The even newer good, bad and ugly of growing your own in 2021!

Suffolk_lass

MovingForwards said:

@Oldstylethriftylady swap the seeds with people, drop them to a local allotment / community garden / school / advertise free to collector on local selling sites.

@Suffolk_lass I'm hoping to grow the black russian's this year too. A lot of people in my gardening group had problems with B.E rot and blight last year. Was heartbreaking seeing their photos.

@Dizzy_Ditzy the weather will pick up, when it does quickly get outside. I'm trying to potter when the sun comes out, even if it's moving a few bits to tidy up.

We did after going away for a few days, camping with friends and leaving DS in residence, cat sitting and watering. That was in July and I returned to 20 tomato plants on their sides (it was just before I tied them to the roof!) and my baby melons all dead thanks to the reluctant gardener

silverwhistle

I’m pondering getting some chili seeds and trying my hand for the first time, does anyone have experience with chili plants?

I sowed my seeds in a heated propagator on Monday (Corno di Toro, Nigel's Green, Basque and Patio Sizzle) and might do another batch in February. No problems growing them on a south facing sheltered patio in coastal Hampshire but other locations may be more difficult. When I initially plant them out after hardening off I try and shelter for as long as possible and have some large plastic bell cloches from Wilko to use. The local farmer's market also yielded a couple of different chilli plants and my Chilli Chutney Blend this last year was fruity, tasty and hot!

the_cross_rabbit

Baby leeks poking their heads through the (heated) soil. These were sown by DD2 who has a better success rate than me. Just waiting for the chillis to raise their heads. Haha just remembered not sown chillies yet
CRx

MovingForwards

@Suffolk_lass I've looked into making some form of irrigation system as I won't be working from home forever and my garden gets a lot of sun / heat.

Suffolk_lass

@Oldstylethriftylady I have a very low success rate with chilli plants from seed so last year I bought three each of apache and cayenne and grew them in a window box in the green house. I did not compost them at the end of the season and it does look as though one or two may have survived. I have also bought a packet of chocolate cayenne to try again from seed.

All my seeds arrived yesterday from Kings Seeds - I was a little worried because they have stopped taking orders but all is well with one swap and one mistake. They sent me the wrong Cosmos - red instead of white and swapped one sweetcorn to another because of stock issues

MovingForwards

I grew peppers last year, but something kept eating them. I decided not to bother this year and focus on my tomato plants instead. People have been growing them inside, with good success @Oldstylethriftylady

C_J

I sowed ten different varieties of chilli seeds a fortnight ago under gentle heat and they are all just starting to germinate now. I also sowed some baby Thai aubergines, and they’re up already too.

I grew three types of chilli last year and am trying to overwinter the pots in the greenhouse. I’ve never tried this before, but have followed the online advice of chopping the plants back and keeping them frost-free, and will see what happens!

zafiro1984

On Jan 1st I posted that the seed catalogues were arriving but it has taken me until yesterday to sort out my seeds from last year and order what I need for this year.
My aim this year is to grow more but only the things we eat, to freeze the surplus, and be more focused.  Mind you, I say that to myself at the start of every year. Some years are good and some not so good. Last year went haywire. It started off well and then went downhill. I actually had to buy some veg in the summer, mainly salad things, I've not done that for a long time.

I usually start sowing in Jan but not this year as I have hens occupying both polytunnels due to 'Hen Lockdown' Hopefully we'll get the all clear in March from the government so they can go back into their normal houses. The upside is I will have no weeds, slugs or weed seeds in the tunnels. The downside is that it looks as if a hurricane has passed through. Soil is everywhere, I can't see the concrete paths, soli fills the space between the polythene and the outside of the beds, at least nothing can get into the tunnel under the polythene and help themselves to the veg. I still have the greenhouse but I've used it to store everything from the tunnels so it looks like I'll have to use windowsills and the utility room to start sowing seeds.

I'm also trying to eat/use all the veg I have stored/frozen from last year that's why I only intend to grow what we eat and not too much. Brassicas are a no no here due to the soil, however I'll have a go at a bit of kale and possibly some cabbages in a raised bed in a tunnel. 
I've still got leeks, carrots plus parsnips on the plot, but nothing more apart from some herbs. 
The fruit cage is somewhat overgrown and needs a good sort out - maybe the hens can be pressganged into helping once they can go out,  they would enjoy that.

One of my aims this year is to sort the paths out between the outside beds. At the moment they are either totally grassed or paving slabs that are spaced apart with grass between them, all of which are high maintenance. I'm looking for something that more or less looks after itself. I must also get something possibly on wheels that is low and easy to move about because when I weed the beds the temptation is to just leave the weeds on the paths and to tidy it up later, sometimes which never happens.

Enough said except to say I've quite enjoyed catching up on all the postings over this lunchtime.

DiggerUK

A welcome to new visitors and a wave to the lookers and lurkers. I haven't been here that long myself.
Pathways in the veg beds have been mentioned, I stopped using boards and slabs on them a while back after it was pointed out they are ideal for slugs to hide under. Now I just walk a pathway in and dig it over when not needed. I don't use raised beds, but it is a no cost way of tidying up and it gets the birds in for a peck around..._

Suffolk_lass

Our paths between raised beds are gravel on top of (semi-expired) membrane with islands of paving slabs (all at £1 each or less from FB marketplace) a step apart. I do weed occasionally but I can also spray if I CBA to weed. Just make sure it isn't windy and do it at dusk when the pollinators have stopped flying. We don't have a poly tunnel and take advantage of a friend's chickens for egg supplies. Our garden was a chicken farm once and the nettles are an indication of the raised nitrogen levels that remain.

I know you have said your soil is not suitable for brassicas @zafiro1984, but what is it?

I do grow a few bits we don't really eat to keep the soil in balance (following a traditional four crop rotation) but I also notice we share brassicas with butterflies and roots with rabbits! Potatoes were poor last year too. The fruit beds stay the same year on year.