veg growing Newbies- Feb 2010! lets learn together!

ishallwearpurple

:T
Hi, it is so good to join a forum where we are all just starting out together as veg growing newbies. I have my raised beds built now, I sort of understand about veg 'groups' but I'm just scared to actually fill them with the compost/soil/seeds and start!! Excited tho' too:D I'll be following you all and taking part with great interest. x

squidlydidly

Just to let forum users know, i have got some of the polystyrene fish boxes from our local tropical fish shop (not a fishmongers), they are used to import the fish. These don't smell fishy and i was able to get them free :j

I have just started growing veg after successfully growing fruit trees, i have started last week by planting seeds in trays and was advised by my local garden centre to put them in my airing cupboard and spray water twice daily, then when a plant starts to sprout to put it on a windowsill. got my first tomato plant showing after 5 days

Old_Fashioned_2

Thank heavens other people just like me! I am having a go at growing some veg and generally going to try to live a bit more like my mum and dad did, I have started to clear my overgrown garden, got some seeds in pots and made my own cloches out of lemonade bottles - so far so good but its only been a couple of days so fingers crossed. I started a blog (ooh these new fangled things) to keep track of myself and find it really motivates me to keep going - and I figure if I can just do something even something little each day then eventually it will all come together - I think the trick is to not take on too much at one time.

If you want to read my blog (albeit onlya couple of days old) its here - Im planning on putting some of my mums old recipes and anything else I think about on there too oldfashioned2010.blogspot.com.

rimmiba

Hi all

I have read through all the posts on this thread, but I have a particular problem of my own, which I am hoping somebody could help with.

I have struggled in the past with the usual: slugs, cats using my pots as toilets etc. However, my biggest problem is that my own cats eat every plant in sight, literally.

I have had to move all houseplants into the one room they are kept out of. This will be my third year of trying to grow from seed on my kitchen windowsill. As soon as the seeds have germinated and seedlings appear, the cats eat them! Everything, even the chilli plants never got beyond about six leaves each. Does anybody know why they do this or how to persuade them not to?!

Thanks
Barb

lynzpower

Hey barb

Well you can get some cat grass for her and maybe some netting for your plants?

Megansmum

kimmee wrote: »

I'm so excited!!

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

Tell me about it! I have had an insect phobia all my life (36 years)and last year was the first time ever I voluntarily spent time in my garden! If my mum n dad were still with us....they'd faint at the sight of me! (And be very very proud!)

Megansmum

ishallwearpurple wrote: »

:T
Hi, it is so good to join a forum where we are all just starting out together as veg growing newbies. I have my raised beds built now, I sort of understand about veg 'groups' but I'm just scared to actually fill them with the compost/soil/seeds and start!! Excited tho' too:D I'll be following you all and taking part with great interest. x

I kinda know what you mean - i only use compost for my pots and now i'm wondering if I should have bought top soil and mixed the compost in with that? Is compost alone too moist? Should i add grit, vermiculite to everything? Even my raised bed consists solely of compost!! :eek:

Why is it.....when you get one question answered, you have another three questions in it's place?!?

simonne15_2

In these days of conservation, ecological consciousness etc. we are struggling with the fact that we have had to give up using our compost bin. We produce loads of veg waste, faster than it will compost but we have too many physical probs now to be able to dig the garden to use the compost. The guilt is enormous!
I saw a prog on TV some time ago about a farmer who has started a business collecting veg waste from homes and using it in bulk- brilliant idea. Does anyone have any knowledge of such enterprise or contact details- in our case in the North East? Otherwise any other ideas that we could use to prevent putting all the waste in the normal bin please? We would rather not waste public money. Thanks in anticipation.:o

Megansmum

people mention the peat pots and newspaper pots etc that you can pot on (pot and all), my question is:

Do you have to cut the bottom out of the pots or will they decompose before your plants roots get there and want more space?

Thanks

kimmee

simonne15 wrote: »

In these days of conservation, ecological consciousness etc. we are struggling with the fact that we have had to give up using our compost bin. We produce loads of veg waste, faster than it will compost but we have too many physical probs now to be able to dig the garden to use the compost. The guilt is enormous!
I saw a prog on TV some time ago about a farmer who has started a business collecting veg waste from homes and using it in bulk- brilliant idea. Does anyone have any knowledge of such enterprise or contact details- in our case in the North East? Otherwise any other ideas that we could use to prevent putting all the waste in the normal bin please? We would rather not waste public money. Thanks in anticipation.:o

Hi Simonne15 - does your local council not collect green waste? Our's provide brown paper sacks that we can put in basically anything thats biodegradable i.e fruit and veg peeling, egg shells, tea bags, coffee grounds, cardboard etc. That then is collected and turned into 'soil improver' which residents can collect for free and it's also supplied to local farmers. If your local authority doesn't do that, lobby them!!!