2023 - the good, the not so good but hopefully not ugly of growing your own!

Suffolk_lass

TornErse said:

Can I ask SuffolkLass do you use the ordinary kilner jars with the clip lids and rubber seals or special 'canning' ones ?  I pop my chutneys and jams into kilner jars so have those already.  Also, you liquidise the cooked tomato with the skins on ?  That video was so funny, Gina is a star 🌟 

This is the style of jar I use - you can easily get replacement seal-disks for them. I bought a few dozen online (Big River are not always cheapest but sometimes they are so worth looking around) - sometimes from my local "Harrods" (cheap store) who have them, also Dunderwhelming. I have also picked up lots from Faceache MP. I still use the spring clip jars for jam but avoid them for pickles - I use old mayonnaise jars for pickles then discard them because the vinegar affects the metal lids (and the spring part of the spring clip jars). The big spring-clip top ones I tend to use for storage, or making licqueurs (cassis in progress using frozen blackcurrants atm). (Nerdy? Moi?  )

I do leave the skins on to liquidise them. It was a game-changer using the higher speed. So much less pfaff

Suffolk_lass

Hooray, most of my other seeds have arrived. Sadly I received Kniphofia (red hot pokers ) instead of Pak choi! We had them at a previous house and they were incredibly deep rooted and invasive so I will be requesting a swap. In fact the only thing we have with deeper roots are Acanthus (Bear's Breeches) which definitely go to Australia.

Took down a 40 foot tall cherry tree yesterday that was within three metres of the house and was undermining the extension and causing the walls to crack. It was a great tree for birds. We never got any cherries as they always got them first. We did plant a small cherry tree about four years ago in readiness, but it is not a dessert variety.

Glittering_M

One more question about canning. Will normal jam cars and the like do?


Also, do flower seeds have a true use by? We've been given a load by family, all different ones, mostly annuals, but some say sow by 2014 on! I might still give them a go but I'm just wanting to know how disappointed to expect to be.

Jazee

Afternoon all.

I have been spending about fifteen minutes most days after my dog walk doing gardening.  The back is now prepped and I've made a start on the front.

I have decided not to grow cauliflower this yea4vas it takes up too much space and is so cheap to buy frozen, so this morning I have sown seeds for the following veg, herbs and flowers.  All are now under bubble wrap on a sunny windowsill.

french bean purple queen 
leeks
onions
chamomile
cress
oregano
sage
dahlias
morning glory
basil
parsley
chives
petunias
salvias
sweet peas

I will try to post updates occasionally 

nmaria

Jazee said:

Afternoon all.

I have been spending about fifteen minutes most days after my dog walk doing gardening.  The back is now prepped and I've made a start on the front.

I have decided not to grow cauliflower this yea4vas it takes up too much space and is so cheap to buy frozen, so this morning I have sown seeds for the following veg, herbs and flowers.  All are now under bubble wrap on a sunny windowsill.

french bean purple queen 
leeks
onions
chamomile
cress
oregano
sage
dahlias
morning glory
basil
parsley
chives
petunias
salvias
sweet peas

I will try to post updates occasionally 

Wow that’s early for beans isn’t it? Will you grow them outdoors?

sammy_kaye18

jokono said:

Wilko have all seeds on 3 for 2.

I got some and made an inventory and a plan. I'll start the tomatoes, peppers and aubergines in the next few days, then for March I have spinach, kale x 2, broccoli x 2, cauli x 2, courgette and 3 type of lettuce. Then in April continue with more kale, broc, cauli and lettuce and add chard and borlotti beans. I would like other kind of beans as well, I need to look into it.

I still need seed potatoes, or maybe use some old ones that started sprouting, I see that some of you had success with that.

We finally have raspberry canes, summer and autumn ♥️

Our allotment is still mostly overgrown, we need to get our bums into gear 

I had late success with runner beans and have brought broad beans to try this year as well. 
I still have runner beans in my freezer! 

Jazee

nmaria said:

Jazee said:

Afternoon all.

I have been spending about fifteen minutes most days after my dog walk doing gardening.  The back is now prepped and I've made a start on the front.

I have decided not to grow cauliflower this yea4vas it takes up too much space and is so cheap to buy frozen, so this morning I have sown seeds for the following veg, herbs and flowers.  All are now under bubble wrap on a sunny windowsill.

french bean purple queen 
leeks
onions
chamomile
cress
oregano
sage
dahlias
morning glory
basil
parsley
chives
petunias
salvias
sweet peas

I will try to post updates occasionally 

Wow that’s early for beans isn’t it? Will you grow them outdoors?

I'll move them into the greenhouse in a couple of months 5hen about a month later will move them outside.

sammy_kaye18

Well I decided to try and start tackling the garden a bit yesterday. 

I cleared by the back door of stuff that had accumulated, and then pressure washed the floor there and the step. Then cleaned off the path along the back of the house and put any rubbish out. Found a load of bean bag balls that Im not sure where they came from but they have now spread them across the garden.
Also moved the pallets around to the back of the house as well and spoke to neighbour who is giving me a pallet bar her daughter made for me to repurpose. Its going to be quite a deep bed so Im thinking I might stick to some root veg in there but try to fill it with wood, clippings etc. 

I need to cut the hedge at the front of the house so that will help to fill some beds as well and I have some grass/leaves etc that have been mulching to add to it as well. Also once they are done I have a friend to message for well rotted horse manure so my beds will be well looked after this year. Still trying to find some bulk soil/compost though. 

Farway

Glittering_M said:

One more question about canning. Will normal jam cars and the like do?


Also, do flower seeds have a true use by? We've been given a load by family, all different ones, mostly annuals, but some say sow by 2014 on! I might still give them a go but I'm just wanting to know how disappointed to expect to be.

Can't answer the jam jar question, but flower seeds vary so much no one can say, poppies for instance last forever [nearly]

What you could try is sow some on damp tissue as a test to see how they go before you commit the full packet

Personally, I'd give them a go anyway which I think is what you have in mind, nothing lost & you never know

Suffolk_lass

Glittering_M said:

One more question about canning. Will normal jam cars and the like do?


Also, do flower seeds have a true use by? We've been given a load by family, all different ones, mostly annuals, but some say sow by 2014 on! I might still give them a go but I'm just wanting to know how disappointed to expect to be.

@Glittering_M Yes you can use any pop-top jar for canning. Don't use the "proper' Honey screw top ones though as you can't get a proper seal. Do watch out for the smell lingering in jars that might once have had anything like curry sauce and if a jar had anything pickled, look very carefully for signs of rust and obv do't reuse these lids. You can buy replacement pop top lids (I get mine from the same place I use for the jars for my honey at this link).

With regard to seeds, it really depends what they are. Anything like poppy, with tiny seeds, will survive years past and as soon as the right conditions exist, they will germinate. Anything "plump" will lose moisture and expire without germinating (old sweet pea seeds are a good example). My advice would be to prepare your soil, make sand borders around in a fish scale pattern and label as you sprinkle in these patches. Some will certainly survive. Check the packets for the annuals as the month for planting the seed is a good guide. Too early and they may germinate but then wither on a cold night, and you don't really want to mess about with good compost if you are not sure they will germinate.

I'm much more diligent with veg seeds and use-by dates as they definitely fail over time