Grow your own dinner 2014

Living_proof

I have a gooseberry. Just the one, but I am delighted just for that as this was a rescue job from the rented property before I moved. A previous tenant had got carried away with cheap bushes and planted them at the edge of the lawn right next to the fence. And I mean right next to it. The poor bush was chopped in half when mowing the 'lawn' (think meadow) one day. I potted it up and it has recovered well enough in its' pot to fruit. Well it's a start anyway. I will transplant it in the autumn when my plot should be a bit more sorted out. I will then feed it next year and hope for a more prolific crop! I also have one of those fabric type strawberry growers and I have about ten plants with berries so fingers crossed.

Happygreen

Living proof - what a great rescue! Just keep an eye on any tiny caterpillars nibbling on the leaves, gooseberry sawfly has decimated all my bushes in recent years. Hope yours will never see them!

Jazee

I am so glad I got out in the garden at the weekend as the weather is awful again today. DH handed over more of the garden to me for veg plots but when I started digging it's all concrete underneath, so I'm now going to build a raised bed on that patch. Just need to decide whether from bricks or pallets.

browneyedbazzi

We had a lovely weekend out in the garden after the miserable week. I've planted out my cucumbers and tomatoes...I was going to plant some peppers as well but the spot I had set aside for them has been turned into a red ant colony. I really can't keep on top of all the ants in our garden - there seem to be colonies popping up everywhere!

I also planted some climbing bean seeds to replace the plants that were destroyed by heavy winds a few weeks. Hopefully it's not too late for them. The climbing peas are up now...those that haven't been eaten by birds or dug up by foxes look to be doing quite well.

Oh, we've got chard that is going mental. I think if you stood and watched it for a few minutes you would see it growing. I've never actually eaten or cooked with chard but I think I need to figure out what to do with it before it takes over!

Happygreen

browneyedbazzi, I use chard exactly like spinach. I love it because it's less work harvesting those lovely big leaves than fiddly tiny spinach

System

Queen Of Cheap - congrats on your allotment I want one but timing isn't great atm - I have a 15 month old and we're renting, the landlord will be moving in at some point over the next couple of years and we don't know where we'll be. One day I'll put my name down though!!

My last courgette died. Well and truly died. They started off so well, they were the healthiest of them all when they first started growing alongside the squahes. I had about 8 and now I don't have a single one Anyhoo, I decided to go out and buy one. The local garden centre had some young plants for 99p but they were so weany and pathetic... I didn't want to waste my time and money on them. So I bought one for 6.99 instead, its massive! Already has two fruit starting to grow!! This one I am growing in a large pot rather than putting it in a bed (its a smaller variety). Fingers crossed it doesn't die on me!!

I have three strawberry plants in the trough and have had about 15 fruit so far which have been picked and eaten. I have probably 8 left on the plants with one flower. Doesn't look like its producing anymore flowers though So we'll see.. I am planning on going to a local PYO farm anyway to pick a basket full Next year I will have more plants. I am growing some from seed, have 10 plants (although this morning I noticed three of them covered in aphids!! - not happy) so if they don't die on me, they'll be planted out next spring. They have already begun flowering but I'll be removing them.

My melons aren't doing very well at all. I only have two plants, one has been half eaten by slugs and the other just seems to be wiltering and not showing signs of growing

Never mind, can't expect everything to do well. x

silverwhistle

mrsscattercushion wrote: »

The broad beans are flowering with the first pods forming, so will keep an eye for black fly etc.

Just noticed blackfly on one of my flowering broadbean plants - I've about a square foot of them in a raised bed. Another ignoramus here; what do you use to get rid of them? I'd like to avoid noxious chemicals as much as possible. I gave them a quick spray with lightly soapy water - will that help?

Incidentally, I cropped mangetout, rocket and lettuce for tonight's supper.

suzeesu2000

Oh my word I am SOOOOO chuffed!!:beer: I have grown edible food!! :eek: :eek: This evening, I emptied some of my potato bags and I have really grown some. The sense of achievement is absolutely amazing. Five hours later I am still smiling. :T

Thanks to The gardening supplement in the Daily Telegraph for advise on which variety to choose and what to expect. :beer:

I cannot believe that tomorrow I shall be sitting down to a meal which I planted in the earth and nature then made a miracle and grew into food. sorry if I sound daft but I have never grown proper food before.

Desperate for forever home now so I can do this again and bigger!!

CAFCGirl

Not daft at all Suzee' - I think that's whats driving most of us.

I cant wait to type a post that sounds similar myself

I spaced my pak choi out about a week ago and theyve not been happy ever since. I think however they are exceptionally thirsty as everytime ive watered them they seem to have regained some strength in their leaves rather than being all floppy and limp.

More runner beans have been planting into a container with a tee-pee cane construction, im kinda hoping it looks a bit pretty as it grows

Cauliflower seedlings are coming up nicely, waiting on my carrots to do anything. My flower seeds that I planted havent done very much either but they were pot luck really as a few years old.

Chilli plant question

Two of my chilli plants (about 12cm high), have got spikes growing on one of their leaves? They almost look like thorns? Is this normal - I've tried googling and I cant find anything on there

CAFCGirl

Discovered whats wrong with my chilli plants!

They're aubergines!