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

Fruittea

A quick update on the Veg Plot Challenge:
Artichokes, Pak choi, Rhubarb, Potatoes, Salad, Herbs, Watercress, Rocket, Strawberries - all would have cost £21.50.
From the supermarket this week:
Spinach, Broccoli, Asparagus, Courgette, Mushrooms, Toms, Cucumber - cost £15.80. So my total is now £51.50 saved.
Good luck with the growing this weekend. I'm hoping to go down to the lotty a little later- weeding time!

moneyistooshorttomention

Fruittea wrote: »

Cats - I have two huge maine coons. I love em! So sorry to hear you're having problems Money. I for one would not like to grow underground things like beetroot where they are pooping. One thing - maybe ask the neighbours if they might consider encouraging their cat to use a litter tray. Both mine do and I can therefore deal with the poops.
Cats mark their territory with urine to and they think your garden is theirs. And bad news they like high spaces. However, if the neighbours won't help there are some things you might do to control it.
On the kindest spectrum:
Plant through wire mesh as the can't scratch up the ground - so they won't dig or poo. Or just lay some down until they get the idea and go elsewhere.
Once what you're growing gets big enough they will find somewhere else to go anyway as they are a little lazy - so it's only seedlings and tiny plants that will suffer.
You could try giving them a designated place to go - catnip and gust dug soft ground in a space you don't need to use - like behind a bush.
Half fill large see through plastic (2.5 litre) bottles with water and lay them on their side where you want to protect the ground. If they go near it or the wind blows the moving water frightens them - it's a bit like a big beast blinking.
On the mean side of things and if you're desperate:
Holly sticks as a temporary deterrent - but they will get the message.
A water pistol - a quick squirt usually is enough to tell them they're not wanted.
They are creatures of pattern so once the pooping stops or is disrupted - it's over.
Good luck.

The neighbour concerned definitely wouldnt help - they are probably only too pleased their cat is being a nuisance more like:cool::(.

The cat has "figured things out" by the look of it and will take off at a rate of knots if its near my garden and spots me. You can just see the look on its face - which boils down to "Uh-oh! It's her - and she's seen me. Quick - run!". The look on face earlier today when it barrelled over the fence and saw me was positively comical and I've never seen a cat move so fast...

It knows....its clearly very aware of where it shouldnt be. Daft thing is I quite like cats per se and they like me - but I just dont want one near my garden.

I've made a note of your ideas and am now wondering whether I should try the garden mesh one to start with. I have kept my eye open for holly - but it's one of the very "common or garden" plants that I just cant seem to find any of in this part of the country for some reason.

The other plant I just cant find here for love nor money is comfrey - and I've just given up on that and sent off for some young comfrey plants and will grow a couple in my garden. I did previously send for a couple of comfrey plants to plant "in the wild" and that didnt work out. So - I've got 6 of them coming - so I figure thats 4 for me and 2 to plant "in the wild" in a different location this time and hope they "take" this time.

There are loads of sloe bushes round here though - I guess that would achieve much the same thing? I can feel a walk coming on - complete with thick gloves and a pair of shears - as I can think of a couple of patches of that quite close to me.

Thinks....I reckon I'm off to google for catnip...distraction tactics....

Fruittea

Cats seem to get to know very quickly where they're wanted. So good luck. Shame you didn't mention the need for comfrey before Money I could have sent you a few roots in a jiffy - they usually root really easily. I guess you've gone for bocking 14 or something. I think mine is but I can't be sure. If yours doesn't take - give me a shout.
Well I weeded quite a bit and things are looking tidier down at the lotty. The parsnips have set well so there's now a very long list of veg on the go. I bent over the final lot of onions and hope to get them out in the next couple of weeks to make some more room. Also brought home some Rhubarb to put out for sale tomorrow. Will ask £1 a bag with about 4/500grms - so less than half the supermarket price. So hope to sell that to passer-byes.
Happy growing Everyone.

moneyistooshorttomention

Yep...its bocking 14 thats on its way here.

I can never really quite follow the difference in that respect between different types of comfrey. But I guess bocking 14 is the one that one has to physically chop a bit off and deliberately propagate - ie rather than it "doing its own thing" and going invasive iyswim. So if I want some more plants - then I can do so - but if I dont they dont just "turn up"?

Thanks for the offer. I'll see how I go with these and time will tell...

tootallulah

Another grey day but at least it isn't raining yet......I am going to tidy up the garden and greenhouse they both look pretty dog eared.

