Grow your own dinner 2014

annie123

zafiro1984 wrote: »

Thanks Annie.
I googled scab on potatoes but the pictures didn't match what I'm getting. I'm getting very small raised pimples in the colour of the potato skin. Does scab start off like this? What I think I'll do is keep the beds better watered. I have some old hosepipe with holes in it and a nearby tap so I'll use my battery timer and water them every day, to see if I still have a problem.
Thought I'd try swift as a first early and then one of the 'sarpo' varieties for later. I noticed some sarpo tubers in the garden centre, need to work out the cost to see if the internet or the garden centre is the best value.

In that case, it could be too much water. Cant think of the correct name for it but it begins with Len , they allow the plant to breath, all spuds have them and too much water blocks them and causes tiny bumps. They are fine to eat but won't store long.

Little_Vics wrote: »

oooh - rhubarb. Might have a go at that. Is it easy?

Yes! you'll find it for sale over the next few weeks at wilkinsons, homebase, even the 99p stores sell it. Or local garden centre where it will be a more mature plant and you will get a better crop quicker, or try freecycle for anyone dividing one.
It will grow anywhere but you get a bigger crop if you give it a south, south west or west position. I moved mine a few years ago from east facing and it thrived rather than grew.

When you get one, if you don't have any, buy a bag of manure too. Dig a big hole fill with manure and plant, also putting a watering hole in (bottomless flower pot, yogurt pot etc) about 6-8" away from the crown. In the summer water in there and it goes to the roots where it's needed. You'll know if it's thirsty, it'll get all droopy, but they recover fine.
Once you've got one in the ground, it only needs once a year maintenance. End of winter/early spring give it a shovel or two of manure, that's all it needs other than water.
Watch where you plant it, it will grow to cover a meter wide.

Little_Vics

fun! Is it pretty easy to grow in a pot if I keep it watered?

grandmasam

Pruned autumn raspberries today, and cut last years old canes from the summer ones. Also dug over the raised bed where I am planning on sowing the broad beans 'suttons dwarf'. I [chucked ] manured this with the straw from the hen coop that has been in a heap so forked in well as I have light loam.
Next job ,to sort the greenhouse and get the pots and trays ready for the hardy seeds to go in,in Feb.All these plans will now be scuppered as the weather will probably get frost and snow
Living in hope.
Caz

Little vics Rhubarb, a very large pot with manure in the bottom, but does really well in the ground .

Lavendyr

Little_Vics wrote: »

fun! Is it pretty easy to grow in a pot if I keep it watered?

Rhubarb probably better in the ground, but possibly a pot might work - just need to bear in mind that the crowns push up year on year, so need to plant it relatively deep (i.e. with space to add extra soil/compost in further years) and in a very large pot.

annie123

Now I know sparrer ( :hello:) is growing it in a sack but I'll think she'll regret that long term.
If you grow it in a tub it will grow not thrive. It's roots won't want to be frozen in the winter nor heated up in the summer. It also has deep roots and it's a wide plant so it would need a heavy stable wide and deep container (think MBE tubs LV) to stay stable and not topple.
LV knowing you you'll get disappointed and sulk with it in a pot. Stick it in the ground and you'll be happy.

Bee70

we got an allotment at the end of November in the hope we could save some cash on the food bill, but it is in such a state it will be a while before it is in full working oder. I don't have much experience, so I'll be watching this thread with interest. I've ordered some fruit trees and onions and potatoes to start, we already have rhubarb in a pot which gave us a few sticks last year, hopefully will get a good crop this year

zafiro1984

annie123 wrote: »

In that case, it could be too much water. Cant think of the correct name for it but it begins with Len , they allow the plant to breath, all spuds have them and too much water blocks them and causes tiny bumps. They are fine to eat but won't store long.

Thanks Annie, that's great, storage isn't a problem as I don't grow enough potatoes to have spares to store, we tend to eat them as we harvest them.

Interesting what you say as there were a couple of 'rogue' potatoes on the plot last year and I never watered, fertilised, weeded or helped them in any way. I got enough potatoes from them for several meals and they were large and perfect. Perhaps I should neglect any I plant this year as they obviously do better without my interference.

mrbadexample

Blimey, I've just tuned in and I'm 28 posts behind already.

Apologies for the abandonment of my last thread, but I've really been struggling for time. Thank you LV for kindly taking over. :T

Last year I was a bit lazy in the garden so I really need to step it up this year. I've got no PSB to look forward to as the seedlings failed through lack of care. I got no Christmas sprouts for the same reason.

I think I've got the hang of it now (well, sort of), so this year I will be trying to garden smarter. I tried to grow too many different things, so I'm going to try to grow fewer things, but better. I'm only going to grow one chilli (I hardly use them) and a couple of peppers, instead of about a dozen. Last year only a few made it to their final pot size, so they didn't do well.

I'll probably still grow loads of tomatoes though.

I'm still pulling up Picasso spuds and have a bit of beetroot that I think will still be edible, although they are small. I pulled the last of my (small) parsnips at the weekend. This year I will be trying John's method, as they are a real favourite and I was a bit disappointed with this year's crop. I attribute this to not being able to start them early enough due to the weather.

I'm not going to grow alliums this year as the allium leaf miner ruined most things last year. Having said that, this year's competition may well be leeks, although no official decision has yet been made. My mate in Norfolk has managed to win the last 2 competitions (carrot & marrow), so it's time to knock him off his perch. Again, I was lazy and didn't give my marrows the best of attention so I deservedly lost.

I'm having a new kitchen sometime this month so that'll stop me getting things off to an early start on the windowsill. I'll have to find another place. It has to be completely gutted, unfortunately (think orange artex on the walls :eek: )

Happy New Year everybody. :beer:

Little_Vics

MBE!! You're alive!!!!

lolly5648

sparrer wrote: »

I'll be growing potatoes in tubs, they've been very successful over the past 3 years and I stick to what I know works for me. I have a 5 year old Coxes Orange Pippin espalier, soft fruit - raspberries, loganberries, gooseberries and blackberries in tubs as are the two rhubarb plants, and strawberries in a small bed which my neighbour's lovely DD benefits from. I don't like them but I was given them a couple of years ago and can't throw out a healthy plant. I also have a tub grown Victoria plum, a Doyenne du Comice mini pear, a dozen or so herbs and 17 tubs of shrubs, roses, etc. Unfortunately I've run out of space, my 12' x 14' lawn takes up a good part of my 20' x 18' garden and I'd love to use that but the dog likes it as it is

I would like to try growing rhubarb in a tub - could you let me know what sort of tub and what size? It must take you ages watering all those tubs!