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

stoozie1

CAFCGirl wrote: »

At home I've done some more sowings of squashes, cucumbers, lettuce and fennel plus some garlic chives, basils, thai basil and coriander.


Not sure if anything will actually produce or if I've left them too late but at least it might look like I'm growing something for a while

Monty Don said to plant fennel from seed this week on this week's Gardener's World, and lettuce, chives and the herbs all grow so rapidly, I'd think they'd easily be worth a punt now.

CAFCGirl

stoozie1 wrote: »

Monty Don said to plant fennel from seed this week on this week's Gardener's World, and lettuce, chives and the herbs all grow so rapidly, I'd think they'd easily be worth a punt now.

That fills me with a bit of hope

Dizzy_Ditzy

I got the plot :j :j I officially have a tenancy agreement :j :j I!!!8217;ve snuck some weeekiller down this evening and at the weekend will make a start on clearing it.

And now the hard work begins again :rotfl:

Kantankrus_Mare

Dizzy_Ditzy wrote: »

I got the plot :j :j I officially have a tenancy agreement :j :j I!!!8217;ve snuck some weeekiller down this evening and at the weekend will make a start on clearing it.

And now the hard work begins again :rotfl:

How exciting!!! :T:T I remember that feeling. Couldnt wait to get started and ideas running through my head all the time. Its hard work though!! Have you got much to clear?

Wish you all the best.

Dizzy_Ditzy

Kantankrus_Mare wrote: »

How exciting!!! :T:T I remember that feeling. Couldnt wait to get started and ideas running through my head all the time. Its hard work though!! Have you got much to clear?

Wish you all the best.

Its essentially in 3 parts - another plot holder has been using half of it with permission from the just guy and I'm happy for him to finish growing what he's growing before handing it back over. He's looked after it well so I've no concerns there

The middle bit seems to have been plastic covered and chipping on top, with the odd raised bed added randomly and left there, not filled :rotfl: there are a few weeds on the middle but nothing crazy.

And then there's the front part. It is weed hell. Bindweed and brambles galore :mad: last years potatoes are still buried under it all somewhere!

Looking under all the weeds, there is a red gooseberry bush and some raspberries. They're going as I already have 4 large gooseberry bushes on the plot next door so definitely don't need anymore :rotfl:

There is a cherry tree too which I've been harvesting today but it's randomly planted in the middle of the front-middle and in the way so that'll have to go too

I want a complete blank canvas to start off with. I also want to get some cabbages planted so that I can have something to show for all the hard work :rotfl:

smeeinnit

Dizzy_Ditzy wrote: »

I got the plot :j :j I officially have a tenancy agreement :j :j I!!!8217;ve snuck some weeekiller down this evening and at the weekend will make a start on clearing it.

And now the hard work begins again :rotfl:

Go you! Good luck :beer:

I've been on the waiting list for a plot for about a year. Its not a big site but its 2 streets from where I live so its worth being patient for. I suspect there may be quite a waiting list as another much larger allotment a little further down the same lane seems to have been abandoned, so I wouldn't be surprised if some of the former plot holders there are waiting for one on the same site as me. Its such a shame as you can see structures like fruit cages and sheds still there, but the weeds are waist high across the site.

On my tiny home plot, the greenhouse has finally gone up! I've harvested all my broad beans, processed and frozen them, had a few more handfuls of strawbs and rasps, lettuce now abundant as is the spinach.

Peas flowering madly, mangetout wont be long, tomatoes are finally flowering both in and out of the greenhouse. Beans are also flowering. some carrots sowed, and last 2 raised beds in mid construction. Home plot will soon be complete :j

zafiro1984

Wow Dizzy Ditzy I can see how excited you are, but what hard work.
I have my plot at home and cultivated it successfully for quite a number of years but last year I did nothing as I had health probs so I know how much work is involved in getting it back into shape. Mine is 75% there but it had been a serious struggle and I too had to resort to weedkiller.

Today:- weeded half of one of the unplanted beds - I plan to put my leeks in there next month. watered copiously especially the tunnels.
I must start planning a large bed (5' x 25') in one of the tunnels as I want to overwinter some brassicas in there but it needs a serious amount of muck adding to it as the level has sunk quite a lot. Planted 4 more melons I just need to find space for the last two.

Does anyone grow an apricot, I fancy a go and we live in the south. Also I came across a kiwiberry in the current magazine, has anyone tried to grow one of these. I'd be interested to know how easy/hard they are and what sort of crop do you get.

Picked some more backcurrants and froze them, a few mangetout, a few purple beans, one yellow courgette, 4 gerkins (to be pickled) and a load of peas so all in all there was enough veg to have with tea for the 2 of us.

Dizzy_Ditzy

zafiro1984 wrote: »

Wow Dizzy Ditzy I can see how excited you are, but what hard work.
I have my plot at home and cultivated it successfully for quite a number of years but last year I did nothing as I had health probs so I know how much work is involved in getting it back into shape. Mine is 75% there but it had been a serious struggle and I too had to resort to weedkiller.

Today:- weeded half of one of the unplanted beds - I plan to put my leeks in there next month. watered copiously especially the tunnels.
I must start planning a large bed (5' x 25') in one of the tunnels as I want to overwinter some brassicas in there but it needs a serious amount of muck adding to it as the level has sunk quite a lot. Planted 4 more melons I just need to find space for the last two.

Does anyone grow an apricot, I fancy a go and we live in the south. Also I came across a kiwiberry in the current magazine, has anyone tried to grow one of these. I'd be interested to know how easy/hard they are and what sort of crop do you get.

Picked some more backcurrants and froze them, a few mangetout, a few purple beans, one yellow courgette, 4 gerkins (to be pickled) and a load of peas so all in all there was enough veg to have with tea for the 2 of us.

Thank you Sometimes you have to do what is right for you, and if that means using weedkiller then you have to do it. I dont have any qualms about using it if I have to.

I will be adding an awful lot of muck to it over the winter, most of it hasnt seen daylight for over a year but the blinking weeds still found a way :rotfl:

I had an apricot tree a few years ago. It was a grafted tree, before i knew better, and i actually had two apricots on it before they mysteriously disappeared overnight :eek:

I must remember next time I go to Plot A to take some string or wool with me so that i can tie it to the raspberry canes that I am picking from and will know which ones to cut down and which ones to pull up and take with me :rotfl: I am taking my blackcurrant bushes with me but not my reducrrants as I dont really use them. I really want to take my two cherry trees and apple tree but we have decided against it for now because space is a premium and it will be a lot of work to dig the hole for them, go dig them up and then replant them, so the new tenant of my plot will get the benefit of them

stoozie1

Question showing what a complete dunce I am:

Do runner beans put out 2 little nodes under the first set of leaves that look like nibbled off leaves back to the stem, or: have my runner beans had leaves and growing tips nibbled off by the slugs I waged biological warfare on a month ago?

unrecordings

Depending on the variety I think, but they can look a little damaged. I'd be looking for leaf damage and trails first of all - I've never met a tidy slug...