The ups and downs of growing your own dinner 2016...

Dizzy_Ditzy

I've had a lovely busy few hours at 6A today

Cleared the crap and straw from my strawberry bed and cloched one row of them to see if they develop fruit sooner than the other rows.

I dug over one of the beds and got onions in - I'm doing garlic in the same bed which I planted up a few weeks ago and they all seem to be doing nicely

Then I had to get the frame over it to protect them from the birds - frame is an old gazebo frame which is netted round all sides and the top - but the net around a few of the sides was :eek: so I had to sort that out too, but it's all done now.

Rhubarb has had a good dose of horse manure too

unrecordings

Think my appearances this year will be rare, but:

Just sowed carrots, pak choi and spring onions in the ground. Started courgettes on the windowsill and have tomatoes waiting to go outside. I need to get the greenhouses cleaned - I've a couple of those sulphur candles, but i'm a little scared - last year looked like a scene out of Apocalypse Now

smallholding_antics

So on the new place we bought there were rhubarb when we viewed in the summer. When I've looked now what is there looks black and rotten to my eye. Shouldn't it be showing something at least a little green by now?


I've moved my tomatoes to the greenhouse, fingers crossed there's no more frosts but if so, I will protect them (lol sounds very knightly of me......)

sazzlebgood?

been to the allotment this morning and cleaned the green house inside and out. Checked on the forced rhubarb and its looking nice and pink, took all my willpower not to start pulling it. FIL was up there too so he sowed purple sprouting broccoli, cauliflower, leeks and lettuce. Talked about the forest garden were going to attempt on half of one the allotment. Has anybody else done this? It was good to get up there even though it was really cold, didn't seem to bother the birds. Last night we had cabbage from the allotment with our dinner.

smallholding_antics

No, not heard of forest garden?

Fruittea

Don't give up on the rhubarb Smallholding antics - I think it will suddenly spring up as varieties differ. I've got plenty of leaves on some mine whilst others are still not showing. Much sure you put down a ring of manure like Queen of Cheep - just don't put it right over the crown.


Is a forest garden lots of ferns and maybe some mushrooms if it's cool enough. You could get some of those inoculated logs.


I've got three small courgettes just showing on the window sill like you Unrecordings I just couldn't wait for April and we could just be lucky with a warm spring.


I'm just a little stressed as every window sill is full of trays and I'm having new windows put in on April 4th - so everything has to go!

savingpennies

Hi everyone, Checking my seed trays this morning, I have lots of seedlings coming up: cabbage, turnips, beetroots, tomatoes, courgettes, broad beans, basil, kale and some little gen lettuce. I'll probably need to transplant some to bigger pots this week. The nice weather had me out in the garden this morning pulling up a few weeds and hoeing around the strawberry plants and the herb bed. I need to look at sowing some salad leaves this week and possibly some coriander, dill and fennel.

Fruittea

Hi Saving pennies


It sounds as if you're off to a great start. Do you have much success with turnips started I seed trays? I've ever tried that - could you tell me if they are the salad (French) type - I might try it.


Spring is officially here as its the Spring Equinox today. I'll be sowing some more seeds - just can't decide what as I'm quite short for space.


Have a great day everyone.

Fruittea

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Fosterdog

We've decided not to bother with growing our own this year, we had so many plans but everything has been on hold because of the weather and now we are house hunting. I really don't want to plant anything just to end up moving and leaving it all behind.

So the only things we'll have are our existing fruit trees, one large strawberry planter and a few extra pots and our existing raspberry canes. I might get a semi portable tub and just put in a few carrots and parsnips to dig up for Christmas dinner, something that will be easy to take with us when we move. But the rest of the list I posted earlier in the year will be on hold until we have our own home and our own garden or allotment to grow them.

It's a shame it will be the first year that nothing has been planted for around eight years.