizes too, and beginning to flower, so my hanging baskets are good to go now.

I bought some of the Asda compost this week, and it's dreadfully straw-like, or just lots of fibre, like coconut (as someone else said). I'm sure it'll be ok for larger tubs, or putting around the potatoes, but it doesn't look good enough to use for seedlings. Fortunately I have a good quality compost from the garden centre for that. I'm also using some moisture granules in the hanging baskets and flowering pots to help keep them watered well. I had problems last year with them drying out so much, and this seems to be doing the trick.

Thanks for the compliment about the garden, sarymclary! It's coming along, slowly but surely.

I boughts two bags of asda compost a couple of days ago and it looks awful. I hope it performs better than it looks like it will. I potted up my B & Q veggies in it that i bought a couple of nights ago....got 6 small veggie plants for a fiver. Hope the compost does what it supposed to do! Hope you have a lovely time with your sister, i'm sure she will just love the gift you have for her.

Youthworkers_Wife

Everyone seems to be growing so much more than me ... You've obviously all got green fingers!

Chives and Parsley growing on the windowsill. They seem to be getting huge now.

Spring onions (from previous residents) have sprung up with gusto from their winter lair. I'm now having spring onion with everything in an attempt to keep their numbers at a manageable level.

French beans - 5 tiny plants are out in the garden bed. 7 or so are still growing inside but will start hardening off this week.

Courgettes - 4 outside 6 indoors. As per beans.

Carrots probably dead in waterlogged pots.

katholicos

Youthworkers_Wife wrote: »

Everyone seems to be growing so much more than me ... You've obviously all got green fingers!

Chives and Parsley growing on the windowsill. They seem to be getting huge now.

Spring onions (from previous residents) have sprung up with gusto from their winter lair. I'm now having spring onion with everything in an attempt to keep their numbers at a manageable level.

French beans - 5 tiny plants are out in the garden bed. 7 or so are still growing inside but will start hardening off this week.

Courgettes - 4 outside 6 indoors. As per beans.

Carrots probably dead in waterlogged pots.

It's quality, not quantity that matters though

Seriously, the only reasons i am growing so much...or trying to....is that i need to cut back financially :eek: and as i have a dehydrator i intend to dehydrate and store food i grow (especially veg like potatoes) if i should be fortunate enough to get a glut. The main thing is that we each enjoy doing what we are doing, no matter how much we are doing. Hope your carrots are ok.

Chimera

planted out some french beans and more peas today, and tumbling toms in basket.. am hoping toms survive as they are looking a bit droopy..

OH's dad gave me 2 different tom plants, and two pepper plants!! and the buckets to grow them in, with canes. Also got given another two varieties from an old boy we see everyday on way to walking dogs (have popped him in some radishes and homemade marmalade)

Have Egyptian Beetroot, purple sprouting brocolli popping through to and chilli plant seems to be finally doing something!

Cucumber seedlings have not faired well, got a bit dried out one day, tried to save, but 2 have now flopped over and look pretty much dead, but I have some others germanation

Also, quick couple of questions..

I bought some pea and bean netting from poundland today, I have some growing along fence, if i fix the netting to the fence will they be ok to grow up that, or should I stick to canes?

And is it ok to put sweetcorn out yet?

ukbill69

Chimera wrote: »

And is it ok to put sweetcorn out yet?

I was wondering the same thing. Ive been searching and found to put them outside for a week everyday, but bring in at night as still frost to come, this is to harden them up. I think start of june is best time to put stuff out and avoid frosts.

heynonnynonny

Kimmeee I now have 3 french beans for my wigwam! Another one has come through whilst I was at work

soul619

how many beans can you put in a morrisons bucket?

katholicos

found two little white maggoty looking things had eaten some of my radishes....i'm reluctant to put anything else in that raised bed now, and it's all new compost!