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

Suffolk_lass

All better thanks @carinjo. I fractured a vertebrae nearly 20 years ago and the issue is muscle (nerve) memory really. That and being overweight and flabby round my middle. Anyway, standing still is bad, sitting and stretching to reach weeds seems to be good! 

I also need to do some planting. I have squashes that are ready to be planted out (in the cold frame) and must plant some seeds (2 kinds of beetroot, carrots, chard and black kale). I also have to top up the sink with compost (a double sized butler) but as the painter is coming after the holiday weekend we need to move it away from the wall a bit so he can paint properly. So far only self seeded lettuces (I could sell some from the gate, we have so many!) but I have more seeds and radishes to scatter. Tomatoes have flowers on. All good!

carinjo

Yesterday weeded the onion and garlic bed, the autumn planting leaves starting to die down, should be ready soon to harvest.
Today planted 2 types beetroot in final position, was a quick job, tired. Also earthed up the maincrop potatoes.
Used an egg carton to make markings in soil to plant more radishes. The planting in the egg trays of french breakfast and icicle (both long skinny ones) worked really well, levelled it off with compost. This time just made indentations, a seed in each hole and a bit of soil over it.
Something i learned this week: the chinese cabbage unfurls it's leaves from the centre. When i planted the seedlings i tied them up to keep off ground for slugs. The poor things' leaves all wonky now, but they grow very fast, might have to take some out to keep space for pointed cabbage. 

@Fosterdog i think you are right about the updates. This board is very quiet considering what a busy time of the year it is for everyone.

leftatthetrafficlights

Things are doing well in the garden at the moment- tomatoes have flowers on and the courgettes and aubergine are developing flower buds; I've got a few broad beans (already had a few harvests from the autumn planted ones) and lots more flowers; fennel, swede, turnips, celeriac, sweetcorn, squash, summer cabbages, romanesca, pak choi, runner beans, peas, carrots, parsnips, calabrese, spring onions, dwarf beans, leeks and sprouting broccoli are all coming along nicely 😁 lettuce is ready for cutting and potatoes (first and second earlies plus maincrop) are growing very well! I've got winter cabbages on the go at the moment ready to go into the beds when the summer ones are harvested and dh had to repot them today as they are getting quite big! 

We've had a couple of harvests of radishes which have been lovely- we're succession sowing in gaps we have and will continue to do so throughout the season (I like them roasted, dh prefers them raw) and the garlic has now produced it's scapes and will be ready to pull soon 😁 

Only thing that doesn't seem to be doing particularly well is the beetroot 🤔 I'm going to start some more off tomorrow just in case these ones don't come to much!! 

Suffolk_lass

A big sort out yesterday and I took pup for a long walk while DH weeded an 8x6 (foot) bed for the courgettes and planted six there (! what can I say, I can't bear to compost healthy plants!) and another four alongside the brassicas (except I don't really grow brassicas) - just black kale and chard this year. I think with such good local produce they are cheap and better than I grow. Love Lincolnshire brassicas!

We also scattered seeds for 2 beetroot varieties and some carrots. Now only the much later butternut squashes still to grow on a bit in the greenhouse, and 6 pumpkins in the cold frame - might have to pop three in the compost and plant 2 in a raised bed and one in a flower bed. Not sure why more don't grow and eat these they are fab (Crown Prince) I know Sarah Raven agrees they are the best for eating! I confess there are more courgettes but I think I know where these should go in someone else's garden!

My self-seeded lettuce bed will need to be cleared soon, not least of the weeds in there too - it is destined to grow cucumbers but we might try doing some of these vertically on the bean frames and fashion an angled wooden frame with netting over it for them to lay on, to reduce nibblers - something that popped up as an idea on the interweb (can't remember where)

MovingForwards

I've been more controlled with my growing this year. Instead of trying to sow loads of different things, I've focused on what we eat a lot of and have been sowing those every few weeks.

This year I've garlic, onions, carrots, parnsips, kale, spinach, peas, borlotto beans, beetroots, spuds, with a couple of celeriac in. I'll be sowing daikon and more carrots next month.

I'm growing chillies and toms in the flat.

My fruit gardens are established as are my herbs.

I've been growing things for other people, handing over surplus herbs when dug up to make space for the others rapidly expanding and weeding.

The main aim is to make it user friendly and easy to maintain due to work and health.

carinjo

@leftatthetrafficlights sounds like you have a wonderful selection of things growing.
  @Suffolk_lass i am eternally grateful for introducing me to Crown Prince pumpkin. I got 2 growing this year and gifted another, for ms C and I it more than enough. On my first year at allotment someone showed me how they rested 2 pallets at an angle against each other and grew their cucumbers up that. They also had another pallet propped against the side of the compost bin for more cucumbers, so your plan sounds good. 
@MovingForwards i have a similar philosophy this year, growing mainly same again as last year, to grow my skills and learn what works or not. 
A remarkable week, managed to tick all the boxes on my to-do list. The last being planting the lyon leeks this afternoon. 
Next week is trying more lettuce, feeding and weeding.
Some of my autumn planted onions almost ready to come out. Can i still use that area for similar like beetroot till end of next autumn? Or shall i use it for lettuce, radishes etc? 

