veg growing Newbies- Feb 2010! lets learn together!

katholicos

pinkpig08 wrote: »

The pack of peas I have says to plant until mid-June, would I still be ok planting a few now? What do I plant them in? I don't have any free containers, there may be a little space at the back of the borders against the fence. Other than that I have a blue Ikea bag which could be used as a bed? Sorry for all the questions - but am definitely a newbie!!

I have some potatoes growing in my ikea bags so it is feasable to do so, but they are big and require quite a lot of compost. If i were you i would use an empty margarine tub or omething like that pierce a few holes in the bottom, put in some compost and then plant your seeds in it. Alternatively, do what i did when i had nothing to grow them in and make some free paper pots using old newspapers.Here's a 'how to' video. The lady in it is a bit chirpy though so be warned (I'm just a miserable old sod that's why i can't stand happy happy people LOL!)

Video

soullessfire

katholicos wrote: »

II'm just a miserable old sod that's why i can't stand happy happy people LOL!

I'm exactly the same, can't stand american videos because they're all so chirpy and nice about it. I prefer people to swear when they find a slug, and shout when they throw it / stamp on it lol

pinkpig08

katholicos wrote: »

I have some potatoes growing in my ikea bags so it is feasable to do so, but they are big and require quite a lot of compost. If i were you i would use an empty margarine tub or omething like that pierce a few holes in the bottom, put in some compost and then plant your seeds in it. Alternatively, do what i did when i had nothing to grow them in and make some free paper pots using old newspapers.Here's a 'how to' video. The lady in it is a bit chirpy though so be warned (I'm just a miserable old sod that's why i can't stand happy happy people LOL!)

Video

Ah! I have a few plant pots - I thought I'd need a lot of space though so didn't realise I could use them. Do I have to replant them later or could they stay in the plant pots? They're about 5-6 inches in diameter. Could they go in the mini greenhouse I've just bought? Sorry - I feel so thick when asking these questions

sarymclary

pinkpig - I'd start them off in the margarine tubs in the mini greenhouse, then once you've got a good root formation going, you can then plant these on in larger tubs or buckets, or even at the back of your flowerbeds. I've got rather well stocked flowerbeds too, but I took a bit out of my lawn, at the end, and created a raised bed for veggies. If you can create a bit of room amongst your flowerbeds, you could plant tomato plants alongside them, as they are rather attractive to look at I think, as well as having beans and peas at the back, propped up on canes. I've got potatoes growing in large tubs and bags, that sit beside my garden shed, and have a tomato in a hanging basket, which happens to be bearing the most fruit of all of my tomatoes. You can also begin to plan ahead what you can grow next year, now that you have the mini greenhouse, so look out for seeds in your local DIY/garden shop. I've already bought my flower & veg seeds for next year at good prices, before they sell out.

Well, I'm so excited guys. My cucumber plants, after sitting for 3 months looking tiny and folorn, have gone absolutely ballistic in this warm weather. I've had to put an extensive cane support system into the greenhouse now, and they're whizzing up them like triffids. I went around them with the paintbrush doing some pollination, but was then lucky enough to find a bee had been trapped in the greenhouse overnight one day last week, and low and behold, yesterday I've spotted a couple of proper cucumbers growing. I was a bit premature in thinking I might have some last week, not realising that each plant has a female & male flower, and that the female one has a mini cucumber attached to the back of the flower. Now though, it's a proper cucumber growing, so it will now be treated with lots of TLC.

I'm about to start harvesting my calibrese broccoli, but OMG they have grown into such mahoosive plants! I've had to snap off some of the larger leaves just to give them a bit of space, and so they don't completely crowd my carrots (which are also looking like I might be harvesting soon)! I certainly planted them far too close together, but it's not stopped any of them growing and doing well, but I could have put half as many in the bed. I've also started to harvest some of my celery, but I'm just snapping off sticks of it as I need it - it was gorgeous in a lasagne I made last week, so much flavour. The radishes have finished, and rather than plant more, I've decided to keep that part of the bed clear, to allow the garlic and onions to have more room to grow.

I had a huge infestation of white fly last week, and had to resort to using a pesticide in the end, and I don't believe that they only fly at 50cms above the ground, because they were buzzing around my head at over 150cms! Finger crossed my poor carrots will have survived. They definitely seemed attracted to the underside of my calibrese leaves.

The raspberry plant I've bought has produced over half a dozen fruits already, and it's still in it's pot it came in. I also am suspicious that there might be a raspberry cane beginning to grow at the foot of my apple tree, but unsure where it's come from, as I don't have any other raspberries in the garden, and the potted one is new. However, I do have mistletoe that appeared last summer, growing on the apple tree, and I know this is the result of birds pooping, so I wonder if the raspberry could be the same? I've also got a clematis that's appeared under the tree, which I had resited last year, but a bit of root must have survived and it's decided to sprout up again. Honestly, you'd never believe that the bit of soil around this tree is no more than about 18 inches deep around it, but there's a lot going on there.

