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

VintageHistorian

Well I'm now joining this thread as I'm trying my hand at some growing for the first time ever! Bought a strawberry plant from outside a house down the road about 2 weeks ago and discovered yesterday that it's growing some fruit already! I haven't killed it!

With that in mind me and DH went to the local garden centre today to buy a bigger pot for the strawberry plant to go in to, and I ended up coming away with two small tomato plants, and one each of a baby corn, cucumber, and a red pepper, along with radish seeds and carrot seeds, and larger pots for them all too.

Everything has now been transplanted in to bigger pots (or planted in the case of the seeds), and now the waiting and watering game begins. I'm not too fussed if something doesn't make it, I'm not very good plants as I don't have much practice. But I wanted to give it a go this year and see what survives, and then next year I can take it a bit more seriously and maybe think about a proper raised bed or similar. If it all dies then I'll just grow some nasturtiums instead, had lots of success with those as a child XD

unrecordings

Radishes are supposed to be really easy to grow, but for some reason mine are generally just thin red sticks. You might not get very far with the single corn (sweetcorn I assume). You need a block of these to get successful pollination. This growing lark is addictive though...

Kantankrus_Mare

Welcome to the thread Vintage Historian.:D

I guarantee once you have tasted homegrown strawberries, you will be hooked!

My courgettes are going out tomorrow. :T They look very healthy and hoping someone will keep them watered whilst I am away in sunnier climes the next couple of weeks.

6 of the butternut squash seeds have germinated too so I will be so pleased if something comes of them as they were in effect free.

Have more tomato plants than we can handle in the greenhouses. Tried some outside last year but they didnt fare well.

Dad seems keen to keep on top of things and daughter has promised to water regular for me but I dread to think what I will come back to.

smeeinnit

Slight setback today, the greenhouse fitter opened the kit and found I had been sent the wrong size greenhouse :mad: so I now have to negotiate the correct greenhouse and fitting at no cost to me. I had to pay the fitter in full but he was very fair and said if the supplier of the greenhouse won't cover his return visit he will give me a discount. I will claim against my credit card as a last resort. The thing that has annoyed me more is that I will have to rejig my plans for my crops. I had planned to grow some of my tomatoes and cucumber in the greenhouse, so I guess I will just have to make the best of growing them outside. its going to be a good few weeks before this is sorted.

However, broad beans are flowering very well, strawberries are setting fruit as are the redcurrants, blackcurrants and raspberries. I have lettuce, spinach and beetroot ready to transplant and my shallots are looking fab, the minimum they have split into is 4 so should be a pretty good crop from just 8 sets.

So I should be thankful for the successes so far and adjust my plans, I'm sure I will feel better about it in the morning!

tootallulah

My ancient staging collapsed overnight causing about 80 potted up Zinnias to be all over the floor! apparently they don't like root disturbance but hey ho I've replanted what was not too badly damaged gave them a good water and have moved them into the shade, hopefully some will survive. New staging ordered from Wilkos as I need to get a lot more seedlings potted up. I have two days off in this glorious weather - wonderful. Each evening I have been planting out 20 plants rather than try and do them all in a big blitz, this is much less stressful and the garden is already looking pleasantly full. Gardening is good for the soul.

unrecordings

It's nearly the end of the wild garlic season, so I decided to harvest a couple of dozen leaves and try them in the herb dryer - I'll let you know how that goes. I started to clear my Japanese spinach then realised they were developing seed pods, which odds on will taste quite nice fried in a little butter (or just in Ramen) - so I left them to develop

unrecordings

RAIN !!!
HURRAY !!!

In other news I have my first courgette developing, it was about an inch long last night

Jazee

I have spent pretty much all day in the greenhouse potting stuff on and out. There are now no seedlings in the house. Still some begonias to pot on but I'm waiting on a delivery of 200 plant pots for those. I have to have flowers in the garden too as DH said he felt as though he was sitting on an allotment.

zafiro1984

t's a while since I posted on here so I'm not sure where I was up to.

Today pulled up 3 garlic bulbs because I need the space - they were huge but I'm well please with them Pulled up some shallots as they had started to bolt. I shall salvage what I can and chop and freeze them for stews etc as they probably won't store.

I made 4 x frames out of old bamboo sticks, old butterfly netting and some cable clips as my Hurst Green Shaft peas need something to climb up, it cost nothing and will do the job.

finished sowing the parsnips and carrots outdoors.
Staked the aubergines indoors - my cucumber has died but fortunately I've another one coming along in the greenhouse which I shall plant out later.

Managed to ferret about and find some new potatoes which are just coming online, not many but enough for tea. Strawberries are in flower.

Forgot to water the tunnels - well actually I didn't forget but I was busy helping to catch one of the 'I don't want to be caught mares' It took almost 2hrs - the little dear!!! 9pm when we finished.

Tomorrow I must erect the bean frame and put out the runner beans and the French climbing ones. I'm not growing too many this year just 12 runners and 24 climbing ones. That should be enough to eat fresh and some to freeze
I also must do the main potatoes tomorrow - I do the no dig method, it's so easy and I get a huge crop. Not sure what else, the paths need tidying but it depends on the time I have.

to everyone - do have a productive bank holiday - weather permitting

zafiro1984

Bean frame and potatoes not done yet.

I thought I'd just have a quick tidy up in the greenhouse, 2hrs later it looked a whole lot better but still not quite pristine. At least I know what I have and where it is.

Cleared another bed so it's now ready to be planted. Potted on my tomatoes, aubergines, melons, leeks, won't be long now before they are all in their final planting positions and then it will almost be time to think about the winter crops!!

I'm getting quite excited at the thought of being able to pick some veg next month. It's a couple of years ago since we were almost self sufficient in fruit and veg, I just love being able to pick the veg for dinner and saving on the house keeping as I'm spending rather a lot on fresh fruit and veg at the moment.