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

sazzlebgood?

just got back from the allotment where i must of grown several inches with the amount of mud i had sticking to my shoes. Still too wet and cold to plant the early pots. Constructed a frame for the new blackberry plant, hoping eventually to get the ends to self root in pots to gain additional plants. Looking forward to blackberry and apple crumble with homemade ice cream mmmmmmmm. Cider trees came whilst we were away advised FIL to soak them before he put them in. Unfortunately he soaked them for 3 days, he quickly planted them after I said it was supposed to just be a couple of hours. Hoping its not killed them otherwise it was a very expensive lesson. Wish the sun would come out. Harvested some of the forced rhubarb so I can make some more rhubarb cake. The colour and smell remind me of rhubarb and custard sweets.

Dizzy_Ditzy

I picked the first of this years non forced rhubarb yesterday I'm green with envy at the size of rhubarb plants on other people plots and none of them are forced.

First lot of spuds are in, onions and garlic doing well at both plots Need the weather to stay dry for a few days so I can get more spuds in! Squashes have been started and live in the greenhouse - they're growing at a rate of knots so I'm hoping that by keeping them in there instead of bringing them in at night it'll slow their growth down somewhat until its time to plant them out

Today I plan on getting more tomatoes started, pumpkins, French beans, more beetroot sown and the first lot of spring onions on the go

Ken68

Yes Queen, its all happening now.
I get grown tomato plants from the church fete, not too expensive and buy enough for neighbours.

Jazee

Hello all. I've spent a couple of days out in the garden. I harvested the last of the leeks, carrots and chard and made soup this morning. The plot has now been dug over with new compost from the heap.

Indoor the aubergines and peppers have begun to germinate. Still loads to do.

smallholding_antics

This weekend seems to have seem our plot explode with tiny little green shoots, from peas, beans, potatoes (all outside).


Inside the greenhouse got too hot and literally dried out some bean in the space of a couple of hours, they wilted and it was awful. I watered them and brought them into the cool part and they were stood upright again in no time. Hopefully they will be ok. They are so pretty! Today isn't as hot so they should be ok.


I am going to pop them under the cold frame tonight for the rest of this week and then plant them out when the weather allows.


So my tomato plants are going great, when I do move them to their grow bags (well, our home made version?) please?

Fruittea

Sounds as if everyone's doing well. Saw this and thought it might be useful:


QUICK CALENDAR FOR OUTDOOR TOMATOES

• Sow seeds in pots indoors
  Second week of March 2016
• Pot up young plants
  Second week of April 2016
• Harden off young plants
  First week of May 2016
• Plant out young plants
  Third week of May 2016
• Begin high potash feed
  When flowers die off
• Begin pruning cordon type
  When side shoots appear
• Begin harvesting tomatoes
  First week of August 2016
• Begin nitrogen feed
  First week of September

I'll pin it up in the shed as a reminder. Although you might want to stretch it or bring things forward for different parts of the county or you have a sheltered spot. I have gone with Tomato Sub Artic Plenty - which are about 5 inches high at the mo - so I'll take a chance with them and get them outside I the first week in May but I'll keep my eye on them as it's the first year I've tried them.


Ken68 (or anyone with ideas) I know you're a very experienced gardener - would you have any ideas about Okra. I'm just looking at mine - there's in a heated propagator on the window sill and all three are wilting. Same thing happened last year and I was too late to re-sow. Any ideas about growing them and what I'm doing wrong.


Peppers and aubergines are thriving. And lots of little shots everywhere.

sazzlebgood?

first lot of early pots (accent) gone in today. Looking forward to eating them with lashings of butter and chopped mint mmmm

milasavesmoney

New to this thread but I love vegetable gardening.
Ten tomatoes in 6in pots were potted up today.
Pea starts planted
Fertilized yellow iron deprived oregano bush.
Planted two artichokes
Watered seed starts. Not one tomatillo start. Must be that the seed was too old. Planted
sage in that row

Ken68

Never grown OKRA, Fruittea, I read similar conditions to cucumber.

Fruittea

Morning Everyone
Thanks Ken. Lost all three - what a pain. And I can't find the packet so I may have to wait till next year.
What a frost we had this morning and snow in Cheltenham apparently! Luckily a neighbour mentioned it would be a hard frost so I managed to cover up a few early things that I had outside and eveythings ok. Hope it didn't catch anyone out.
The early potatoes (in pots on the patio) are fine lovely strong green haulms on them.
And some of the tomatoes are about 7" high in their pots.
I've bee watching this fantastic guy on Youtube making a pea harp and I'll be going for that this year. Take a look and tell me what you think. Meanwhile I'll be out in the garden I'll deconstructing things ad getting ready for the painter tomorrow. The windows went in ok - so I've also got my window sills back - hurray.
http://www.learn-how-to-garden.com/