Help MBE grow his dinner 2013.

mrbadexample

juliettet wrote: »

I will follow this with interest. Nearly gave up last year as nothing much grew in my part of West Scotland.

Sorry, you can't just follow, you have to join in. With pictures.

Last year was horrible all round - I think we all need to put it behind us and look forward to a bit of sunshine. :cool:

Mollymoonlight

Copper barriers are great, and it saves killing the slugs off, which I never think is a good idea when you really want to be encouraging birds to come in and eat them.

MBE, did you grow your leeks from seed last year or did you buy seedlings? After two years of very unsuccessfully trying to grow some from seed, I've bought seedlings for £1.20 a bunch (around 40 in each) from my local market, and they always come on really well!

You've all got me so excited about the coming seasons, I can't wait to get started! I cleared my SFG at the end of the year and planted some garlic in a couple of the squares. I have a really small garden but try to fill it with as much as I can. In containers I have 2 swamp blueberries, a conference pear tree, a pear spur, 2 apple spurs, 2 victoria plums, a grape vine, a pigmy cherry, numerous strawberry plants in baskets, 2 rhubarbs and lots of herbs. I am resorting to allowing my rabbits more free range activity this year (all my plants are protected from my cat and two dogs anyway), in return for stealing part of their run for a new SFG, a deeper one for root veg. To complete my fruit collection, I also want to get a couple of blueberry tophats (nice as the swamps are, they aren't very heavy croppers), and a couple of cranberries. Also on the wish list for this year is a wormery, despite asking for one for both birthday and christmas, think I need to buy one myself! :j:j:j:j

Mollymoonlight

juliettet wrote: »

I will follow this with interest. Nearly gave up last year as nothing much grew in my part of West Scotland.

I'm in ayrshire and right at the beach front, most things grew ok for me, but I did not get one ripe tomato on 6 plants!!!

juliettet

Mollymoonlight wrote: »

I'm in ayrshire and right at the beach front, most things grew ok for me, but I did not get one ripe tomato on 6 plants!!!

I am near Crossford and lost courgettes, cucumbers and chillies. I bought Latah tomato seed from the real seed co and they were very healthy but no sun either. At least you have a lovely view.:)

Mollymoonlight

juliettet wrote: »

I am near Crossford and lost courgettes, cucumbers and chillies. I bought Latah tomato seed from the real seed co and they were very healthy but no sun either. At least you have a lovely view.:)

I brought my chillies indoors last year because it was so bad outside and the poor things became infested by aphids. Sometimes you don't know what to do for the best! I didn't get any courgettes but seemed to get a glut of late cuccy's for some really strange reason. I was going to try 'Ferline' tomatoes this year because they seem to be good in wet summers...whether that's WCoS wet summer is another question entirely...

On the successful side, I had loads of beans, neeps and leeks. That's probably the most success I've had in four years of growing! lol

Little_Vics

mrbadexample wrote: »

The new potatoes I put in for Christmas didn't grow.

I need to choose some spuds, and think about sowing chillies. I'm trying to overwinter the Big Jim, but it looks pretty sorry for itself. Hopefully Little Vics will be along to tell me how to do it. :whistle:

Surprisingly lots to do...

Hello! I'm back!

Potatoes are easy. Just don't plant them and they will grow - works for me anyway.

Assuming Big Jim is a chilli or pepper, again I don't do anything. Just leave it on my windowsill, water every now and then when I remember and, er, that's it.

My aims are simple:
1. not to grow potatoes
2. grow something edible
3. get at least 1 red tomato rather than 3lbs of green ones.

Happy new year btw!

mrbadexample

Mollymoonlight wrote: »

MBE, did you grow your leeks from seed last year or did you buy seedlings?

Seed. Must try harder this year.


I've bought my seed potatoes today. Vanessa for the first earlies, and Picasso again for the main crop.

I'm going to attack the slugs from every angle I can think of this year, starting with a course of nematodes I think. Anyone have any experience of these?

TallGirl

Nermatodes worked well I had a subscription but it ran out in late July and it got really bad after that so it definitely worked. Have ordered 1 packet again this year but might carry on I think it's every 6 weeks. Expensive though.

Ordered my seed potatoes from T&M on Christmas Eve when they had the free postage says delivery Jan to March I do hope they come earlie than that.

Been looking at green houses again I really do want one but I don't think I have the space. How close to a fence can you put them? Mine is 6ft tall and it woul be North/East facing is that any good or must it be south? My FIL has a large conservatory unheated and only glass so gets lots of sun. Planning to use that as a cold frame thingy.

Mollymoonlight

TallGirl wrote: »

Been looking at green houses again I really do want one but I don't think I have the space. How close to a fence can you put them? Mine is 6ft tall and it woul be North/East facing is that any good or must it be south? My FIL has a large conservatory unheated and only glass so gets lots of sun. Planning to use that as a cold frame thingy.

I believe east facing's best so that you get the morning sun, south facing makes it too hot. I opted for a small grow house last year after I'd resigned myself to using the greenhouse space for a much needed shed. It's not really practical though, only really big enough for starting seed and sheltering cuttings. Another option is a mini poly tunnel, the ones that fit over a bed, I've been considering that this year.

annie123

mrbadexample wrote: »

I've bought my seed potatoes today. Vanessa for the first earlies, and Picasso again for the main crop.

Haven't decided which ones I'm growing this year, going to Potato day this weekend http://www.potato-days.net/ hopefully some I've never heard of or tried before.

mrbadexample wrote: »

I'm going to attack the slugs from every angle I can think of this year, starting with a course of nematodes I think. Anyone have any experience of these?

Have used them before but they don't work on snails as they're above ground. I have a 50-1 snail/slug ratio so didn't help much here, and as they're not cheap wouldn't use again.
Remember the soil needs to be warmish if I remember rightly, around 10c maybe? sure google will help with that one.

Copper tape does work, so do old copper pipes around raised beds but someone pinched the pipes from a neighbour's garden so I'm not trying that one.
I have read of wire working but I've not tried it as I don't have old wire to pull apart. Will ask around to see if I can get some for free.

Beer traps work well up in a normal summer, last year was something else. I have also tried bran which they are supposed to like, but causes them to swell and die.
Unfortunately it also attracted foxes who knocked every pot over and dug holes trying to get to it. Won't be doing that again.

The best method here is pay a small child to find them, pop in a box and release in the local park/woods. Eases my vegetarian conscious

I now have 2 chillis with flowers on, poor things must be very confused. Must pick the last of the chillies and dry today.

Got a good 5" of snow in the garden and it's interesting to note that the 8 local cats have stopped using it as a toilet. So if they have somewhere else to go when it's snowing they can bl**dy well stop the rest of the time. Will have to put my thinking cap on as I don't fancy a snow covered garden all year as a solution.