The ups, the downs and the insides out of growing your own in 2024!

leftatthetrafficlights

I'm hoping to get lots of sowing done with my grandbaby this weekend 🤞 If not successful (he gets bored quickly 😂) I'm going to at least get the compost into the trays and I'll sow on Sunday once he's gone...

I'm sure many of you will know this but I found out the other day that potatoes are either determinate or indeterminate just like tomatoes!! It makes a big difference on how to grow them to get the best crop - I've grown potatoes numerous times and it's one of those things that I've never known but I'm putting the new knowledge into practice this year and will hopefully have better results!! 😁

DD265

CoffeeSonata said:

Bit worried I’m pushing it with the onions and garlic now . (And potatoes still chitting and not progressing, also pushing it!)

[..]

I know some of these may be a bit late but I think they will catch up. Have been stung by late frosts and water logging  / not able to put out/ harden off and then leggy weak plants.  But may be a little late. We’ll see. 

You're really not behind... people start so early because they're excited, but later-sown crops will easily catch up as they'll grow quickly once the warmer weather/light kicks in. Where I am in the East Midlands, our last frost date is in May!

The allotment is still a mud bath - every time it starts drying out a bit, we get rain which quickly causes it to revert to the status quo. I slipped and fell on our decking at home a week and a half ago (genuinely have whiplash - how ridiculous!) so have been taking things pretty easy. The decking is getting replaced but in the mean time, we've stuck some non-slip tape on it and it's given me the idea to build some moveable raised walkways at the allotment for next winter - using the aforementioned tape for safety reasons.

Zero progress on the shed, and nothing else planted, although my seed potatoes arrived today so I'll set them up to start chitting. We released two hedgehogs from the rescue onto the allotment on Wednesday - one was "ours" and the other couldn't be released where it was found. The second one that we'd taken in didn't make it, unfortunately. I don't know if Spike and Buffy will stick around; I can't tell the difference on the wildlife camera footage, so it's only if I see multiple at once that I know how many individuals we have!

The blossoms on the nectarine tree are starting to open and it looks lovely. I've decided that the strips in between the 'beds' on the banking will be turfed/seeded with grass, and then the open soil on the beds I'll overseed with wildflowers - I don't think they'll interfere with the bulbs. I've got lots of seed packets ready and waiting, just need it to warm up a bit.

ArbitraryRandom

Literally none of the seeds I sowed a few weeks ago have sprouted yet, and my potatoes are still sulking. There's been the odd warm day, but I don't really heat the kitchen/it gets the afternoon sun so I'm guessing they're still sleeping. As you say, a little frustrating though as I want to see progress  

KajiKita

leftatthetrafficlights said:

I'm hoping to get lots of sowing done with my grandbaby this weekend 🤞 If not successful (he gets bored quickly 😂) I'm going to at least get the compost into the trays and I'll sow on Sunday once he's gone...

I'm sure many of you will know this but I found out the other day that potatoes are either determinate or indeterminate just like tomatoes!! It makes a big difference on how to grow them to get the best crop - I've grown potatoes numerous times and it's one of those things that I've never known but I'm putting the new knowledge into practice this year and will hopefully have better results!! 😁

Really?! Wowsers … totally new one on me. How do you tell which variety is which and how do you grown them differently?

KK

leftatthetrafficlights

KajiKita said:

leftatthetrafficlights said:

I'm hoping to get lots of sowing done with my grandbaby this weekend 🤞 If not successful (he gets bored quickly 😂) I'm going to at least get the compost into the trays and I'll sow on Sunday once he's gone...

I'm sure many of you will know this but I found out the other day that potatoes are either determinate or indeterminate just like tomatoes!! It makes a big difference on how to grow them to get the best crop - I've grown potatoes numerous times and it's one of those things that I've never known but I'm putting the new knowledge into practice this year and will hopefully have better results!! 😁

Really?! Wowsers … totally new one on me. How do you tell which variety is which and how do you grown them differently?

KK

Try this link: 

https://youtu.be/A6zhvmVuPZc?si=L0V7wFTKTtxPqq6n

He explains it better than I could 😉😁 

For which are determinate/indeterminate try this: 
https://laidbackgardener.blog/2020/04/05/determinate-and-indeterminate-potatoes/

KajiKita

@leftatthetrafficlights, that was absolutely fascinating 😊👏 Thank you. 🤩 

KK

RHemmings

It is plausible that a fox or other wild animal dug up and ate all the broad beans that I planted in my allotment? I was mystified while nothing had sprouted, and when I dug down a bit found nothing. I know I put them in the ground there somewhere. 

-taff

Might have been mice

CoffeeSonata

Mice.  They love broad bean seeds and often nom them before they can even germinate. They are tricky, and hard to keep out. If you have more seeds left try planting in pots, or toilet tubes or biodegradable pots  until they germinate and are a little bit bigger and can be planted out safely. You can plant in the toilet tubes or biodegratable pots. YOu can also make your own newspaper pots (google knows how) that can be put into the soil and helps not distrub the roots.  

Edit to add: also rats and squirrels like the broad bean seeds too. 

droopsnoot

ArbitraryRandom said:

Literally none of the seeds I sowed a few weeks ago have sprouted yet, and my potatoes are still sulking. There's been the odd warm day, but I don't really heat the kitchen/it gets the afternoon sun so I'm guessing they're still sleeping. As you say, a little frustrating though as I want to see progress  

I had one tomato seed sprouting, but that's fallen off now and nothing else is coming up. I can't quite decide whether to leave them a bit, or plant some more and risk having too many plants when they all come up.