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

sazzlebgood?

Asparagus plants arrived yesterday but it was OH birthday so couldn't get to the allotment to plant them. So had to soak them and put them in a wet hessian bag and put them in the garage. Was hoping to get them in today but its raining:mad:, fingers crossed I'll get them in tomorrow instead:D.

CAFCGirl

If the weather app is to be believed, 3 more days of rain and then some sunshine and temps above 12! CANT WAIT!

For now, more indoor gardening. Need to pot on my tomatoes (Oxheart) and cabbages (Greyhound). Sunflowers and peas seem to be doing ok. Had two types of flower seed in the electric propagator for 4 weeks now and no signs of anything. Think I might have to call 'dud' on those.
So I'll probably take those out and get something else in and give them a headstart insteaad.

Happy Easter to those who mark it, and have a good safe bank holiday weekend to all

Jazee

I've just been out in the garden although it is raining. The broad beans are ok, the strawberry beds will recover, the fruit bushes are sprouting new growth and the salad bed is doing great. I should be able to pick some leaves in a week or two. Will use the salad bed for succession of crops. It worked last year, we were able to get some on Christmas Day.

As it is raining and I've not planted a single seed this year, I'm going to spend today in the greenhouse.

Gem-gem

Happy Easter everyone.
A welcome surprise a cold but dry day. Took the opportunity to get out into the garden.
Fruit bushes are started to string into life.
Planted 28 strawberry plants (babies from last year's plants).
Removed lots of old strawberry plants and weeds from around the black currant bushes. I am hoping that the three bushes will do better this year without having to compete for the rain etc.
Planted a new raspberry bush.
Sowed rocket straight into the raised bed
Brought seed compost and pots into the kitchen so that I can start to pot up courgettes, squash, tomatoes, runner beans and beetroot.

Jazee

Planted lots of seeds, hope I'm not too late - tomatoes, peppers, chilli peppers, cabbage, cauliflower, courgette, cucumber, carrots, parsnips, lots of herbs and other things I can't remember.

Also checked my planter with kale/chard/spinach. Doing well as has reseeded again.

Was flipping cold though, even in the greenhouse.

Dizzy_Ditzy

Who else is aching this evening from being able to do allotment stuff today?! :rotfl:

I moved a blackcurrant bush from the very far corner of my fruit cage to the opposite corner and finished off cutting out last years raspberries. Then I raked over three of the beds to spread the manure more evenly. I then decided that I had the perfect opportunity to make a start on getting rid of the thornless blackberries so cut them all down. When we next have a spell of a few days dry and non-windy weather I'll get some weedkiller down then crack on with digging the leftover canes out. That space will have either more raspberries or be for squashes. There is support already there to train and support squashes so that would make sense.

As if that wasn't enough, I came home and repotted two cordylines, 21 aloe vera plants and a bay tree

I still haven't sown any seeds yet though :rotfl: :rotfl:

Gem-gem

My dining area has been turned into a greenhouse. Have potted up courgettes, butternut squash, runner beans, cherry tomatoes and beefy tomatoes.
Beetroot, is it better sow it outside straight into the bed or start them in pots? What do other people do? Also how do you keep the birds / slugs off them?

sazzlebgood?

Hi gem gem I generally sow beetroot into the ground however I also sow into pots to fill in any gaps. So yesterday we managed to get the greenhouse up and only cracked one pane. OH managed to hit himself in the head with a spade:rotfl: He was digging a rosemary bush up, used a lot of force on the downward movement hit the car tyre its planted in and the spade bounced off and hit him in the head. Managed to get the asparagus in with 2 spare which we've put into large planters as we've lost a couple but can't remember where. Sowed kale,beetroot, autumn and winter cabbages. Glad we did it yesterday as we've had snow today.

e4rly

Hi all, I was a bit of a lurker last year but thought this year it would be lovely to be a bit more involved. I'm still a gardening novice, with 2018 being my third year, but I absolutely love it! I have a small garden and also a fair few planters.

So far this year had been a bit lacklustre, but I've a lot of seeds germinating - mostly beans, peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, some root veg. I've also been getting my herbs going again and sowing salad and chard (my spinach is still going strong).

Today I sorted out a tayberry bush, as it is now its second year so the canes are quite extensive. I'm hoping it will fruit this year (I'm a berry fiend!)

Gem-gem

sazzlebgood? wrote: »

Hi gem gem I generally sow beetroot into the ground however I also sow into pots to fill in any gaps. So yesterday we managed to get the greenhouse up and only cracked one pane. OH managed to hit himself in the head with a spade:rotfl: He was digging a rosemary bush up, used a lot of force on the downward movement hit the car tyre its planted in and the spade bounced off and hit him in the head. Managed to get the asparagus in with 2 spare which we've put into large planters as we've lost a couple but can't remember where. Sowed kale,beetroot, autumn and winter cabbages. Glad we did it yesterday as we've had snow today.

Thanks, how do you stop it sing eaten (by the birds/slugs)?