Veg growing newbies 2nd year common room 2010-2011

wssla00

Hey Sparrer I found the best yields in my potatoes were the ones from poundland. They were in there about January and this year I will only bother with first earlies (new) ones as I don't want my whole garden uplifted for a few pots.

If you get your runners in now you can overwinter them in situ and they should be nice and strong for next year.

Also, get your garlic in now too so it's ready for spring and onion sets.

I usually get my seeds from a company called Just seed on ebay and Alan romans. They all germinate really well but will get parsnips in Feb from Aldi like last year (29p) Lidl are also good!

I am going to save some seed from my cherriettes of fire today so hopefully some nice toms again this year. Got lucky in a seed swap and got some tomatillo so looking forward to growing those too!

Sambucus_Nigra

wssla00 wrote: »

Hey Sparrer I found the best yields in my potatoes were the ones from poundland. They were in there about January and this year I will only bother with first earlies (new) ones as I don't want my whole garden uplifted for a few pots.

If you get your runners in now you can overwinter them in situ and they should be nice and strong for next year.

Also, get your garlic in now too so it's ready for spring and onion sets.

I usually get my seeds from a company called Just seed on ebay and Alan romans. They all germinate really well but will get parsnips in Feb from Aldi like last year (29p) Lidl are also good!

I am going to save some seed from my cherriettes of fire today so hopefully some nice toms again this year. Got lucky in a seed swap and got some tomatillo so looking forward to growing those too!

Hi

Do you mean runners, or broad beans? Have you got a hardy runner bean variety?

katholicos

The other day while trying to remove the 'spent' tomato plants from a raised bed, i realised that next year will not be as cheap as i hoped it would. The thing is, my breathing difficulties make it very hard for me to grow my veg even with the raised beds, at least at the level they currently are....which i think is about 25cm in height. Fortunately the beds i use are 'stackable' so i am going to have to raise them at least another 25cm to make sowing/planting/harvesting more do-able. I got a bit upset the other day thinking i would have to jack it in, but i'm going to use any birthday and Christmas money to purchase the necessary things to make them higher. I really don;t want to give up the veg growing as i have really enjoyed it this year.

wssla00

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

Hi

Do you mean runners, or broad beans? Have you got a hardy runner bean variety?

No lol i did mean broad beans but my brain melted.... HOWEVER I am sure there IS a hardy runner variety..... Which I'm sure I have in the mammoth amount of seeds collected....

Sambucus_Nigra

wssla00 wrote: »

No lol i did mean broad beans but my brain melted.... HOWEVER I am sure there IS a hardy runner variety..... Which I'm sure I have in the mammoth amount of seeds collected....

If you find out - let me know......cheers!

katholicos

Today I had nigh on 50 puffs of my inhaler spread over the two hours it took me to do what i wanted to do in the garden. Seems like every 5 minutes i have to sit down and steady my breathing. I'm very reluctant to give up gardening because i have enjoyed it so much this year. Today i managed to put more compost/soil in to 2 of my raised beds so that now they are level with the top edge of the beds if not higher. Though ideally i would have them another 12 inches higher i am not in a position to afford the materials to do the job and thought makoing the soil higher in the beds would at least make things easier until i can afford to get all 5 of the beds to the height i want them.

Of the 2 beds i have topped up, i have planted one with garlic, onions and shallots for overwintering. I bought the package deal from Suttons so i hope they perform well. I've covered the bed with scaffolding net to deter wildlife pulling them out. So glad i have that bed 4/5ths filled...though there is about a 12 x 36 inch strip on one side of the bed, that is free so i may try onions from seed in that part, eventually.

Pulled the leeks out of my square ft bed and now that too is empty. One bed is now full of strawb plants, one full of onions, there are 2 x empty beds and there is one that still has parsnips in. Today i roasted the last of the cobnut squash, a few large parsnips, about a lb of tatties and a few last cherry tomatoes...i added in a handful of chopped sage, flat leaf parsley, oregano and chives...all home grown :-)

katholicos

I feel like a thread killer....

today i pulled out all my lovely parsnips, there are absolutely loads and they were a raging success...after all the posts i've read on various forums suggesting that parsnips are a difficult veg to grow...well, not for me it seems! Will post a picture when i get chance.

Today i finished filling the remaining raised beds. Now i can pretty much just leave everything to do its thing in the garden...at least, that is the plan.

jaxx46

katholicos wrote: »

I feel like a thread killer....

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

I don't think it's you m'luv I think it's the weather I'm in for the next year. Have just harvested the last of my peppers, pattypan, french and dwarf beans, cucumbers and my 3 pumpkins :j. Still got spring onions, iceberg lettuce and raspberries on the go and two lonely tom plants in the greenhouse and leeks in the garden. Just realised I forgot to move the herbs today so will have to get the torch and do that asap.
Look forward to sharing the new season with you all.

jaxx

Sambucus_Nigra

Kath - here's a link to Supersprout's allotment which was no dig - she was quite ill at the time and changed her style of gardening for the same reasons as you have - lots of pics - and minimum effort with maximum results....if it helps in any way.....

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/grapevine/growing-techniques/supersprouts-allotment_5573.html

sewprettymoo

Hi all

I've just moved house and now have a huge garden, We've been growing stuff all year at my parents and my grandads but i'm looking for stuff i can get started off now at my new place. Are things like garlic, onions and shallots the only things you can put in for overwintering? There's nothing else you can plant at this time of year? My garden is sooo bare!!!