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

moneyistooshorttomention

Holds hand up and admits grow-your-own is never going to save me money overall.

It might have done if my garden was "together" in the first place when I bought this house a couple of years back. But - I've had to spend literally thousands of £s ripping out shrubs/replacing topsoil/raised beds/a mini "greenhouse" of the 'Quality' type next. That's before I have/spend the remaining thousands of £s necessary to fully turn the garden into the "way it should be".

There was me hoping to save money - and I might have done with a different garden (ie different house). But - its just as well that my basic reason for growing food is to be able to have stuff that's more unusual than I can find at a farmers market even and thats absolutely fresh and organic. I dont want to have to worry myself about the amount of money handed over from my purse to have my "10 a day" (yep...I did say ten and not five:rotfl:). Single people waste an awful lot of food - by it going off on them before they can eat it.

So thats the stuff that will make it worthwhile to me personally - though it will probably rate overall as costing a huge amount per lb. of food eaten:(

Things are starting to come together in the garden this year. Re rhubarb - I have two different types and one is going "great guns" and I should get quite a bit off it in a couple of weeks or so. The other is a different type and younger and I wondered why most of the leaves were getting widespread red blotching on them and whether this is the way some types of rhubarb are meant to be? It got me worried and I removed all the leaves concerned and its "on probation" whilst I wait to see what happens.

I had loads of strawberries last year and it looks as I'm on cue for same again this year. Hope I get more of my plums and apples than I did last year - it was my first real "year of production" on them and pickings were very slim (and made worse by birds and bugs).

I'm getting the idea of how-to. Was given lessons personally in how to dig the other day by a friend:rotfl:. This garden was so "unbothered with" by previous owners that I've been digging up bricks/large chunks of concrete block/etc:eek:. Mind boggles at a house being several decades old and with several previous owners and apparently none of them have ever dug the garden properly:eek:

Jazee

Morning all. I'm another one who's never going to save money growing my own. Firstly, my garden is small so I don't grow a lot and secondly, the greenhouse cost a lot.

Yesterday I sorted out my tomato plants in the greenhouse. I have about 30 in there, beginning to flower. I also planted the courgettes (which I bought as I was too late with my own seeds) in pots as an experiment. I put self-adhesive copper tape round the pots and need to put netting over too at some point. I put straw around the base of the plants.

Also, put straw round the strawberries, need to net those too. And did some weeding.

thriftylass

Fruittea wrote: »

Thirftylass I wondered what potatoes you are growing and where you are as that can make a difference. You must wait until the plants have flowered and a basic rule of thumb is:


First Earlies 10 weeks from March or planting
Second Earlies 13 weeks from mid March
Early main crop 15 weeks from late March
Main crop 20 weeks from late March

Next year I will put in in the calendar. I think they are earlies. I put them in ages ago (I know, that doesn't help does it) and I'm in northern Scotland. Two plants are flowering now, I think it must have been at least 10 weeks as I think I put them in before we went away on March 9th.

Thank you

Fruittea

Morning Everyone
I'll be off to the allotment shortly but thought I'd just catch up.
Not sure about the rhubarb Moneystoshort as mine seems to thrive whatever I do. Sounds as though the garden is a bit of a nightmare but it's really worth digging it and there is a bit of a skill to it. Mine's still a mess and will be for the rest of the year (building works) but I hope when things settle done I'll recover it and I've fenced the chickens into one spot now.

I guess cost-wise I'll really lucky as my allotment fee is just £12 per year. I grow for 2 adults - both vegetarian so agree with the '10 a day' thing. I also grow for a couple of other people who I do a little gardening work for - so I get £20 towards seeds and I'm a great one for taking cuttings. My shed and greenhouse were bottled freegled - so no cost.


I suppose I grow because I enjoy it really - not just to save money. Last year in the Summer I only bought avocados and mushrooms - all Summer so it felt very worthwhile but I did spend some money on an online vegetable growing course.


I like things like kales, fennels, spinach, garlic and tomatoes - nothing really unusual but I like the best so the costs do mount up. Take flowersprouts for instance £1.50 for 60grms in Waitrose - that's £9.68 at kilo. And there are some things I really shouldn't bother to grow as I can buy them cheaper at a local farm like carrots, onions and potatoes. I still think it's counting the cost though - if only for a bit of a laugh.

moneyistooshorttomention

flowersprouts? Sounds like a new one to me - off for a quick google....

Narc0lepsy

You sound to all be very productive. I've had a slow start and last w/e Mr N and I made a huge list of all we wanted to achieve in the garden this year. Unfortunately it seems to be getting longer - we've been living here for 26yrs now and "things" we put up are gradually rotting - e.g. decking, pergola, sleepers around my veg bed. We also have a lot of shrub/flower/pot stuff which seems to need a lot of attention; attention which I should be spending on food produce.

however, I need to pick and freeze a load or rhubarb later today, as we've eaten loads and have loads left. I don't do anything special, but cover one of my 2 plants with a large pot to 'force' early, and put lots of manure on both plants.

Really we don't seem to get more than 2 or 3 days in a row of sun before it gets cold again, so I think that is why a lot of things are hit and miss. Butternut squash seeds show no signs of germinating, although winter squashes are already doing well outside. Tomatoes are picking up a bit; aubergine plants doing well. Outside, peas and various beans are looking ok but we could actually do with some rain here now.

Fruit-wise, 3 of the 4 blueberry bushes (lost 1 last year) are flowering well, as are the 89p raspberry canes (from Ald1 last year).

One of the items on the list is "plant all remaining seeds" on the grounds that at least they can be growing while we are tackling the rest of the list.

zafiro1984

First strawberries picked yesterday, just three and they didn't make it to the kitchen. To-day 11, so I making a special effort, I'm making some meringues, so it's meringues, cream, strawberries and dark chocolate drizzled over the top after tea. yum-yum !!

Scottish_Mike

Nice! Enjoy My strawbs are still a few weeks away, but fruit has set! Got a loganberry from Wilkos last year which will hopefully be laden with fruit in a month or so.

Got sweetcorn in yesterday, was planning on also planting borlotti beans around them but the borlottis are taller than the corn! Repotted chillis and bell peppers and some tomatoes, but everything's still quite small.

Been replanting dahlias around the garden too, and managed to surreptitiously sow a few squash seeds. Mwah ha ha! (Partner feels our garden is too small for squash. We shall see...)

rosie383

I've discovered a gooseberry bush in my garden. The gooseberries all have some kind of coating on them, brownish stuff, with healthy looking fruit underneath.
It is next to where we are having a new extension built and I'm wondering if this is a coating of dust which has then got wet and stuck on! Any idea? The plant itself looks healthy enough,

purplepardalis

The slugs have defeated me this year on some of my growing. 2 lots of runner beans gone and my courgettes grown from seed. I have cats and cannot put pellets down and I wasn't quick enough for nemotodes. Tomatoes in bags are doing well, sweetcorn still in the ground but not hopeful. This is the first year growing in this garden and the soil is stoney and not great. I have bought some courgette plants today. Going to wait until they're massive before planting out. Then the slugs can take their share!

Might manage a cucumber or two in pots.

My first attempts at growing were amazing due to greenhouse and beautifully looked after soil. Sadly moved now but not giving up!!

All my decorative stuff and flowers in pots is ok. Plus my lovely herb planter so I'm slightly mollified !