veg growing Newbies- Feb 2010! lets learn together!

izzwizz_2

Slinky wrote: »

We're just digging out spuds so will have some space in our veg boxes now. What could we put in now for later in the year? My husband suggested sprouts but we've never grown them before and have no idea when they should go in or how difficult they are to grow.

Does anybody have any suggestions please?

Winter salad crops: pak choi, mizuna, miner's lettuce, corn salad, endive, raddichio, Arctic lettuces, ...

ictquizzer

I planted several containers of onions (sets) in March. When I checked them today, one of the containers seems to have lots of flies crawling about the onions. I've looked online and I see onion fly mentioned several times, however I don't see any sign of maggots or rot, and I dug one out to check (though scared to cut it open due to what I may find!).

They look rather like greenflies (some of them anyway) to me, but an online search didn't help find out if this was possible. I also thought fruitflies may be a possibility?? Can anyone help, I'm not sure whether to simply throw them out, cut it open (ewwwww what may i find?!?) or just leave it and hope for the best. Don't know if it makes a difference, but there always seems to be spiders webs on this particular container, does that give any clues?

Thanks for any help, I'm fearing the worst in meantime...

update - peeled back an outer leaf of the one I'd dug up and could only just see it - a wee white thing crawling round. That's them binned!

katholicos

Just been watering the garden and my goodness what a joy it is to see everything growing so well. Lots of green toms in pots and in raised beds, caulis growing well, christmas potatoes looking fine, courgettes threatening to turn into marrows, mangetout galore, gherkins, beetroot etc doing well . No cukes on my cuke pants yet and some off my patty pan seem to be suffering from blossom end rot and the aubergines are doing nowt...but all the successes more than make up for any failures.

Mrs_Veg_Plot

katholicos wrote: »

...... the aubergines are doing nowt...but all the successes more than make up for any failures.

Hi kathilicos my aubergines are the same. The plants look really healthy and there have been lots of flowere for weeks now but nothing else seems to be happening.

mutley74

lizzyb1812 wrote: »

Hi Mutley

The long stems are called runners. The main plant wants to reproduce so it sends out these runners. When they find a bit of soil they root themselves in and a small new plant grows. They might even send a runner off the new plant to make another one.

If your main plants are in the ground get a small rock or peg and push the free end of the runner into the soil - it will eventually root and make a new small plant - then cut it off as previously described.

If your main plants are in pots either gently bend the runners back onto the soil in the pot and do the same as above, or put a couple of pots of compost round the main pot and let the runners dip into those.

You don't get a lot of strawberries from a plant the first year, so just enjoy snacking on them when you're in the garden. The first year's harvest is really the runners - the new plants.

HTH

Lizzyb

Thank you for the detailed explanation. I have now started to push some of the stems in any spare space in the oak pot! This is hoping i now get a good crop of strawberries next year!

janibrown

Do strawberries only send out runners on the 1st year ?
Please xxx

katholicos

Picked some massive courgettes today and a couple of gherkins and about 1 lb mangetout and 5 small cauliflowers and a handful of green tomatoes. I've decided to make mixed veg pickle with them so currently have them all covered with salt and they will stay that way for 24 hours and then they will be thoroughly rinsed, put in sterilised jars and then have vinegar poured over them. Can hardly wait to taste the end result.

scotsaver

I've not posted much recently but been keeping up with all your Posts, looks like everyone doing really well, despite the fact that it's been so dry.

We've had quite a lot from the Garden and also from the Allotment which I'm really pleased about as I've only had the Allotment since December and it was all overgrown, apart from the established fruit.

So far we've had lettuce, cucumbers, radishes, courgettes, french beans, peas, early potatoes, gooseberries, raspberries, tayberries, strawberries, blackberries - had lots of lovely salads/dinners knowing that we've grown the stuff ourselves and it's so fresh. Also made loads of different puds with the Fruit and made loads of jars of jam, so much so that I've been able to give some to friends which makes me feel good too so all in all I think this Gardening lark is very therapautic.

Just wish my tomatoes would start to ripen - don't remember them being so late before - always grown them in the Greenhouse in the Garden so not done anything different this year.:(

Can't remember who asked about aubergines - I've got 3 plants and loads of flowers but only 1 aubergine but it's doing really well so I shall just have to take comfort from that - it's all part of the fun of trial and error.;) My Pumpkin was the same, loads of flowers and only 1 Pumpkin but the Squashes I'd nearly given up on, again loads of flowers and when I looked yesterday there are at least 4 squashes forming now.

Off to the Allotment soon to water and check my Plum tree, it was already on the Plot when I took it over and I've never seen so much fruit, they are ripening up lovely - will need to get the recipe books out soon.

Have a good day everyone.:D

wssla00

Good morning all I'm harvesting daily french beans and will definitely plant more next year. They are dwarf and brilliant. I think I will prob save the seed from these lot for next year.

Planted up some Japanese onions so they are all popping their little heads up, as well as some turnips, some romanesco broccoli some calebrese and some cut flowers. I also have five teeny tiny cucumbers popping their heads up which is really exciting as I thought they were doing nothing.

This week I will prob order my shallots & onion sets as well as some autumn planting asparagus and some garlic.

Have a good day all

jus71_2

ive not done much this year as its all new to me! Had lots of lettuce (cant believe how tasty it is!) Going to dig around my potato container today as its full of flowers now. Sweetcorn is very sturdy but only about 4ft high - any idea how long before the kernels appear? Oh, and noticed lots of flowers on the tomato plants