The all new good, bad and ugly of growing your own in 2020

zafiro1984

Yesterday I was a bit distracted so I didn't manage to move the leeks on but planted garlic, turned over one raised bed ready for something and also one bed in a tunnel. I got as far as filling all the empty loo tubes with compost ready for parsnip seeds

Today, aim to start off the onions and plant the early pots in the tunnel and sow the parsnip seeds, two per tube. It's the first time I've done parsnips this way as I had absolutely no success with them last year when I sowed them direct into the bed and I did try twice. If I have any time left over from my 2hrs I'll do more in the tunnel - maybe carrots.

Jazee

I've just been planting more seeds.  Glad to say that the ones planted in the last couple of weeks inside and out are germinating, even the tomatoes as I decided to just use the unseated greenhouse instead of bringing them in the house.

carinjo

My broadbeans on allotment all gone black near the bottom of the stem? Completely rotten. Maybe a fungus? Will dig it up and burn.
What shall i do with the soil? It part of a small raised bed.

Started digging over for potatoes, want it in the ground by next weekend, fingers crossed. Decent weather really makes a difference. 

Tabby_cat

Hello, can one of you knowledgeable folk tell me if I've ruined my strawberry plants please.
I left them in an unheated greenhouse all winter and I'm surprised to see some of them are flowering already. 
Thanks

Scrimps

Evening all, I have just read through all the posts. Ive been a member of the forum for a while but havent typically gone on this part of the site as I didnt have a huge amount of time for my garden or I missed the start of the year and didnt want to join half way through the year - silly I know.  We've had an allotment in the past and moved to our house about 6 years ago and now grow just in the garden. We're at the bottom of a river valley in Cornwall, facing mostly south.  We freeze in the winter (by cornish standards) and bake in the summer.
Last year was particularly bad for us in the garden but im feeling positive that this year will be better.  We have two children a 1 and a 2 year old, now that they're both mobile we do have to have eyes in the back of our heads but it allows us to be in the garden more than when looking after a newborn as i have been the last couple of years.

What do you like to grow?
Mostly Salad crops.  Lettuces, courgettes, toms, cucumbers, beetroots, turnips - sweetbell but got some winter ones for storing this year.  Green and purple french beans. Peas. Summer squashes and some pumpkins. I always grow raddish but dont actually like it, its just such a quick reward!
Are you going to try anything different this year?
Im going to try and eat more of my crops than the slugs do.
Swede, broad beans, patti pans
Did you try anything different last year? Did you like it? Would you grow it again?
Tumbling toms were great for us last year. We grew cucamelons which we're doing again, I dont recall liking them but I was pregnant and just went completely off salad so just giving it another go as they were very popular with colleagues.
Do you have any tips for growing?
Not that ive managed to do it but: little and often for the weeding.  
Do you make anything with what you grow?
Usually salads and veg tray bakes etc.  Im keen to store more of the food i grow as well.
How much does growing your own save you?
It doesnt.  I have spent far too much on the garden over the years and fed a lot of slugs.  Ive got a hotbin and as of this year also a wormery - weve had a persistent rodent problem so no longer have a compost heap.  Ive also got a big compost delivery coming in about 10 days (i read a lot about 'no dig' recently but have been put off by a rather unfriendly facebook group so we'll see how the growing season goes).  The spring before we bought a green house and a few fruit trees, before that a shed, before that 40 metres of hedging, before that the first shed, etc etc.....
I really dont want to spend any more money on my garden but would like to get some food and enjoyment out of it!

zafiro1984

Hi Scrimps and welcome, just remember that growing something is better than growing nothing. At least this year it looks like we will all be spending more time at home so the garden will beckon.
I always grow my potatoes using the 'no dig' method as it's so easy to do and I get terrific crops if fact this year I've cut down on the amount I am growing as we haven't been able to eat all of them. 

Yesterday was DH's birthday so I spent the afternoon cooking and baking so very little got done in the garden. Today however, I've sown my parsnip seeds in the loo rolls, planted more onions and had a bit of a tidy up. 

Scrimps

zafiro1984 said:

Hi Scrimps and welcome, just remember that growing something is better than growing nothing. At least this year it looks like we will all be spending more time at home so the garden will beckon.
I always grow my potatoes using the 'no dig' method as it's so easy to do and I get terrific crops if fact this year I've cut down on the amount I am growing as we haven't been able to eat all of them. 

