The even bigger and better and hopefully not lower bits of growing your own in 2022!

Kantankrus_Mare

My tomatoes. bell peppers and chillis are doing well and ready for potting on sometime the coming week. Need to think about starting some other bits off. The only thing I do later than everything else is courgettes, They come on so quickly that mid April is plenty of time. I had a bit of a win the past few days. I have four strawberry beds at the allotment and last year, as I do every year, I planted up lots of runners, Usually I use to plant a new bed but didnt need a new bed last year so thought about selling them. I put on facebook sales in September with a couple of queries but no sales.
Had completely forgotten about it and in the last few weeks have had lots of interest and sold all but 3 trays!! I priced them at £5 for 6 plants and have made just under £50!! I am well happy with that as it off sets spends at the allotment .
One customer asked if I did anything else to sell which I dont but it has given me food for thought. Just sowing a few extra bits could cover my costs completely. My husband thinks its hilarious with all these people turning up at our door and calling me Alan Sugar. I am aware that an allotment shouldnt be used for a business but selling a few extra plants a few times a year is hardly a business and I like to think I am encouraging others to see the benefits of growing their own. 

sammy_kaye18

Kantankrus_Mare said:

My tomatoes. bell peppers and chillis are doing well and ready for potting on sometime the coming week. Need to i
think about starting some other bits off. The only thing I do later than everything else is courgettes, They come on so quickly that mid April is plenty of time. I had a bit of a win the past few days. I have four strawberry beds at the allotment and last year, as I do every year, I planted up lots of runners, Usually I use to plant a new bed but didnt need a new bed last year so thought about selling them. I put on facebook sales in September with a couple of queries but no sales.
Had completely forgotten about it and in the last few weeks have had lots of interest and sold all but 3 trays!! I priced them at £5 for 6 plants and have made just under £50!! I am well happy with that as it off sets spends at the allotment .
One customer asked if I did anything else to sell which I dont but it has given me food for thought. Just sowing a few extra bits could cover my costs completely. My husband thinks its hilarious with all these people turning up at our door and calling me Alan Sugar. I am aware that an allotment shouldnt be used for a business but selling a few extra plants a few times a year is hardly a business and I like to think I am encouraging others to see the benefits of growing their own. 

I think that’s a great idea hun and it might help others to get started on their growing journey like you said. Plus it puts a few pennies in your pocket when it’s something you’d be doing anyway 

Farway

Kantankrus_Mare said:

My tomatoes. bell peppers and chillis are doing well and ready for potting on sometime the coming week. Need to think about starting some other bits off. The only thing I do later than everything else is courgettes, They come on so quickly that mid April is plenty of time. I had a bit of a win the past few days. I have four strawberry beds at the allotment and last year, as I do every year, I planted up lots of runners, Usually I use to plant a new bed but didnt need a new bed last year so thought about selling them. I put on facebook sales in September with a couple of queries but no sales.
Had completely forgotten about it and in the last few weeks have had lots of interest and sold all but 3 trays!! I priced them at £5 for 6 plants and have made just under £50!! I am well happy with that as it off sets spends at the allotment .
One customer asked if I did anything else to sell which I dont but it has given me food for thought. Just sowing a few extra bits could cover my costs completely. My husband thinks its hilarious with all these people turning up at our door and calling me Alan Sugar. I am aware that an allotment shouldnt be used for a business but selling a few extra plants a few times a year is hardly a business and I like to think I am encouraging others to see the benefits of growing their own. 

Good idea, years back, pre internet, when I had surplus runners I remember being very surpised how readily runner plants sold at our allotment stall, but looking around these days a tray of say a dozen plants for £2 can be cheaper than a packet of seeds if all you need are a dozen plants for a small patch of garden

sammy_kaye18

Well I’ve just been out in the garden and done some seeds. Fingers crossed I’m not too late but last frost has passed and it’s nice out there this morning. 

Ive used the milk bottle greenhouse method lol 

so now have started

runner beans 
courgette
tomatoes 
peas 
rhubarb 
spring onion 

I have a few more to sow like carrot, rocket, lettuce etc but I only put compost into the beds yesterday so I’ll give it a few days to settle before I start sowing there. 

Also have more courgette seeds than needed so think I might put some in the ground too and see what they do. 

This year is an experiment of beds vs ground. I’m hoping if I put courgette, carrot and leeks - I’ll see how well they grow compared to contained. 

Still waiting on strawberry plants as well. 

Fosterdog

I haven't posted for a few weeks again but have been busy in the garden. Great to see everyone is off to a good start this year.

