The all new 2019 growing your own thread!

Suffolk_lass

Living_proof wrote: »

Could someone please advise me on fan trained or espalier fruit trees? There isn't a nursery anywhere close to me and most online companies seem to have sold out so I am considering buying some young, cheap trees from Lidl or Aldi to train myself.

I have a gable end wall which is around 40 feet long and normal house height. There's just one first floor small shower room window in it, so to all intents and purposes completely clear of obstructions. It faces east but is fairly well protected from bitter east winds by adjacent housing.

I am thinking of an apple, a plum and another variety and know that some are self-pollinating and others not. Is there anyone knowledgeable in this sort of thing please? I do have the RHS pruning book for reference, but I wonder what sort of success you have had with fruit trees from the discounters?

http://http://mygarden.rhs.org.uk/forums/t/28136.aspx this link to the RHS forums is quite interesting. In summary they suggest late fruiting pear, plum or morello cherries. My neighbour has around 4 morello cherry trees facing NE and we had to send in a team to pick as there were so many last year. What a treat! It makes fab jam

CAFCGirl

Got my lemon drop chillies and tomatoes (green giant and San marzano) in yesterday.
They went into soaked coir pellets and I'll probably get some peppers in today and that'll be it till march.

As for watering, I'm a spritzer too.

unrecordings

My first batch of tomatoes popped up overnight - I sowed them on 5th Feb
I double sowed older Suttons Ailsa Craig with a fresh pack of my favourite DT Brown Ailsa Craig - it all seems to be the same brand that germinated, but I can't remember which is which - not that it matters really

Suffolk_lass

My seeds have arrived by post this morning. I am happy. Everything matches the order and I also received two free packets from Mr F - Marigolds and Kale that were not on my list. Helpfully labelled Free Seeds, so I did not think they had been included mistakenly.

So now I can confirm that this year I will be growing five(!) varieties of tomato - Black Russian Cherry and Beefsteak tomatoes, along with our much loved Sungold F1 Hybrid and two Italian varieties - Costaluto Fiorentino and Pomodoro Cuor di Bue. We grow some on the back of the house in pots, and some in the greenhouse (which we keep expecting to fail on us). I do covet a new greenhouse but the one I want is expensive so it will wait.

I will also sell on my surplus seedlings - there is an Open Gardens event in May with a plant stall that will mean these raise money for a good cause. I need to do large pots of runner beans in due course for this occasion too - they always go well and lots of people will take a pot of 5-7 small plants for a £1 or so. Hopefully I will have some chilli plants for that too, if the advice I now have improves my success rate!

I need to get the spreadsheet up so the planting plan follows the right rotation before long too.

-taff

The black cherry tend to split if you leave them ripen too long so watch out for that.

Silvertabby

-taff wrote: »

The black cherry tend to split if you leave them ripen too long so watch out for that.

I don't have a problem with splitting cherries - the blackbirds have them away long before they get to that stage !

-taff

Silvertabby wrote: »

I don't have a problem with splitting cherries - the blackbirds have them away long before they get to that stage !

black cherry tomatoes

Scottish_Mike

Living_proof wrote: »

Could someone please advise me on fan trained or espalier fruit trees? There isn't a nursery anywhere close to me and most online companies seem to have sold out so I am considering buying some young, cheap trees from Lidl or Aldi to train myself.

I’m going to recommend a quince tree. I got one from T&M 5 years ago when we moved into our house, and almost killed it in the first year by keeping it in a waterlogged pot. That winter I came to my senses and planted it in the ground, and 4 years later (last autumn) we had a bumper crop of 54 quinces.

Ours was just a regular tree but I’d imagine it’d be pretty easy to train against a wall. Extra support for fruits may be necessary as we had a few branches snap in a storm because the quinces were so big.

But I can’t recommend quinces highly enough; they have a gorgeous flavour, go well in desserts and preserves, and with certain meat stews. OK, it took a bit of time to get going, but totally worth it.

Pablosmummy

Had my first proper morning of gardening today, tidied up my strawberries, cut my blackberries back, moved everything round, tried to put a new hanging basket bracket up but im just not tall enough so OH will have to do that on the weekend, he's a foot taller than me so it's easy for him.
I also found a few daffodil bulbs in the shed that I forgot to plant last year, they'd started to sprout so I've thrown them in a pot I had spare, worth a try anyway.
I can't wait to start sowing in march, I keep staring at the packets but I know it's wayyy too early for me. My chilli seedlings are growing well so I just check on them alot...bring on March!

Mnd

Walked up the plot today, far too wet to do any work, but dug some lovely carrots for dinner and soup. Plan is to clear the old sprouts out tomorrow