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

zafiro1984

Fruittea wrote: »

Morning Everyone
Shopping this week is minimalist only fine beans, mushrooms, avocado and tomatoes so around £8 spend for me. On the saving side of things it's a whopping £20.57 - broadbeans (can't believe how much they are in the shops), potatoes, artichokes, cut salad and an iceburg lettuce, radish, herbs, rhubarb and strawberries. Bringing my total save up to £72.07.
Things that will come on line soon are peas and beans, spinach, cucumber, peppers and chillis and tomatoes and aubergines. That's without the fruit. Looks like a bumper season ahead! How's yours doing Zafiro?

Fruittea, Slowly I think the phrase should be. I'm trying to account for everything I harvest, using Tesco as a guide, but I'm sure I've missed things.

Updated my signature yesterday and put it in large bold print. However, one thing had become clearly apparent, growing your own does save money, not just in the actual cost of the veg/fruit but also by stopping me impulse buying because I'm not going to the supermarkets as often and therefore I'm not tempted to spend.

I'm going to do my 'savings' against anything I spend on buying seeds, compost, slug bait etc to see the bigger picture of whether or not the overall is a 'save' or 'spend'

determined_new_ms

Morning everyone I too am upset by the election results Fruittea. Today I'll be staying off of social media so as not to be around all of the negativity

Was planning to go to the zoo but madam wants a lazy day so no doubt will do some gardening Hopefully oh will be up for going to the allotment for a bit when he gets home from work :j

I have a question. I planted 2 courgette plants in pot as I don't have enough space in the garden but it has become clear the pots are too small. One plant is the one I have been harvesting. Will it do any damage repotting them?

Fruittea

I agree Zafiro we should balance all the costs but it gets complicated. For example I bought a magazine last week £4.99 but I got 5 free packets of seeds. Also agree that you're not so tempted so spend less. I now shop online with Ocado (change from Tesco) so it's not such a problem. And I buy my seeds when the sales are on. So this year I paid just a £1 for all of them and I have a huge stock. I also get back a little money from the people I garden for.
Determined Sorry to hear of your dilemma. I think you might have a bit of trouble trying to repot them. Would you consider cutting back the weaker and sacrificing it to let the other one grow well. You could always sow another couple of seeds (there's still time) and that way you will still have plenty of courgettes until late in the season. Also give it plenty of feed as when in pots they can't access many nutrients.


Oh and in my earlier post I forgot to add courgettes, pumpkins, parsnips and fennel which are all o their way. Down in the greenhouse I noticed my first tiny cucumber fruits. I also pulled up all the garlic and it's in the shed drying. It's got a bit of rust - so when I plant later I'll add a bit of wood ash and seaweed solution

moneyistooshorttomention

Not strictly food-related per se - but I could do with some "stepping stones" in my garden.

A quick check online at Amazon reveals that basically ready-made stepping stones tend to be made of concrete and/or expensive. I dont want concrete and I cant afford expensive.

Any ideas anyone on what I could use as "alternative" garden stepping stones?

Jazee

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Not strictly food-related per se - but I could do with some "stepping stones" in my garden.

A quick check online at Amazon reveals that basically ready-made stepping stones tend to be made of concrete and/or expensive. I dont want concrete and I cant afford expensive.

Any ideas anyone on what I could use as "alternative" garden stepping stones?

Decking squares? Cut offs from tree trunks?

Kantankrus_Mare

Seems I am not the only one on my allotment site to not have success with garlic.

After speaking to a few on the same lane as me..........all theirs have rotted as well.

On a more positive note........I picked a handful of spinach leaves which are doing really well, to go on top of homemade pizza.
Picked my first bunch of sweet peas and they they are sat smelling sweetly on my kitchen windowsill.
More rhubarb picked. Think it might go in the freezer as we already have a rhubarb crumble waiting to be eaten. I am determined to not let anything go to waste this year. If it cant be eaten straight away it will be frozen if possible.

Oh....just remembered. Picked some elderflowers with the intent of making elderflower champagne. Never made it before so will let you know how it goes.

zafiro1984

Kantankrus_Mare wrote: »

Oh....just remembered. Picked some elderflowers with the intent of making elderflower champagne. Never made it before so will let you know how it goes.

Sounds good and Elderflower sorbet is lovely as well, light and fresh tasting, good on a summers day.

Jazee

I haven't checked my garlic yet - the leaves have not completely died back - but I'm not expecting much as we didn't get the frosts that are needed for the bulbs to separate.

Have harvested some broad beans, kale and rocket for DD to take home today, but overall disappointed so far this year.

Strawberries still not ripe, courgettes not doing a lot, peas/beans eaten by pests, tomatoes still just flowers.

Never mind, judging in two weeks.

Fruittea

Hi Everyone
Just back from the allotment and I have a couple of courgettes with me. I'm growing yellow and green - 4 plants in all so that should cut down the shopping bills. Plenty of really nice lettuces too.
Jazee don't be to downhearted it's still early - things will come on.
Kantankrus - funny business with the garlic - maybe try a different type next year. You've made me remember a tip I have from an old grower. Only separate the garlic glove you are going to plant when you are ready to plant. The first year I planted it I separated all the cloves to count how many I had - I the left them for about two weeks and none of them did well. Now I take the whole glove with me and plant it at once. Sounds silly but it worked for me.


What do you think of these Money



Stepping stones made from cement and Rhubarb leaves - I stole the picture from Pinterest by the way (it's not me).

Dizzy_Ditzy

Evening folks

Bumping from page 2!

I had to pull most of my garlic at both sites because of rust. Pluckily I've caught it early so could just cut the leaves off and dispose of them. The bulbs are drying out in the greenhouse.

I picked my first cherries today! Only 3 but cherries are cherries first raspberries and blackcurrants too

Anyone else with a mega glut if strawberries? I've brought home about 13lb of them so far and there are still more to come. There's been loads wasted this year by them being got by ants, slugs and woodlice :mad: still, I've got enough jam to supply a small corner shop right now :rotfl:

Dug up the first lot of spuds at the weekend. Second load coming up this weekend, as well as the gooseberries and yet more strawberries!

My strawbs are in a sunken bed, which I've struggled to get to properly this year so I might pull them up when they're done and reload them into a pallet so I don't have to do more damage to my already arthritic lower limbs

How is everyone else doing?