The highs and lows of growing your own dinner 2015

zafiro1984

Kantankrus_Mare wrote: »

Hmm. Just been doing some research and home made compost is not advisable for carrots.
A mix of soil and sand is recommended so will have a rethink.

Didnt really want to spend any money.

We can grow carrots very easily here but the soil is acid sand. When we lived in Kent we had alkaline clay and it was impossible to grow decent carrots except under cover in beds in a polytunnel, but we could grow fantastic cabbages and cauliflowers.

If you live near the coast have you thought about adding a bucket or two of beach sand to your compost. I don't know if it would work but at least it wont cost anything. Just a thought, but you may have to run water through it to get rid of some salt.
At least you will find out one way or another.

Kantankrus_Mare

zafiro1984 wrote: »

We can grow carrots very easily here but the soil is acid sand. When we lived in Kent we had alkaline clay and it was impossible to grow decent carrots except under cover in beds in a polytunnel, but we could grow fantastic cabbages and cauliflowers.

If you live near the coast have you thought about adding a bucket or two of beach sand to your compost. I don't know if it would work but at least it wont cost anything. Just a thought, but you may have to run water through it to get rid of some salt.
At least you will find out one way or another.

The beach is a five min drive away. Hmmmm given me something to ponder on..
Thanks.

tootallulah

Cold but sunny here and so far we have escaped frost and if the weather forecast is to be believed we should be OK for the next week. I am planting a few more annuals out every day and the garden looks very green at present.

I will start my hanging baskets in the green house at the week-end and I should be able to get them outside in three or four weeks.

I am getting my greenhouse tomatoes into their final pots tomorrow, the outdoor ones will come outside at the end of May.

Happygreen

I was just listening to an on-line conference and this came up:
Roundup is not only made by Monsanto who now own about 50 % of all food crop seeds in the world (that's their real aim, to completely control the food crop market). This is besides the issue of them manufacturing GMO plants. Roundup is also registered as an antibiotic in the States - so besides the weeds you apply it to it also kills the Bacteria in the soil....

I have never touched a herbicide in my life but some of you might use it, food for thought...

unrecordings

Long bank holiday for me this weekend. Already repotted the last of the 'b-list' tomatoes. Weeded. Sowed some salad leaves. Noticed that my Oca is sprouting, and that the little things that might be carrots (that were sown at the end of Feb) are indeed carrots - their second set of leaves are just coming through

Jazee

Morning all. A day in the garden planned here for the rest of the day. I have edges to trim, grass to cut, seeds to plant and weedkiller to put on the driveway. Certainly will keep me busy.

Re compost - I read somewhere that home made compost should not be used for anything growing under the ground so that rules out root veg, but its ok for stuff growing above, so I've used it for broad beans and peas this year.

Scottish_Mike

HIGH: Last October I made a load of green tomato chutney with all my unripe toms. Opened a small jar about a month ago and it has matured wonderfully and tastes delicious.
LOW: I can't open any more of the jars!! Seriously, tried for 10 minutes this morning, the lids won't budge! I want my chutney!!

Plan for this weekend is to sow the squashes (potimarron, munchkin pumpkins, spinning gourds and butternut) and peas. Also, there's a greenhouse that's been in a box in my living room for a month - really need to get that built too, and need to get my maincrop potatoes planted down on the allotment too.

Real-life with work and essay for uni being due has gotten in the way for a few weeks, but raring to get back out into the garden tomorrow.

Jazee

Scottish Mike - have you tried turning the jars upside down and then putting back up the right way. Don't know why but this sometimes works when lids are tight.

I didn't get as far as doing the weedkiller yesterday (probably just as well as its pouring with rain today) but I did get the grass cut, edges tidy and planted lots of seeds. Just three to go now, some more herbs.

And as this is grow your own dinner, I cooked fish last night is a parsley sauce with parsley I have grown, and our salad had mixed lettuce leaves and three types of radish in it, also from the greenhouse/garden.

Indoor jobs today..

zafiro1984

raining today so I probably won't get much done on the veg plot.

Spent the last few days trying (and failing) to tidy up. The back of the plot has a tall hedge of beech and the leaves have just been shed, they must be at least 6" deep.

Yesterday we finished concreting the outer edge of the solar tunnel (yet to be erected) and started on the paths inside. Just have one more path to concrete and then we can start putting it up. I already have several small veggie plants in modules waiting to go in. DH has been given the deadline of the middle of this month to finish putting it up and he can see all the little veggie plants so it's quite an incentive for him to be proactive and not do other jobs which I think he would prefer. (who says we don't manipulate our other half to get what we want?)

Sowed the french and runner beans yesterday, plus the sweetcorn. Need some more leek seeds as not enough have germinated. Has anyone ever managed to grow melons, I quite fancy a go but wondered if it was worth it.

I can't wait to start harvesting, I hope to have a better balance this year - not too many gluts, I've tried to sow little and often, hopefully to harvest more variety with each one over a longer period. well that's the plan

Dizzy_Ditzy

Good leaf mould material there Zafiro :cool:

I've not done much at the plots in the last week, other than get some wood chippings down. I've been to the chicken one daily but because they've been on worming treatment, they couldn't have any treats so figured the less I was there, the better

It's raining today but I need to go round and put some turf in there for them now worming time is over, but I'm not going to get anything else done at either site today

In terms of making my own dinner, the best I can do at the mo is use my eggs :rotfl: