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

kiss_me_now9

Farway said:

kiss_me_now9 said:

Other than that... I'm a bit lost. We're vegetarian so eat most vegetables but I always end up growing the same things and I'd love to try something new. South facing garden but there's a huge (and I mean huge) fir tree in our right hand neighbours garden that covers the sun most of the day - the sunniest spot is where the green house is and that gets sun around 70% of the day in summer. We've got a medium sized veg plot at the back and were trying to make some new ones in front of it but as I'm planning to do no dig I could expand this very easily. I'd like to try carrots but because the soil is so tough they never grow well. Have done potatoes in the past but find them a bit of a pain to keep earthing up and I'd prefer a patch that is largely low maintenance. 

You don't mention fruit, sounds like you have space for some. 

How about some apple trees? Mini orchard kind of thing. Trained blackberries, thornless type for the LO on surrounding fences, shade not a major problem with those.

Good old rhubarb, of course

We have an apple tree (only tiny, gives about 30 very small apples every year which tbh I can never be bothered to pick), a cherry tree (which the birds have absolutely decimated before anything's ripened in the last two years) and a blueberry tree (currently looking very sad and crispy). Not a lot of room for any more trees and I don't really like raspberries/blackberries (though LO does - but my father in law has about 30 canes of each on his allotment so we get a healthy supply from there). Can't stand rhubarb! I did have some success with potted Cape Gooseberries last year which were fun but not very bountiful and hard to tell when they'd ripened. 

kiss_me_now9

KajiKita said:

@kiss_me_now9, the greenhouse will come back with one morning’s focused effort, to clear it out and give it a scrub with a hose and a soft hand brush. Top dress with fresh compost. After that, buy young plants from a garden centre, grown them on a bit inside and then pant out late May. 

Well done on the garlic 😊👏
Shallots are pretty bomb proof - just keep them weeded and reasonably well watered 😊
Have you come across Charles Dowding’s books for no-dig? 😊

KK

Yes, you're quite right. I think my OH is working from home sometime this week so I will see if he can keep an eye on LO whilst he has his nap (normally does a fairly decent 1.5 - 2 hour nap in the middle of the day) and get out there and clear it out, and then finish it off at the weekend. I'm thinking this year we need to take a lot of the soil that's in the tomato bed out (it's three large paving slabs wide and five long, so one row has been removed to grow tomatoes in) and refresh it. 

I haven't but have been watching a lot of him and Huw Richards on youtube  

Suffolk_lass

kiss_me_now9 said:

KajiKita said:

@kiss_me_now9, the greenhouse will come back with one morning’s focused effort, to clear it out and give it a scrub with a hose and a soft hand brush. Top dress with fresh compost. After that, buy young plants from a garden centre, grown them on a bit inside and then pant out late May. 

Well done on the garlic 😊👏
Shallots are pretty bomb proof - just keep them weeded and reasonably well watered 😊
Have you come across Charles Dowding’s books for no-dig? 😊

KK

Yes, you're quite right. I think my OH is working from home sometime this week so I will see if he can keep an eye on LO whilst he has his nap (normally does a fairly decent 1.5 - 2 hour nap in the middle of the day) and get out there and clear it out, and then finish it off at the weekend. I'm thinking this year we need to take a lot of the soil that's in the tomato bed out (it's three large paving slabs wide and five long, so one row has been removed to grow tomatoes in) and refresh it. 

I haven't but have been watching a lot of him and Huw Richards on youtube  

Yes, indeed. The possibility of things like blight increase if you grow tomatoes (or potatoes, which are the same genus) in the same place, year on year. I always grow my tomatoes in pots now, and use the spent compost on the flower beds, not in the compost heap.

That if the basis of crop rotation, with the soil needs of one crop, logically following the previous - so potatoes to break up clay, then roots (so the broken up soil reduces the wonkiness) then brassicas (which naturally reduce weeds) then legumes (and leave the roots in until the following Spring so they fix nitrogen for the potatoes again) - apologies if you and others know all this, but many don't

nmaria

Lovely new 2024 posts!
Hope to contribute to it this year.
Have given up the allotment but converted part of the back garden into growing vegetables.
had no water at the allotment what made the dry summer weeks really hard work.

in the garden I have a greenhouse for tomatoes and cucumbers. 