Yesterday was DH's birthday so I spent the afternoon cooking and baking so very little got done in the garden. Today however, I've sown my parsnip seeds in the loo rolls, planted more onions and had a bit of a tidy up. 

Ah, its my DH's birthday today but as I was working we celebrated a bit yesterday.  I did fill some seed modules in the morning with pretty much everything except squashes.  I used to direct sow as much as could but think starting them off in modules will really add to any success and multi sowing means it doesnt feel wasteful with the compost.  I found a couple of baby slugs in the green house salad leaves and popped them on the garden table for the birds.

im keen to see how your loo roll parsnips get on, ive bought some for this year but the slow germination and then losing them in the weeds has taken them off the growing list for a few years.  what potato variety do you grow?  my DH loves growing them, its like digging up treasure! but we havent gone for them this year...but we eat loads also!!

Suffolk_lass

Yes welcome Scrimps - a friendly helpful lot on here. Appalled at how some people behave on FB groups and forums but hopefully none of that here  .

Tabby_cat - your strawberry plants won't be ruined. It is unclear whether they are bare-rooted for storage or potted up. Have a look at the Ken Muir site re their strawberries - they keep them in cold store all winter and they get away really well. If they are not in compost I would personally pinch out the flowers and pot up the plants to give them the extra energy they need to go into growing stronger plants. If they are already in pots, just check underneath for roots and decide whether to pot on to bigger pots.

carinjo

Scrimps said:

Evening all, I have just read through all the posts. Ive been a member of the forum for a while but havent typically gone on this part of the site as I didnt have a huge amount of time for my garden or I missed the start of the year and didnt want to join half way through the year - silly I know.  We've had an allotment in the past and moved to our house about 6 years ago and now grow just in the garden. We're at the bottom of a river valley in Cornwall, facing mostly south.  We freeze in the winter (by cornish standards) and bake in the summer.

Welcome Scrimps!

The allotment threw up an unexpected bonus this weekend. One of the regulars donated some tins from a food parcel he received and in return I made him some bananabread. He also called me over to look at how he planted his potatoes, since I managed to drown mine last year. It was a bit funny us trying to talk from across a distance though. I decided to donate half my chitted potatoes to my new allotment neighbour, realised it will take up too much space and I don't want to spend money on soil for bagging them up at home. In return he offered to help me do some digging if I need it.

I've finished spitting over the soil for potatoes, 2 times 4m rows and a spade width on either side

Raked the raised bed fine for some salad and radishes

Dug a hole on side of tiny shed to plant some sunflower seedlings

Started to dig over a failed onion bed when I saw that 2 rows were sticking their heads out over the grass. so painstakingly started hoeing till my back had enough. About 25 onions!

My pear tree is blossoming beautiful white flowers and the berry bushes, I still got no idea what they are, is starting to make little red flowers (made none last year). Once they in full bloom I will try and post a pic to see if anyone got any ideas.

Drizzling today, so having a rest before work tonight.

Charly27

Welcome Scrimps, it was your post which inspired me to stop ‘lurking’ as I have been for the last 18 months. Hope you didn’t feel me puffing and panting last year in cyber space  as we simultaneously dismantled our very odd split-level garden and I trundled the mower around my allotment. At the end of last season I confess to covering large portions of said allotment with black plastic to save my back and sanity. Then returned only yesterday now I am officially on leave for the next two weeks. Here’s my answers to the questions:
What do you like to grow?
In the garden, sweet peas, tomatoes, salad onions, strawberries, blueberries, herbs and carrots in pots.
Allotment: onions, garlic, butternut squash, mini corn, peas and beans, fruit, gooseberries and currants, apples, pears and cherries, flowers like cornflowers, cosmos and sweet peas.
Are you going to try anything different this year?
Yes I am going to try to plant up the raised bed in the garden and restore the allotment to its 2011 glory so it can produce some actual food for me and DH. Heritage carrots, the different coloured ones. Eat the cherries before the birds. Pick the pears. I didn’t know when to pick them so dithered. Create a new strawberry bed.
Did you try anything different last year? Did you like it? Would you grow it again?
Not really.
Do you have any tips for growing?
Don’t compare what you do with others. Cherish your little victories, the taste of something home grown is very sweet.
How much does growing your own save you?
Only my mental health to be honest! If I’m in a real funk it gets me out of my head and quite literally in the ground.