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The ups and downs of growing your own dinner 2016...
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Hi folks, i'm jumping on board this thread for the new growing season...
I have recently moved into a new house that has a lovely big garden (more space for a veg plot without taking any play space away for my daughter) and also has a greenhouse.
A couple of questions I have:
1. Should I bother investing in a greenhouse heater to keep the frost off? I have power to the greenhouse so can plug one in and I saw one for about £20 with a built in thermostat recently. Not sure if I should bother though for the benefit vs cost ratio.
2. I also have a squirrel that seems to like it in my garden and lives in one of my trees. Is the squirrel likely to play havoc with my veg patch when I’m set up and if so, what can I do about it?A big believer in karma, you get what you give :A
If you find my posts useful, "pay it forward" and help someone else out, that's how places like MSE can be so successful.0 -
Hi Life.....A propagator would be useful, and for the frost I get by with fleece overnight. Does the same job.
Not sure about squirrels and vegetables, if so, plastic netting on wire hoops, also for the pigeons .....but fiddly.
Do you know what sort of land ? Clay, silt, light loam ??0 -
Hi Life.....A propagator would be useful, and for the frost I get by with fleece overnight. Does the same job.
Not sure about squirrels and vegetables, if so, plastic netting on wire hoops, also for the pigeons .....but fiddly.
Do you know what sort of land ? Clay, silt, light loam ??
No idea what sort of land at the moment. Only moved in a week ago so you can imagine its been mega busy just getting unpacked so the garden is very much on the back burner at the moment. Having said that, I don't want to leave it too late and miss my first season when I have so much potential in the new place.A big believer in karma, you get what you give :A
If you find my posts useful, "pay it forward" and help someone else out, that's how places like MSE can be so successful.0 -
Hi Lifes Grand Plan, looks like we're in the same boat this year
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All I know re squirrels is we were warned that our visitor takes all the hazlenuts before we could get anywhere close. That's all the previous owner told us! The rest we will have to discover ourselves.
This weekend saw a second sowing of seeds including:
Sweet Peppers
Aubergine
Basil
Sungold tomatoes (second lot of sowing)
Golden cherry toms
Brandy vine beef toms
Onions (Kappa)
Cauliflower (2nd attempt, only 2 germinated from 1st Feb sowing).
We have onion sets in the ground and keeping fingers crossed it's not too early/wet. Also another bed prepared ready for the potatoes that are chitting on the utility north facing window.
The dining room is looking after the first sewing of tomatoes which are rotated daily.
I have just taken receipt of my next batch of seeds from T&M and shall be planting those over the next few days when I get time. They will be brought in the house too. Hoping to get some things planted outside next month.0 -
I ordered some garlic bulbs a few weeks ago from suttons with a voucher they sent me and when I opened the box, half of them were mouldy amd horrible
I posted a pic on their Facebook page and they emailed me to say that they were going to replace the whole lot :T
I went to plot 1 yesterday to dig over one of the beds and get a plastic cloche down ready for the garlic to go in sometime in the next couple of weeks. I pruned my blackberries too amd have lots of lovely new sticks for the peas when the time comes :cool:
I am itching to get more stuff sowed but it's still a little early for me. I have some tomatoes, chillies and peppers started off and a load of potatoes out chitting so the season is underway :jI’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Health & Beauty, Greenfingered Moneysaving and How Much Have You Saved boards. If you need any help on these boards, please do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com
All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert0 -
We have potatoes too, it feels lovely to think we have started to grow our own!
One of the aubergine seeds has poked its head through already!!!
Does anyone else keep track of how much they spend on seeds etc to compare to the cost of what the veg saves them, or not, in the long run? Or is that just me0 -
My carrot seeds have been dispatched. A busy afternoon is on the cards for tomorrow
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I think keeping track of the cost is a really good thing. Last year I tracked the cost of what the veg would cost in the supermarket - just to see how valuable our growing was. And it was enormous - I didn't work out every penny but at the end of the year it was £230.
I'm excited to make a start this year - but I have leggy tomato seedlings - so I think I've started just a bit too soon.0 -
Mine were very leggy so I replanted them deeper and they now seem fine a week on. Fingers crossed0
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Thanks Smallholding
I'll try that. I've opted for Sub Artic Plenty which is supposed to tolerate cool temperatures. Plus a couple of others I've saved from last year.
Some of my artichokes have poked their heads up this morning - I'm planning to plant an artichoke bed in the front garden where I keep my chickens. I thought they'd be too touch for them to eat and it would give me some greenery.
Has anyone seen any Mega-bite tomatoes on sale this year. I can't seem to find them in the usual shops. They really impressed me last year.0
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