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

zafiro1984

LoveKnittingSocks wrote: »

Today is a milestone for me - I have home grown lettuce in my salad box for lunch!!!! This is the first time I've ever eaten anything I've grown : I'm so excited I can't wait till lunchtime.

:D:D:D:D:D:D:beer:

Suffolk_lass

All my onions and broad beans are at an angle after yesterday's strong winds! Never seen that before!

unrecordings

Everything at an angle here too. Courgettes seem to have survived, in fact they're thriving. Now I have a quandary: My cherry tomatoes failed to germinate so I have a spare gro-bag (one of the thick tomorite ones). Do I go and buy three cherry tomato plants, or do I plant three of my green peppers (or three of my spare courgettes) ?

In fact, what size pots are people putting single courgette plants in ?
I've got them in 5 litre pots at the moment

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

I think we had a mini tornado in the garden.

Got in from work yesterday to tales of how the wind was swirling around - went out there to find everything over 15" was bent over or collapsed - all following an anticlockwise pattern.

The peas lost their sticks, which were sunk about 5 inches deep, the rambling roses have leapt off the walls, the borage and broad beans are sticking out of the ground at an angle and the bean leaves are all tattered and torn.

CAFCGirl

I cant even begin to list everything that's lost or damaged in the garden and on the plot.....

Fruittea

Morning Everyone
So sorry to hear of all the losses. The winds were really bad and the plants are just a little frail when they first go in. Usually things come back if they have even just a little leaf left on them. They can be quite resilient.
I would buy some cherry tomatoes Unrecordings as they cost quite a bit and they are truly wonderful just picked.
All the best Everyone.

LoveKnittingSocks

I'm very sorry to hear about the damage everywhere. Yesterday was horrendous and today isn't much better.

I had two cheeky snails inside my mini greenhouse munching away at my tomato plants. These were swiftly relocated using pink rubber gloves Who'd have thought I'd ever pick up a snail?!

The lettuce was delicious thank you. Can't wait for everything else to grow. I had a gentle root around in my lopsided potato bag - I could't feel anything but I didn't look very deep because it was pouring down at the time and the neighbours were giving me very funny looks :rotfl: I'll let them be for now I think.

Hope the weather calms down and everyone has a good day x

Fruittea

Hi LovesKnittingSocks
Great about the lettuce - everything tastes so much better when you have grown it - well usually!
About the potatoes - have they flowered yet - you didn't say and can you remember what type they are and when you planted them.

For example Rocket will usually be ready in 12 weeks. Generally each variety has a specific time to mature.
Down at the plot this morning everything was vey soggy but I noticed the first Crown Prince squash forming on one of the plants. Very exciting.


My plot is very windy - so when I take up the membrane from the covered plots I use it to make a bit of windshield around the pumpkin plot. It's only 2 foot high but it helps stop a bit of the damage when the leafy plants go in. South westerly winds are the worst for me - as they cut right across the fields with nothing to block them.

zafiro1984

Sorry to hear about everyone's problems with the wind, we must have got off lightly here compared with everyone else. Not doing much today on the plot as the house needs a cleaning birthday.

Kantankrus_Mare

Well I came back off my almost 2 weeks away to find the allotment covered in weeds :eek: Dad tried to get most days to water but "forgot" about the strawberries in the greenhouse and they have nearly died off. In his defense......he built a structure around the three beds of outside strawberries to keep the birds off..........only thing is........he has built it so well.....I cant get in to pick the dam things! :mad: I just normally throw a net over and hold it down with bricks but nooooooooooo he has to do a "proper" job.

Had two days down there and seem to have got it all tidied again.
Much to his disdain......I filled my 3 half planters that are on my shed and an old hanging basket with bedding plants. It looks lovely but he thinks its a waste of time. I dont care!!

Only 2 of my courgette plants have survived.
Tomatoes and cucumber doing well and onions are thriving.
My carrots never did anything so will have to have another go.
Spinach healthy and planted out as are my french beans.
Potted all my bell peppers and chilli plants on today into final pots so hoping for a good crop off those.
Does anyone grow pea shoots? *I vaguely remember reading you can just buy cheap dried peas and they grow easily. Nice to add to salads so will have to look into that.

Happy gardening everyone. Lets hope for some sun to ripen all those strawberries.:D