Grown our own, complete novice questions

Eenymeeny

Start looking at containers in a different way. After moving house I found that I had extra plastic storage boxes. (The kind you get for about a fiver for 3 at Poundstretcher etc) I got OH to drill holes in the bottom and have planted carrots. salad leaves and spring onions in them. I can put them in a nice, neat row alongside my shed (Sorry, tidyness is one of my issues!:o) and I can move them if I think they need more sunshine or shade. I know that they'll probably break down eventually but they were going spare anyway...
You'll get lots of other helpful advice on here, good luck, please keep us updated. Nice to hear of the kids being involved.:)

Fay

Hi again Nicola...you can also use recycling boxes and bags as containers, if you have any spare. There is an article in this months gardeners world by Alys Fowler about ideas for compact plots-she uses the guttering idea for salad, she also suggests using your front garden and growing crops in with your flowers. Some of her ideas are really pretty.
I'm growing strawberrys in a hanging basket this year-I just don't have space in the ground and we have a bad slug problem so I am going to try and avoid it. I'm just going to use an ordinary hanging basket and try them. If/when they produce runners I am having the hanging basket near a wall so I can always pop the runner on top of a pot on the wall to see if I can get more plants.

Has anyone recommended you look at vertical veg yet? http://www.verticalveg.org.uk/ There are some really good ideas on here and lots of advice for people with minimal space.

Good luck with it all

CAT££

Nicola,

It was great to read your post, as I have in the last week decided to grow my own. And like you, I am giddy with excitement. Our garden is slabbed with raised decking at the end. So have no ground to grow anything in.

I love watching programmes like 'Rover Cottage' and daydreamed about having my own vegetable patch. Whilst at a friends house last week, I saw that she had built herself raised beddings to plant her veg. She herself is a novice, so armed with little advice I went to Home Bargains and ALDI. HB had loads of seeds (and were very cheap). I bought a seeds for a variety of herbs, tomatoes, strawberries, lettuce, carrotts, courgettes & runner beans. A large bag of compost for seeds & cuttings was £1.99.

I sowed the seeds into little trays that I also bought from HB. These are on various windowsils around the house. Some have germinated and I can see a little green amongst the soil.

How soon will I need to transport these into larger pots?

I will have to look for suitable containers to plant them outside. HB had largish pots. I have taken some advice from this thread and posted an advert for any spare on freecycle. Will also have a look around the house to see what I can use.

Any advice is much appreciated. Keep me updated Nicola on how you get along.

Leif

CAT££ wrote: »

I sowed the seeds into little trays that I also bought from HB. These are on various windowsils around the house. Some have germinated and I can see a little green amongst the soil.

How soon will I need to transport these into larger pots?

I will have to look for suitable containers to plant them outside. HB had largish pots. I have taken some advice from this thread and posted an advert for any spare on freecycle. Will also have a look around the house to see what I can use.

Any advice is much appreciated. Keep me updated Nicola on how you get along.

Generally you transplant a seedling from the seed tray to a 3.5" pot when the first true leaves appear i.e. not the seed leaves. But, I transplant as soon as the plant breaks the surface, and I do so using a teaspoon. I find this is easier, and there is less danger of breaking the tap root as it is shorter.

People say that flower buckets (from ALDI?) are the way to go if you want cheap. Large plastic flower pots are ~£6 which is not cheap. Wilko are a bit better if you like green. Terracotta pots look lovely but cost a fair whack and do not retain moisture well. I suppose grow bags are one option.

coff

hi nicola
yes another novice garden here hoping to try and grow some fruit and veg.
Im having to do mine on a shoestring so looking at recycling as much as poss in my garden and looking at cheap deals while out shopping.

