Living in the midlands and wondering what you're doing now!!

thifty

This weekend I have sown kohl rabi, pak choi, silverskin onions, flak carrots, earthed up potaoes, sown a few replacements broad beans seeds where i had fails, planted autumn raspberries a friend gave me (bless him ) and sorted out my seeds ready for next stint on Wednesday.
Plan to sow runner bean seed and french beans, earth spuds up (again) fetch some pots out of shed so I can sow sweetcorn, butternut squash and courgettes. Note to self- do not plant as many courgettes as last year:rotfl:
I have sown 3 weeks ago some salad, beetroot, chard, radish, parsnips, carrots and some are through, some not yet. (never done parsnip before so not sure how they will turn out!)
I have waiting in cold frame, curly kale plants, cabbage plants (2 sorts) and mange tout peas to continue hardening off. How long do you need before plants are hardened off enough to plant out?

katholicos

thifty wrote: »

This weekend I have sown kohl rabi, pak choi, silverskin onions, flak carrots, earthed up potaoes, sown a few replacements broad beans seeds where i had fails, planted autumn raspberries a friend gave me (bless him ) and sorted out my seeds ready for next stint on Wednesday.
Plan to sow runner bean seed and french beans, earth spuds up (again) fetch some pots out of shed so I can sow sweetcorn, butternut squash and courgettes. Note to self- do not plant as many courgettes as last year:rotfl:
I have sown 3 weeks ago some salad, beetroot, chard, radish, parsnips, carrots and some are through, some not yet. (never done parsnip before so not sure how they will turn out!)
I have waiting in cold frame, curly kale plants, cabbage plants (2 sorts) and mange tout peas to continue hardening off. How long do you need before plants are hardened off enough to plant out?

Well done on sowing so much. I don't know much about hardening off, but most articles i have read online, and posts in forums, suggest up to 2 weeks of hardening off before planting out. Hope that helps.

katholicos

My spuds are fully earthed up now, so it's just a case of waiting from here on in, can't do much more than water them if they need it. Today i had a bit of a tidy up in the garden and sorted out my compost heap. I managed to find a really good offer on a Staffs. gov type site selling cheap compost bins so I now await delivery and thought i'd better get my composting area of the garden sorted while i have chance (my garden is actually quite small!) before i take delivery. I am so hoping to not have to buy any compost next year.

My leeks had really taken off in their jiffy thingies so i planted them into a large grow tub and i sowed some more mixed salad leaves. I'm having a good gardening time of it, but hope the warmer weather returns soon as it is much easier to be outside when the weather is fine, or at least dry.

Still, we've not had the hail that some people have written about on this forum, just intermittent showers and dull and cloudy weather today, though we've had a few days of downpour also.

I've been making a note of all my seedling/growing failures, there is actually rather a lot of things that haven't worked for me...possibly due to lack of know how, and possibly to do with not having things work out for me, one way or t'other...probably it's a combination of both factors.

A couple of failures of the top of my head....the strawberry seeds i sowed, nothing....nada...zilch....same with the mushroom spawn i attempted to grow mushrooms with....same with my first lot of aubergines i sowed (have sown more since...just waiting to see if they germinate)...2/3 of my courgettes went all lethargic and bendy and ended up on the compost heap which was quite distressing as they had started so well (i started them too early probably)...same with 1/3 of the tomato seedlings...,my first lot of leeks did diddly and my minipop corn germinated but i ditched them all when i discovered how much room they would need to grow them! There are more failures, just can't think of any more at the moment. Though that's a rather a lot of failures, don't you think?

On the bright side, i've been bitten well and good by the gardening bug...and i mean that both literally and figuratively! Something was nibbling my legs good and proper the other day and i'm now on Piriton. I'm sure i look like worzel gummage with my trousers tucked in my socks as i waddle around the garden, but, hey, am i bovvered? No. I have a 6 ft high fence ;-)

heynonnynonny

katholicos wrote: »

My spuds are fully earthed up now, so it's just a case of waiting from here on in, can't do much more than water them if they need it. Today i had a bit of a tidy up in the garden and sorted out my compost heap. I managed to find a really good offer on a Staffs. gov type site selling cheap compost bins so I now await delivery and thought i'd better get my composting area of the garden sorted while i have chance (my garden is actually quite small!) before i take delivery. I am so hoping to not have to buy any compost next year.

