Grow your own dinner 2014

annie123

niftythrifty33 wrote: »

What can I be getting on with now? FIL says nothing as it's too wet but I'm sure I could be doing something. I want to grow veg, fruit and cut flowers. Thanks in advance

Is there a fruit area? if not you could get rhubarb, raspberries, red currents, gooseberries, strawberries etc in now

Get a bean trench going.

Get some bubble wrap maybe on the missing panes in the greenhouse till you can replace them.

You could get some onions going, broad beans too, sow a few leeks maybe. Depends on where you are really and the weather. Anything sown early is always a gamble and mother nature isn't always helpful at this time of year either, but seeds aren't expensive.

annie123

Today I set out 5 spuds for chitting and stuck an old compost bag over the area of soil they will go into to warm it at the end of feb or beginning of March. Unless there's snow on the ground of course, but, pleased not to have seen any this year so far.
If anyone is new to GYO this isn't normal. I just like to get a really early crop in if I can and I'm prepared to lose them to frosts etc.

The potato day and seed swap was cancelled for my area so no 16 types for me thus year and pleased I've got a few already.

I've decided to sow a few chillis this coming week even though I'm on holiday for 2 weeks :j:D:j next month as I should been able to rig up some capillary matting to keep them damp.

Also going to try a few broad beans too indoors and harden off when I get back.

niftythrifty33

Thanks Annie. We've already got rhubarb, some berries and loads of strawberry plants. I need to cover the strawberries with black stuff? and pull the plants through but not sure when to do this? FIL usually doesnt bother but then the strawberries get manky. I want raspberries, when do I plant these?

Luckily we don't like runner beans or broad beans so don't need to do a trench. We do like peas and I also want mange tout.

Can't I just plant everything I want to grow in pots in the potting shed and leave them there or in the greenhouse ready to plant out? I read that I can start growing spuds in a greenhouse for earlies in a bag but I can't see that a bag of compost would be enough soil. Also what does chitting mean?

Sorry for my lack of knowledge

VegGrower

First year with a greenhouse this year, so I've been impatient and started sowing already

In the unheated greenhouse I have broad beans, winter lettuce, leeks and an experimental courgette! Tomatoes on kitchen window sill, gardener's delight and some cherry.

Outside, most of which is already established from last year is:

Rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, mint, corriander, garlic.

Presents from Christmas include a lemon tree, orange tree, cherry tree and plum tree, all of which will be in pots and outside in the summer, the citrus fruit will over winter in the greenhouse.

Planned for Feb / March is:

Chillies, summer squash, courgettes, runner beans, peas, brocolli, brussels sprouts, rosemary, spinach, lettuce / salad.

Makes me feel tired just writing that lot down! I also have some asparagus crowns to plant out in March, and I'd like to try jerusalem artichokes, although they might spread a bit too much for my liking.

Carrots had carrot fly last year, and are cheap to buy so I'm not sure I'll bother again. Parsnips might be done in a pot in the greenhouse. This planning stage is exciting but I'm impatient for things to start growing!

safestored4

If you've got greenhouses get some very early potatoes like Swift or Rocket in now. Forget about chitting. Put them in large pots or half filled compost bags. With any luck you will have new potatoes on Easter Sunday or shortly therafter.

moments_of_sanity

safestored4 wrote: »

If you've got greenhouses get some very early potatoes like Swift or Rocket in now. Forget about chitting. Put them in large pots or half filled compost bags. With any luck you will have new potatoes on Easter Sunday or shortly therafter.

Thank you, I have been and bought some Swift's today so will get those planted in the next few days :j

I have been itching to start something off so hopefully this will scratch that itch! :rotfl:

seemasfriend

Safestored4 - would it still be ok to plant early potatoes in a raised bed under glass? Warm enough?

mansars

I was going to order my main batch of potatoes and seeds from Thompson & Morgan as I cant fault their service and quality.....however, this year they have decided to add a £10 postal surcharge onto all orders to Northern Ireland...meaning itll cost £17 for delivery for a £11 order!!!!! They even had the cheek to say that it was Royal Mail who charged this!!! Very disappointing

Gardeners in NI beware its in the small print and adds on without you noticing at the shopping cart.

Ahh well, plenty more companies to purchase what I want from.

seemasfriend wrote: »

Safestored4 - would it still be ok to plant early potatoes in a raised bed under glass? Warm enough?

Yes it would be ok, however, depending on the temperatures in your area they may not get off as quick as those in (unheated) greenhouses.

sparrer

Not a lot has been done lately as it's been so cold/wet but lots of planning. The raspberries, never much of a crop, are going and their tubs will be used for potatoes which are chitting nicely. The strawberry bed is going, the best with be replanted in the strawberry grower (currently full of winter pansies and cyclamen), the soil from the raspberry tubs will go onto the cleared strawberry bed and enriched with new compost, then built up to make a raised bed with a brick edging - the bricks from freecycle. This will then be turned into a square foot bed 2 feet deep x 6 feet long. So it's all change once the weather improves. That's the plan anyway, unless I change my mind to include something else!

safestored4

Hi, We live in a very mild part of the country on the Lancashire coast and unless the weather is unusually cold always start some early potatoes in tubs in a South facing back porch in the first week of January. This usually gives us a few meals by the end of April.

With the weather the way it is (we haven't had a frost to speak of so far this winter) we will be taking a chance with outdoor planting of earlies under glass on raised beds on the allotment in a couple of weeks. I've bought a few old Victorian gardening books over the years. They really knew how to grow things and always recommended early planting. Just keep the emerging shoots protected from any late frosts.