Help MBE grow his dinner 2012

lemonjelly

PS can't recall the posters name, but a big thanks for the tip from the poster regarding the hot water bottle/cooler box. I'll have a rummage & see what I have suitable.

aliasojo

Sorry to butt in again but can anyone tell me which is the pepper and which is the sweet pepper?

I don't know now which tray was which. The one on the right has slightly skinnier leaves I think but apart from that I can't tell any difference.

Fay

Well a productive day today but had to interrupt play to fetch more compost!
Finished weeding the veg plot (again, they really do grow like wild fire), weeded another problem flower bed and sowed some seeds (fingers crossed as nothing grows in it and its opposite the veg patch). Hubby mowed the lawns and helped with everything else.
Finally managed to get the potatoes in:

Also planted my broad beans out-only have 14 plants as not sure we like them or how many we would need, and space is tight:

Have sown carrots on the veg plot this year (did tubs last year) so have covered with a cheap mini grow tunnel to try and avoid carrot fly. Although they are surrounded by garlic and onions which I've read will help?

Here are said onions-our first attempt. Not sure I would grow them again as they take up a lot of the plot and aren't that expensive to buy. We did them as the plot was going to be bare over winter, but didn't realise they would still be in the ground all spring and summer, doh!

Finally, the blueberries. These produced well last year although the one on the left was totally stripped by birds but the one on the right never got touched! But something keeps digging the compost out of the tubs (birds, squirrels??) so I've topped them up, fed them and covered in gravel to try and deter said digger:


I've also done some potatos in potato bags, 2 tubs of peas and one of mange tout. Toms and chillies didn't get re-potted as the cat came home with a huge tic on his head so we had to take him the vets to get it removed...which turned into quite a big effort as it had burrowed deep and caused him some irritation. So antibiotics, anti inflammatory, worming tablets and front line later we were home...but garden play was stopped. Still not bad.

Sambucus_Nigra

annie123 wrote: »

Could it be leaf scorch?

Only seen mosaic virus pics on the web so no first hand experience of it, but it would appear that the leaves die pretty quickly. It looks quite healthy in that pic.
Maybe move it out of direct sun and away from other plants to see if the next set of leaves come through better.

But I'd still sow some new ones.
Sambucus Nigra will have some good advice I'm sure.

I'll do what I can.

But mainly AJ:
Although your cukes are twirly - far twirly - plants shed their seed leaves when they no longer need them. So, repot in really good quality compost right up to the 'real' leaves - either removing or burying those seed leaves. They will need to be kept in a greenhouse or indoors until at least your last frost date which is usually May [yes, another 6 weeks away]. Even if they do have Mosaic Virus - it often doesn't affect the fruits so keep calma nd carry on.
Your peas, can go outside, after hardening off for one hour in the day, then 2h then 4, then all day then all day and night - [pop fleece over them] - I plant them in blocks, and put a cane in the middle to keep the fleece up and the peas can grab hold of this in due course. Mine went out 3 weekends ago under fleece. They are fine and doing well. The broad beans sown next to them have now germinated - all 100 odd plants...

I have had basil, parsley, peas, beans, tomatoes, peppers, and all sorts of other seeds germinate lately in my unheated greenhouse with 2 roof panes missing - which is unheard of in March. It's either the frost or the wind that does newly planted seedlings IMHO.

emiff6

mrbadexample wrote: »

How are these getting on emiff6?

I took some cuttings today, from lavender and rosemary. I've no rooting hormone so it might not work.

On both plants I found larvae living in cocoons made from the uppermost leaves held together with silk. I squished all that I could find - any idea what they were?

They haven't grown any, but they haven't died either, so I'm hoping they'r4 busy making lots of roots. I haven't ventured to furtle in one of the pots to look because I kill a lot of cuttings that way. :rotfl:
The original plants have grown and are almost as bushy as when I bought them.:)

Don't know what the cocoons would be, other than it's sure to be a moth of some sort, but lavender isn't really bothered by moths (that's why you put it in your linen drawer ), so it must just have been a convenient place to pupate. What other plants are near it that the caterpillars may have fed on?

sammy_kaye18

MR BadExample I have decided to join you in your 'grow your own dinner' challenge.

Well I have really taken to the good life and have had a productive few days. Im determined to turn into Tom and Barbara and have my small holding so for now I am making a conserved effort on the veg growing part until I have space to get anyone else here. Although a friend of mine is having chicks in a few weeks............

I have mown the lawn which was a feet in itself as I've never done it before having lived in flats most of my life! But needless to say I am rather impressed with myself - although hitting the red ants nest certainly wasn't pleasant!

I have also planted up four bags of potatoes although later realised I mixed up Charlotte and King Edward potatoes when I chitted them so god knows what's in what bag but we will see and hopefully they will produce nicely. They are in the bags to the left.

Then the 3 terracotta tubs are from back to front - blueberries, and raspberries and blackberries that are waiting to be planted as I ran out of compost!

Then the square planter is beetroot and spring onions. They are just seedlings at the minute but when they are being put into final positions and thinned I will top them up.

Then I have a tub of Rhubarb

Then the second square planter has onions, brocolli and lettuce in it.

Then the two small bags have peas in them but I will get another set of these as I still have plenty of pea seeds left.

Then in the greenhouse I have leeks, pumpkins, cucumbers and two types of tomatoes, and a load of sunflowers.

The hanging baskets at my front door have cherry tomatoes in too but a hanging basket approved variety

I still have a giant grow bag to fill with compost and fill with two types of carrots but I will do this tomorrow or when the boyfriend is home as he is bringing me two huge bags of compost from countrywide with him.

I think I may also change my name to Barbara!
(although the boyfriend wont let me have chickens yet!)

Any help much appreciated with advice or things to grow. I am already very strangely addicted to it and have been updating my blog with all my on goings.

Ah a girl can dream................

mrbadexample

aliasojo wrote: »

Sorry to butt in again but can anyone tell me which is the pepper and which is the sweet pepper?

I don't know now which tray was which. The one on the right has slightly skinnier leaves I think but apart from that I can't tell any difference.

Sorry, you'll just have to wait and see.

mrbadexample

sammy_kaye18 wrote: »

Then in the greenhouse I have leeks, pumpkins, cucumbers and two types of tomatoes, and a load of sunflowers.

Leeks should grow well where you are, it being Wales 'n' all.

Where are you putting the pumpkins? Which bit of lawn are you digging up?

mrbadexample

Today I have repotted some Venus Fly Traps, potted up a Holsteiner rhubarb crown, sown some more prizewinning carrots and Atlantic turnips (couldn't find any Arcoat so hope these are as nice), and repotted the liquorice into the nice Yorkshire pot.

I've sorted the leak at the sprayer end of the cat / fox scarer, but the other end is coming from the tap so I need to learn how to mend it.

annie123

I take it you don't have a hose pipe ban MBE?