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

Fruittea

Hi Everyone
Just had an email to say Mr !!!!!!!!!!! has a seed sale on. It's already posted on another thread but I thought I'd post it here to. If you buy 5 packs you also get a free one. So a great time to buy next years seed. It also includes seed collections. Don't buy any parsnip though as that seed has to be fresh - or use that this year.
It's a great sale - so get stuck in.


http://www.mr-!!!!!!!!!!!.co.uk/


Insert the name in the link - the site is blocking the name f othergills

Scottish_Mike

I showed all my original tomato seeds at the end of March. They germinated well, we're maybe a bit leggy, but generally looked decent, so I moved them to the (unheated) greenhouse and left them there.

Big mistake. It got way too cold overnight, the leaves went purple (? phosphorus deficiency) and they all generally look terrible and will probably die within the next week. I'd hoped that moving them back indoors would have helped but I think I was too late.

Got more pots of everything sowed last week, they have germinated and so far, are looking good. I've learned from my mistake and won't be leaving them in the cold greenhouse until temperatures increase.

I have no luck with tomatoes!

Fruittea

I feel your pain ScottishMike - I did the same and got caught by the frost. I had just one of the Sub artic plenty's in the house - so I can still see how they grow.
I had to slink off to the garden centre at the weekend and buy more. I chose 4 different types so we'll see.
I've just bought 25 packets of seed (see earlier post) over at Mr Foth--erigs. Couldn't help myself. So I'm all stocked for the rest of the year and next!
Are you growing anything unusual this year SM?

UnluckyT

Having another go at having an allotment plot. Plus growing a few bits on the balcony/windowsill.
Sharing a third of a plot with a family member.
Some of the seed potatoes are planted out, various seed's growing well on family member window will.
Been busy trying to get to grips with clay soil and dig in stuff to combat it.
Fingers crossed the weather improves and stays good.

thriftylass

Hello, could I join you please? Used the bung it in method before too, but trying a bit harder this year. Relative novice though.

I'll be trying a sq ft garden this year, see picture.

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Up in Scotland I unfortunately planted stuff out too early and most things froze to death like the beetroot, cucumbers, beans, spinach. Cabbagy things got eaten (cabbage, broccoli, swede). Still got my pea plants outside and the brussels are doing ok. Got new seedlings ready for most things but hope it will get warmer soon before they go out. Tomatoes, chillies, and salad are doing ok in the unheated conservatory. Will check the tomatoes leaf colour now though. Oh and herbs in the kitchen window sill. Also got tatties in that after 2 months finally broke surface. Got an apple tree in the front garden as well as some hardy herbs like parsley, chives, rosemary, and sage from two years ago. The back garden also has 4 fruit bushes (gooseberry, blueberry, raspberry and red/or blackcurrent) that are all still quite young. The strawberries (in pots last year in the conservatory) I planted out in the autumn and they came back great.

So that's me for now. Might go and finally built my out door plants a wee tent tonight.

Fruittea

Sounds good Thirftylass - the sq foot thing sounds interesting. I'm going to try it in one of the raised beds just for salad.
Planted more beans today (just in case) and some fennel the bulb kind in a seed tray. Hopefully it will grow up ok - I know they don't like being transported but I'll make sure I do it when they're little.
All the best

northwest1965

Fruittea - glad to see photobucket worked well

thriftylass - love that idea.

Here are my toms. I don't put out till June. Grow you little devils!

thriftylass

Good morning.

Last night I heaped up my potatoes a bit, closed the conservatory windows to make it warmer (apparently tomatoes can recover from cold induced phosphorous deficiency, which I hope for, as they are just a little purple), and found two big sheets of cellophane/plastic which I draped over my veg patch to keep them a bit warmer too.

Fruittea

Tiny little toms Northwest1965 - but they'll soon get there. I'm in Gloucestershire so I can plant out early - I grow them against a white wall which gets the sun all day and no wind. So I'm lucky like that and can put them out mid may.
I'm growing some mega -bites which are real thugs - little sturdy beasts of toms. It would be great to keep taking photos throughout the year - so we can all see. I'll try to take some of mine now and post them.
Thriftylass it was a good idea to cover up a bit - it was a really hard frost. I threw a blanket over the plastic greenhouse to keep the worst of it off.

zafiro1984

Love looking at the photos, every one is all neat and tidy, unfortunately I'm not, so I think I'll stay off photographing my plot.

Earlies are now all in, Maris Bard in the tunnel and orla outside. Strawberries are starting to show the odd flower, all covered over with fleece as this weather is far too cold. Shallots and onions are in. Tomatoes are coming along quite nicely but still small. Took a chance and put the first dwarf beans in the tunnel yesterday. carrots are just showing. Sweetcorn in modules are about 2"high so I may take a chance and plant outside as soon as this weather changes but cover them up with fleece (the farmer next door has just drilled his sweetcorn)

I've decided to only grow what we actually eat, so I made a list and I'm sticking to it. However, I need to get the fruit cage back into production as it's been neglected this past few years so I spent part of the morning raking out the old weeds - now my shoulders hurt. I've got some raspberries to put in and 6 blueberries, found some rhubarb on the muck heap so that can go in as well. I think this year I'll put my beans and peas in there so they can grow up the frames.

Must remember to start off the lettuces, courgettes, squash, cucumbers and maybe the French and Runner beans for outside, Celery needs to be started - it's so busy at the moment - no time to tidy up

Has anyone got an Apricot bush? - I fancy growing one and I've no idea what they need.