veg growing Newbies- Feb 2010! lets learn together!

soullessfire

Stupid as it sounds I decided to "Feed on a Friday" since they both began with F and it's stuck in my mind perfectly. Not missed a feed since. Toms get an extra one during the week and the hungry plants get a sprinkle of fish blood and bone too but the mainstay is on a friday for me.

ukmaggie45

heynonnynonny wrote: »

Tomato gardeners delight are growing quite upright, I'm hoping they will bush out a bit as want them to grow as bushes ideally.

Gardeners Delight is more of a cordon as I understand. So it won't really grow bushy. There's interesting stuff about it on this thread from the Allotment forum elsewhere.

kimmee

ausmummy wrote: »

Oh, I'm glad you've got them (not jealous at all :mad:) . :rotfl:

Don't be jealous - now I've got to trek down to the garden centre tomorrow to get some more pots, another bag of compost and some citrus feed......unless anyone know different?

jollyanna

Hi, anyone able to offer some tips with growing Leeks please ? I sowed mine weeks ago and they've just stayed the same spindly size, about 3 inches. I started them off in the greenhouse but have them outside now but not in the ground. I try not to overwater but think I'm clearly doing something wrong.

lovelife_3

All the talk of warm weather yesterday, made me wonder if my veg are so slow because i am in the chilly north, seriously it was so cold yesterday....
Loving this thread i catch up everyday on the posts and really enjoy hearing how people are doing, and sharing their enthusiasm with everyone!!
I am totally obsessed, i also get a bit neurotic from time to time as to whether i am doing the right thing, but i have learnt so much from this thread.
By far the most satisfying thing for me so far has been the salad leaves, I love picking a bowl each day and come over all Alys Fowler :rotfl:I will never buy bags of salad again, and wish i had been doing this for years. radishes have also been easy and a great success.
Now to my tomatoes... I have about 45 moneymakers grown from seed in one of those bucket packs!! Realise what a rip off they are now, but was my first foray into GYO. They are all in their individual pots lined up on my patio, like a tomato army, but still no flowers and because of the vagaries of the weather here, i am concerned they may have developed blight:eek: The leaves have a kind of speckled look, as if they have been splashed with mud!! I do hope i get some tomatoes, i love them, although i have gathered that Moneymakers are the least tasty:(. I also bought a cherry tomato plant from Morrisons,and this puts my little squaddies to shame!! It looks soo much healthier and does have flowers and a few babies on the way

I love growing courgettes, they are an easy plant to love, I have four potted up and it looks as if my first flower will open soon!:j

I have grown everything in pots this year, despite having a reasonable size garden, i felt they would be safer in pots :rotfl:But have realised that some things would do better directly in the soil so will try and do this next year for carrots, beetroot etc.

I have about 5 sprouting broccoli in one pot, they look healthy, but i am wondering if they should be in individual pots? i have also learned that they will not be ready until next spring! How do they survive the winter? Would they be better in the ground? I dont want them eaten by slugs and caterpillars!!

Beetroot also in pots, funny seedlings despite being spaced individually they seemed to grow through in pairs:shocked:

I bought two rhubarb crowns, nothing happened for ages then one little leaf poked through, stayed the same for a few weeks and then died:(, on investigation crowns have rotted, gutted!

Potatoes have been easy and satisfying six bags on the go, used compost bags and animal feed bags, but learnt not to use white ones!!!

Ah well, i could go on, but better get on with the day. Thanks again to everyone who posts on this thread x

heynonnynonny

ukmaggie45 wrote: »

Gardeners Delight is more of a cordon as I understand. So it won't really grow bushy. There's interesting stuff about it on this thread from the Allotment forum elsewhere.

Many thanks for providing that link for me. I'm actually terrified of removing side shoots as I still don't fully understand or can get my head around what part of the plant they are. I wouldn't dare strip it of any of its leaves or shoots :eek: . On my tumbler tom I pulled off quite a few flowers upon reading somewhere that it does the plant good, but that came good as I seem to have a lot of flowers now!

