veg growing Newbies- Feb 2010! lets learn together!

misskool

lynzpower wrote: »

I bought a calendar ( ofcourse you can make one) of when things are sowed and when to do SUCCESSIONAL sowings. I think I should be thinking about further Aubergines this weekend as thats 2 weeks on from planting the originals.

Carrots are outside done now in the builders trug-bucket with layer of fleece over so the birds dont get them. I got potato bags from Wilkies yesterday so need to pot out the rest of the Home guard that are chitted well now.

Aubergines need hot, humid weather (so it really should be in a greenhouse). There's not much point in doing successional sowing for things like aubergines,tomatoes, chillies, cucumbers as they will give a crop throughout the season.

Things like beetroot, carrot, lettuce, spring onion are good for successional sowing as you'll pull the plant out and want more. Coriander is a good one for successional sowing as it bolts quickly.

I grow 2 lots of courgettes, one early on (mid-march) and one later (mid-april) in case the first lots run our of steam and the weather holds out.

lynzpower

I didnt think that Aubergines would crop all season? Oh well, I might do more, to be honest, the more I can get the better!

Optimisticpair

manchestermargo wrote: »

New to forum, new to growing things! But would love to learn. First question what is chitting?

I live in a flat but have access to communal gardens so will be able to use grow bags, pots etc.

Hi, well you know what chitting is now thanks to others. It's best to chit first and second earlies but you don't have to chit maincrop spuds if you are short of space inside.

You can bring chitting forwards by having them in a warmer place or hold them back by chitting in a colder place but either way they need light so they grow plump and strong. If they are left in the dark the chits are white and long and break easily.

You can manipulate a maincrop to yeild large baking spuds, but a smaller crop, by rubbing off some of the chits or leave them on for a bigger crop of smaller spuds.

I have started three First early Rocket in a tub which I'm bringing into an unheated hall at night and putting back out in the sun during the day.

I bought a bag of Sante for eating and I think I may as well grow on a few of those as well. It's too cold and wet to do much here in West Wales right now.

lunar

Ali, I was thinking of putting tomatoes in those bags, I was just a little worried they might be too heavy. I think I will give it a go as an experiment.

Kirsty, it sounds like your seeds are coming on really well. I had some poppy seeds last year, to be honest I just threw them on the soil where I wanted them and they did really well. I’m hoping they will re-seed this year.

Welcome Blimus, you are not late, we are too early. I am sure we will have learnt our lesson by next year! Have fun clearing your raised bed this weekend.

Kath, I love your pictures. I have to stop myself growing courgettes, I got some free seeds but I don’t like them. Why do I want to grow them if I won’t eat them!?

Misskool & macama, I’m another one starting too early. Hopefully my OH won’t mind them taking over the house for a few more months!

Youngbean, well done on showing restraint ant not starting too early like the rest of us. I am still trying to get my garden ready.

Lynz, I am going to get my toms going when the current seeds come out of the heated propagator. I have a planting poster up in the kitchen that I got in a magazine. My indoor pot of carrots have germinated, It’s not my proper crop but just because I didn’t want to wait.

Red-boxer, I keep adding to what I am planting too. Hopefully I won’t take on too much.

Optermisticpair, you are tempting me to plant potatoes now. I think it may be pushing it too far with my OH if I start bringing them in at night though.:rotfl:

misskool

lynzpower wrote: »

I didnt think that Aubergines would crop all season? Oh well, I might do more, to be honest, the more I can get the better!

All the fruiting vegetables will continue to produce flowers and once pollinated, will produce fruit so they won't need to be successionally sowed.

It's the vegetables that you pull the whole thing out for harvest that you need to keep remember to successionally sow.

I'm rubbish at successionally sowing though!

Hippychick

Oooh my onions have sprouted some seedlings on the windowsill

It's the only thing I have sown so far as i', going away for 2 weeks in April so will do toms lettuce etc when I come home.

alliwantistosave

Go on Lunar you know you want to. As long as your don't plant too many in them they should be ok......... and think how good they would look next to your strawberries

Megansmum

Slightly off the subject...ish, can i ask for advice please?

I have got lots of tyres which i want to grow veg in, but i want to paint the outsides of them to make it nice visually to have them in the garden..... does anyone know which paint i can use?

I am in the midlands and got really excited when i went on this site: http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/veg_planner.asp

and saw March is the sowing time for so much!! Thanks to val-scott and others on here, i now know to wait until the beginning of April before i start sowing........but...YES....it is SOOOO hard to wait....especially when you read on other threads people doing this and that!!

Oh well, patience is a virtue..... :rotfl:

Although i think it is ok to start tomatoes now cos you keep them indoors for 8 weeks anyway and after that the frosts should be over....... i think!!

Mutantk

Hello everyone and thankyou all for this brilliant thread and for all your great ideas/hints/tips - I would LOVE to join. Have never grown anything at all or even been interested until my Mum grew a lot last year so kind of inspired me so being an MSE-er I came here and found this thread - bingo!! Just what I need - I now know what chitting is and have ordered a potato kit where you get the bag to grow them in, 5 seed spuds and 5 free packs of veg seeds for £4.50 so will start with that. Have also got the following seeds -

Beetroot, carrot, various beans, spring onions, garlic, various herbs, lettuce, courgette, various peppers, pumpkin, butternut squash and a a few more that I've forgotten! Also doing toms and got a blueberry and rasberry plant from £ shop - really looking forward to getting going. Have got 4 children so with me and DH our food bills mount up so looking forward mostly to having a nice hobby to do as a family and the satisfaction of harvesting and cooking what we grow (hopefully) First job this weekend - hunt through house, garden, both sheds and yard where DH works to hunt for ANYTHING that we can use to grow things in!!

Goodluck all

misskool

i went and bought 2 blueberries and 2 raspberries from lidl. Now have 4 blueberry bushes, don't suppose anyone knows if I'll get any fruit from them this year?