Help MBE grow his dinner 2012

mrbadexample

djohn2002uk wrote: »

At the mo I'm just peering around the corner to see what's going on.....

Welcome John. You had been missed.

How do I grow great big [STRIKE]onions[/STRIKE] carrots* then?



*The competition this year is now the heaviest carrot. Which should be fun, as none of us will know what we've got until they're dug up. :rotfl:

mrbadexample

I've finished washing the drive. I can now see what a god-awful job the idiot who used to live here did on the block paving.

mrbadexample

Although I haven't had time to sow any chillies, due to driveway maintenance and cake-making, I did have time to nip to B&Q to get ripped off for a cheap and nasty sieve, and then sieve enough compost to do a few later.

Compost looks beautiful:

Fay

That's looking great MBE, I've got a darlek composter and I'm pretty certain there is some lovely compost in it...but I turned it once last year and it nearly killed me. So I'm not looking forward to getting it all out and sieving it!

Toonie

Hello MBE! I shall be following your thread with interest as I've just moved into a house with a garden which has been very neglected over the years (the owner got someone to clear the mess in the garden and underneath the overgrown bushes there was a eucalyptus tree, a flower bed and a path! I am only renting but I really would love to grow some vegetables. I had success with some tomatoes on my balcony last year, but obviously this is a much bigger (and daunting) prospect. The garden is north facing, but we get a bit of sun down the bottom, so I'm hoping by Spring and Summer, it will be a bit better.

There are already two rosemary bushes which I've been making use of for cooking, but I want to grow some tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, peas and beans plus some more herbs. I'm going to spend the next week or so gathering supplies for as cheap as possible as I don't have much disposable income. I noticed my local pound shop has got some seeds in now, so I'll check those out. Any tips for a complete novice?

mrbadexample

Toonie wrote: »

I noticed my local pound shop has got some seeds in now, so I'll check those out. Any tips for a complete novice?

Greetings.

I'd start by clearing that sunny spot and have a dig to see what the ground's like. Think about what you want to grow - what you like and what is expensive to buy.

If you know anyone nearby who grows things, ask if they have any spare seeds - you may find you don't need to buy any at all. Most gardeners have more than they'll use.

Then come back with pictures and questions.

mrbadexample

That Romanesco cauliflower that I mentioned in the earlier post is starting to look like dinner:



I've been trying to grow these for a couple of years now, and they've not done much at all. I think perhaps I must have sown them at the wrong time of year, because I've got four of these forming a head, so I'm rather pleased.

djohn2002uk

mrbadexample wrote: »

Welcome John. You had been missed.

How do I grow great big [STRIKE]onions[/STRIKE] carrots* then?
*The competition this year is now the heaviest carrot. Which should be fun, as none of us will know what we've got until they're dug up. :rotfl:

I'm not telling you untill you've seen my entry

mrbadexample

djohn2002uk wrote: »

I'm not telling you untill you've seen my entry

Cheers! You're just sulking because I beat your best bean.

And if you're entering, then you'll need some of our seed. We will all be using some from the same pack. At this time I have no idea what variety has been chosen. I'll find out this week sometime.

I have to say I think it's a great choice, as it levels the field very well. None of us will have a clue where we're at until digging-up time.

I guess I need to know how early I can sow them, as the longest possible growing season will obviously be a priority.

mrbadexample

Right, I've had a rummage through my seed box to see what and chillies / peppers I've got:

Pretty in Purple
Iranian Round
Wenk's Yellow Hot
Purple Venezuelan
Lemon Drop

All of which I've grown before. The ones I haven't are Fatali (which appears to be on the dangerous side), an Italian red chilli sent to me by someone on here (was that you Lotus?), Nardello pepper, and the one I'm most looking forward to: NuMex Big Jim. I'm not entirely sure whether this is a chilli or a pepper. The packet says : "...yields up to foot-long peppers.....has been known to produce 30 chillies per plant (500-2500 SCU)". That seems to be at the low end of the Scoville scale, so that'd make it a hot pepper or very mild chilli. Whatever, it sounds like fun.

I'll sow a few later this evening.

Edit: I've just found some Corno Rosso pepper seeds too.