Living in the South - what are you up to?

morg_monster

Hi there, I'm in surrey, inside the M25. It's our first year with a garden so I'm so excited!! THe previous owners of our house did loads of work to the garden, so I have built a link-a-bord raised bed rather than dig anything up over the winter (very glad about that, some of the bushes and things coming into flower are stunning).

I've been hardening off sweet peas, petunias and sunflowers outside this week in my mini plastic greenhouse. Finally gave in and am leaving the sweet peas outside tonight! They're going to be planted out in a raised bed tomorrow.

I've also been hardening off some ridiculous runner beans that I think i am going to have to throw away actually, they are 5ft tall / long, leaves only every foot or so, just silly really - I started them too early and kept them too warm at the start so they went mental. I don't think I'll ever get them growing up bamboo canes! I do have some more that I sowed last weekend though in pots, and some french beans too. They'll go in the raised bed too eventually, I will build the wigwams this weekend.

My tomatoes - alicante and tumbling - I'm going to start hardening off this weekend. I might put my cayenne and mini sweet pepper seedlings out for the day too, my wireless thermometer told me it got to 32C in the greenhouse today with the flap open!! I'm desperate to have my windowsills back!

Potatoes are growing away in buckets and grow bags, roosters and sharpe's express. Garlic was planted in january. Finger carrots, loose leaf lettuce and rocket are being sown in buckets and troughs, and my mum brought me some cut and come again lettuce plants last weekend which seem to have survived being transplanted quite well. And finally some strawberries in a planter from homebase, DH is in charge of those.

What else? Oh yes, flowers, as well as the petunias which are looking good I have sown some french marigolds to go with the tomatoes, they are coming along nicely. And some pansies too, but think I might have been a bit late with them.

Need to mow the lawn for the first time this weekend, it's getting quite long, but hooray we got a lawnmower off ebay for £8. And I'm picking up a wheelbarrow from freecycle tomorrow! Should come in handy for carting around the 4 huge sacks of manure i've got to go on the flower beds, our soil is a bit sandy apparently. Just hope it doesn't smell too much...

Cazz

I'm down south too and decided to give growing my own a go this year. Someone should have told us (DH is in on this too) not to sow all the seeds in the packet or you end up with tons of seedlings to get shot of! Still I took them into work and gave them away in exchange for a contribution to cancer research so some good has come of it.

We are trying toms, cucumbers, peppers, chillis, raspberries, strawberries, chives, parsley, basil, coriander, rocket (which looks like a disaster zone - possibly too much water?) and probably other stuff which I can't think of right now. I'm just hoping to get some return on the outlay. :j

Hippychick

Ooh thanks for replying, I am also south of Petersfield so have quite a few neighbours on here lol.

Our ground is also really bad clay, I am guessing that must be a Hampshire thing so I am trying everything in pots this yr then may get a raised bed filled with soil next yr.

Hippychick

oops didn't mean to thank charlessmay, reported spam though.

kazire

Cazz wrote: »

Someone should have told us (DH is in on this too) not to sow all the seeds in the packet or you end up with tons of seedlings to get shot of!

yes after a phone call to my nan,after sowing all the seeds, telling her how i am growing my own she told me.. not to use all the seeds save some for next year and i should sow some of them in the ground! Oh well. nans know best

Moobags_2

Good evening fellow Southerners

I'm in Kent and have the following growing
6 x Tomatoes
2 x Courgettes
6 x Rhubarb seedlings
4x Chillis
Lots of sweet peas
Runner beans
Spring onions
Iceberg lettuce
Cut and come again salad leafs
Carrots
Radishes
Potatoes

I've planted sweetcorn indoors and nothing has happened , does anyone have any suggestions for my next attempt ?

Cazz

kazire wrote: »

yes after a phone call to my nan,after sowing all the seeds, telling her how i am growing my own she told me.. not to use all the seeds save some for next year and i should sow some of them in the ground! Oh well. nans know best

I'm so glad I'm not the only one to do this :T

kazire

Moobags wrote: »

I've planted sweetcorn indoors and nothing has happened , does anyone have any suggestions for my next attempt ?

i just planted mine outside in my mini greenhouse and they are fine, maybe try that?

Moobags_2

kazire wrote: »

i just planted mine outside in my mini greenhouse and they are fine, maybe try that?

Thank you
I'll give it a try this weekend :beer:

mossy

I'm in Littlehampton Living in a rented house so a bit limited!! Although it's a new house so the garden would be terrible anyway!

However, so far I've planted my daughters broad bean which she grew in class. Salad leaves, spring onions, beetroot and a couple of sunflowers. They are either in a grow bag or pots.

I'm also going to sort out some yellow and green courgettes this weekend and buy a tumbling tomato plant. Quite like the idea of some mangetout/sugar snaps as well...but not sure I'll have any space for those.

Happy watering this weekend!!