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

Soontobeoap

Hi, can I join you all on here. I had success with cherry tomatoes and runner beans last year but hiping for a more productive crop this year. Have started my cherry toms in plastic bags in window sills and some cut and come again lettuce are sprouting well(both from last years seeds.)Have also planted some sweet pepper seeds this week and have some mini munch cucumbers to start soon. I think that the latter 2 might be harder to grow but Grandsons wanted ro try. I have one side of garden that was a concrete path that has been filled in therefor soil is only about 6 inch deep. I will be using comtainers for potatoes and carrots.

I bought strawberry plants last year but they didnt do too well. Has anyone got any brilliant planting ideas for raising them up to maximise planting space?

I am a complete novice and would welcome tips from others. Thanks. 

sammy_kaye18

Spent a little time in the garden the last few days but a trapped nerve in my neck has made things awkward. 

I moved my washing line to give me a bigger grass area for the dogs. I intend to put a nice bird feeder there to encourage them into the garden. 

I used two pallets from next door and put them up as a fence to stop the dogs going to the end of the garden behind the shed where I cant see them. I will plant these up eventually either with herbs or flowers to encourage pollinators. 

I have put 4 old recycling boxes along my fence with the intention to plant up as growing space. There is another pallet either side of them as well to plant up with flowers. 

Made a border with some old bricks along the edge of the garden.

Then it rained and I came in but I have also ordered the cover for the greenhouse finally and will be able to start planting up soon and getting my seeds started. 

Jazee

Morning all.

All but three types of the fifteen seed types I planted at the end of January are doing well.  I've now done my Feb planting a week late.  Still mostly flowers and herbs but I've made a start now with peppers, Brussels and parsnips.

Regarding strawberries, I have always planted these amongst the flower beds.  They look great and the runners take care of themselves.

Suffolk_lass

@Soontobeoap round here strawberries are often grown in a growbag with a 10cm deep (ie near side to far side) channel along the length and 10 plants to a bag. They can sit on the ground or on a pallet, or a table top. If you want them at the right height for picking, you could stand two pallets up like a wigwam and put a slick across the bottom so they don't get pushed together and topple, tie the tops close enough for the bag to sit on top - and we lean them against a compost bin here. Or if you have an old zig zag clothes airer a bag on top of a plank on the lower horizontal wires works too, the opposite way to the wires, obviously. And we always grow mini munch in pots here.

My chilli seeds have mostly germinated (four each of Tabasco and Cayenne, 6 of the Jalopeno) so the heated propagator is back in the greenhouse so they stop growing towards the light (or the bug zapper at night). At least one tomato seed of each of the four varieties have now germinated, but they have stayed in the greenhouse. Just need warm enough weather to get onion sets and potatoes in now!

carinjo

I've realised that reason my poor lettuce seedlings struggling is too many seeds! I've removed loads and hope the spacing between those left is enough for them to start forming true leaves. First time growing lettuce in trays, so it all a learning experience. 
The weather is a bit icky so no time on allotment yet this week. As soon as i see a bit of sun, will do the tomato seeds. Our last frost date is first week in may, so no rush. I'm doing research for getting a bulk bag of compost/soil mix for all the raised boxes, going away in 2 weeks, so it a juggle with the finances. 
@sammy_kaye18 we got what we thought was a bargain for a big box of fatballs for the birds from a discount store and they not touching it! So we went back to garden centre and got some that a bit more expensive but attracting loads of birds! Lesson learned.

alicef

Heavy snow has stopped play, although I do need to clean off last year's labelling from the plant labels.  I'm working up to the big pricking out/potting on of toms/chillies/sweet peppers & aubergines this weekend.  The snapdragons have germinated and I have a couple of trays of sweet peas in loo rolls. Onion seed has started to germinate, though I had to place the 1/2 trays into a propagator - my utility room is, clearly too cold. Loofah seed has sulked; I might try again in the propagator.   I couldn't resist, so I have started to germinate some crimson flower broad bean seed.   

nmaria

alicef said:

Heavy snow has stopped play, although I do need to clean off last year's labelling from the plant labels.  I'm working up to the big pricking out/potting on of toms/chillies/sweet peppers & aubergines this weekend.  The snapdragons have germinated and I have a couple of trays of sweet peas in loo rolls. Onion seed has started to germinate, though I had to place the 1/2 trays into a propagator - my utility room is, clearly too cold. Loofah seed has sulked; I might try again in the propagator.   I couldn't resist, so I have started to germinate some crimson flower broad bean seed.   

How big/small are your Tom plants for pricking out?

alicef

Hi @nmaria.  I'll be pricking out any tomato that has got at least a pair of true leaves.  Some might be a bit leggy, 3 or so inches, but with my tomatoes I always sink them in the compost to the first set of leaves because the stem can form roots.

carinjo

A bit of hazy sunshine this morning. Unpacked the shed at home to get to the bags of topsoil at the back. Discovered signs of mice, so doing a proper cleanup. Got my tomato seeds and compost ready to plant afterwards.
My L1dl is doing tomato growbags and peat free compost

carinjo

In cleaning up the shed i found a long planter, so done short rows of lettuce, spinach and kale all for cut and come again. Built a raised bed against sunny wall in garden for the cucumber and some tomatoes.