The great, good and not so good bits about growing your own dinner 2017

determined_new_ms

turn of events for today has meant I'm not working - not feeling very well - so hope to get some more bits done

discovered I left 3 of my cucumber plants outside (not even in the GH!) yesterday 1 looks like it's carked it, another looks like it's heading the same way. So will need to sow these again and hope for the best!

Fruittea

Morning Everyone
When I looked out of the window at 6 this morning I could see it was quite a hard frost. So I'm glad I brought things in last night. Can't speak for the greenhouse and I won't get down there today - so fingers crossed.
Sounds as thought you will have to resow those cucumbers Determined. It's annoying buy there's still plenty of time. I have some on the window sill but they have gone quite leggy - but I'll stick with them for now and see.
Thank you for the pattern info Love Knitting Socks - they look just right for me.
Take care not to be too near the kitchen with the compost JoJo as you can sometimes get rodents wanting to live in them.
No sowing for me today but I'm hoping to put spare plants out tomorrow for sale - might make my fortune.
Sorry to those who have been caught out by the weather -April is always tricky but I think we may be over the worst frostwise..

zafiro1984

Didn't do anything that was planned for yesterday, only managed to water the tunnel.

Snowed again but at least it isn't sticking. Spent a large part of yesterday afternoon finding dry logs for the fire and drilling holes in the ground as one of the fences has been pushed over and needs replacing.

Today - weather permitting - I will be having a look at what I can plant or pot up, also must go and check the potatoes outside as I forgot to cover them last night and we woke up to frost on the ground.

However, I think I am now going to declare that I will be self sufficient in potatoes for this year from this point on. The earlies (Swift) are cropping well in the tunnel, with Rocket and Charlotte to follow so there should be enough before the outside ones are ready.

CAFCGirl

determined_new_ms wrote: »

turn of events for today has meant I'm not working - not feeling very well - so hope to get some more bits done

discovered I left 3 of my cucumber plants outside (not even in the GH!) yesterday 1 looks like it's carked it, another looks like it's heading the same way. So will need to sow these again and hope for the best!

Bring them indoors for some respite and you never know they might perk up again

Kantankrus_Mare

Well what a waste of two days off work!! Not been able to do anything at the plot for this horrible weather. Just done my daily visit though to combine watering in greenhouse and walking the dog.
Saw a notice on another allotment which made me laugh.:rotfl: Not sure if MSE will allow me to write what it said but here goes:

"NO TOOLS LEFT IN MY SHED BECAUSE THE THIEVING BAS*ARDS HAVE ALREADY GOT THEM! IF YOU WERE THINKING OF THIEVING YOU ARE TOO LATE AND IF I CATCH YOU ON MY PLOT I WILL COMPOST YOU!!
AR*EHOLE SCUM"

smeeinnit

Hi all

Not much to report here, weather has been appalling so play suspended :rotfl:

Hoping tonight will be the last night I have to put the Rocket potatoes in the garage, forecast is looking warmer at night after tonight.

In other news....I can see two carrots have sprouted!!! Two! Hopeful some more will follow, perhaps its the persistent rain this week that helped. Everything indoors is quietly growing away, tomatoes put on a bit of growth and looking like tomatoes now :j

Hope everyone is doing ok

LoveKnittingSocks

Another day closer to the weekend :j

The weather has been slightly warmer today and its looking better heading towards the weekend so hopefully I can put the pots back outside. My leek, onions and salad seeds arrived today and two huge bags of compost so I can't wait to get started. This is it now - I don't think I can get away with buying any more compost!

My carrots haven't germinated yet but my peas are growing away nicely - what I'm not sure of is the best way to get them to climb up the bamboo stick?

zafiro1984

LoveKnittingSocks wrote: »

Another day closer to the weekend :j
My carrots haven't germinated yet but my peas are growing away nicely - what I'm not sure of is the best way to get them to climb up the bamboo stick?

Peas don't tend to climb like beans, they have tendrils which cling onto things just like sweet peas. I use netting and I find the soft netting the best, and it doesn't really matter how big the holes are. You can fix the netting between the bamboo sticks which will then give you a frame. Some of the shorter peas are self supporting and cling onto each other.

Sowed a load more seeds, 2nd batch of dwarf beans, second batch of lettuce, radish and pak choi, I also sowed 4 butternut squash, 8 melons, 4 cucumbers, some celery, fennel, more leeks, and calabrese. I think that just leaves me with runners, climbing french beans and parsnips to do before the end of the month. The plot may be untidy at the moment but there is so much to do tidying up will just have to wait a little while until everything is in and growing.

LoveKnittingSocks

Thank you Zafiro - I've just ordered some fine netting which should be here tomorrow. It's quite remote here so ordering online works out cheaper in the long run than driving into town when you factor in the stops for coffee and impulse buys etc.

Weather wet and miserable today.

tootallulah

I am planting out all my current annuals this week-end then I will plant the next lot of seeds to go in in early July. Everything is a bit behind as it has been cold but I am hoping that once in the ground they will sprint away. My road's plant swap is this week-end so I should have some tomatoes and veg to get potted up by the end of Sunday!