Help MBE grow his dinner 2012

Drea

annie123 wrote: »

Look what you can grow in a small spot in containers:


http://www.container-gardening-for-food.com/

scroll down a touch for before and after pics.

Ohh thanks for that, it's a really good website! We have grass here but I'm not allowed to dig it up, so instead I have a habit of killing off the grass with heavy growbags, oops...

Those who have allotments, how much would you say you spend on them not counting the actual rent? Tools, seeds, etc...?

Drea

Thanks again Annie, I just found out through that site that I can get a compost bin from the council for £5 and water butts for £20 but not sure I have room for one of them yet

mrbadexample

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Possibly, try not to go away next time please, obviously MBE needs help in running the thread

I need all the help I can get.

Lotus-eater wrote: »

My strawberries are doing fine, the usual loses in this weather to mould etc, but I can live with that, as I've been working towards this huge SB bed for 3 years and it's finally paying off.

I think it's about time you shared a picture!

Lotus-eater wrote: »

I sowed new beans a couple of weeks ago and they are catching up with the ones sowed 2 months ago very fast.
They were supposed to be a 2nd crop but it looks like they will be a additional 1st crop. I'm not amused.

My French beans are flowering at last, and slowly making their way up the canes:



The runners are picking up too:

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Chillies are still very little, I'd be surprised if I got any fruit this side of October.

I've got a ripe chilli.



and the Corno Rosso is looking good too:



Things seem to be picking up.

annie123

Not only do you have french beans and bigger chillies than me, you've got a courgette flower open too.
Not that I'm jealous of course.....*goes off sulking and mumbling that a south facing garden in London should be ahead*

Sambucus_Nigra

I made some netting this week, for my cukes in the greenhouse and put it in place today and harvested my first 2 cucumbers!!! Wahoo.

Just got to sort out all the chillis for chilli day, start shipping them to work to get them looked after and out of my greenhouse and then I can start giving MY chillis and tomatoes some space.

Pre-war_babe_33

Great website Annie, thanks for the link.

I am lucky to have inherited a large patio area approximately 20ft x 15ft from the previous owners three years ago which is surrounded on three sides by 2ft high walls topped by 1.5ft paving slabs so plenty of space to raise things up off the ground, (I don`t do bending these days!) plus a couple of Patio Grows where I can grow stuff at three levels, mainly strawberries and salad stuff plus a few flowers.

My garden is very stoney and far too difficult for me to dig so I grow all my veggies in containers now.

Drea, as others have said, £240 a year, every year does seem to be a lot to pay for an allotment, especially when you add on the price of seed, plants and various nutrients etc. I suppose it might be OK if you have a large family to feed but then would you have the time to attend to it?

Even if you have to pay out for some good quality containers which can be expensive the first year but can then be used again and again, it must be cheaper than paying out £240 a year, every year!

Also, you would have to take into consideration the distance from home to the allotment and how long it would take to get there.

annie123

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

I made some netting this week, for my cukes in the greenhouse and put it in place today and harvested my first 2 cucumbers!!! Wahoo.

Now that is showing off

Just been out to pick more strawberries and raspberries and checked my courgettes, all 5 of them .....slugs didn't eat any babies this year and my first 2 flowers will be open within the next 48 hours so I'm happy

Sambucus_Nigra

I've already had 5 small courgettes last week - but didn't want to mention that to anyone but as you brought the subject up....

Little_Vics

I don't even have courgette plants that are larger than my hand, let alone flowers! Gah.

MBE - I'm curious about how you plan what to grow and where? I'm semi-determined to be more organised for next year.

Fay

Looking good MBE-your chillis looks great, when will you eat your first?
I haven't had a chance to do any gardening this weekend-I started yesterday with harvesting a bag of potatoes (disappointing and they obviously needed longer), some broad beans and two onions. But then I started to help hubby de-weed the drive way and 6.5 hours later I finished I was and still am shattered.
Spent today cooking a sunday roast and then watching the olympic torch-good to see. For pudding we had eaton mess with one home grown strawberries (hanging basket experiment isn't going great!) and a few home grown raspberries, but loads more of them ready to eat so that is good Fingers crossed I might get out one of the nights after work to do some essential weeding.