Go to pound land they have a ton of stuff for the garden lots of veg seeds, tubs and bags of 15lts of compost .
also try aldi they have got their garden bonanza going at the mo veg seeds 39p and packet and i got 4 tomatos plants for £2.49 ok they did look and bit sorry for themselvs but once i repotted them into bigg pots they soon perked up
Try lidal if you have one they also do cheap deals. Wilkinson sometimes have some cheap stuff in if your prepared to look
also see if you have a freecycle in your area its free to join and people give away some amazing garden stuff

For me its about trying to get as much as poss for very little money

good luck and let us know how you get on.

nicola00

Eenymeeny wrote: »

Start looking at containers in a different way. After moving house I found that I had extra plastic storage boxes. (The kind you get for about a fiver for 3 at Poundstretcher etc) I got OH to drill holes in the bottom and have planted carrots. salad leaves and spring onions in them. I can put them in a nice, neat row alongside my shed (Sorry, tidyness is one of my issues!:o) and I can move them if I think they need more sunshine or shade. I know that they'll probably break down eventually but they were going spare anyway...
You'll get lots of other helpful advice on here, good luck, please keep us updated. Nice to hear of the kids being involved.:)

Once (if I ever) clear my loft I will have lots of these types of containers so these may come in handy later in the year... bit of a neat freak myself so I can see them all in nice rows

Fay wrote: »

Hi again Nicola...you can also use recycling boxes and bags as containers, if you have any spare. There is an article in this months gardeners world by Alys Fowler about ideas for compact plots-she uses the guttering idea for salad, she also suggests using your front garden and growing crops in with your flowers. Some of her ideas are really pretty.
I'm growing strawberrys in a hanging basket this year-I just don't have space in the ground and we have a bad slug problem so I am going to try and avoid it. I'm just going to use an ordinary hanging basket and try them. If/when they produce runners I am having the hanging basket near a wall so I can always pop the runner on top of a pot on the wall to see if I can get more plants.

Has anyone recommended you look at vertical veg yet? http://www.verticalveg.org.uk/ There are some really good ideas on here and lots of advice for people with minimal space.

Good luck with it all

Would be interesting to see how the hanging basket strawberries turn out. Just had a read at some of the articles on the Vertical veg, Oh my, the photo of the front of her house with her windows full of pots , wonder how the neighbors feel about that, but just goes to show, space needn't be an issue. Will go to the library this week and see if there is any gardening magazines

nicola00

oooh check me , first multi quote....... only took me 5 years

nicola00

Poundland Purchases

The gardening section was a bit cramped and evereything just kinda flung in so I didn't really get a good look as the kids were going on about what they were gonna spend their pound on , had told them to look at the easter crafts but in the end they both picked a packet of flower bulbs each

But came away with 3 potato planters, Sweet Corn, Cucumber, Potato and a bag of compost. So £7 from budget so far

I will go to another poundland or Aldi,HB tomorrow when I don't have the kids

What else should be top of my shopping list with the remainder of budget, I know I will need to get lots more compost, will I need any tools?

nicola00

coff wrote: »

hi nicola
yes another novice garden here hoping to try and grow some fruit and veg.
Im having to do mine on a shoestring so looking at recycling as much as poss in my garden and looking at cheap deals while out shopping.

Go to pound land they have a ton of stuff for the garden lots of veg seeds, tubs and bags of 15lts of compost .
also try aldi they have got their garden bonanza going at the mo veg seeds 39p and packet and i got 4 tomatos plants for £2.49 ok they did look and bit sorry for themselvs but once i repotted them into bigg pots they soon perked up Going out on the hunt again tomorrow for bargains, Aldi, HB, Lidl and Poundland on my list
Try lidal if you have one they also do cheap deals. Wilkinson sometimes have some cheap stuff in if your prepared to look
also see if you have a freecycle in your area its free to join and people give away some amazing garden stuff

For me its about trying to get as much as poss for very little money- Totally agree with you here, I have around £30, but cheaper the better

good luck and let us know how you get on. :TI will and you, lets see your progress

Think there must be something in the air, welcome to the world of growing our own, hope we survive it

nicola00

CAT££ wrote: »

Nicola,

It was great to read your post, as I have in the last week decided to grow my own. And like you, I am giddy with excitement. Our garden is slabbed with raised decking at the end. So have no ground to grow anything in.

Any advice is much appreciated. Keep me updated Nicola on how you get along.

I kept having weird dreams last night about planting and growing stuff, all good until one of the dreams the vegetables had taken over the garden......

If you look back to Fay's post, verical veg, shows you whats achievable with little or no ground space

Good luck with the growing and let us know how it goes