What to do in January for newbie gardners

Dustykitten

Oh just had a lovely couple of hours in the garden.

Cut back all the japenese anenomies

Planted out a rhubarb plant I had brought home from the lottie. Anybody wanting rhubarb feb and March are the best time to get the plants (most garden centre/DIY shops have them in packets like bulbs) and put them in.

Moved some euphorbia which was creeping into my hellebores

Cut back dead leaves on hellebore.

Hope some of you managed to get outside today.

Hoping to get some raspberries from Lidls as they are expensive in the garden centres

susieb

Had a good shop today, bought some raspberry canes from poundland, plus 100 summer bulbs, also bought 2 red robin shrubs from focus as everyone on here recommends it for hedgeing and I have a north facing fence to hide a little, also from focus got a budliea, forsythia and something else LOL for £5. Just need it to stop raining now

ALIBOBSY

OK newbie here. Want to get growing fruit and veg partly for the kids and partly cos gardening is good exercise to help with my weight loss
We have a decent garden front and back of the house, mostly grass. front garden is open and sw facing so gets sun and wind. back garden is fenced so is sheltered but nw facing. Our soil is clayie but mostly quite good. Looking for suggestions on what to grow. Have grow herbs in pots in the past so happy to use tubs and pots if needed DD picked up a rasp cane in morrisons for 1.29 and wants to plant it today. Do I go garden or pot, front or back please help.
ali x

Dustykitten

Ali - raspberries have to go in the ground so that is one decision. Summer ones will need supports especially if in a windy postion so do you have a fence/trellis? They can cope with cooler areas so you could go for the back on the sunnier side HTH

ALIBOBSY

Thanks for that DK our front garden is open and we are on a corner so windy. But the back garden is fenced and because it is fairly long and not overlooked the top end gets quite a bit of sun. Think this may be the spot for the rasp and some tomatos.
ali x

Nutty_Tart

Well, I decided to bite the bullet today and go and get that mini greenhouse. I got a kick up the bottom from Argos, as they have pushed the price up to £24.99 from £14.99 in their new catalogue :eek: . I was waiting for Wilkos to get them in as I was hoping they would be cheaper, but it was good old Woolies that got my money - still at £14.99 - and I got the last one in the shop - phew! :j

I have been doing a bit of price checking for some fruits bushes aswell (too much time on my hands I think!) Raspberrys - Woolies are currently £1.99/4 canes, Wilkos £2.00/1 cane, and I don't know how many canes are on the 99p ones from Lidl's - I suspect only the 1. Woolies also have various fruit trees in at £9.99 each (with a free willow tree worth £4.99), but obviously the £3.99 ones at Lidl's win that one hands down! - Our Wilko's haven't got theirs in yet. I have only seen rhubarb in at Wilkos for £1.50.

Our nearest £1 shop is in the next town, so its not cost effective for me go there, unless I've got a shopping trip planned - or someone else is driving :rotfl:

Has anyone found anything any cheaper?

wornoutmumoftwo

THis is a great thread, I have a smallish garden but wanted to grow potato, onion and carrot as that is the veg we eat the most, I have a compost bin but am clueless when it comes to gardening, and I've no space indoors to do anything as two young children, I have a big garage though.

Dustykitten

Hi WOMOT good news is the things you want to grow you don't start off indoors as seeds.

Potatoes - traditionally planted on Good Friday - lots of old thread on potatoes with good advise.

Compost - is it a darlek type one? Top tips - work best on soil, think layers so a layer of green/wet stuff then a layer of dry/card/paper/ Mix if possible and be patient.

Onions you plant little bulbs which grow into onions - 2 sorts plant either spring or autumn both ready summer.

Carrots - sow direct into the soil - packet will tell you when, prone to pests, I have never had much success

HTH

jungliemac

Hi everyone...I got an allotment last year and it did really well. I love pottering about down there. Just pricing up timber for raised beds and each bed will cost me approx £20.00....eeeek!! I've tried to get old scaffold boards from local companies but they are like rocking horse poo so no luck there. Any ideas on where to get decent priced timber?? OHH...and from 25th Jan Lidl have fruit canes for 99p (blackcurrant ,raspberry,goseberry) and apple and pear trees fron £3.99. Think thats quite a good buy.

Keiss_21

jungliemac wrote: »

Hi everyone...I got an allotment last year and it did really well. I love pottering about down there. Just pricing up timber for raised beds and each bed will cost me approx £20.00....eeeek!! I've tried to get old scaffold boards from local companies but they are like rocking horse poo so no luck there. Any ideas on where to get decent priced timber?? OHH...and from 25th Jan Lidl have fruit canes for 99p (blackcurrant ,raspberry,goseberry) and apple and pear trees fron £3.99. Think thats quite a good buy.

You could try using the wood from palettes to build your raised beds. You can get these from builders merchants and gardens centres FOR FREE! Just go to them and ask nicely if they have any spare palettes going. They are usually very helpful as they usually have to pay to get them removed. There are ones they won't let you get (usually blue). They are usually 3'x3' or 4'x3', but you can get smaller ones. They can be broken up using a hammer or crowbar, the nails can be re-used too, but sometimes they are held together by staples.

I also use them to make compost bins, one per side. We are now replacing the ones we made 10 years ago, so they last well. We are making three big ones this time. The wood can also be used to make cold frames etc around the garden...all for free, can't be bad!

Hope this helps.

PS Is anyone else having trouble with the posts not fitting fully onto the screen width-wise today?