The highs and lows of growing your own dinner 2015

Dizzy_Ditzy

For those with limited space, is vertical growing an option for you? I've "acquired" :rotfl: a few pallets that I'll be using up against fences and walls to maximise my growing space- although I've not yet got as far as deciding what I'm growing in them yet :rotfl: strawberries are popular but I've got a bed at the allotment full of them so don't want to repeat myself.

carolbee

Count me in please, just got our own allotment

If anyone in East kent reading has any rhubarb going spare, I would be happy to swap something for that.

Looking forward to reading how we are all doing with this

unrecordings

Well...
I've only been doing this since 2013 - that was a good year for tomatoes & apples. Last year was not so good on the tomato front, and i think a ended up with two apples. However i'm still building up raised beds, and cutting back abandoned areas of the garden. 2014 brought me potatoes for the first time, oca (very nice), plenty of herbs, and i was self sufficient in salad leaves for a few months. I think i've a long way to go in terms of volume still but thanks to Masterchef i've a new buzzword - microgreens (!) Earlier today i proudly handed my better half a small tub of green things, like peas only much much smaller - "look honey... ...microsprouts!"

zafiro1984

Hi Queen of Cheap:- Thanks for the new thread. I've just posted a link on the 2014 thread to send folk across to the new one.

Going to join in again this year and hopefully will be as self sufficient as possible. I'm going to grow only those veg which we eat in reasonable amounts. foraging on the place will be high on the list and I hope to work towards planting an orchard next autumn.

Review of 2014 The good and the bad
The soil type is acid sand, deficient in potash. I have 12 x raised beds plus other ground, green house, large fruit cage and a new solar tunnel which hasn't been erected yet.
2014 growing season started in June. After 2 yrs I was able to walk again after being mended - a fantastic feeling, but can you imagine the state of the veg garden after that period of time and I still haven't completely cleared the mess.
I really only managed:-
Carrots - Early Nantes and a new one called Eskimo, I will grow Eskimo again as I'm still picking them - they are supposed to be frost hardy.
Runner Beans - Firestorm - good crop, will grow again and freeze
Climbing French Beans - Cobra, will grow less and only use fresh.
Leeks - Oarsman - considering the short period of time they have had to grow I am really pleased with them - will grow again.
Shallots - I think they were Red Sun - again considering the time they were sown I can't complain.

Nothing was grown in the greenhouse or the fruit cage. This autumn I have bought, blueberries, and raspberries - all are in holding pots until the spring until I have had time to get in the fruit cage and sort it out. There are some strawberries on the plot but they need sorting out.

Foraging and things not on in the veg garden:- good crop of blackberries, rose hips, blackcurrants and crab apples. I thought I had a good crop of Sweet Chestnuts but when I was preparing them for the freezer some small grubs crept out of them so they ended up in the bin. A few medlars and mulberries and a fantastic crop of very late apples.

My aim this year is to be as self sufficient as possible. To empty the green house so I can use it again, clear the mess in the fruit cage, and get my DH to erect the solar tunnel. Oops I think I have just seen a pink thing flying overhead.:)

Jazee

Hello there. I'm in again. Already planted during the last couple of months are garlic and shallots. Peas and broad beans are still in the greenhouse in pots, I'm not planting them out just yet. Still getting little gem lettuce in the greenhouse. Need to dig a new plot though and get some lovely hm compost on it ready for spring planting.

Happygreen

Hello again, fellow diggers and planters!

Last year was a fairly successful one for me, but each year I make some funny mistakes. I'll share this one with you: as sweetcorn had grown quite well in the tunnel in previous years I thought I'd try the greenhouse. They grew so big that they bent over at the top and couldn't grow fertilised cobs as my greenhouse doesn't have a window. In the end I couldn't get in, it looked lovely though

I've started this year with pepper seeds on the window sill as the plants I bought reduced last year turned out nice but didn't really give enough fruit in turn so I don't want to pay again for any. When I've tidies up in the greenhouse I will fumigate it as I had a bad infestation of mould. I planted lettuces and chards in the tunnel to give me an early start. I'll keep you posted on how that turns out!
The best thing I'd done last year was moving the kids old climbing frame into the veg beds and grow beans on it!
It's a nice day, so I'll hopefully go out and do something, maybe snip some currants and stick them into the ground somewhere. No waste, lol.

Jazee

After my dog walk this morning, I kept my coat on and got out in the garden. Threw out the last pepper in the greenhouse, watered lightly the peas and broad beans etc and then made a frame that I will net when my plot is ready. I started to remove the turf from my new plot and then it started to rain.

So I've come indoors to find my garden magazine subscription is here along with free packets of seeds: beetroot, carrot, chard, onion, watercress and kale.

A day when I have achieved something greenfingered.

eandjsmum

Hi Can I join in


We have a large garden. So no allotment. I also work so the only time I get outside is at weekends or evenings.


I struggle with pests urban foxes dig up our garden and slugs and snails eat more of our produce than we do.


I only have a few leeks in at the moment.


I do have a greenhouse which is unheated.
I use that to plant seeds and early crops. I grow salad leaves in there I also grow watercress by planting it in a flower pot and standing that in a gravel tray I keep the gravel tray topped with fresh water.


I also have gooseberry bushes, strawberries, red and blackcurrants, loganberries and blackberries plus two small apple trees.


I love being outside on bright days even if it is cold.

pathtofreedom

I'd like to play this year if I can. I'm not very green fingered and seem to have more slugs than garden but it must be worth a try.

I have some raspberry canes I need to figure out how to plant. I also have some T&M vouchers to use from tesco points so need to think what else to buy with them.

I have a little conservatory rather than a green house if that counts?

So are there any fruits / veg the slugs won't eat? or if you had £60 of T&M vouchers what would you buy? Then next time they do free postage I'll be right on there.

Wooftastic

Today I've washed all my pots and seed trays and sorted through the packets of seeds so I know what I have.

Fingers crossed I'll get some planting done tomorrow