Help MBE grow his dinner 2011

mrbadexample

Fay wrote: »

He he I've just had to text my friends in walsall and tell them my bit of early news last night was a prank!

Anyway, mystery of my disappearing peppers possibly solved-there were slug or snail trails on the pots just and I've found a snail in there and two empty shells. Ive disposed of it but how can I protect my young plants in the gh from snails???

I'd use slug pellets, I'm afraid. You could try a circle of sharp sand, crushed eggshell or similar around the plants. They don't like that, by all accounts.

mrbadexample

Ok. Think I'm done for this weekend.

I have dug another ½ bed (henceforth to be forever known as the "leg bed" ). It now has a small row of first earlies (Duke of York), with radishes on top, as per Gardener's World's instructions:



I've put a similar (very) short row in the next bed (the earthed up part next to the path).



However, I'm thinking they might be in the wrong place, as they will probably shade whatever I put in the middle. I wanted to put them by the fence, but until it's been replaced, I'm a bit limited over that side.

I've re-sown the turnips that the fox dug up last weekend, in the bed nearest the greenhouse.

I've weeded round the gooseberry bushes, and dug this one a bit bigger to give it a bit more room, as I kept trimming bits off it with the lawnmower:



I've mixed 12 tubs' worth of compost / topsoil, and planted 10 of them:



I now have the following planted:

Beetroot (White, Pronto, Globe 2)
Red Beard spring onions
Turnip (Arcoat, Golden Ball)
Swede (Invitation)
Radishes (B&Q Value range - allsorts!)
1st Early & Maincrop potatoes (Duke of York & Picasso)
Carrots (Nantes, Autumn King, Jaune Obtuse de Doubs [yellow])
Parsnips (Tender & True, Lancer, White Gem)
Cauliflower (Verde Marchigiano, All Year Round, Ottobrino Romanesco, Sicilia Violetto)
Leeks (Musselburgh)
Tomatoes (Orange Banana, Amish Paste, Kumato, Millefleur, Gardener's Delight, Red Cluster Pear, Galina, Purple Ukraine)
Chillies (Lemon Drop, Wenk's Yellow Hot, Pretty in Purple, Iranian Round, Purple Venezuelan [not yet germinated])

I think that lot should keep me out of trouble. I have two spare tubs as yet unplanted.

I'm absolutely cream-crackered.

julieq

Tonight's dinner for MBE will be soup. Made from stock. Made from bones. Bones are easy to find these days.

lemonjelly

Latecomer alert!

Wahey! sorry to be late. Had a lot on early this year (mainly personal stuff, not specifically me related, & not appropriate to detail here). However...:wave:

Greenhouse is up.

First lettuce is sprouting.

12 tomato seeds planted. I lost all my toms last year (sob!) the darned blight got them!:mad: I've planted 12 seeds. I know it usually takes 3 weeks for shoots to pop up, but it has only been 2 weeks & I can't help getting concerned & thinking about planting more already.

This year, I'll have a year off cucumbers.

Grew runner beans last year. Phenomenal success - still have a few in the freezer! Going to double that quota. The red flowers also added a lovely touch of colour.:)

My favourite veg has always been peas. I'm going to grow some peas just for me.:cool:

Courgettes last year - every bloomin plant flowered & produced loads. Really tasty though. Courgetted out for this year, plus space is limited.

Brocolli was delicious last year. Sprouts also did really well almost all year. Lost a couple of plants at the death, but in general, furnished the christmas dinner well.

So this year I'm trying carrots. I'll also do some onions, as apparently the smell of onions protects carrots from many pests. And finally, good old fashioned beetroot.

I really need to get planting.:o

PS MrBE, loving what you've done to your garden - looks ace!

Mrs_Veg_Plot

MBE your garden is looking good.

Have got the rough gist of your little jape. Thought it was very funny .


Thought I would update you on my gardening progress before I start the ironing. Have done some sucession sowing of brassicas and parsnips. Have also planted carrotts, butterhead lettuce turnips and spring oniond. DD persuaded me to plant some tumbling yellow tom seeds she found and also some telegraph cucumbers..

Have pottted on the french beans, cauli and cabbage plants. Not sure how I am going to contain everything in the house until the frosts have passed?

Would the toms be OK if I hardened them off and kept them in the greenhouse (unheated) or do I need to wait for the last frost to pass?

Have also planted lots of bulbs as well so we should look good later in the yeat on both the veg and the flower front.

emiff6

julieq wrote: »

Tonight's dinner for MBE will be soup. Made from stock. Made from bones. Bones are easy to find these days.

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

emiff6

mrbadexample wrote: »

Ok. Think I'm done for this weekend.

I have dug another ½ bed (henceforth to be forever known as the "leg bed" ). It now has a small row of first earlies (Duke of York)...

My first earlies (Swift), planted mid Feb,are just breaking through the surface now. Cabbage seedlings doing well under a cloche, sweet peas (eureka!) 3 inches high! :T
Sweet pepper seeds left on a plate in the kitchen ready to sow, accidentally got swept into the washing up. Sieved them out of the soapy water, rinsed them, and planted them in hope.

Although I vowed to have no pots on windowsills, I have caved in and have just sown some squashes - courgette, and marrow for summer use, and butternut squash for winter soups and stews.

mrbadexample

I've covered my tubs and beds with fleece, as it seems to be getting pretty cold. Even a possibility of snow by the 20th, according to the paper.

Sawfly have been sprayed on one bush. The other appears unaffected at this time. That won't last.

I've bought red sunflower seeds for the challenge, which I think will look nice against the new fence. I've seen his van outside his house today, so it must be MOTd now. Fingers crossed for Saturday then.

mrbadexample

Good day today - acquired a few pallets, so should be able to construct a second compost bin at the weekend. It is something that's concerning me - almost everything I've read bangs on about adding organic matter to the soil, and it's something I've done very little of. Once I've got the second bin built, I can take the fresh compost from the top of the old bin, and start using what's at the bottom.

I realise that not everything likes to be manured when planted. I want to get some on the plots (I already have some in a bean trench) - is there anything in the list of things I'm growing that would not like some compost at this time?

mrbadexample

I've got some gherkin seed (West Indian Gherkin here). It failed last year.

Can someone advise me of the best time to sow, and appropriate conditions? I tried to start it indoors last year, but anything that grew died. I did get one started in the greenhouse eventually, but too late in the season to fruit. It's something I'd really like to get to work this year.