veg growing Newbies- Feb 2010! lets learn together!

WestonDave

Best thing to grow is what you will eat.

Probably a bit of experimenting needed to make the most of your space - salad leaves might get enough light in the shadier part of the greenhouse. Onions will be fine outside in the patch outside - don't normally grow radishes but I guess as they are surface growing they should be fine as well. What about beetroot - if you forget the pickled ones you might find that growing them gives you a taste for them as they are quite sweet when roasted!

As for your carrots - I know your pain! Carrots and clay soil don't go well together - I grew some almost spherical ones a couple of years back from a normal straight variety seed! They got down an inch and then stopped! The trick for you if you want another go (and it might help with your parsnips as well) is to stick your spade in as though you were cutting along the line you want to sow, and move it back and forward to create a V shaped slit. Fill that with compost (with some coarse sand in if you have it) and then sow your seeds in the top of that. It gives them some room to grow downwards without getting stuck in the clay.

I wouldn't rush to plant much outside yet although maybe onion sets can go out if you are in a more southern location. As I posted earlier experts reckon spring is nearly a month late this year so I wouldn't rush things out. If you have some black plastic (bin bags will do) it might be worth covering your outdoor patch to help dry and warm it so that when you do sow in a couple of weeks time the ground will be more productive.

lynzpower

You need a lot more peas if you plan on eating them for more than a snack. Peas can be grown quite close together so that's not a problem. I have space so am planning on growing 100 or so.

Crikey OK :eek:

I am definately going to do more, I was thinking about doing subsequent crops?

I have started them in pots , obviously, as they are being done in containers.

I have early onward and greenshaft- shall I use thed EW first ( seems to make sense)

How many pea plants can go in a Mr M bucket as I will be using these to have the peas growing up and around the staircase ( see blog if this sounds well random lol) ??? I do want enough to freeze, definitely.

I am going to do half the fish container of beetroot as I dont want to have a glut all at the same time as I'm not a massive fan but want to make the crisps

Have earthed up the spuds and they are now outside it is v mild. Its been t shirt weather here in London again and the roof room was scorching this morning. :T Really pleased as there has definatley progress been made with the toms I put up there, theres a little more germination. Im going to bring them in tonight and keep them in the prop, but daily they need to go up there.

Can anyone help about this.

I am wanting to start the salads but I am worried it is still too cold to put them outside ( in central london) Could I plant them in pots/trays and put them on the patio under a "sun tunnel" I would copy it but its B&Q and I cant copy well from there

Basically its a massive propogator style lid.

Would it be OK to plant on a patio under one of these. It is not the roof but another smaller patio that doesnt get as much direct sun and is probably better for leaves etc.

I will definately get thermometer tomorrow when I pass by a B&Q.

Megansmum

lynzpower wrote: »

Crikey OK :eek:

I am definately going to do more, I was thinking about doing subsequent crops?

I have started them in pots , obviously, as they are being done in containers.


How many pea plants can go in a Mr M bucket

I am going to do half the fish container of beetroot as I dont want to have a glut all at the same time as I'm not a massive fan but want to make the crisps
.

I'm confused, sorry! Can you sow peas and then move them? I thought they were like carrots and need to be sown where grown?:o Also, just HOW close together can they be?? And how much depth do they need? Do they have big roots?

What is a "Mr M" bucket? (just so i can compare with what i have for size)

What is a fish container? (no daft answers please!):p

And do you mean making beetroot crisps? If so, can you tell me how please??

Thanks. (It is killing me that the weather is sooo gorgeous and i still can't start sowing out!! :mad:

p.s welcome seraphina, vanilla, goppers and ds1980!

ds1980

Dave that's great thanks.

Yes mine stopped growing but i thinking the ground is better this year i am working on improving it with as much organic matter as i can and it's working!

the beetroot would be great i love it and that is exactly what im going to be planting. I can pot up in the greenhouse and then ill transfer if needs be. Ill try some in the ground as well.

Thanks for your help it really helps.

ds1980

I grew my carrots in pots and transferred them when they were like oversized needles! If the ground had been better they would have grown. It was a bit faffy but it definately is possible. Just found out my grandad does his in drain pipes!

Ha

WestonDave

If you grow beetroot outside - net them! It took me a couple of attempts and some internet research to realise that if you have sparrows around they'll strip the lot as they germinate! Now we have deal - sparrows get to nest in our roof, but they don't share the beetroot!

lynzpower

Megansmum wrote: »

I'm confused, sorry! Can you sow peas and then move them? I thought they were like carrots and need to be sown where grown?:o Also, just HOW close together can they be?? And how much depth do they need? Do they have big roots? I don't think they do have particularly big roots, nor do they need loads of space ( ie i doubt theyd need the space of eg beetroots or potatoes- but other than that not sure- I am going to move them, but not sure whether I should now youve said it :eek::eek::.

What is a "Mr M" bucket? (just so i can compare with what i have for size) its a morrissons black flower bucket

What is a fish container? (no daft answers please!):p THE big polystyrene boxes that fish mongers get fish in- apparently a good container- and free! Will post up a pic when Ive got a sec on my blog

And do you mean making beetroot crisps? If so, can you tell me how please??
http://www.mycookinghut.com/2007/07/28/beetrootcrisps/
Thanks. (It is killing me that the weather is sooo gorgeous and i still can't start sowing out!! :mad:

p.s welcome seraphina, vanilla, goppers and ds1980!

HTHhun xx

msg too short

Megansmum

Thanks Lynzpower, it all makes sense now! I have the morrisons flower buckets, so that's good...

I know what you mean re the fish containers.... but i don't think i could stomach going to a fiahmongers to get one....or the smell in the car after! :eek: (I'm not a fish fan...can you tell?) :rotfl:

Don't change anything cos of what I said about the peas....I know nothing! That's why i'm on here daily, trying to learn! I should write stuff down, cos i read tichys book, i read the posts on here...then forget it all when i get in the garden!! :rotfl:

turbo5019

I think I've read that you shouldn't move peas but I did last year I planted them in plastic cups with hole in the bottom and moved them when they were big enough. They grew ok had a lot of peas just cant remember how many I grew.
I'll be growing them the same way this year but writing everything down.

seraphina

If you get the preformed pots made out of peat, you can put peas in them and then once they germinate sow the whole pot into the bed. I'm giving this a whirl this year (peas in the greenhouse (hopefully!) germinating as we type) as I got 60 of these pots of freecycle.