growing veg wrt the weather

Cocobay71

Hi,
I am trying to grow sweetcorn this year from seed, i have read that you should rake into your soil before planting seedlings out some general fertiliser granuels.
Can anyone recommend any of these, i do have some blood and bonemeal in the shed, woukd this do?

D&DD

Rummer light levels have been a huge issue these past two years haven't they,I resorted to hanging a cheap growlight in my kitchen last year and even that didn't do much good.. Thats definitely an area I still need to address here,our house is so dark all year round anyway it doesn't help matters either.

Coco Geoff Hamilton always used to say chuck in a handful of blood,fish and bone before planting to keep soil healthy

Rummer

We have also noticed that there is a distinct lack of bees and we went as far as to hand pollinate our mini tree in the hope we would get at least some fruit off them this year.

Davesnave

When we moved from a city house with a large garden to a proper smallholding, it was because I feared an economic winter of decade-long proportions. I didn't consider then that we might be looking at a shift in climate.

Naturally enough, the more exposed position we have here was blamed before we realised others were having similar problems. In fact, all things considered, we are not too badly off here.

Nevertheless, a 42' x 24' polytunnel moved higher up the list of priorities, and I have to say it has been a huge improvement.

As for owning land and keeping animals etc, the jury is out on that one! :rotfl:

Mollymoonlight

D&#8517 wrote: »

Spacing,wot's that then lol I tend to use the shoehorn gardening technique

haha! With you on that, SFG, intensive gardening, call it what you like, if I have an inch of space, there's something in it. Old wellies, old watering can, empty bean tins, if it has an orifice it has a plant in it :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

I have just been delving under the stairs, where I keep the bulk of my preserves and have refilled kitchen containers with dried veggies and have put some soaking, ready for a lovely creamy soup. I do believe that gardening like this wrt the weather means me being grateful for anything that gets to maturity and very little `food` goes in the compost bins. I own to having dehydrated far too many types of veggies and herbs so this year will be slightly different and I shall be selective about what I do dehydrate ie potatoes, leeks, onions, green beans, tomatoes, beetroots, courgettes and so on and not turnip slices, lemon balm, carrots (they don`t taste wonderful afterwards) etc. I do buy in apples for slices and also mushrooms.

I bought a small beko chest freezer for the garage this year and will use it specifically for gooseberries, raspberries, home grown and wild blackberries, blackcurrants, sliced leeks, unripe steamed squash, green beans, broad beans, cherry tomatoes, pureed strawberries, potato boats and part roasted potatoes and cooked home grown red cabbage. Luckily I do also have a tall freezer in the kitchen, so will make room come what may. I don`t intend to brine veg, bottle fruit or make cooked preserves this year as my shelves are still groaning but never say never

I always did the shoehorn spacing thing but have relaxed about all that this year, too much need to water last year and too many insects looking for a veg feast. I will be using the diatomaceous earth again this year as it was effective but better if I have space around the plants too. I have already puffed some around the baby swede plants

Am now waiting for the torrential rain to arrive and hoping that my unprotected parsnip seedlings survive. I have covered a tabletop set, 2 growbags and 24 strawberry plants, with the polythene cover just to try and stop the rot I got is several plants last year. See that is when the poly tunnels do so well but I don`t think I could cope with the watering

D&DD

Its always a work in progress here I find Kittie..our tastes change as well as the weather and we seem to be eating more and more fruit so thats been a priority this year getting in a few more trees.
I think it's such great value spacewise and on the pocket.

I haven't dehydrated nearly enough for my lot of gannets :rotfl:
The peas I did have been so good and the boys didn't realise what they were eating so will be storing these in jars from now on freeing up freezer space but can't grow nearly enough for our needs sadly,though I do try!

[Deleted User]

very nice wetting rain here, will have done good but terrible consistent wind staright off bristol channel. Several solar weather producing events coming up so wind will be a feature most of month and is bad on the allotment. Am aiming to get my lovely strong climbing beans out in two weeks but a maybe, will also put up wind protection on 3 sides of wigwam. Did it last year and it was very effective. I don`t know what june might bring yet but am working as for a short difficult season

Have repotted all cucurbits and have fleece ready for tonight, all under cover. 9 tomato plants out under polythene now, growpots and potato bags. Might fleece them depends on weather forecast. Tough varieties though and great thick stems forming already. Expecting 2-3 degrees and possible ground frost. Will also draw hoe soil over the potato tops to cover and check net cages are ok. My other 9 tomatoes will go out later but I am iffy as when as they will be unprotected

Some companion plants are out on the allotment, more in a few days, just hedging against slugs so not all at once

Fennel sown in pots under cover and all up. Only a very few sowings left now, just stuff like hispi and little gem for gaps

[Deleted User]

I just received the june f/cast and it is going to be a miracle if anything much gets to grow well unless under cover. Maybe first early spuds and cabbages but everything else is going to be touch and go. Very scary scenario re feeding the nation

[Deleted User]

I just came back from the allotment and see the results pretty well as I expected. All fruit is doing good. Bumble bees attracted in with my bocking 14 comfrey, which is doing very well and has already had a cut for the compost heap and to place around fruit bushes. I feel secure in having comfrey as it won`t wash away like ordinary fertilisers

I popped a couple of squash in and they are green and healthy but just sitting there. I don`t expect anything so have prepared dwarf french beans in root trainers and they can fill in the gaps anywhere.

First early spuds have disappointed me and I saw my 5th collapsed one today. I am thinking that some seed potatoes were contaminated but that has made me have a re-think and it will only be blight resistant maincrop next year. Every swede I planted this year has taken and parsnips are strong, so they will be good as potato subs

Brassicas are all good now, after several keeled over just 3 weeks ago, luckily I had spares and used diatomaceous earth. Radar autumn onions won`t be replanted, too temperamental re buds and massively swollen stems

Really tough going for the newbies this year