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

Suffolk_lass

How exciting for you @greenbee I do hope you enjoy it. I am loving my new in 2020 one

leelad

Hello, just come across this thread. Good to see a thread like this devoted to growing your own. We have a couple of pots in the backyard growing potatoes (coming along nicely), strawberries (early days yet), rocket and a little tomato plant. Have plans to create a vegetable patch down one side of the backyard, but there's a bush in the way that needs digging out first. Looking at later this year I think on this one. My daughter is 8 so we work together with doing bits here and there. Already grown tulips this year from bulbs and that was impressive. We have joined a local gardening group so that may help in pushing us on,also contributing to this thread. Does anyone else on this thread grow their own from backyards? It's a different challenge I think to having your own garden. Ok take care, happy gardening.

MysteryMe

Bar a couple of large mature shrubs my garden is basically all hard landscaped so it's the same as a yard. I grow everything in containers. I grow quite a few bulbs such as daffs, tulips and alliums.  I don't grow root veg it's mainly toms, strawberries, raspberries courgettes, marrows and peppers.  I have also grown runner beans in the past. You just need to keep on top of watering in dry spells and feed as required.

MysteryMe

Harvested my first 2 1/2 strawberries. Some feathered blighter got the other half.

Suffolk_lass

We had two red gooseberries straight from the bush yesterday - plumped by the rain and ripened on the bush. Sweet and delicious (and one each of course. Had our first lettuce and spinach cut from the garden for salad tea

Kantankrus_Mare

Really disappointed with my spinach. Even though it was sown in a partly shaded area of the allotment, its gone to seed. Have started some more off in a container. Ive had an allotment since 2006 and every year Ive said I will have a go at elderflower champagne but every year, life has got in the way or ive actually picked it and then it smelt like cats pee so didnt proceed.......well.....I have no excuse this year with still being furloughed from work. Been to water in the greenhouses earlier and picked some lovely elderflower heads. Took straight home and followed recipe instructions. It now needs to sit for 3 days with an occasional stir and then needs straining and putting in sterilised bottles. Fingers crossed it turns out nice . Anyone else here made it? So many recipes that its hard to know which to choose. Think I may be picking some strawberries by the end of the week as well!

Suffolk_lass

Our spinach and Pak Choi are both trying to go to seed, despite being quite small. We are cutting (like come-again leaves) as fast as we can. I feel spinach and eggs for supper might be in order though!

I have not made elderflower champagne but I do make cordial (3 lots so far this year). I use the BBC Good Food video clip of Mary Berry for my recipe. I personally would let the natural yeasts in the flowers be the fermentation trigger, rather than adding yeast. The trick is not to kill the yeast by not washing the flowers (hence don't pick them near a road) and not using too hot water in this method, but you want it warm so the flavour infuses. I would be making the Delicious magazine recipe because it is closer to the cordial one I use, but making the sugar syrup first and letting it cool. I use kitchen paper in a nylon sieve instead of muslin to filter too - using some of that thick single-roll kitchen paper that is nice and strong.

DiggerUK

This year 'we' remembered to do the elderflower champagne on time. It's been in the kitchen since yesterday steeping away, will be strained and bottled later, Mrs.D is responsible, I've been told to leave well alone..._
12 large heads of flowers in bloom.
1.5 lbs white sugar.
1 lemon, cut up.
2 table spoons white wine vinegar. 

1 gallon water.

Strain into bottles, leave two weeks, drink within the month.

Suffolk_lass

Piddled down (official expression) all day yesterday - I did not even open the door of the greenhouse! We have got lots of stuff to catch up on indoors so might not be doing much in the garden. I can see the potatoes grew yesterday - I swear they are 20cm taller and the 2nd earlies are flowering

greenbee

I've finally started to have enough salad in the garden to make meals! Small ones, but still - home grown lettuce, radishes and rocket.

Greenhouse is up, although still missing a few panels (some of the missing bits arrived yesterday and I emailed them to confirm what's still missing, which they're going to send out). Some of the tomatoes have been potted on, but I have lots more to do - my brother dropped off some big pots this morning along with a load of flint and chalk for the stream. I've ordered some large gravel trays now I know how much space I have. I've also ordered some large plastic pots to go inside the 'planters' I've created from the old compost bins so that the courgettes will have plenty of space. Assuming a few more germinate... 

I've got a couple of tomatoes outside, a bean frame up with beans planted in the ground - the growhouse-terminated ones are climbing up the arch by the raspberry beds! Tomato food and bird netting arrived yesterday. I've been given an unwanted water butt, which I'm hoping I can use for the greenhouse. So I've got a LOT to do, and that's without the deadheading and weeding in the rest of the garden and the clearing that needs doing in the stream!