The all new 2019 growing your own thread!

CAFCGirl

Living_proof wrote: »

I am holding back for another week to sow peppers, chilis and tomatoes. I did read somewhere that an ideal place for a steady heat for the initial stage would be on top of a fridge freezer, so I may try that this year as well as heated propagators, as I have four - all from car boot sales. I don't heat my greenhouse and it's not been insulated yet so my house will look like a nursery for a month or two. My Lithuanian lodger brought back some hardy tomato seeds on his last visit, so I have high hopes for them on my patio. I had 32 tomato plants last year and have hardly made inroads into the frozen and dried ones, so will go easy on the numbers this year. Okra and sweet potatoes will be trialled and I hope my polytunnel will soon be up to provide a warmer environment. It's a great thought on such a cold, blustery and dull day.

Now I know exactly where to put mine! Great tip share

Jazee

I'm another one who made use of the fruit bush offer, also ordered lily bulbs which arrived this week but are still in their box in the greenhouse.

No gardening here today due to strong winds, the cloche over one of my beds is completely broken and the netting on my fruit cage is shredded.

I also used to plant tomato and pepper seeds early but was delayed last year and it made no difference. With peppers you just have to be patient. I always start them off indoors.

unrecordings

Mild but windy today - had an hour in the garden before I ran out of steam (I've learnt to take it really easy the first couple of days after chemo) I picked one of last years sprout plants for the leaf crown - I don't think there are any actual sprouts though...

Primrose

Managed to take advantage of the milder weather & pull out some tall weeds which were swamping the small clumps of snowdrops edging one of my borders. It looks much better now.


Also got out my green paint spray tin and sprayed a number of empty white Benecol pots green. I use them for topping canes which mark the end of vegetable row and support sticks to avoid poking my eyes out when I bend down to weed or pick. Somehow green pots blends in better than white ones.


I also use the pots to plug the spare holes in my lawn were spike have been pushed in as alternative holes for my rotary airer and remodelled bird feeder from an old rotary airer so I can move them around to different locations. Grass tends to grow over them quickly unless I mark their locations and then I have to spend hours on my hands and knees pulling back the grass and hunting for them!

Kantankrus_Mare

Have sown chilli peppers, various tomato seeds saved from last years crop and cucumber.

Never use a heated propagator. Used to start off in airing cupboard but found they grow too quickly and leggy so they are sat on table in front of window which gets sun all day.(when we get any of course)

Will see how they do.

Popped to allotment to get some seed trays earlier and water sweet peas and strawberry plants in greenhouse. The sweet peas i started in November are very healthy and tall. Not sure if I should pinch more out so they dont flop?

The others I sowed about 3/4 weeks ago are just peeping through so hopefully this year is going to be a bumper sweet pea year. Was rubbish for me last year.

zafiro1984

I mentioned this morning that my potatoes have arrived to a look of dismay on my husband's face.

He then told me I wont be capable of doing much gardening this year and it would be best to glyphosate the plot, cover it over and wait. (replacement knee operation in a few days time following on from open heart surgery last year) OK I wont be doing much digging but I've got all raised beds both outside and in the two polytunnels so I think I should be able to cope.

The more I think about it the more furious I'm becoming and thinking how dare he tell me what not to do and how little he knows me even after fifty years of marriage. I'm just waiting until he comes in for his tea!!!

-taff

I know I'm banging on about this but no dig is your friend then

Besides, don't have a go, he's being conerned about you, they're just rubbish at showing it.........

Kantankrus_Mare

zafiro1984 wrote: »

I mentioned this morning that my potatoes have arrived to a look of dismay on my husband's face.

He then told me I wont be capable of doing much gardening this year and it would be best to glyphosate the plot, cover it over and wait. (replacement knee operation in a few days time following on from open heart surgery last year) OK I wont be doing much digging but I've got all raised beds both outside and in the two polytunnels so I think I should be able to cope.

The more I think about it the more furious I'm becoming and thinking how dare he tell me what not to do and how little he knows me even after fifty years of marriage. I'm just waiting until he comes in for his tea!!!

Oh heck.............you've had a hard time of it and more to come.

I understand your frustration but you have to look after yourself. Its the sort of thing my OH would say though as well so I sympathise. Would he be willing to do a bit while you recover? If hes anything like mine the answer to that is no :rotfl: He likes eating the rewards but not keen on helping me out.

Mnd

Hi everyone, hope you don't mind if I join in. I've read through all the posts and I'm impatient to get started properly this year and you've all inspired me.
We have a small (basically half) of an allotment about 10 minute walk,with a secure shed and water, I changed plots recently to plot 10 as it was slightly bigger so this is my second year on this plot.

We have a 6 x6' unheated greenhouse at home that I use for tomatoes and peppers.
We try to grow as much veg as we can, we don't grow fruit.

I've got my overwintering onions well established under cloches, and this week I want to move these and plant out my shallots under them.

I will also clear out the old sprout plants and compost this ground, and also clear the green manure on the brassica bed.

I'm planting my santero onion sets into trays to start the roots, and will sow a few tomatoes this week and lettuce seeds for green leaves.

That should keep me quiet, but as least the forecast is hopeful for this week

unrecordings

zafiro1984 wrote: »

I mentioned this morning that my potatoes have arrived to a look of dismay on my husband's face.

He then told me I wont be capable of doing much gardening this year and it would be best to glyphosate the plot, cover it over and wait. (replacement knee operation in a few days time following on from open heart surgery last year) OK I wont be doing much digging but I've got all raised beds both outside and in the two polytunnels so I think I should be able to cope.

The more I think about it the more furious I'm becoming and thinking how dare he tell me what not to do and how little he knows me even after fifty years of marriage. I'm just waiting until he comes in for his tea!!!

I get that look when the potatoes arrive usually - but I'm going to take it easy this year, see how things go in the spring and maybe not jump at the earlier season bargains. I think when the chips are down, there's a certain belligerence that keeps you moving (figuratively rather than literally)

For limited mobility I recommend plenty of chairs dotted around
And there are also those little bench things on wheels (though I've never seen one in the flesh)

As for our better halves - they sure do get it in the neck when they're only trying to help
It can be difficult for them to accurately assess when to step in and when to just melt away into the background

Oh yes and good luck with the op