Help MBE grow his dinner 2012

Drea

annie123 wrote: »

growbags come with soil, so you may have a plastic planter that needs soil? thats fine too, just do as John says and plant deep.

growbag
http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=110&storeId=10151&partNumber=031324

Any brand will do. Find roughly the middle and stand it in an upside down V shape then cut across the middle, bit of a wiggle with the soil, poke the holes in the bottom and voilà, you have 2 deep ready to plant pots.
Your toms will love you for planting them deeply

I'll admit, I've been confused at what a grow bag is! They seem to call the ones with soil a grow bag and the plastic bags with no soil.

Seems it'll be cheaper and easier to just buy three grow bags and half them like you've said thanks, I feel so clueless sometimes!

Drea

Ok, I've got two big deep pots that I've filled with soil. I'm going to buy two growbags to half. That leaves one tomato plant per half or pot

Angelfeathers

One of my garlic plants - and not even one of the 'early' ones which I will be pulling up as soon as I can get round to it! - has sent up a long stem and looks like it's about to form a flower.

Should I be cutting this off? Or harvesting the plant early? Or just leaving it? (And presumably watering the rest of them more since I assume it's bolting because it's too dry, along with the spinach!)

djohn2002uk

Drea wrote: »

I'll admit, I've been confused at what a grow bag is! They seem to call the ones with soil a grow bag and the plastic bags with no soil.

Seems it'll be cheaper and easier to just buy three grow bags and half them like you've said thanks, I feel so clueless sometimes!

Some growbags are now called Cropbags but they all have compost in and enough food to last the plants about 6 weeks.
|If you roll it on its edge and press on it then turn it over and do the same, then roll it a bit you'll change the shape from the horrible flat thing that you buy to being rounder. Then pick it up by the center and the two ends will drop. Bump the ends a few times on the floor and you should create a space at the centre with no compost. Cut through here with a sharp knife or scissors and you have 2 halves about 18" deep. You just need to break the big lumps up a bit or spend a bit more time "bashing" it before folding it and you're away.

annie123

Drea wrote: »

I feel so clueless sometimes!

Every experienced gardener was clueless once. I've been gardening for myself for over 30 years, some things I could grow in my sleep others I still have no idea what to do with when I grow them for the first time, like the gooseberry question I asked the other day.
Next year you'll be giving advice to others

Angelfeathers wrote: »

One of my garlic plants - and not even one of the 'early' ones which I will be pulling up as soon as I can get round to it! - has sent up a long stem and looks like it's about to form a flower.

Should I be cutting this off? Or harvesting the plant early? Or just leaving it? (And presumably watering the rest of them more since I assume it's bolting because it's too dry, along with the spinach!)

Yep remove them. They're know as garlic scapes, and very tasty they are too. Can be steamed or added to a stir fry.

found this good picture on the web of them http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnbaird/178638603/

Angelfeathers

Wow, those curly ones are really cool! Mine's just going straight up. Thanks for the advice - didn't know you could eat that bit! :-)

annie123

The plants are catching up quicker with the season than I am!
Strawberries have put out first runners,
tomato armpits everywhere need removing
one sulky cucumber has 2 flowers on it and it's only a tiny plant :j
a tumbling tom that I was given looks suspiciously like a gardeners delight and ridiculous in a hanging basket:rotfl:
runner beans growing up anything except the canes provided,
slugs and snails love kohlrabi so not resowing as I battle enough against them with other things,
and the Jerusalem artichokes that I was convinced I'd manage to dig out every last one of in the autumn, are trying to grow still :mad: Cant dig them out yet, they're in my potato patch so cut them off at soil level.

RedLass

Enjoying seeing everybody's photos and following you all - been busy at work last couple of weeks so haven't any time to post. Seen lots of advice though which has been really helpful and also reassuring.

Happy with how everything is going in my little patch. Planning on getting some canes and net tomorrow because when I looked this morning a cat had dug up one of my squares and pooped in it

Some progress so far...

Garden Pearl toms



Burpless Cuc's



I stay away from home for one night and when I come back I find I have Swede-lings!! :j




One of my cuc's has a teeny tiny star shaped thing emerging where one of the leaf stems joins the main stem. Hoping this is a good sign and it's going to flower or something. Now that they're in the ground, I need to find out what to do to get the best out of them.

Also have seeds in the ground for parsnips, lettuce, salad leaves, spring onions, carrots and spinach. Not seen much in the way of life out of these yet, though they were sown at the same time as the swede. It's a bit chillier here at the moment so maybe that's slowing things up... Oh, and my runner bean seeds have just started to poke through the soil.

It just feels like a massive waiting game now - what do you all do to keep yourself occupied while you wait for things to spring into life?

RedLass

annie123 wrote: »

the Jerusalem artichokes that I was convinced I'd manage to dig out every last one of in the autumn, are trying to grow still :mad: Cant dig them out yet, they're in my potato patch so cut them off at soil level.

I wouldn't even know what to do with a Jerusalem artichoke in the kitchen Congrats on your first potato excavation of the year. Even if it was a little disappointing, it's a reminder that summer is coming (honest)!

Are there many veg that you put in one year and then they keep reappearing over and over?

TallGirl

I love seeing all the pictures and hearing your growing stories. I live right on the South coastland yes we are quite ahead I can see. My spuds have been ready for at least 10 days and we have had strawberrys and peas as well.

My spinach did look like it would bolt but I got it all cut back and it's now come back fine. The radish grow so quickly it's untrue.

Got rid of one bag of sprouting broccoli it really isn't going to do anything as fat as I can see. Planning to put next batch in where the potatoes are hope that is going to e ok they can then grow over winter ready for spring.

I have grown in bags and pots plus two small raised beds for a few years but I must say having things in the ground is a lot better and it does give better yield in particular on the strawberrys. I know not everyone can grow in the ground so my advice is just be happy with what you get.

Looking to buy a pressure washer got a load of Nectar points thinking £80 should get me a descent one. Anyone got any recommendations?

Off to play golf this morning will have to get the lawn done tomorrow or Tuesday as going to a BBQ this afternoon. Love the long weekend.