The highs and lows of growing your own dinner 2015

Missy_Mudpie

I'm soaking my sweet pea seeds tonight, ready to plant up tomorrow. I did sow onions a couple of weeks back but they damped off. It was old seed and I hadn't cleaned out the tray either, so bound to happen really...

I need to wash my greenhouse, pots and trays, and clean out all the rubbish that has accumulated in there over the winter. I also need to pot up my patio apple and pear trees urgently before they dry up!

Can't wait to start sowing in earnest

Happygreen

I feel like I'm behind with seeds again but I've been down with a migraine, pain in the neck (and head...)
Today I'm planning on cutting the bamboo canes so they have time to rest before the bean season. I won't need many as I have the climbing frame but I'll give some to my friend. Further digging in the plot might be out of the questions wtill unless I stuff myself with painkillers...

ALIBOBSY

Raining here today, so can't get outside much. May make a dash for the greenhouse later on though lol.

Got my toms, chillis, peppers, and aubergines in yesterday, plus some herb seeds and some earlier veggies on the window sill.

Want to get some sweetpeas, peas and broad beans in tubes shortly.

Youngest daughter insisted on planting a sunflower about 2 weeks ago lol, its getting pretty big already, will transplant it a few times then move it out to greenhouse next month. Eventually it may make it to the garden lol.

Ali x

Mojisola

Jo_King wrote: »

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?

We use wooden gravel boards to make raised beds - either one for a low bed or two for a deeper one.
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Treated-Timber-Gravel-Board-19mmx150mmx2-4m/p/107143

Happygreen

queen_of_cheap wrote: »

In the meantime, at A, I need to pull up the sprouts and kale, and dig that bed over

queen of cheap, are you pulling up your kale for space reasons? I leave mine in as it gives another great and early crop until it starts to flower. Maybe it depends on the variety...

Took stock yesterday and potted some herbs on, which made me feel less useless I really hope the lettuces in the tunnnel will kick off soon as I'm tired of buying salads! Aldi has seed potatoes from today so will get some there this year. I have to plan really well what to do in the greenhouse as I'll be away for a week in March and OH has to look after things...

Dizzy_Ditzy

Happygreen wrote: »

queen of cheap, are you pulling up your kale for space reasons? I leave mine in as it gives another great and early crop until it starts to flower. Maybe it depends on the variety...

Took stock yesterday and potted some herbs on, which made me feel less useless I really hope the lettuces in the tunnnel will kick off soon as I'm tired of buying salads! Aldi has seed potatoes from today so will get some there this year. I have to plan really well what to do in the greenhouse as I'll be away for a week in March and OH has to look after things...

I pulled it up both for space and the fact that it was infested with cabbage whitefly

Jo_King

Thanks for your advice Mojisola. I'm off to the woodyard tomorrow morning to see what I can find. And I've found a great local charity (ReBuild Bury) who are willing to build a couple of tall planters for me.

I also got my first installment of Gardener's World on the £5 for 5 offer. And joined the local gardener's club for £2 and got some lovely seed potatoes which I'm about to put out to chit. AND I've got a guy here at the moment constructing my new shed, which means I can clear out and clean out my greenhouse all ready for starting seeds. So, all action (and I'm rather excited).

Mojisola

Jo_King wrote: »

I'm off to the woodyard tomorrow morning to see what I can find. And I've found a great local charity (ReBuild Bury) who are willing to build a couple of tall planters for me.

I also got my first installment of Gardener's World on the £5 for 5 offer. And joined the local gardener's club for £2 and got some lovely seed potatoes which I'm about to put out to chit. AND I've got a guy here at the moment constructing my new shed, which means I can clear out and clean out my greenhouse all ready for starting seeds. So, all action (and I'm rather excited).

That all sounds very exciting! Here's to a great growing season.:beer:

unrecordings

Scaffolding boards are very good as raised beds - Old boards that are unsafe to use in scaffolding are generally sold off cheap (mine were £6 each for a 10 foot board). Of course you'd need to get them back to the plot and cut to size which is generally the sticking point

Happygreen

queen_of_cheap wrote: »

I pulled it up both for space and the fact that it was infested with cabbage whitefly

That's a good enough reason...something nibbled on some of the plants in the tunnel but I reckon it was a mouse or slugs...they are coming back to life now (the plants!) :j