The highs and lows of growing your own dinner 2015

WantAnOrange

Hello, I have been reading if not posting very often. Had a lovely afternoon in the garden with the kids and hubby. Enjoyed a BBQ and ridiculously proud to have grown the salad ourselves. We have enough pak choi to feed the neighbourhood, the rocket is doing well and we have lots of little green strawberries. Also had some radishes and peas. The kids have been out there sowing this afternoon. I only have one courgette plant this year which just wont do. Will they grow well in grow bags?

Dizzy_Ditzy

WantAnOrange wrote: »

Hello, I have been reading if not posting very often. Had a lovely afternoon in the garden with the kids and hubby. Enjoyed a BBQ and ridiculously proud to have grown the salad ourselves. We have enough pak choi to feed the neighbourhood, the rocket is doing well and we have lots of little green strawberries. Also had some radishes and peas. The kids have been out there sowing this afternoon. I only have one courgette plant this year which just wont do. Will they grow well in grow bags?

Welcome!

Courgettes will be fine in a grow bag, but think on if you think one won't be enough- they are known to be quite prolific!

unrecordings

queen_of_cheap wrote: »

Welcome!

Courgettes will be fine in a grow bag, but think on if you think one won't be enough- they are known to be quite prolific!

Save a thought for the idiot that's ended up with 17 courgette plants. Last year I had poor germination, so I double sowed this time around and pretty much every single one germinated into a healthy plant. I've given some away, but i've got five planted out, two in hanging baskets, a further four in tubs on a high shelf in the greenhouse and the remainder in miscellaneous pots waiting for a new home. Strangely the one with the split stem is by far the most advanced

In other news:

GOYD moment for me - pak choi from the garden and wild garlic from the woods in a simple stirfry; for my better half, nettle soup

abcdave

Hi all..

I've just started growing my own in decent numbers this year, in a green house and a raised bed.

Tested the water last year, so to speak, with baby potatos and courgettes. The courgettes were indestructable!

So far this year I have planted potatos, courgette, carrot, parsnip, peas, brocolli, brussels, leeks, onions and tomatoes.

My grand plan is to grow everying for this years Xmas dinner.. except the turkey of course!

Jazee

unrecordings wrote: »

Save a thought for the idiot that's ended up with 17 courgette plants. Last year I had poor germination, so I double sowed this time around and pretty much every single one germinated into a healthy plant. I've given some away, but i've got five planted out, two in hanging baskets, a further four in tubs on a high shelf in the greenhouse and the remainder in miscellaneous pots waiting for a new home. Strangely the one with the split stem is by far the most advanced

In other news:

GOYD moment for me - pak choi from the garden and wild garlic from the woods in a simple stirfry; for my better half, nettle soup

I'm an idiot too then. No courgettes survived last year, this mornig I've just potted on 10 plants in the greenhouse. I'm also eating strawberries and begging to pot the runners (also kept in the greenhouse).

We've had lots of salad from the greenhouse and garden already. Things doing really well - garlic, peas (eaten some already), broad beans, brocolli. Things nearly ready - shallots, kohl rabi.

Just germinating - parsnips, carrots, beetroot, red basil, kale and peppers.

So much on the go and I still need to plant more including cucumbers.

Narc0lepsy

Golly the weeds are hard to keep up with! I lifted the last of late-sown (last year) leeks today as I needed the space and some were beginning to make a flower shoot. Froze 3 bags of them. Pulled a million weeds out between the leek bed and the mange tout, and put in French beans. Most of the mange tout are recovering from their mollusc attack. Runner beans are beginning to climb, but as germination wasn't brilliant, I've put another mixed packet directly in the bed. Aubergines are pathetic thanks to snails, but tomatoes look good with quite a few flowers. butternut squash are desperate to go outside, but it's a bit chilly still plus their bed isn't quite ready; I've put 3 outside in a trough but they are much smaller than the ones still in the greenhouse.

Happygreen

As always I'm giving up on some beds, just can't get it all done once the weeds take over, so what...
The peas are showing and I'm looking forward to the sunny weather to start building the supports. Runners are a few cm tall. I'm also another Courgette idiot, lol. The first lot took an awful long time so I bought another packet of seeds, same with cucumbers! I hope my friend will need some now that most of them are coming up after all...

Ken68

First sowing of parsnips a disaster, second and third OK. So some but less than 2014. Have just sown some swedes to make up. Taters OK except those near a new fence, so thank you Happygreen could be a light thing., Redcurrants took, blueberry didn't. Plant out courgettes and pumpkins next week. Some to give away or swap. Tomatoes in the greenhouse are strong.
Spring cabbage , shallots and onion sets are good. So on balance gonna be a good year.
Opal plums and goosegogs OK

zafiro1984

Deer have been in the veg area, eaten my brussels and some strawberries, really gutted. I think I'll have to net the raised beds or I may lose the lot. OH putting up the frame to the polytunnel today, should be finished this week.

Dizzy_Ditzy

Fresh potatoes and broad beans on my dinner plate tonight :j