Jazee

tootallulah wrote: »

Another grey day but at least it isn't raining yet......I am going to tidy up the garden and greenhouse they both look pretty dog eared.

Same weather and plans here, although the sun is now beginning to poke through the clouds.

determined_new_ms

Can I join in? Am a beginner gardener - and my interests lie with growing vegetables not flowers.

I have 2 small beds in my garden so am growing a lot of stuff in pots and my small greenhouse is bursting. I have 4 courgette plants and over the weekend I harvested my 1st 2 courgettes, 4 squash plants (but one just hasn't established so think I am going to have to dig it up and use the space for something else), have 2 tubs of runner beans, some dwarf green beans but they seem to be struggling since I planted them and slugs/snails decimated the first lot I planted so yesterday I sowed some more, garlic almost ready to harvest, onions also am about to harvest, beetroot, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, chillis, aubergines which are now setting fruit, strawberries, radishes, mange tout, rocket & basil all doing very well!

A few lettuces but for some reason I don't seem to be able to germinate lettuce! Have watched a youtube tutorial and followed the instructions to a tee but that was last Tuesday and they still haven't germinated! Any advice would be gratefully received!

Due to space I grew early potatoes in sacks and the foliage looked like it was wilting/dying off so I harvested but a lot of the tubers were like marbles although some were an oow lk size. Any ideas on how long to leave the other bags before trying to see if they are ready?

It's all very exciting! I've grown tomatoes and salad before, and tried to grow some stuff last year but due to work I started late so didn't have the greatest return. I'm very excited about this years achievement!

I also got an allotment last week suddenly. I made inquiries about a plot and as luck would have it there was one available and I got it the next day! It's in a bit of a state so there is a lot to do, but over the week I've managed to get down there for about 8 hours so already have done quite a bit - cut back 80% of the weeds & saved a strawberry bed. There is a plum tree that is in fruit, a apple tree, a raspberry bed that's overgrown but with some tlc I think it will be ok and on Saturday I discovered a gooseberry bush :-)

There's an awful lot to do so once I've cut it back about 80% already and once I've burned it off I intend to mulch with cardboard, manure and put black plastic over 80% of it to leave until spring. Once I've done that I will start to work on building a compost heap, pruning back the trees that are obscuring the sunlight from about 2/3rds of the plot.

I swing from elation at having the plot and unbounded enthusiasm to feeling overwhelmed that I'll never get it into being a working allotment! Just need to focus on a small bit at a time and keep dreaming of all the home grown produce we'll have next year!

Fruittea

Hi Determined Welcome to the group. It's been very helpful to me. Like yourself I'm more interested in the veg side of things. Good news about the allotment - is it a full size allotment. Mine is just a strip. What part of the country are you in?
I must admit it I were starting my allotment again I would go for no dig raised beds. I would keep them at the standard size - so all clouches and netting could be moved around and would fit everything.
It sounds as though you have quite a bit in already but the options really open up with the space you now have.
You say you are going to cover up until next sprig but if you going to the trouble of digging why not get some winter brassicas in now. I think to get something is a better idea. Sow brassicas now in some modules and they'll be ready once you've done a bit of digging. Overwinter your garlic, onions, shallots and broad beans and you'll get them nice and early next year. You can also have winter lettuce in. If you're finding it hard to germinate lettuce at the moment buy a packet of cut and come again which is easy to work with and you'll have salads in a few weeks.
I also think about price so I tend to grow the things I eat that are a bit more expensive - like asparagus and artichokes and I keep an account of how much it would cost me to buy I the supermarket.
Try to draw up a plan of what you want. I just use an A4 sheet with drawings and a diary to and jot things down and sort of give myself jobs in the diary throughout the year - that way it doesn't seem as though it has to happen all at once.
Good luck and I'm glad you joined us.

Kantankrus_Mare

A big welcome from me too Determined!! Sounds like a good plot with something to start you off.

Happy allotmenting.

determined_new_ms

Hi Fruittea & Kantankrus Mare thanks for the welcome!

Fruittea I'm in the south east. I've been told the plot is a full sized plot, looks smaller than some on the allotment though but that might be because of the shape and current trees/bushes that make it look smaller...

I would like to do raised beds, but cash is in short supply at the moment! Have been out of work for the past year (had 6 months where I was working but only a few hours a week). Am due to start a job in the next few weeks but it is part time so funds still low. I'm all for getting as much as I can for free/borrowing but can't afford a big outlay. So far have borrowed a strimmer and rake. Only purchase for the allotment has been a pair of shears