Just been having a quick look around and have seen some peoples have grown 4 foot plus, maybe I am best getting some canes! What's thrown me as well is I read GD were suitable for hanging baskets :rotfl:

heynonnynonny

lovelife wrote: »

All the talk of warm weather yesterday, made me wonder if my veg are so slow because i am in the chilly north, seriously it was so cold yesterday....
Loving this thread i catch up everyday on the posts and really enjoy hearing how people are doing, and sharing their enthusiasm with everyone!!
I am totally obsessed, i also get a bit neurotic from time to time as to whether i am doing the right thing, but i have learnt so much from this thread.
By far the most satisfying thing for me so far has been the salad leaves, I love picking a bowl each day and come over all Alys Fowler :rotfl:I will never buy bags of salad again, and wish i had been doing this for years. radishes have also been easy and a great success.
Now to my tomatoes... I have about 45 moneymakers grown from seed in one of those bucket packs!! Realise what a rip off they are now, but was my first foray into GYO. They are all in their individual pots lined up on my patio, like a tomato army, but still no flowers and because of the vagaries of the weather here, i am concerned they may have developed blight:eek: The leaves have a kind of speckled look, as if they have been splashed with mud!! I do hope i get some tomatoes, i love them, although i have gathered that Moneymakers are the least tasty:(. I also bought a cherry tomato plant from Morrisons,and this puts my little squaddies to shame!! It looks soo much healthier and does have flowers and a few babies on the way

I love growing courgettes, they are an easy plant to love, I have four potted up and it looks as if my first flower will open soon!:j

I have grown everything in pots this year, despite having a reasonable size garden, i felt they would be safer in pots :rotfl:But have realised that some things would do better directly in the soil so will try and do this next year for carrots, beetroot etc.

I have about 5 sprouting broccoli in one pot, they look healthy, but i am wondering if they should be in individual pots? i have also learned that they will not be ready until next spring! How do they survive the winter? Would they be better in the ground? I dont want them eaten by slugs and caterpillars!!

Beetroot also in pots, funny seedlings despite being spaced individually they seemed to grow through in pairs:shocked:

I bought two rhubarb crowns, nothing happened for ages then one little leaf poked through, stayed the same for a few weeks and then died:(, on investigation crowns have rotted, gutted!

Potatoes have been easy and satisfying six bags on the go, used compost bags and animal feed bags, but learnt not to use white ones!!!

Ah well, i could go on, but better get on with the day. Thanks again to everyone who posts on this thread x

The salad leaves are amazing aren't they wish I'd have done it for years. I keep seeing people buying pots of salad leaves from the garden centres for like £7 and expensive kits and what nots. I think you should take pics of your huge row of tomato plants!

sarymclary

heynonnynonny wrote: »

Lovely photies, how nice to find self seeded tomatoes! Your garden looks fit to burst with yummy produce!

Fit to burst, and still seems to be growing!!!:rotfl:

Now I'm a bit concerned that the larvae around the radishes will hatch and attack my carrots. I shall be monitoring them closely.

I've been getting the Grow Your Own magazine, and it's had lots of tips and given me more know how, so can recommend that as a read. I am going to keep my issues, and refer back to them each season, as it gives relevant guides for each month, and tips for the month ahead.

charlies-aunt

I was given a crown of 'Champagne Rhubarb' (an old variety) a couple of years ago and its always done well over the last few years but after the prolonged severe winter I thought I'd lost it.

However it has survived but it looks very weak - it has put quite a few leaves out but the stalks are very spindly. Is there anything thatI can do to help it back to health?

I am a low budget so hm remedies would be my preferred option and I have unlimited access to well rotted manure but I have been told not to use this as it will burn the new growth.

izzwizz_2

charlies-aunt wrote: »

I was given a crown of 'Champagne Rhubarb' (an old variety) a couple of years ago and its always done well over the last few years but after the prolonged severe winter I thought I'd lost it.

However it has survived but it looks very weak - it has put quite a few leaves out but the stalks are very spindly. Is there anything thatI can do to help it back to health?

I am a low budget so hm remedies would be my preferred option and I have unlimited access to well rotted manure but I have been told not to use this as it will burn the new growth.

I'd have thought well-rotted manure would be ideal for rhubarb - it's a hungry crop AFAIK. If you can't use it while there's new growth, at least put a lot on over next Winter.