Suffolk_lass

@carinjo I never worry what follows onions except to improve the nutrition a bit (a growbag broken up is good!). You should be good to grow beets there - we planted on Saturday, and intend succession planting about a dozen every two weeks. Lettuces and radishes are my favourite crop as they are so quick and can go anywhere. You could intersperse the beetroot with lettuces and radishes as they will be out before the beetroot have formed and you could grow a few extra beets and snip the tops with the lettuces for a tasty salad addition.

Managed to persuade our friend whose honey extractor we borrowed that he needs courgettes and cucumbers in his life so need to pop some over to him later today (along with tomatoes, chillies and bell peppers).

sammy_kaye18

Morning all (barely)

Well I seemed to be waiting forever to get compost but it finally arrived yesterday so I have been busy and will be out today as well with rests in between because me and the sun do not get along - note to self buy big hat and put up umbrella. 

I have been really focusing on getting my garden together this year, I have dug up areas, put weed control sheeting in place for more difficult areas, I leave the edge of the garden long so that butterflies, bees and insects are ok and in my garden pollinating. My daughter also has a bird table that we feed on daily so birds are in the garden too. 

I currently have one bed with runner beans training over a very tall arch and in the bed underneath have just planted cucumbers and put struts to the fence for them to grow up. I may put some twine between them too to maximise their growing space but I think I managed to plant 8 in the bed yesterday along the edge. I'm hoping the beans will provide them with shade and when they hang it will keep them away from most bugs etc.
In the greenhouse yesterday I have re-potted on 9 tomato plants and have a load of pepper plants that I will probably need to do the same with today but they don't have their second set of leaves yet so I think I need to wait a little longer. I also have two rhubarb seedlings which seem quite happy so I will have to pot them on at some point and see if I can find a suitable place for them. I also need to plant some more spring onions as mine are a bit whispy and feeble at the minute. 

On my deck I have the two old car rims filled with radishes. We had our first little harvest the other day from them but they are growing well and looking good. I also have a courgette plant that has sprung into life and I planted one a few weeks later and that is coming along nicely. I also filled an old recycling box with compost and scattered some carrot seeds in it but they all seem to be growing well too. The tops look good anyway but I will wait and see what I have underneath! 
 
I have 3 empty beds in my garden at the minute that I am planning on sorting today. One will be for lettuce and rocket (we have 2 lizards and a guinea pig so none of it goes to waste) and then the other big one I am hoping to direct sow a few bits which will be winter growing like cabbage, sprouts, parsnips, swede. I also have small carrot variety that I am hoping to put into a tub.
My peas seem to be doing well as well along the fence and I don't seem to have taken much damage since I put sawdust around them. 
My strawberries that were saved from MIL have also come to life and have a few flowers on them as well. I'm hoping to leave them to their own devices this year and will leave the runners to do their thing. We love strawberries so if they take over the garden them so be it! 
I have also noticed a bramble growing through a crack next to my house in the back garden and I'm honestly debating whether to put a trellis up and train it up the wall so we have some fresh blackberries as well to put on things like porridge etc. We go foraging for them every year and make jam so I figure it might be worth a try (its not near a road etc so we are good) 

My son  Ben is in work today too so he has said he will pop into Wilkinsons for me today and see if he can pick up any discounted or cheap sets / seeds so I can chuck those into the ground as well and see what happens. 

I do think I need to focus a bit more on fruit. Behind our sed / workshop is nice and sunny, as well as quiet so Im wondering whether to plant some small variety fruit trees down there or whether to get some bit pots and put them in the top of the garden. Need to research and think a bit more on that I think but Im sure I saw on garden rescue the other day that they had a miniature bramley apple variety so need to give that a rewatch 

Hoping as well my sister is going to trade a few plants with me next week - she seems to have done well with chillis so Im going to swap her a chilli plant or two for a few trays of peas. :-) happy days

Glittering_M

My veg isn't doing too well this year. I've recently moved and just threw everything in without too much thought so that might not have helped! I also didn't water sufficiently before potting on into the ground, instead watering after they were in. Learning for next year!

Has anyone tried growing fenugreek (methi), apparently it is quite easy to grow but curious for people's views and what seeds were used (e.g. ones in the spice jar or specific garden growing ones).

Update on the lemongrass. We ended up growing them in jars of water, changing it regularly, only 1 actually grew a root and it was tiny so I've given up and chucked them all in pots of earth to see if they do anything! I'll try and keep you updated!

I like the idea @sammy_kaye18 of the brambles. I want to grow strawberries in the future for jam, and I also like blackberry jam, so that's an interesting thought, to have a little fruit area. Certainly worth a try, although I'm not sure how much you'd need to get a decent crop?

sammy_kaye18

Glittering_M said:

I like the idea @sammy_kaye18 of the brambles. I want to grow strawberries in the future for jam, and I also like blackberry jam, so that's an interesting thought, to have a little fruit area. Certainly worth a try, although I'm not sure how much you'd need to get a decent crop?

I'm quite fortunate to live in a welsh valley and I am effectively on top of a mountain so there are lots of little areas to go and forage things like blackberries where they are away from the road. I regularly go out and pick mixing bowls full of them and then will turn them into jam / sauces etc although that reminds me I need to invest in some muslin because my daughter doesn't like seeds in it! 
But I was just thinking that even if it only grows a few and I manage to contain it to one area and keep it clipped that at least I could probably get a few for my morning porridge or to add to a crumble etc. 
I also know of two apple trees nearby that have just sprouted from no where so I am keeping an eye on them as well to make into things like pies and crumbles!