Grow your own dinner 2014

Happygreen

Today is grass (and weed) cutting day so I might not get much else done in respect to potting on. Cucumbers, tomatoes and courgettes all need new pots, so plenty to do soon! Still need to sow another load of rocket and radishes.

Happygreen

another new article on snails - made me laugh
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/10834071/Throwing-snails-20-metres-away-may-save-your-plants.html

moments_of_sanity

Happygreen wrote: »

another new article on snails - made me laugh
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/10834071/Throwing-snails-20-metres-away-may-save-your-plants.html

Surely a neighbourhood will just be rehoming them to another garden, my snails could well be rehomed back to me! :rotfl:

Is a 3litre pot sufficient enough to grow tomatoes in or would I need something bigger?

browneyedbazzi

Tomatoes are fairly greedy - If you keep them in a 3L pot you'll need to feed and water them quite frequently. When I grew tomatoes on my balcony I used pots with a 10" diameter and even then I had to water every day. I'm not good enough at remembering to water things to keep plants in small pots!

CAFCGirl

Good day to all.
Had an eruption with the latest seeds that went in. Mixed salad leaf coming up, spinach up, and lettuce all coming through.
Poached egg flowers and sunflowers breaking through the surface too which is nice change from the veg.

I ordered some tomato planting bags from ebay which have arrived and are a good size for my space, yet again need more compost. Not hugely impressed with the stuff ive had from Aldi (although its cheap), I may just buy some grow bags and use that earth instead.

My other seedlings (tomatoes, chilli's, sweet peppers etc) still arent doing much, theyre there, 4 leaves maybe but only 2-3 inches high. I've tried feeding them and they've had a good doze of sun this week, just not sure what I'm doing wrong?

On the slug note, Ive made a garlic solution which was from a recipe from Royal Society of something or other, and was supposedly for Hostas, but Ive put it on everything and its worked wonders! No slug attacks happening here

suzeesu2000

CAFCGirl wrote: »

On the slug note, Ive made a garlic solution which was from a recipe from Royal Society of something or other, and was supposedly for Hostas, but Ive put it on everything and its worked wonders! No slug attacks happening here

Please may we have the recipe for the Garlic sauce?

CAFCGirl

Yes

Garlic Sauce for Slugs and Other Such Slimy B*ggers

2 whole bulbs of garlic
2 pints water

Crush garlic well, place in cloth bag.
Water into a pan, place cloth bag in.
Bring to boil and cook for 5 mins
Remove from heat and allow to cool
Squeeze bag, strain liquid.
Add extra water if needed to make up to 2 pints
Store in airtight jar

Usage
1 tblspoon liquid to 1 gallon, in watering can with a rose spout.
Use on plants every 2 weeks once leaves are unfurled.

Notes
Be prepared, it stinks up your kitchen!
Airtight jars a must and recommend storing outside. :rotfl:

suzeesu2000

Thanks for that - slugs in garlic anyone?

moments_of_sanity

Thanks for the slug juice recipe, going to try that this afternoon

So very excited, just harvested my first bag of potatoes and these are them, so excited, my DD who did the harvesting thinks I have lost the plot! :rotfl:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/91707691@N04/14050532769/

ETA, just weighed them, 5lbs 14 ozs! :-)

annie123

Little_Vics wrote: »

Hello! I'm back. Did you miss me?

I HAVE DONE PLANTING! This is my lovely list:

strawberries
quince
loganberries
jostaberries (I think - never fruited so have no idea)
toms
chili
spinach
beetroot
lettuce
pumpkin
peppers
courgettes
purple sprouting broccoli
yellow pointy cauli for comedy purpose

Next job is to sort out my herbs. Fun!

Of course you were missed, other than a lack of spuds on that list, it looks good.

CAFCGirl wrote: »

My other seedlings (tomatoes, chilli's, sweet peppers etc) still arent doing much, theyre there, 4 leaves maybe but only 2-3 inches high. I've tried feeding them and they've had a good doze of sun this week, just not sure what I'm doing wrong?

Some chilis are very small plants anyway and can grow very slowly, others will romp away now it's warmer. What types and when did you sow them? and the sweet peppers won't grow well if pot bound I've found in the past, so I keep them moving up in size 'till they're in a 10" pot.

Tomatoes should be bigger than that now but again it depends when you sowed them and what size pots they're in. They need moving up in pot size quite quickly when the're young. What size pot are they in?


I've eaten my first tatties :j planted on the 3rd March and I was delighted to see there were plenty at least 2" long, so took enough for our dinner and put them back in the pot. I have 6 pots at various stages and planted more this morning.

My cucumbers were in flower this time last year, but they're not this year, nor are my courgettes. 3 of my toms are, 2 have buds and the rest are smaller and growing. In fact 2 are very small because they are a midget tom.

The water melon I sowed a few weeks ago is doing better than last year so far, but in case they stop or get munched, I've sow more this morning. Once I've eaten a home grown water melon I'll stop trying to grow them :cool:

JOHN my parsnip germination is lower this year, I have 3 cones with nothing. Should I try moving some of the others that have 3 in a cone or sow more seed?

It looks like I will have less cherries this year as June drop has started early Never mind can't have a bumper crop every year.
Strawberries however do look like a bumper one, so many green ones, would love some hot sunny weather for a few weeks. The 2 days at the weekend weren't enough for me or my garden.