The ups and downs and ins and outs of growing your own, 2018

Dizzy_Ditzy

Hello folks and welcome to the 2018 grow your own thread! I'm a day late with this, sorry. You can blame the New Year's Day hangover!

Everyone is welcome. Come and tell us about your growing shenanigans

What do you like to grow?

Are you going to try anything different this year?

Did you try anything different last year? Did you like it? Would you grow it again?

Do you have any tips for growing?

Do you make anything with what you grow?

How much does growing your own save you?



Happy new year, and happy growing!


I'll use this post for links that folks might find useful. If you want something adding in, please just let me know

There's a fab Facebook group called "Allotment Life" I'm not affiliated to it in any way but it's a fab little group. It's a closed group but is worth looking up if you're on Facebook. Or there is a fab group called "Allotment Club - mind your peas and cues"

Dizzy_Ditzy

Well folks, I'll try and be around a bit more for this years thread!

I've decided that two plots on two sites with a full time job is just too much so I've applied to the council to get a plot on the chicken site. There's one I've got my eye on so I'm hoping that I'll get it quite soon I'm already making plans for it :rotfl: there is a lot of work needs doing to that plot but with two of us there daily because of the chickens it shouldn't be too difficult to do

Princess_Money_Penny

Hello really want to make a success of growing things this year! Normally I grow lots from seed and then either get overwhelmed or loose interest from about June/July so don't get much produce or just do t do anything with it I've decided to just stick to three veggies this year - courgette, pepper and tomatoes. Any good ideas for seeds? I also want to grow some bedding plants (pansies, marigolds and geraniums) from seed never done this so will see how we go. We also just moved in in December to a well established medium sized garden. No greenhouse but can't wait to see what springs up this year!

unrecordings

I've decided to dial it back a little this year so it's less of a chore (last year's chemo really took it out of me). I'm emptying last year's growbags into various areas of the garden. Got some onions in, but still need to plant shallots and garlic. As for the rest, I might take a kind of potager approach and see what happens

I've still got some of last year's tomatoes in the fridge...

I go for a nice old fashioned variety, Ailsa Craig. I think they're really tasty and I just can't eat anything shop bought anymore - by comparison they're just too watery

Well_Preserved

I’m going to try and join in this year, if that’s ok. I share an allotment but it’s a half-hour walk away and I don’t drive so at least it keeps me a bit fitter! I do sometimes get a lift. At home I’ve just got a brand spanking new greenhouse which should make for a much better tomato season, at least. And I got one of those quadgrow things for my birthday and an IKea hydroponics set for Christmas - still to get my head round those but look promising. On the downside I had to sacrifice a golden gage tree, 2 small apple trees and my raspberry canes to get 5he greenhouse in.

unrecordings

You may find the raspberry canes reappear either conveniently to one side or inconveniently through the floor if enough suckers survived underground. It tends to try to migrate. Mine tried to make it up the garden, but two years of removing suckers from the vegetable patch persuaded it to head in a different direction

Well_Preserved

Yes that could be an issue, though I think they may head in another direction - at least I hope so!

tibawo

I am still planning/weeding away on my allotment. Went up today and have lost my trowel. With all the mud the yellow handle became invisible and I put it down and have lost it!


It was lovely and quiet and although muddy I can see things taking shape.

Suffolk_lass

I haven't even chosen my seeds for this year yet but in terms of tomatoes I know we will try Black Russian, Sungold (used to be F1 hybrid) for cherry toms plus a couple of italian culinary tomatoes such as Costaluto Genovese or Fiorentino. We also had a black cherry (chocolate cherry), gardeners' delight and some sort of plum tomato this year but just too many really so probably just 4 varieties for 2018

simplelivingislandlife

Hello,

Can I pop along on this journey to? I only have a few fruit plants in my very small garden this year but am looking at becoming as self-sufficient as I can do, so will need all the help I can get

LostinTransit

Hello
Hopefully this year I will be growing broad beans,these seem to be bulletproof and never let me down (tempting fate I know),black beans which I've never grown before but I think are similar to broad beans,French beans which I did try a couple of years ago,started them off indoors in pots,they grew well but as soon as I planted them out the slimeys ate them within days ��I shall grow them in two long troughs and make a bean arch,onions are on the menu and finally tomatoes,I never have any luck growing them from seed so will buy them as small plants,which does limit me variety wise but there you go.
As for varieties I tend to go for unusual over proven so will peruse the Jungle seeds website.
Looking forward to reading everybody else's trials and tribulations,I lurked on last years thread but hopefully will have more of an input this year.