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

twinklie

I'm at a complete loss. The little critter has been back and has eaten half the actual leaf now on the one broadbean plant. I've looked everywhere for the culprit and can't find it. Its becoming a bit of an obsession now. I think I might need to get some help. I just can't stop thinking about it. Grrr. Evil little beast. 
Might just plant out my beans and have done with them. Then I can start growing a second wave if it doesn't go well for the original ones. 

zafiro1984

Been quite busy here so growing has had to take a back seat for a few days, hopefully I can now catch up as all I managed to do was water the seedlings as I would be more than cross if they had died due to lack of water. Interesting discussion on germination rates. I tend to play safe and buy toms, chillies,.peppers, aubergines, melons, cucs and of course parsnips fresh each year and usually from one of the main stream seed merchants because I tend to sow slightly later than I could (mainly because I'm catching up on jobs from last year) and I don't want to waste time by having to resow twice.
I don't mind using last years left over seeds for everything else I sow and just replace them when necessary. Oops Dh has just come in for lunch - i haven't finished so I'll come back later

DiggerUK

Strange but true.
There is a bus stop near us that doesn't get a lot of use. Near to it is a stone stand that is supposed to have been where the milk churns were placed for collection. It is a popular spot for gardeners to place spare seedlings and produce FOC, how it started nobody knows.

Amongst my contributions was a tray with ten spare winter onions left over from filling gaps in the onion bed. Before the whole tray was taken, somebody took just two!!!....Don't ask, I haven't a clue..._

carinjo

DiggerUK said:

Amongst my contributions was a tray with ten spare winter onions left over from filling gaps in the onion bed. Before the whole tray was taken, somebody took just two!!!....Don't ask, I haven't a clue..._

Hehe, I think you answered it: they only had 2 gaps to fill in their onion bed!

Suffolk_lass

carinjo said:

DiggerUK said:

Amongst my contributions was a tray with ten spare winter onions left over from filling gaps in the onion bed. Before the whole tray was taken, somebody took just two!!!....Don't ask, I haven't a clue..._

Hehe, I think you answered it: they only had 2 gaps to fill in their onion bed!

Yep- a good way to try a different type of onion or vegetable - easy to get stuck in a rut always growing the same things

carinjo

Collating all my scribbles in my notebook to keep track of what i'm doing this year, to learn for next year. Reading up about perennial veg and cut flower growing. A lot of my allotment neighbours grows artichokes on edges of their plots and Ms Carinjo have asked if we can grow flowers too on the plot. So now have to think if i want to take on the empty plot behind us to make that happen. 

twinklie

Finally found the culprit - broadbean weevil! I say I found the culprit, I found one. 

Suffolk_lass

twinklie said:

Finally found the culprit - broadbean weevil! I say I found the culprit, I found one. 

   Oh no - I just had a look to see what the RHS says and it is quite reassuring. My damage is not the characteristic notch-munching evidenced in the picture. I suspect mine is slugs, for which there is a nematode, but I prefer to leave them to the birds and tolerate som collateral damage.

carinjo - another plot? blimey, you're a glutton for punishment. Have you checked out the advice from Sarah Raven on cut flowers and the stock her website offers? - I found her too expensive for my budget but the advice is sprinkled through the site, which I periodically look at when checking something out, and it seems quite good. Asparagus. Perennial crop. Premium. Just saying...

Suffolk_lass

Ooh I meant to update. We finally got the last of the former blackcurrants (gone blind and turned into large 1m diameter flowering currants) out. Big job that involved lots of levering. This resulted in the discovery of rotten bed-edging wood (untreated scaffold boards) that had disintegrated under the surface. The had been there between 8 and ten years. Anyway, having re-roofed the kitchen with slate instead of concrete tiles, we had kept the slot together tiles for a future project. Well this is it. DH is on the case!

Meanwhile seedings continue to flourish and tomatoes, broccoli and squashes are being potted on. I would plant out but greedy pigeons are in evidence and I don't have any more net until my Mum packs up her old fruit cage netting and gets my sister to post it down.

carinjo

Suffolk_lass said:

carinjo - another plot? blimey, you're a glutton for punishment. Have you checked out the advice from Sarah Raven on cut flowers and the stock her website offers? - I found her too expensive for my budget but the advice is sprinkled through the site, which I periodically look at when checking something out, and it seems quite good. Asparagus. Perennial crop. Premium. Just saying...

Funny you should mention Sarah Raven, got seeds in the May Gardener's World, which started the conversation about cut flowers.
I was thinking about asparagus, but might be a bit next level for me at moment. But if a have a go from next year, definately something i would love to do. The plot is about 7.50m x 10m (same as current one) and got small shed and massive apricot tree on it and some fruit bushes. Will decide end May.

In other news: got to plot last night (to see if radishes ok after being nibbled at) and found a tray of tomato plants left by Mr R! Went over to his plot to see how he planted his and quickly planted mine too! He has been great with info and advice and now plants too!