My leeks had really taken off in their jiffy thingies so i planted them into a large grow tub and i sowed some more mixed salad leaves. I'm having a good gardening time of it, but hope the warmer weather returns soon as it is much easier to be outside when the weather is fine, or at least dry.

Still, we've not had the hail that some people have written about on this forum, just intermittent showers and dull and cloudy weather today, though we've had a few days of downpour also.

I've been making a note of all my seedling/growing failures, there is actually rather a lot of things that haven't worked for me...possibly due to lack of know how, and possibly to do with not having things work out for me, one way or t'other...probably it's a combination of both factors.

A couple of failures of the top of my head....the strawberry seeds i sowed, nothing....nada...zilch....same with the mushroom spawn i attempted to grow mushrooms with....same with my first lot of aubergines i sowed (have sown more since...just waiting to see if they germinate)...2/3 of my courgettes went all lethargic and bendy and ended up on the compost heap which was quite distressing as they had started so well (i started them too early probably)...same with 1/3 of the tomato seedlings...,my first lot of leeks did diddly and my minipop corn germinated but i ditched them all when i discovered how much room they would need to grow them! There are more failures, just can't think of any more at the moment. Though that's a rather a lot of failures, don't you think?

On the bright side, i've been bitten well and good by the gardening bug...and i mean that both literally and figuratively! Something was nibbling my legs good and proper the other day and i'm now on Piriton. I'm sure i look like worzel gummage with my trousers tucked in my socks as i waddle around the garden, but, hey, am i bovvered? No. I have a 6 ft high fence ;-)

That is a shame those have failed but I guess you live and learn.

Argh I have 3 or 4 red lumps which are itching like mad, I am sick of being bit on the hands by things and getting splinters too!!

I wish I had a 6 foot fence, only a smallish hedge which is bigger at one end then stoops down to being quite low thus leaving the neighbours exposed to my gardening attire of leggings with socks over them, a baggy top and a headband to stop my fringe falling in my face. Ah well garden like no ones watching

thifty

Off to celebrate my mums birthday by carrying on a family tradition of planting bean seed. She would have been 65 today so I hope she is looking down on me as I do it!
katholicus dont be too dismayed by your non-starters. I have learnt not to be too eager and plant things too early. However I have yet to curb my enthuiasm when it comes to seed catalogues!

Update- runner beans in planted by my two year old daughter (she of crazy hair on left). Also planted french beans which share the same name as my dd too! Bet they are unruly wild things just like her!
earthed up spuds again, pulled up purple sprouting broc and dug the patch over ready for something else, not sure what yet, think might be saved for butternut squash or courgette area. Oh I remembered the pots so can get said seeds sown tonight too.

Megansmum

Are we about done for the frosts now do you think?

In my excitement to have potted on etc, i have put out my peas, toms and cucs without hardening off..... I can't bring them in again as the pots are way too big!

heynonnynonny

http://www.flickr.com/photos/49610056@N08/sets/72157623873614587/

Veggie progress

Fingers crossed we've seen the last of the frosts now, I agree I'm totally sick of bringing pots in and out!!

tattonlady

My carrots are really slow. They are in a raised bed. Only very small shoots. Planted beginning of March under fleece.

nuttyrockeress

I have in the garden

Runner beans - Scarlet emp
Climbing beans - Blue lake
Peas - Kelvedon wonder
Onions - white, red
Shallots
Garlic
Carrots - Chantenney red core 2 and Autumn king
Cauliflour - speedy
Green cabbage ?
Red cabbage
Courgette - Black beauty

In the greenhouse I have the following which need to go outside
Beetroot - Albino (tried sowing direct in garden but it didn't seem to like it)
Leeks - Mussleburgh
Spring onion - white lisbon
Lettuce - little gem and ?
Broad bean - sutton
Squash - winter butternut
Squash - yellow scallops
Pumpkin - Jack o'lantern

Then in the greenhouse I also have the following for potting on
Chili - heatwave, cherry red, hungarian hot wax, lantern, pinocchios nose
Pepper - Sweet orange baby, romano
Tomato - Sweet garden pearl, Harbinger, roma

I also need to plant straight out
Carrots - purple haze, a red variety and a yellow variety
Parsnips

Along the way I have lost a few chilies as I guess I was too keen to get them into the greenhouse and also a few of the climbing beans to frost.

lutink

For the past week i've had the dreaded norovirus so havent even left my house!
My tomatoes are indoors still and doing really well though. they are HUGE!