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

Suffolk_lass

BJ. Of course! Thanks both. Might be puppy related, but could only think of big jobs (my Dad used to say that to our dog... (sorry!) 

Tabby_cat

MissRikkiC said:

Does anyone have a method of retaining all the various information needed for growing veg be it writing stuff down or logging it some how. If so how do you do so. 

There is so many things to remember for different things and my brain can’t take it all. 

Hello All, I hope you don't mind me joining in. I got my hands on my allotment last August so this is my first real year of growing.

I've gone down the technology route and use two things. Firstly, I've a spreadsheet of seeds on OneDrive, so I can check on my phone when out and about, as I do have a tendency to buy too many seeds! It lists my seeds, year to be used by (highlighted for seeds that are short on time), months they should be sowed indoors and sowed outdoors, planting out dates, harvesting dates and then I've added the date of when I actually sowed them. That's just to keep track of the seeds alone.

Then I use VegPlotter. https://vegplotter.com/ It's a free app. where you can plan month by month, what you are going to put where. It takes a little time to set up but I find it really useful, a pleasant way to pass a rainy afternoon and it feeds my inner geek. It shows the number of plants you can get in the space, it checks for crop rotation and inground conflict of plants, suggests suitable companion planting and it has a schedule of works to be done that month. I really like it as I've a tendency to lose notebooks/drop them in the mud etc. but can see the benefit of writing it by hand. If only my handwriting was up to later scrutiny.

Tabby_cat

Suffolk_lass said:

All tomato and pepper (including chilli) seedlings now potted on and into covered propagators in my unheated greenhouse. Three uncovered casualties of the heavy frost recently. Cling film over a bus tray full of sungold tomatoes x20. I hope they will be ok. I might go back out and move some around as I don't want to lose all of a single variety if the clingfilm doesn't work. Obv I won't keep all. 

Have you got any bubble wrap? I find it works fine over trays of seedlings. It's like putting a clear duvet over them.

MissRikkiC

That looks great @Suffolk_lass, did you wait for the ‘true leaves’ before moving the tomatoes and peppers? 

Suffolk_lass

Tabby_cat said:

Suffolk_lass said:

All tomato and pepper (including chilli) seedlings now potted on and into covered propagators in my unheated greenhouse. Three uncovered casualties of the heavy frost recently. Cling film over a bus tray full of sungold tomatoes x20. I hope they will be ok. I might go back out and move some around as I don't want to lose all of a single variety if the clingfilm doesn't work. Obv I won't keep all. 

Have you got any bubble wrap? I find it works fine over trays of seedlings. It's like putting a clear duvet over them.

Good idea, I might modify later, TBC (too b****y cold) to go out in my nightwear at the moment

MissRikkiC said:

That looks great @Suffolk_lass, did you wait for the ‘true leaves’ before moving the tomatoes and peppers? 

I did for the tomatoes, but the chillies and peppers were only a robust pair of leaves. The earlier ones were still in the kitchen which makes it too much of a temptation for me to water them - and that means they don't grow deep roots to fill the pot.

Although we love growing squashes and salad crops I am not starting anything else until May when we get back from our Scotland trip.

greenbee

My aubergines are getting leggy already, so will probably need potting in with just the seed leaves.

Suffolk_lass

That's the same reason I potted on the chillies and took them outdoors to the greenhouse @greenbee. I did bury part of the leggy stem in the hope that the peppers would do what the tomatoes do and grow more roots under the compost surface to make them sturdier

greenbee

I think I'm going to have a busy weekend @Suffolk_lass

carinjo

One of my colleagues says he plants his rhubarb in tyres, keeps it contained. I've seen flowers in tyres, but is it safe for food growing? 
Everything a bit slow at moment, done my back in again, so have been playing with vegplotter, thanks @Tabby_cat, dreaming of what will (hopefully) be. 
Ms C said she'll give a hand on weekend for next round of planting, so then will be caught up hopefully.

sammy_kaye18

carinjo said:

One of my colleagues says he plants his rhubarb in tyres, keeps it contained. I've seen flowers in tyres, but is it safe for food growing? 
Everything a bit slow at moment, done my back in again, so have been playing with vegplotter, thanks @Tabby_cat, dreaming of what will (hopefully) be. 
Ms C said she'll give a hand on weekend for next round of planting, so then will be caught up hopefully.

My mother in law grows courgettes in tyres and they did really well. 
Im fairly sure I have heard of people growing potatoes in them too and just adding a tyre and more soil as the shoots come through.