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

Fruittea

Hi Everyone
Just back for the plot and things are looking good. A neighbour warned me that a frost might be with us this weekend - so I'll be checking the weather. I'll be over in Essex instead of home in Gloucestershire - so not that good for me.


Smallholding Noticed you're also growing mega byte - they did really well for me last year - I know they are an F1 but I decided to keep some seed - will report back on that as you'll know the seed is expensive. Also growing Crimson Crush and Essex Wonder.
The focus is on the allotment this year and the garden is still a building site and everything is in pots. Still growing though - I'm trailing a square foot bed thing for salads. And I'm going fancy with my beans and peas and have all sorts on the go. I'll take some photos and do a tasting later in the year. Down at the allotment the leeks are just starting to bolt - so I'll keep my eye on them and bring them home and process for the freezer just before they go over.
All the best

Fruittea

Hi Ken68
Just noticed your post - whilst you're around I have a question. My cucumbers and courgettes are a bit leggy. They have about a 5 cm stem before the first leaf. I wondered whether to take a chance with them or should I re-sow? Any thoughts appreciated.

Ken68

If in pots, Fruit, put them outside for more light, then inside at night.
Re-sowing would be cheaper than buying and you probably still have time. Buying in is still an option. Am off to a local fete tomorrow, toms,marrows, cues, courgettes...everything cheap plus donation to the church.

Fruittea

Thanks Ken - will give it a go.

sazzlebgood?

back from our wkend away and whilst away grafted toms and melons arrived, our neighbours took delivery so they weren't left out over night. Good job too as we had a frost which probably would of killed them. Anybody else tried grafted plants? Potted them up and they are living on bedroom windowsill for a week or two. Sown spring onions, carrots, beetroot and lettuce in the raised bed at home.

[Deleted User]

Spring at last, allotment is growing, potatoes are making good growth, fruit is full of blossom and developing nicely, outdoor seeds are sprouted and thinned. The recent dry weather has been perfect for hoeing and I have been over the plot three times, so most weeds are now dealt with. I went around spot weeding some I missed or which are tenacious, like couch grass. Strawberries are fruiting, so bird netting is up in place. Cabbage pop up nets are in place and ready for cabbage babies. Wind net is up and ready for runner beans

I am expecting heavy large hail last week in may. don`t ask how I know, so am delaying putting runners, squash, courgettes, cucs and tomatoes out. They will be set out last day in may, I think that will be right for me in the SW. All growing strongly and I re-potted them 5 days ago. Cabbages will go out soon as the nets will protect them. Always but always with cabbage collars

I gave everything a boost with a foliar feed and two days later am already seeing the good effects

Autumn planted jermor shallots and garlic are on target for harvesting june/july, there is a noticeable difference between the raised bed garlic and those I put directly into the clay soil. Raised bed crop is much much better

Yesterday I also made sure to top up my compost bin, house peelings, paper shreds, comfrey, chopped up brassica

sazzlebegood, I am interested in your grafted plants. Will you let us know if they are so much better please?

sazzlebgood?

hi whilst away we went to clumber park kitchen garden and they has an area dedicated to compost, they had one for a compost that just for acid loving plants such as blueberries. They said to use coffee grounds and rhubarb leaves. We have lots of blueberry plants as DD2 loves them. I was wondering if anybody on the forum had a compost heap just for these type of plants and what they add to it. I don't want to buy peat compost to solve the problem. sown more beetroot and carrots today. Set up new water butt next to greenhouse, we seem to have used loads of water this year ,three large containers are almost empty , 2 still full though. Anybody running low already? Hoed so hopefully that lots of weeds dead.

Narc0lepsy

sazzlebgood? wrote: »

hi whilst away we went to clumber park kitchen garden and they has an area dedicated to compost, they had one for a compost that just for acid loving plants such as blueberries. They said to use coffee grounds and rhubarb leaves. We have lots of blueberry plants as DD2 loves them. I was wondering if anybody on the forum had a compost heap just for these type of plants and what they add to it.

I've got blueberries in tubs (4 bushes) but never used anything special on them - great hint about the rhubarb leaves as I generally put those back around the rhubarb to stop the weeds growing under them.

I'm off to a fairly slow start this year; had an April 2 week holiday plus it has been cold here. I've now got aubergines just potted into a tub, some tomatoes potted on, 2 cucumbers (don't know what happened to the rest) and a whole 'container' full of climbing runner beans. I've just put the canes up in the bed (kindly dug by Mr N as I have a shoulder injury) and will put them out tomorrow. That will free up their container for the next batch, runner beans. I find it handy to line an old freezer drawer with bubblewrap, put the pre-soaked beans in then when they are ready to transplant, pull the bubblewrap out in one piece (square/rectangle) and lay it on the ground - individual plants just fall apart easily.

At the weekend we dug up the last of last year's leeks and spinach/chard so the bed is ready, had some yummy horse manure which has been in bags behind the shed since last Oct. Broad beans and peas are showing their heads now.

I forgot to sow the Italian tomatoes, seed kept from one my neighbour gave me last year, but I'll put it in tomorrow.

sazzlebgood?

narc0lepsy I also use rhubarb leaves to smother weeds too. The aspargus bed yesterday finally given us a good crop (taken 4 years and a lot of patience), Had it steamed smothered in butter, parmigiano and black pepper. Yesterday planted the squashes and courgettes and covered them with fleece to protect against any frost. Hoed alot since i knew it was due to rain today and it is. Spent half an hour getting rid of woolly vine scale by hand off the grapevine, not a nice job but trying to not use chemicals. Anybody else had this?

thriftylass

Put some coffee grounds and crushed egg shells around some veg like the Brussels that got chewed the second time after just having recovered. Hope that will keep the slugs at bay till my organic slug pellets arrive. Seems so work in my main veg patch. Peas (only 3-4 inches tall) have their first flowers so do the tomatoes and the gooseberry bush. Strawberries and the blueberry bush flowered well too (my blueberries do well in our soil without help from special compost, maybe it's acidic, will get some test paper from work). Started a wee garden journal. Still a novice and don't want to make the same mistakes next year. Like the cucumber seeds I have seem to do a lot better in pots in the conservatory. Another 2 died outside the other 2 are okish now but still behind the indoor ones.
I have got a red or black current bush two years ago, but again it's just leaves. Neighbour's is in full bloom. Does it take a few years to bear fruit?