Have lots of Logan berries, black berries, a plum tree, apple tree, fruitbushesnand an abundance of grapes every year.

just a quick question; when does everyone start their tomatoes from seeds?

bluesooz

I tend to sow tomato seeds early March for the greenhouse - as by then I'm itching to get seeds going.

the plants grow so quickly that any sown later would soon catch the earlier ones up.  

I have considered sowing some really late to see if it extends the harvesting, so would be interested in how late anyone sows them

Farway

bluesooz said:

I tend to sow tomato seeds early March for the greenhouse - as by then I'm itching to get seeds going.

the plants grow so quickly that any sown later would soon catch the earlier ones up.  

I have considered sowing some really late to see if it extends the harvesting, so would be interested in how late anyone sows them

Unless you are very lucky, blight will have the later ones before you do

@nmaria envious of your grapes. I try but fail despite living in Hampshire so certainly warm enough

Suffolk_lass

bluesooz said:

I tend to sow tomato seeds early March for the greenhouse - as by then I'm itching to get seeds going.

the plants grow so quickly that any sown later would soon catch the earlier ones up.  

I have considered sowing some really late to see if it extends the harvesting, so would be interested in how late anyone sows them

Me too. I start chillies next week and then tomatoes after they have germinated in a small electric propagator

kiss_me_now9

Suffolk_lass said:

kiss_me_now9 said:

KajiKita said:

@kiss_me_now9, the greenhouse will come back with one morning’s focused effort, to clear it out and give it a scrub with a hose and a soft hand brush. Top dress with fresh compost. After that, buy young plants from a garden centre, grown them on a bit inside and then pant out late May. 

Well done on the garlic 😊👏
Shallots are pretty bomb proof - just keep them weeded and reasonably well watered 😊
Have you come across Charles Dowding’s books for no-dig? 😊

KK

Yes, you're quite right. I think my OH is working from home sometime this week so I will see if he can keep an eye on LO whilst he has his nap (normally does a fairly decent 1.5 - 2 hour nap in the middle of the day) and get out there and clear it out, and then finish it off at the weekend. I'm thinking this year we need to take a lot of the soil that's in the tomato bed out (it's three large paving slabs wide and five long, so one row has been removed to grow tomatoes in) and refresh it. 

I haven't but have been watching a lot of him and Huw Richards on youtube  

Yes, indeed. The possibility of things like blight increase if you grow tomatoes (or potatoes, which are the same genus) in the same place, year on year. I always grow my tomatoes in pots now, and use the spent compost on the flower beds, not in the compost heap.

That if the basis of crop rotation, with the soil needs of one crop, logically following the previous - so potatoes to break up clay, then roots (so the broken up soil reduces the wonkiness) then brassicas (which naturally reduce weeds) then legumes (and leave the roots in until the following Spring so they fix nitrogen for the potatoes again) - apologies if you and others know all this, but many don't

No, that is super helpful! We never have much luck with toms in pots - I dunno why. I've never thought of planting like that. I am very much a stick it in the ground and if it does well, hooray, if it doesn't just move on XD 

ArbitraryRandom

My 'plan' is to try tomatoes and potatoes in large tubs (bought a pack Balconi Red as they're apparently more bush than height) then the compost goes on the raised beds and around the fruit trees under the cardboard and manure at the end of the season. Because I understand the problem is any nightshades being grown in soil used for other nightshades, it should be fine for my salad/squash/courgettes. 

alicef

@nmaria - I love your grapes and I'm very impressed that you get a crop outdoors!  We have some vines in the polytunnel and my OH makes wine every year, (though I understand he does mix our grapes in with a 'kit').

I have been rather lazy and now am a bit guilt-ridden as I've only started pruning and I have stuffed a bin once again over my poor rhubarb.