Grow your own dinner 2014

browneyedbazzi

Happygreen wrote: »

Gosh, until I saw that Naturewatch program where they put a camera on a fox I had no idea - why does the Council not do anything? The catch stray cats and dogs and just let foxes roam the streets? I don't approve of hunting for a sport but the way it's dealt with isn't right either :mad:....so frustrating if you try to grow things!

The problem is that people feed them, which encourages them to breed more. If people didn't put food out for them and were better about properly disposing of their food waste so the foxes couldn't get to it, then the population would control itself. Unfortunately some people don't seem to realise what pests they are and keep feeding them (I'm told someone living behind us puts dog food out for them) and there are far too many people who don't deal with their waste food properly. It is annoying - they dig, leave mess behind and can also be quite noisy at night.

Lifes_Grand_Plan

You're a star browneyedbazzi, thank you. I take it the 15% off only starts tomorrow then? Will pop down and pick, hopefully the Jamie Oliver ones up.

RE: foxes, let us not forget that they are only trying to scratch a living despite constantly having their habitats built on and food sources destroyed. Give me a fox in my garden any day over the local neighbourhood cats crapping everywhere I turn for my little girl to pick up.

browneyedbazzi

I think it started today for their store card holders, tomorrow for everyone else. I'll be going tomorrow morning to get some growbags and climbing french beans for on the patio (as discussed in a separate thread).

It's close for me so easy to pop in, but if it's further away for you and you don't want to waste a trip you can check stock and reserve stuff online to collect in store.

ALIBOBSY

Kantankrus_Mare wrote: »

We make a wonderful risotto with our courgettes. Tried freezing them a few years ago but they just went mushy mores the pity.

I find they are fine chopped and frozen if you are going to use them to throw into a sauce, so stews and pasta sauces are fine with them. As they are already chopped I throw them in from frozen.

Or make courgette cake and freeze that lol.

Ali x

Jazee

I am just having a quick lunch and then plan to get out in the garden. Grass cutting and do the edging. Put some more compost round the potatoes (which are doing well). Water things. Deadhead primulas and daff. Weed patio and plant out seedlings which are ready to go out. Hope we don't get too many late frosts. I should then have space on the windowsills to plant more seeds.

ALIBOBSY

browneyedbazzi wrote: »

The problem is that people feed them, which encourages them to breed more. If people didn't put food out for them and were better about properly disposing of their food waste so the foxes couldn't get to it, then the population would control itself. Unfortunately some people don't seem to realise what pests they are and keep feeding them (I'm told someone living behind us puts dog food out for them) and there are far too many people who don't deal with their waste food properly. It is annoying - they dig, leave mess behind and can also be quite noisy at night.

This also takes away their fear of humans, which means they get into gardens and grab rabbits and chickens not to mention start to wander indoors. Much as I love wildlife and like to spot old foxy loxy in the distance over a field, I am glad I live in an area where the farmers still scare them and so they rarely enter gardens.

A cull of foxes in urban areas makes more sense than the badger cull and at the least it should be made illegal to feed a wild carnivore.

Ali x

skint_chick

Hello green fingered MSErs, I need some help with my garden. I've got 3 raised beds about 6ft x2ft to grow veg in and I've bought some seeds but wanted to get some advice. I have kale, cabbage, and carrots for my rabbit (and us) and rocket, turnip, radishes, basil, and spinach. I've got lots of little herbs I just planted in pots in my potting shed. I don't really know what else to grow - garden gets the sun all day - could I grow parsnips, broccoli and cauliflowers with what I already have?

I can't eat potatoes, tomatoes, onions or peppers, there are some blackberries that grow at the back of our fence, but apart from that I don't tend to eat much fruit - although I do like the look of those little citrus trees in Dobbies!

Do sweet potatoes grow ok? I love them but I think I might be a bit late planting them now?? Is it ok to grow a mixture in the beds - do certain veggies go well together? Last year I grew carrots, turnips, spinach and rocket and they all went well even though it was my first attempt and I did forget to water them quite a bit

Any help/advice is very much appreciated

Happygreen

Hi skint_chick - I've been thinking of sweet patatoes but they are expensive to grow -probably cheaper to buy ready to cook - and they need a hot climate like polytunnel or greenhouse. You could try Jerusalem Artichokes (some people call them fartichokes for a particular reason , they are sunflowers with edible rhizomes, ready in autumn. For fruit, maybe strawberries or rasps?
I don't know if you'll fit all those lovely veg into the 3 beds but you've got a lovely collection there. It might be a bit too late for caulis this year but brokkoli should be ok. The only things I can't see in your list are beans, peas (I love just for the pure joy of them) and lettuce ! which will give you quite a lot of savings in your budget with pick-and-come-agains.
Enjoy!

sparrer

Stupidly picked up a cucumber instead of a courgette at the garden centre yesterday so will give it to a neighbour as he has a greenhouse.
Found a little pack of what looks like those paper tear-off matches in the shed (it's a treasure trove in there ), apparently they're mixed herbs so will try to find space for them somewhere and see what happens.
The rosemary cuttings I took are rooting well, already got three 'customers' for some of them.
Still have 7 trays of bedding to go in but I'm running out of space! Meanwhile they look very attractive on the black wrought iron shelf unit a friend donated when she moved to a flat

suzeesu2000

CATS..

Are beautiful, especially mine! But, my girl has been trained (yes you can train a cat) to poop in her litter trya; she will actually come in from the garden to use her tray and then go back out to play.

If you do not want cat poop in your garden and I cant think why you would, try this: citrus peel ....either threaded onto string and run around where the cats are coming into your garden or where they poop. Even essential oils of citrus fruits will deter cats from your area.

Citrus causes no harm to animals or insect, actually if you have ants lemon juice will rid you of them too. Its easy to replace too.

And if you dont believe me: eat a juicy orange and then let your cat sniff your hand!!