Newbie veg gardener! MERGED

midlandsfairy

Hello, I'm not a MSE newbie but I am most certainly a greenfingered newbie.

Last year I grew some potatoes and green beans in a couple of containers on my patio but next month (end of may) I'm moving to a house with a garden. As yet, I'm not sure what the garden is like (i.e. if there are any beds) and since its a rented place, not sure how much I can do in the ground without changing whats there! I have got myself a couple of new containers to add to the other two (half barrel size/shape), and a plastic greenhouse (that sounds weird- it looks exactly like a greenhouse but instead of glass is thick clear tarp type material?!) so am ready and raring to go. but....


i need to know what veggies are happy to be planted in the time scale i've got. I could start a couple of things off indoors now but space is limited. Is there anything that is quite reliable that could be planted straight outside in late may and do okay? As I'm a newbie to this anything that can be suggested that it quite tough and as much of a guarantee as you can get with veggies would be brill. I think I'll give beans a go again as they were scrummy!!!

I'd really like to grow some tomatoes and have got myself a couple of grow bags. is there a good type of tomato I should go for?

Sorry for all the waffle:o

Thanks in advance for any help!!! :j

Lucy

smk77

midlandsfairy wrote: »

Hello, I'm not a MSE newbie but I am most certainly a greenfingered newbie.

Last year I grew some potatoes and green beans in a couple of containers on my patio but next month (end of may) I'm moving to a house with a garden. As yet, I'm not sure what the garden is like (i.e. if there are any beds) and since its a rented place, not sure how much I can do in the ground without changing whats there! I have got myself a couple of new containers to add to the other two (half barrel size/shape), and a plastic greenhouse (that sounds weird- it looks exactly like a greenhouse but instead of glass is thick clear tarp type material?!) so am ready and raring to go. but....


i need to know what veggies are happy to be planted in the time scale i've got. I could start a couple of things off indoors now but space is limited. Is there anything that is quite reliable that could be planted straight outside in late may and do okay? As I'm a newbie to this anything that can be suggested that it quite tough and as much of a guarantee as you can get with veggies would be brill. I think I'll give beans a go again as they were scrummy!!!

I'd really like to grow some tomatoes and have got myself a couple of grow bags. is there a good type of tomato I should go for?

Sorry for all the waffle:o

Thanks in advance for any help!!! :j

Lucy

I'm no expert but hopefully the following will prompt others to advise.

Lots of vegetables should be in the ground or in pots by now and they definately should be by the end of May. Therefore you are probably limited to growing what you can get started now and transport in pots. If you start tomato seeds now you may just get going quick enough for them to fruit this year - best option might be to see what you can find in garden centre etc that are already a few inches high. Courgettes can be planted indoors now but will need to be in bigger pots (9" diameter minimum) within 3 or 4 weeks.

sreppaw

Mangetout or sugarsnap peas, Fill a big pot with soil/compost, make a cane pyramid and tie string around the outside for the peas to climb. Great for stirfrys.

Basil in the greenhouse, puree with olive oil and garlic for a cheap pesto (add pine nuts for a bit more)

perennial herbs are always good in pots; parsley, chives, oregano, rosemary, sage, mint etc.

If you have a bed, courgettes, radishes (very quick to grow, can be six weeks in summer if well watered (regular so they grow fast but don't explode!)

surfsister

welle asdy things are runner beans which you can stick in the soil anywhere and water well and they will grow well and give lots of beans may need watering in hot weather. You can start them now in pots then plant when you get there but tyhey do need sturdy support as they grow tall.
Also moneymaker tomatoes are easy and heavy cropping also cheap seed try wilkinson or QD or woolies
Lettuces are easy and so are radishes just buy the cheapest seeds and sow in rows when you get there and water if dry.
In pots try poatatoes or in the soil easy as you just leave them to get on with it and water if dry.

You may need a good watering can or hose!

good luck

mouche

I'm a complete newbie to gardening (have lived in flats till very recently), but inspired by all the green fingered people on the Grocery Challenge, last Sunday I very tentatively put a packet of lettuce seeds into a medium sized pot. Yesterday I saw tiny seedlings and am now panicking! I didn't really expect them to grow and don't know what to do with them now. I have been told to pull out some of them and let the others grow a little bigger before repotting them 1 seedling to a pot. Is this ok? Or should I re-pot them now? These are salad leaves not proper lettuces by the way.

Also, I've got coriander and chilli seeds sprouting in a seed tray. Right now they are in my airing cupboard (as per instructions on the seed packet) but what should I do with them next? And when?

Also planted some carrot seeds in a big pot but no sign of any activity there yet. What should I watch for?

Also, are slugs and snails going to be a problem for me? What should I do about it?

Any help will be gratefully appreciated. I know nothing about gardening at all.

olly300

There are lots of threads on how about growing things. There are at least two on chillis and peppers so I suggest you use the search facility and post your chilli problems on that thread.

There is at least 5 threads on slugs and snails. I again suggest you use the search facility and read those threads for ideas of what to do to combat slugs and snails.

With the coriander seeds once they sprout take them out of the airing cupboard. More info here: http://www.selfsufficientish.com/coriander.htm

Growing carrots. More info here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/growfruitandveg_growingcarrots1.shtml
and here:
http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/fruit_veg_mini_project_february_1_carrot.asp

redhornet87

Hi all,

Sorry cant hold it in any longer
This is only my second year of growing anything. Last year i tried to grow peppers indoors. They grew but only to the size of a bell pepper. However the taste mmmmmmmm mmmmmmm :T This inspired me, so this year i planted some chillie seeds. learning from last years mistakes i planted only a few seeds in a propogation tray and was ruthless in weeding out the weaker ones (something i found very very hard to do last year) The chillies grew very quickly indoors , maybe the dry air from our tumble drier helped, and it was quiet early in the season (April i think) so i planted Spring onions, Little gems, Cherry tomatoes & spinich. I also found 2 potatoes that had sprouted in the back of the cupboard so taking inspiration from this website planted them in the compost i had left.
Now i have eaten 2 lettuces, 3 tomatoes and i have 49 Chillies growing, 29 Cherry Tomatoes, 4 lettuce, 7 Spring onions and leaves growing all over the place in the compost bag:rotfl: I am so excited i dont care if everything dies now, I have done it i have managed to grow my own food yum yum.
Sorry for rambling on, but i needed to tell some one & HI doesnt get so excited about every new arrival . Thanks to everyone on here for all there help and insperation i wouldn't done it if it werent for you all :money:

tomsolomon

Wait till they stick their head out, and whack em with a shovel......................:D
Sorry wrong thread..........

Larumbelle

Good for you, redhornet87! Isn't eating your own home-grown produce the best feeling int he world?!

GardenLover

How fab! I love it when everything on my plate has come from my own garden.