The all new 2019 growing your own thread!

unrecordings

hmm - digging in manure - almost as much fun as trying to dig a pond into boulder clay (I do neither these days)

Maybe you could employ the badgers with a few treats - they seem to love slightly out of date eggs

baggins11

I am trying no dig unrecordings, so I am just throwing sh?! around at the moment. Although when the badgers have finished I might have a lovely dug bed..

unrecordings

I suppose it depends whether it was pre-packed or not - is the pre-packed stuff nice, crumbly & easy to work into the soil ?
The last stuff I got direct from a local farm was rustic to say the least - big lumps of poop/straw, mats of straw, and a clothes peg - I think I just raked it in - in the end

euronorris

Hello! *waves*


We are trying our hand at growing some fruit and veg again this year. Failed our first year here (snails and slugs - eugh!), and didn't do much the following two years due to the arrival of DD.


We have some potted (and self watering) blueberries and blackcurrants that have produced each year without much input from us, but this year we are hoping to be far more productive. We've got seedlings on the go in propagators for strawberries, tomatoes, courgette, swiss chard, peas, carrots, chillis, bell peppers, beetroot etc. All sown on Saturday, and majority have started to sprout already (with the exception of the chillis and bell peppers, which is expected). I have some black tomato seeds which I plan to sow this weekend, as well as cucumbers and a few other bits that I can't now remember. lol


I have a few sunflower seeds that I want to sow with DD this weekend. Can I just sow them outside directly? They'll be in pots as the sunniest part of the garden is on the decking. Or, are they better off started indoors?


TIA x

Dizzy_Ditzy

Euronorris *welcome*!

I would sow sunflowers indoors to begin with as the weather is still too unpredictable, especially in our part of the world :rotfl:

Hope to see you posting some more over the course of the year

euronorris

Thank you for the welcome Ditzy!


Snails and slugs are quite a large issue in our garden. We have pellets and a spray (which is supposed to be OK to use on edible plants), but am vary of using too much of either of these due to concerns about toxicity. Especially with a toddler around who sees anything colourful as 'interesting' and to be picked up!


So, I have a couple jars full of crushed, dried, egg shells that I was going to line around edges of plants in the hope of defeating the pests in a more natural way. Anyone had any luck with that method?


Also, we were thinking of getting an elevated vegetable planter to make it more difficult for them. And I have some copper tape to line around that and pots. Does anyone find that works? Or any other tips?


TIA

unrecordings

I've found copper to be so-so. It'll put them off, but not if they're determined. Wood ash works for me, but spread generously along with a little sharp sand. If you're using copper tape, beware that stuff is sharp. First time I used it I got blood everywhere before I realised it had slit a finger open. The best way is to go out with a torch on a wet night and hunt them - or - give them a nice place to hide during the day then go and deal with them at a more convenient time. I use an old casserole pot lid. Badgers, foxes, and of course hedgehogs eat them.

Pennysmakepounds

I've seen some people using electrified wires on raised planters.


Its relatively easy using a 9V battery to power 2 wires running on the edge of the planter. So when the slug/snail touches both it gets a shock.


Looks pretty good and better then using slug/snail pallets.

baggins11

Yes it was the pre-packed stuff unrecordings. Lovely stuff and a pleasure to use. I have ordered a pallet of mushroom compost as well. I should really try and find a cheaper option locally but as I am in a rush the convenience of the pre-packed is hard to beat.

I got my 20 raspberry canes in this morning before work. I was running late so didn't get time to change before going to work. It's a good job I work with dogs and not people as I absolutely stunk of horse poo all day! The dogs thought I smelled amazing

CAFCGirl

I've seen hair recommend as a deterrent for slugs and snails - thoughts?