So far I've prepared all of the beds, bought and built (and started to fill) the new mini greenhouse, had a steady succession of propagators on windowsills, fertilised and mulched all of the fruit trees, bushes, canes, and the big strawberry planter.

Indoors I currently have my peppers that have been potted on and doing well under a grow light, another couple of weeks and I'll start hardening them off, I also have my first batch of sweetcorn, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Only one of the cucumbers is looking like it's worth keeping so I'll start more over the weekend. The tomatoes are late this year, only just germinating, after I started them far too early last year I left it too long this year, maybe next year I'll find a balance.

Mini greenhouse has two dwarf pea varieties and some Brussels sprouts not yet germinated, more peas, spinach, and red onions that have germinated all but the spinach are doing well, so I'll start more spinach too. Onion sets are coming along nicely and will go into the main bed and some containers this weekend. Also have a range of flower seeds starting.

In the main bed I've sown the first row each of carrots and parsnips, and used the area for the rest of the veg that won't need it for a while yet to get an early crop of beetroot and several varieties of head and leaf lettuce. None have germinated yet but it's only been a week.

In containers I've put in my first and second earlies, first maincrop will go in on the weekend. I'll also be starting some more bits off this weekend, need to have a good look through my seeds again to see where I'm at.

Grass cutting season has started so I've nabbed some off neighbours to get a new batch of compost underway and I might try it out as a mulch this year too.

Suffolk_lass

Here there is a really heavy frost this morning (typical East Anglian Spring!) so still quite cautious about planting anything tender (indoors or in the greenhouse. I must check on the potted on tomatoes, chillies and peppers that are out there, in light of this morning's super cold ground. They are on benching so unless attacked by mice they should be OK. As we are going away just after Easter I am delaying tender veg seed planting until I get back, in the first week of May but I have two heated hood style propagators so they should catch up. 

In the meantime we are looking for early potatoes peeking through to cover them up from the frost and planning to transplant strawberries next week. Lots of blossom on all the plum varieties here. And apples are threatening to bloom too. 

Glittering_M

Morning all,
Planted seeds inside just over a week ago - sweetcorn, sunflowers, chives. The sunflowers have started to come up and I can see the tiniest bit of the sweetcorn so that should be coming up in a couple of days . 

I got a walk in 'green house' from A1d1 the other week so I'm hoping to be able to move some of it into that soon but I think I'll wait until the frosts have gone as it isn't the same as an actual green house. I've got some zinnias and rubeckias in there but I forgot about them for a couple of days so will need to check on them and see if there is anything happening there.

Got some lemongrass stalks from W1ng Y1p the other day so hoping to plant them and see if anything grows! Fingers crossed and I'll report back. I've seen mixed guidance as to how to grow them, some say roots in water but the RHS say in soil and a pot. I haven't decided what method I'm going to do, maybe I'll try both. 

I meant to pick up some ginger whilst I was there to give that a go but completely forgot. 

I got some perennials that I really want to plant out but I want to wait until it is a bit warmer, I know they are hardy so should be ok  I got the bed all ready when we had our warm spell.

carinjo

Glittering_M said:

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Got some lemongrass stalks from W1ng Y1p the other day so hoping to plant them and see if anything grows! Fingers crossed and I'll report back. I've seen mixed guidance as to how to grow them, some say roots in water but the RHS say in soil and a pot. I haven't decided what method I'm going to do, maybe I'll try both. 

I have been extending the life of my shop bought spring onions in water, so might be worth a try with some of them.


Ms Marple and I have come up with a compromise: i won't take up the whole windowsill with my seedlings and she won't sleep on them! 

sammy_kaye18

carinjo said:

Glittering_M said:

.

Got some lemongrass stalks from W1ng Y1p the other day so hoping to plant them and see if anything grows! Fingers crossed and I'll report back. I've seen mixed guidance as to how to grow them, some say roots in water but the RHS say in soil and a pot. I haven't decided what method I'm going to do, maybe I'll try both. 

I have been extending the life of my shop bought spring onions in water, so might be worth a try with some of them.


Ms Marple and I have come up with a compromise: i won't take up the whole windowsill with my seedlings and she won't sleep on them! 

I saw about cutting the bottom off spring onions and standing them in egg cartons and regrowing them the other day on something and then planting to grow and doing the same so you can have a continuous crop. 

I might have to try this if my seeds don’t work 

it was -4 here this morning!

MovingForwards

You can grow celery from celery, just pop the base in water, roots and more stalks grow.