veg growing Newbies- Feb 2010! lets learn together!

kimmee

ausmummy wrote: »

Sorry kimmee didn't mean to tempt you with more plants. :A

Haha - thanks ausmummy - I'm a pushover :rotfl:

izzwizz_2

kimmee wrote: »

Errrrr, now I'm gonna sound thick but how do I tell if it's a female flower and what if it's a male one?!!!

Congrats on the strawberries - I'm going to have a bash at them next year, dunno why I didn't this year cos I certainly love strawbs

We were forecast rain for pretty much all the day, it started raining around 5pm, then stopped but started again about 7 and it's been bucketing down since then, but will do the garden good.

Btw - have you seen the post on citrus plants? I can really hear the credit card straining to get out of my purse :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

It's a female flower if it has a tiny weeny little cucumber behind it. I'm jealous, didn't get any cucumber seed sown and haven't the space now. It depends on what type of cucumbers you're growing, but some need to have the male flowers removed before they get a chance to pollinate the female ones, or else you get bitter cucumbers. Can't remember which type (though I know you're OK with F1 all-female varieties)

The rain still hasn't started yet and no, I haven't seen the citrus post yet - get thee behind me temptress. :rotfl: Oh, but wouldn't it be nice to have our own lemons!

kimmee

izzwizz wrote: »

It's a female flower if it has a tiny weeny little cucumber behind it. I'm jealous, didn't get any cucumber seed sown and haven't the space now.

The rain still hasn't started yet and no, I haven't seen the citrus post yet - get thee behind me temptress. :rotfl: Oh, but wouldn't it be nice to have our own lemons!

Thanks for that izzwizz, I'll go check on them in the morning

Have a look at the thread by ausmummy - they look soooooo cute and yes, it would be lovely to have our own lemons. I find myself weakening by the second. Infact.....scuse me, just off to liberate the CC

izzwizz_2

Nooooo, resist LOL! Oh goodness I HAVE to resist this but I would love a little lemon tree, there's no room in the greenhouse

mutley74

The courgette in my pot is absolutely massive now!! At least 1foot by 1ft area bythe leaves! But the courgette plants in my raised bed are still small about 20cmx20cm....not sure why? as they have a good soil base and get loads of sun too.

izzwizz_2

mutley74 wrote: »

The courgette in my pot has absolutely massive!! At least 1foot by 1ft area bythe leaves! But the courgette plants in my raised bed are still small about 20cmx20cm....not sure why? as they have a good soil base and get loads of sun too.

that's weird, maybe the soil is better in the pot, or could it be in a more sheltered place (warmer?)

kimmee

izzwizz wrote: »

Nooooo, resist LOL! Oh goodness I HAVE to resist this but I would love a little lemon tree, there's no room in the greenhouse

Well I'm just a girl who can't say no and dammit, my finger slipped and I ordered the lemon AND orange, now how did that happen?

I really do need to get a grip :rotfl:

Good God Mutley - thats one huge courgette you have! No idea why it would do better in the pot though.

soullessfire

I think people just get put off stuff at school. Spinach, Brocolli, Cabbage and Sprouts are the main culprits.

Only stuff I can't stand are sprouts and coriander. Sprouts just taste like the smell of sweaty feet and I'm one of the bunch of people for whom coriander tastes soapy. Everything else is on the scale somewhere between "I Like" and "oh well it's good for me" lol

Reading everyone's posts, I wish I'd grown more fruit this year. Kindof pining to try blueberries, redcurrants and raspberries in pots but it's far too late this year. Will have to pick some up ready for next year and just be happy my strawberries are going great guns

izzwizz_2

I'm sure you're right. All that stuff at school was always way overcooked. It's a real shame that coriander tastes like that for you. I used to be a very fussy eater, but will eat most things these days (even sprouts at a pinch, but they're not one of my favourite veg I must admit!). Like you, I'd like to grow more fruit next year. We have a few strawberries in window boxes, and put a couple of fruit trees in pots (only the cherry tree has anything on), and I found some wild raspberry canes in the garden that are starting to flower, so I'm hopeful about those, but I'd love some blueberries and have really missed the gooseberry & blackcurrant bushes from our old garden this year. Gooseberry jam & homemade blackcurrant cordial are both lovely. Won't bother with red & white currants again, we never ate them and the birds used to strip the bushes long before I got out of bed in the morning

ausmummy

Sorry for the long post but I haven't done a proper update for a bit so here goes.

French Beans - About 5 foot (at top of canes) and flowering. I can see the starts of the beans all over. They are just teasing me and making me wait.

Cougettes - About 2 ft tall and the flowers must be dying to open. Theyv'e been sat closed for a bit now. The ones in the middle of my french beans are especially happy. Very strong thanks to the bean canes helping to support them.

Salad Leaves - Still going strong, have been for a couple of months now. I have another seed tray of sald leaves that I sowed at the same time as some wild flowers so I've got to wait till they grow a bit till I know which is which.

Basil full plant - Split this into 4 and cought one of them with little flowers. It must have bolted overnight so I quickly cut it off and hopefully it will keep producing.

Parsley full plant - Again split this in to four

Rosamary cuttings - These have rooted well and the main plant is coming back to life after a big cut back.

Mint - Split into four. These have all gone into the stacking herb/strawberry pots from poundland.

Peppers 2 types / Chillis 2 types - Some have been planted out. More to go outside and I will keep some for indoors. Looking very well with 6 layers of leaves about 2 foot tall.

Tomatoes - These are outside. I've kept one for a pot and gave about 5 or 6 to my mum and sister. These are pretty thick and about 2 feet. I noticed one with buds on today so hopefull they will all be flowering soon.

Potatoes - These are about 3 foot above the container and starting to bud up.

Carrots - Ferns about a foot tall and roots have started forming into carrots. Second lot of seedlings have popped up.

The rest aren't from seed.
Aubergines - Repotted and thickening up.

Cucumber - Again repotted and coming on well.

Cauliflower - Some have been planted out and others will have to wait until I dig a border on the other side of the front garden. They seem like weedy little things at the mo. (mum did these from seed).

Strawberrys - Just starting to form berries. (from mum)

Tayberry (dead?) - This still hasn't done anything. I'm just gonna leave it in the pot untill next year just in case. (Poundland)

Logan berry - Buds forming (B&M)

Blueberries - Repotted and must be root forming - Ihope anyway. (Lidl)
　
Although not veg my sweet peas are giving me a hand full of cut flowers every few days. I also seem to be winning the battle with rampant blackberries around the garden.