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

silverwhistle

ancientmum said:

 the sprouting broccoli went straight to seed.  I've saved the seed to see if I have better luck next year. 

I think it's always best to save seed that has the characteristics you want, so in this case maybe buy fresh seed?

My Real Seed order came today. I'd forgotten I'd ordered a really early bush tomato so it will be interesting.. I also have some PSB as well, which I think I had some seed for but ordered fresh anyway. I need to get down the allotment this week, I believe there may be one or two dry days!

Thanks @Suffolk_lass for the pesto suggestion: I've used carrot tops similarly, but they were not something that particularly inspired. Hopefully my raised beds will be narrow enough for a few years yet: late 60s but play in goal for my ladies football team so keeping a bit of flexibility and an affinity with mud this winter..

ladybird1106

You can use nasturtiums leaves to make pesto. We add some of flowers to add colour. 
Love 🐞

KajiKita

Got my garlic in the ground yesterday, that had sprouted in the potting shed and were climbing out of their pots! 😳😂 Gently shook most of the compost off their roots - it was quite dry compost, so loose and friable, and used that as a sort of sterile mulch to reduce immediate weed germination. 

Weeded the bark path around the big veg beds, which led to c. 8 new strawberry plants, which then got potted up in the vacated garlic pots 😊😉

Got all my seeds now for this year. Still need to do a sowing / planting / succession plan. 

KK

Gengis

I visited my small allotment and the shed is floating on water  :'(  Looking forward to starting some chilles / peppers this weekend in the heated propagator

savagelyric

Hi all. New to this thread but not to the MSE forum. I've decided to give up my allotment (which I never got going) and start a small patch in the garden - more convenient and less overwhelming for a newbie!

debtfreewannabe321

savagelyric said:

Hi all. New to this thread but not to the MSE forum. I've decided to give up my allotment (which I never got going) and start a small patch in the garden - more convenient and less overwhelming for a newbie!

This is my plan too. We actually have allotments directly behind my house although no one seems to know who they belong to? But it looks massive and overwhelming so I would rather keep a small one in the garden to start with 

bluesooz

debtfreewannabe321 said:

savagelyric said:

Hi all. New to this thread but not to the MSE forum. I've decided to give up my allotment (which I never got going) and start a small patch in the garden - more convenient and less overwhelming for a newbie!

This is my plan too. We actually have allotments directly behind my house although no one seems to know who they belong to? But it looks massive and overwhelming so I would rather keep a small one in the garden to start with 

I like the idea of an allotment, but the amount of fruit and veg from my garden is plenty for the 2 of us. 
I'm lucky enough to have a large greenhouse so tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are grown in there.  For the rest of the veg patch i grow everything closer together than the recommended growing distance and obviously not as many plants - crop is a bit smaller than it would otherwise be but still get enough from a small area.  Eg I only grow 4 courgette plants, 9 asparagus crowns, 1 trellis of beans etc. Lots of fruit/veg can be grown in pots - eg potatoes can take up a lot of ground space but ok in pots.  I have to grow blueberries in pots as they like acidic sol and I'm on chalk.

Suffolk_lass

So true @debtfreewannabe321, we grow plenty in our garden for the two of us, plus the occasional community lunch is topped up with homegrown produce. I do grow potatoes in the ground, but this is principally because they "clean" the soil and make it friable and easy to work (just like molehills!). I need to go get myself in the greenhouse but at 3c today, this is not the day. I have not cut down the raspberry canes yet either (autumn fruiting) but in this weather they won't have started to regrow, hopefully. I only started garlic and heeled in strawberries last autumn in the annuals beds, but plenty of time yet. Retrieving my box of seeds and doing my audit is the other big thing for this month here

ladybird1106

Cycled to the plot. We've decided to force 2 rhubarb crowns this year. Several crowns have started sprouting already. Harvested leeks for soup, collected onions from storage to make Veggie shepherd's pie. Garlic poking through. Lovely sunny day but not enough to keep my feet warm (3pairs of socks). Robin hanging around as fil was digging.

Dobbies seeds are 50 %off. Stocked up and got an additional 10% with my loyalty card. 

 Love 🐞

Smurnov

I'm currently in position 104 on the waiting list for our local allotments. I've move a whopping 12 spaces in the last 2 years. At this rate I may just have a plot in my 90's!