I've already spotted seed heads forming on some of my flowers, and especially the gorgeous nastruniums I've grown, which have edible seeds and flowers. Most of my bedding/hanging basket flowers came from last year's seed pods, so I've had tonnes of petunias, pansies, antirhinums & violas. The tomato plants that reseeded themselves are growing strong, and I'm having to trim them back already. Amazing what will grow, given half a chance.

izzwizz_2

no need to pollinate cucumbers (actually, it will make some types bitter)

it's carrot root fly that can only fly low

Had a weekend of gales and heavy rain here, but not too much damage (most of our crops are under cover so that gave some protection. Glad to see the Sun out a bit today (although still some showers around).

Does anyone know when the first frosts are likely in Northern Ireland please? Trying to decide whether it's worth still pollinating tomatoes (i.e. will any formed now have time to ripen before the Winter??)

Hope you all had a good weekend. Had a few new seedlings appear and have potted up some globe artichokes :j. Also ordered some scorzerona / salsify seed. Planning on growing some unusual veg next year.

morg_monster

I haven't been on this thread for ages! But as everything is going so mental thought I'd drop in. My raised bed is crazy, I think I have put in far too much stuff now its growing! 2 wigwams, each with 6 canes, alternating runner beans and sweetpeas - like a jungle now, I don't know how I'm going to harvest the beans! I have snapped off the tip of the runner bean plants but they just keep growing up from side shoots! Also my pods aren't setting too well but I'm hoping they'll improve. French beans are going well too, although some are curling up when very small and showing their beans? Not sure what that is about... Summer squash is mental, very glad I only planted 1, every day I go out and the leaves have almost doubled in size. Totally shading the rocket planted next to it, oh well!

The tomatoes are out of this world - guesss it is the weather. So many fruit from the tumbling and upright plants, can't wait until they ripen. Cayenne peppers are also loving the hot weather and I'm already storing glut recipes for chili and toms in my favourites folder.

Potatoes - I grew sharpe's express in morrison's bucket and the yield varied, but tipped out the last one yesterday and had a full pound of potatoes! what a great return! Have 3 big bags of roosters still to unearth later on... not sure HOW we are going to get through all of these - will have to find out how to store them, the new potatoes are all being eaten immediately! Next year I think I'll try and stagger chitting & planting more and over a longer period - our new potatoes are all finished now which is a shame. Also I was pleased that the late frost in mid-may didn't seem to damage the tubers at all although the foliage was affected.

Best of all really is the lettuce and rocket; I never knew it was so easy; we get through so much, seem to eat salad with every meal and then for sandwiches too, and still I am sometimes having to cut and chuck leaves straight on the compost as they grow so fast in this weather. I LOVE not having to buy it from the supermarket! Will be trying to keep them going for as long as possible inside during the autumn, and looking into hardy varieties to keep outside and in mini greenhouse - any tips?

And finally, they aren't veggies, but I have been really pleased with my flowers too, I grew petunias and pansies from seed and they look lovely, so will definitely be doing them again next year.

guccigoo

ok i have just sowed my carrot seeds in an old recycling box which is just over half way full with compost. Only managed to put 6 seeds in as they have to be about 12" apart, still got about 200 seeds left!! Wheres the best place to buy cheap compost? ive got one more box to use so will use that for the spring onions. still got swede seeds to plant too, where the heck im gonna put them i dont know :think:
I really hope these seeds grow as i never seem to have much luck with them

Orange_King

I'd have thought you'd get a few more in than that - 12" apart seems far too much to me!

Got my first raspberries turning red - only got them this year so any fruit from them is a bonus! The strawbs are close to producing their last it seems but the runners have laid down roots so I have started preparing a place for the new plants! The old guttering from the garage has been rescued, cut to size to fit between fenceposts and attached to the fence so that should do for about 18 of them!

Any tips on how to keep them neatly in the gutters and still be able to water would be appreciated! Thought about cutting out holes in plastice bottles and cutting the tops off.

pinkpig08

Well I have planted the tomato plants in several places. Some are in the back of the flower beds, 2 are in a tub along with a strawberry plant, 3 are in a trough, and I have 2 blue bags which we get here for recycling paper with 2 plants in each. I've just rolled down the sides of the bags and put a few drainage holes in the bottom. To be honest I don't know whether the tomato plants will do much. I think I left them in the small plantpots too long because some have started flowering already and they're only a few inches high. Ah well, you live and learn

I'm going to plant some of the peas later in the small plantpots and put them in the mini greenhouse (when I've put it together). I go away on Friday so my dad will be watering for me. Will they need watering every day or will every other day be ok? I don't think he wants to come up every day.

guccigoo

orange king--- i thought 12" apart was a bit much as well. Do you think i should put a few more in?