The highs and lows of growing your own dinner 2015

ALIBOBSY

Spent a couple of productive hours in the garden this morning. Tidied up the greenhouse and collected up any plant markers and brought in to wash for this year.

Remembered the three bags of cheap on sale compost I got last Sept when Wicks sold them off :T

Took a couple of trough's and cleared the top layer of compost and topped with fresh (from the above discovered bags yay) and sowed some leafy stuff-rocket, winter lettuce, pakchoi and spinach.

It is such a gorgeous day promised to take the little ones to the local play park so off to there now, but going to try to get some more seeds in later.

Ali x

Dizzy_Ditzy

Been a while since I posted on here but I have been reading :cool:

Life is busy at the moment trying to get the chicken run set up on B, I'm getting there slowly- the frame is up and two of the sides have wire I'm in the process of painting the chicken house and next weekend hopefully it will go up, and we can get the wire over the roof. Then we have to level the ground and totally fox proof the outside perimeter. We know there is a fox on site, i have seen the den, and one of the other plot holders who keeps rabbits there is happy for "Foxy" to stay there :eek: :eek:

In the meantime, at A, I need to pull up the sprouts and kale, and dig that bed over, pull up the brocolli and decide what else to grow there in its place. I have another blackcurrant to get planted and generally have a good tidy up. I'll get some more broad beans planted. I have a windowsill full of chitting potatoes to go in in a month, and then I can start on planting at B

Such fun

Bee70

Excitedly saw that our seeds were coming up from our heated propagator, only to find that the kids have already swapped labels round - so I think it is the onions, and possibly the tomatillo that have come up?? Last year we ended up having a 'mystery squash' bed as they helpful mixed up the seeds (which all looked identical), swore it wasn't going to happen again, yet here we are and the main growing season hasn't even started!

Happygreen

Bee70 wrote: »

Excitedly saw that our seeds were coming up from our heated propagator, only to find that the kids have already swapped labels round - so I think it is the onions, and possibly the tomatillo that have come up?? Last year we ended up having a 'mystery squash' bed as they helpful mixed up the seeds (which all looked identical), swore it wasn't going to happen again, yet here we are and the main growing season hasn't even started!

I manage to do that every year and the kids aren't even involved ! Last year I was just labelling the different seed potatoes when the box fell over and they all got mixed up. That's how they got planted and eaten in the end :rotfl:

ally18

Well, this is the first time I have grown onions from seed, started them off in the propagator and they are very spindly (Globo). They are now out of the propagator because I have set some more (Red Mammoth), these have just started to appear. When they are all through, the tomatoes will go in. Plus I must get the flower seeds in by middle of March. I plan to grow everything for my hanging baskets this year instead of buying them!

I haven't managed any more time at the allotment since last posting due to work but I did get some more wood and poles and such from my dad so they are ready to do something with. I have to finish the paths next weekend (using my old lounge carpet) and the coldframe/greenhouse.

Dizzy_Ditzy

I went to my original plot this morning and cleared away the brocolli, sprouts and kale and dug the beds, so I now have another one and a half beds free

I had to ring the council while I was there because my concrete shed is leaking badly :eek: waiting for them to ring me back to let me know what they're doing about it. They are the original sheds dating back to before the war. Hopefully the council will get it sorted pretty quickly because it needs it

I'm itching to get planting now but need to finish painting the chicken house and get it up the other plot and out of my house

ALIBOBSY

The weather here the last couple of days has been lovely and sunny, not hot obviously but warm enough that we had a ride to the seaside yesterday and walked along the front eating icecreams (in coats tho lol).

So today got some more troughs and trays planted up, early carrots, spinach and more salad leaves.

Dug out a couple of bean trenches and threw in some peelings I saved from weekend. I reckon another couple of meals worth of peelings will fill them.

I have a set of those module trays with lids like an unheated propagator, so washed them out and will get my toms, chillis and peppers in either later today or tomorrow.

Will get out the bag of saved toilet rolls and get some broad beans, early peas and sweet peas in tomorrow as well I think.

Planted the first two of my "parsnip bottles" up in a tub in the greenhouse, had the best parsnips I ever grew last year in bottles lol. Will keep sticking a couple in each day I do other stuff in the garden.

Ali x

ALIBOBSY

Scottish_Mike wrote: »

ETA: Ali beat me!

Square foot gardening was developed by Mel Bartholomew and entails getting a 4x4ft square raised bed, dividing it into 16 one foot squares and planting your seeds in the squares, possibly closer than you normally would.

I tried this last year and had a degree of success, but we had a lot of trouble with certain plants shading others out - my purple sprouting broccoli ended up totally taking over my bed and shaded out my parsnips and carrots leaving them stunted.

I don't think the system is useless by any means, but careful planning is required!

Definately need to plan, put tall stuff at the north side of the bed and consider planting things next to them that like a bit of shade, like lettuce and spinach. I also try to consider companion planting with the squares or adding rows of "companions" like edible or useful flowers and herbs or fast growers like spring onions or raddish inbetween.

Ali x

Grebe

Scottish_Mike wrote: »

Last year I was having trouble with the neighbourhood cats, who loved using my raised bed as their litter tray. I thought I was going mad at first; couldn't figure out why none of my carrots weren't germinating lol!

I ordered a greenhouse yesterday. 8 x 5ft, so should slot nicely behind the outhouse. Really excited, can't wait for it to arrive and to get it built. Need to remove a honeysuckle from the side of the outhouse and weed and dig the bed it's going to be placed on.

Haven't planted any seeds yet. Need to get peppers going, then tomatoes, then Brussels, PSB and cabbage to plant. Need to get some new compost though. Popping into town for that tomorrow.

Had the same problem with local cat, whom I have to say, I love, they make me laugh using my bronzed grasses as a hot cushion to sleep on in the summer. However, using my raised beds as a loo :mad:
My solution was to border the edge of the raised bed with canes, about 3 ft. Then just wrap bean netting around it like a skirt.. It worked well. If you have problems with foxes do only 4 iches more than the 3 ft. I have no idea why this works but it has for me. Foxes loved my Pea and Chive bed, drove me mad trying to put them off.

Jo_King

I have my own garden for the first time this year (well, I got it last summer, but cutting back the jungle took priority). It's only little, but I do love it. I've previously had a small patch in someone else's garden and had a lot of fun with varieties of sunflowers. I'm hoping to build two raised beds this year, if I can get someone nice to do it for me (I have Mr Arthur Itis in my hands). I want to get deeper boards (about 30cm deep), but none of the local diy places have them and the affordable pre-built beds are all too shallow. Any ideas?

I managed to get leek, turnip, rocket and courgette seeds in Wilko yesterday for 5p a pack.

I love this idea, and have been saving up bottles to make some hanging basket type planters:

http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/2009/08/starting-a-hanging-herb-garden-using-recycled-soda-bottles/