'supporting each other through really tough times'

Hardup_Hester

I have a drop spindle too, and y'day evening I spent an hour teaching someone how to crochet.
Hester

RAS

fuddle wrote: »

Thank you Mrs Chip. I have been facing my fears over beetroot - cake can be made from it

That's my plan then, more salad leaves for over summer, beetroot for later in the summer and purple sprouting broccoli for winter.

Thank you MrsC

fuddle

Loads that will be ready. Actually you can get 2 harvests. One lot planted now for harvesting late summer/early autumn and then grow a few seedlings indoors to plant up when you harvest the first lot of stuff or plant late commers.

You could cut and come salad leaves or get hold of Charles Dowding on Growing salads from the library. All you want is a few pages and a couple of photos. He grows lettuce to decent size, then harvests the outer leaves (not the really tough ones, the ones inside them) leaving a small heart. That grows on and then he does the same. So he can strip a lettuce repeatedly for 3 months before replacing it.

Good winter crops include Swiss Chard (Lucellus from Lidl is the best), mizuna and winter spring onions. Try rocket if you want. Beets will over winter fine. if you like them (I only like a little), the red wave mustards are very hardy and productive.

[Deleted User]

POPS I think what you have at the moment is a reaction to being stressed by the HA visits and all the extra work you had to do in clearing and tidying and making good in your home. When you have been on edge for that long and working under stress and a time limit it's inevitable that you get a reaction. I usually get a migraine in that situation and it's just your bodys way of catching up on itself to make you go into quiet mode. You're eating sensibly and I think in a few days you'll start to feel more energy and want to be up and doing again. Let yourself have a restful time for a little while if that is what your constitution is making you do, you'll be you again in no time, Cheers Lyn xxx.

fuddle

Thank you RAS, excellent to know that Lidl do half decent seeds too. Will have a look int te next few days.

Purple sprouting broccoli? Can each seed be planted in a 6pint milk carton? I suspect you are going to tell me its too small but I have those in abundance, or rather, I can get those in abundance.

I'd definitely agree with you there Lyn. When I moved it was stress, on the go, sort etc etc for weeks. Then, even as it was Christmas, I felt a period of lacklustre and boredom as soon as I was finished.

[Deleted User]

Hi FUDDLE if you're going to try PSB plant up a flowerpot with all the seeds to start them off, and when they have two sets of leaves and are proper seedlings then you can plant them out individually in the 6 pint cartons make some drainage holes in the bottoms of them, cut the tops off so they are easy to water into and keep the little plants watered as they will probably dry out quite quickly. You might find ready grown seedlings in a garden centre and be able to get a head start with some ready grown plants. Purple sprouting stands until the spring before it puts out the little sprouts that you can harvest so you'll have a bit of a wait for them You can grow runner beans in pots very easily, make a wigwam from some poles (any will do it doesn't have to be bamboos), and plant the beans at the base of the poles so when they grow they will climb up, they should give you beans until october and again if you found some ready grown young plants that would give you a head start there too, hope that's useful, Cheers Lyn xxx.

fuddle

Thank you Lyn. Really good news, thank you. I'm ok with the wait as it will help me feel more secure over the winter knowing that I have a bit veg (silly I know but never mind). I will do just as you suggest, ta

Is it too late for courgette? Kezlou will take the heebies but I make a canny courgette cake (with the help of good food I must add) and I am partial to Mediterranean roast veg.

[Deleted User]

Not a bit silly pet, I know that feeling oh so well, and I love to wander into the store room and look at my home made jars of jam, they make me secure too!!! Not too late for courgettes, but again try for a ready grown plant to get a head start and they grow well in a big pot, you have to give them lots of waterings though and might have to give them a liquid feed once in a while. Courgette cake is wondercrump, luvs it!!! Cheers Lyn xxx.

fuddle

I live within walking distance of a big garden centre Lyn, you're making go aren't you? Aren't you? I avoid it because oh so many things wink at me but I suspect that will be the place to find some plants rather than seeds. No harm in looking.

[Deleted User]

Atta girl, just take the blinkers with you and don't look at anything NOT on your want list, then you'll not feel guilty at buying more than you actually need, the other way you might get plants is if there are any allotments near you, lots of us allotmenteers sow far more than we can use and end up with extras, you might find someone with surpluses they don't want to waste, just a thought, Cheers Lyn xxx.

the_cake

Fuddle, I buy nearly all my plants very cheaply at car boots - are there any near you, as it might be worth a go? They are about a third of the price of garden centres, and recently I've seen lots of small veg. plants for sale at them.
I am trying some cavolo nero (Italian black kale, with long thin leaves) this year, and so far it has been very good, untouched by slugs or anything else nasty. You can pick the small or medium-sized leaves off the plants and use them raw in salads or stir fry them, and the plants should last a good time into the winter as long as you don't pick too many leaves off each plant! I think they taste lovely - sort of sweetish cabbageish ish - hard to describe! HTH.