veg growing Newbies- Feb 2010! lets learn together!

lynzpower

Ok, I only have 4 in plant pots I will risk it but the other 10 i did in the same sorts of pots Ill take out tomorrow evening and put them in loo roll tubes instead as those can be planted as they are.

I might do 3 broadbeans to a Mr M bucket does anyone think thats ok/ too much?

Also to mix it up a bit, I have 2 sizes of Mr M buckets :rotfl: How confusing is that?!! :rotfl: :eek:

misskool

lynzpower wrote: »

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 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.

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

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

Sorry, I don't grow peas in containers so can't help but in a row, I'm planting my Feltham First peas 5cm (approx 2" apart) apart and leaving 30cm between rows. I'm not sure you can grow enough to freeze just from pots...

If you want a reliable heavy cropper, try runner beans. We were overrun from 3 plants

Salad crops don't need much heat. They like it a bit cooler (I'm growing them in part shade) otherwise they'll bolt quickly. I'm going to start sowing some salad crops this weekend (unless there's a big frost in a few days).

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?

You're not supposed to move peas as they don't like their roots being disturbed. You can grow them in root trainers, I'm trying a set out. I normally plant them in newspaper pots and then plant them out when they have a few leaves. I can't sow mine direct as we have too many slugs and birds who are too happy to eat them.

As above, I'm planting my Feltham First 5cm apart in a row with 30cm aparts between them. If you're planting in a raised bed, you can probably move the rows closer.

I also sow my carrots then plant them out because we have heavy clay soil so I have to work the whole row where they are being planted filling it with sand and a bit of compost. This year I'm growing round carrots

mardatha

I don't see any mention of caulis or broccoli. How easy/hard are they to grow and when do you plant them?

misskool

mardatha wrote: »

I don't see any mention of caulis or broccoli. How easy/hard are they to grow and when do you plant them?

How much do you enjoy squishing pests?

I managed broccoli last year but all my cauliflowers were eaten by pests of didn't give anything.

This year, it will be netted from the beginning and a close eye will be kept. OH keeps tempting me with sprays but I quite enjoy squishing them to bits after a bad day at work.

You can start sowing broccoli/calabrese now and depending on what variety of cauliflower you buy they can be started too. They need to be well rooted (great choice for clay soil) so when planting in, stomp around it to pack the soil in.

Don't forget to net them or you'll have nothing to eat. Nothing beats fresh broccoli though.

johanne

i got a lovely 3 tier mini greenhouse for mothers day Beats the usual cut flowers and chocolates any day!

(ok so i asked OH to get me it off DD.. but still... was lovely!! I thought he might have ignored my request and gone the conventional present route.. lol)

I also just ordered our cbeebies dig in seeds too! Cant wait to get out in the garden when get some spare time this week and start tidying it up a bit.. DD's 2nd birthday at the end of april so want a presentable garden for her party!

waterwatereverywhere

Hi

We have a small plastic 3 tier greenhouse thingy too. Problem is the only real spot in the garden for it is shady - it gets light but not really direct sunlight.

Some of the things we'd like to start off by growing in pots inside the greenhouse are:

Rocket
Baby Tomatoes
Pak Choi
Garlic

Please does anyone know if they would survive alright/grow in this sort of shaded position without direct sunlight?

Many thanks - what a great thread this is - it's brilliant to see everyone's enthusiasm. Love the idea of being more self-sufficient on the veg front!

kimmee

I'm so excited!! It's my first day back at work after injuring my knee and I checked on the seedlings just to see if they were doing anything and to move them into their daytime position and......my tomatoes have started to germinate :j and the microgreens that I sowed onto cottonwool have started to sprout :j:j so hopefully I won't have to go on a hunt for cheap vermiculite

Good to see how well everyone is doing (two years ago if someone had told me I would be getting so excited about growing my own veg from seed I would have laughed!) - it's so great that everyone is so enthusiastic and helpful :beer:

Have a good day all

ukmaggie45

waterwatereverywhere wrote: »

Hi

Some of the things we'd like to start off by growing in pots inside the greenhouse are:

Rocket
Baby Tomatoes
Pak Choi
Garlic

You don't need to grow garlic in the greenhouse. It needs frost to split it into multiple cloves. It's very hardy.

Edit: Spring planting garlic may not need frost, I don't know, but it's still hardy enough not to need to go in greenhouse. Save the space for something more tender!

kimmee

waterwatereverywhere wrote: »

Hi

We have a small plastic 3 tier greenhouse thingy too. Problem is the only real spot in the garden for it is shady - it gets light but not really direct sunlight.

Some of the things we'd like to start off by growing in pots inside the greenhouse are:

Rocket
Baby Tomatoes
Pak Choi
Garlic

Please does anyone know if they would survive alright/grow in this sort of shaded position without direct sunlight?

Many thanks - what a great thread this is - it's brilliant to see everyone's enthusiasm. Love the idea of being more self-sufficient on the veg front!

Welcome to the thread water - I don't know about the others but I think that tomatoes need sun, although when I grew mine last year (from seedlings my mum had grown) I put the pots into a sheltered position that only gets direct sun from around 1pm to about 6pm and they weren't in a greenhouse so maybe they will be perfectly ok.

sal_strawberry

Hi. I started growing veg for the first time last year and it is so satisfying! I am pretty new to it but learnt a loit from my OH nan....she is amazing a veg growing!

Carrot Fly: Chop up an onion (raw) and sprinkle around your rows/pots where growing carros and it seems to work...think it confuses the fly with the smell. Also pinch out carrot seedlings very carefully so not to attract them.

Raised Beds: We bought a new divan bed and i had the brainwave to use the old divan base as raised beds! It was in 2 halves and we ripped all the fabric off and were left with a frame the perfect size, a couple more planks screwed in on the sides completed them...They are perfect size and depth for veg. They are currently covered with fleece to warm the soil before i start planting.

I have a very small garden but with 2 raised beds and lots of pots I am looking forward to growing lots this year!

Good luck all!