The ups, the downs and the insides out of growing your own in 2025!

redofromstart

Same experience as Greenbee, in my first proper 'from scratch' garden on heavy clay.  Passion flower romped away over the back of the neighbours garage wall quite happily. 

This garden I have a clematis cirrhosa (Wisley Cream) I think that is evergreen, scrambled through a Hawthorn, with the slight challenge that all the flowers are either high up, or facing North so not really visible to me other than from the boys windows.

I have built and filled three of the six raised beds for the veg plot, plenty of materials just slow progress due to the sloping ground, and the very variable weather.  

carinjo

@New_in_the_fens, so glad i read through posts, i was going to say the same as @Suffolk_lass. I can add that i regularly drive around neighbourhoods looking for yellow skips and knocking on doors.
It is -4C here this morning, so waiting for warming up before venturing out. 

Silvertabby

dND said:

moneysaver1978 said:

dND said:

Thank you @carinjo for the heads up about the potting bench and everyone else who commented about it.  I treated myself to one and spent the weekend painting it.  Not the greatest photo but I was shot by the time I'd finally put it together. Dx

Love this potting bench and a wonderful paint job too! If you have some sealant left, this is a good opportunity to seal around the edges to prevent seeds or soil getting inside!

Thank you @moneysaver1978 I was looking at the top and thinking that myself.  I also realised that I've not yet put the backs onto the shelves 🤣

Today though DS1 and I, although it was mainly DS1 because I no longer have the strength, finished putting up the new greenhouse.  I'm exhausted so it will probably be Sunday before I start moving things back in there.

Seedwise things are germinating but not my chillies, I'm wondering if they should be on a heated mat? Dx

I always start my chillies off in a heated propagator in the conservatory (my greenhouse isn't heated).  

Romping away, and not far off needing to be pricked out and the little pots transferred to the study and hobby room window sills.  With notes on the doors warning that the cat is not allowed in these rooms no matter what she says.   Cat owners (staff) will know why.......

dND

Thank you @Silvertabby and I too have a completely mad cat, a 2-year old ginger called Gino, who bounces off windowsills and everywhere else! Thankfully my senior cat Jewel who is getting on for 16 has slowed down and sleeps most of the time
I've moved the chillies to a heat mat so hopefully that will do the trick. 🤞Dx

ladybird1106

Can I join please?
I’m trying to fall back in love with growing our own. We have 3 allotments that we share with my fil. However he became very ill last year, so hasn’t been up really this last year. Both sets of parents experienced health issues that required lots of input from us. So the plots had to take a back seat. We grew very little and what we did grow a lot of it died/bolted in situ due to lack of time. Luckily we were able to put lots of weed suppressant fabric down to prevent weeds (2 halves are orchards so needed little input, although wild blackberry is a problem at the moment).

Anyway this week we’ve made huge in roads into it. We’ve decided we need to work smarter not harder and converting one plot to raised beds. We have 2 large beds in and are currently saving for the next one. Lots of hacking back old currant plants and blackberry. Hoping to get some black plastic in place to get rid of the weeds in the orchard area. The gooseberry plants are taller than me and require taming. I’ve decided since fil is not going to be the main person going up there I need it to be more organised. Managed to tidy up lots of bits and pieces and organised. The bonfire will be huge as found lots of bits of knackered wood. 

I don’t think we will save much money this year from growing due to the expense of raised beds but you never know. The main thing is we know it’s not been sprayed with various chemicals etc. 

Today we harvested forced rhubarb, roasted it (keeps it shape) and then crumbled it. Delicious with Greek yoghurt. Organic forced rhubarb- riverford 400g is about £4.50. I think it was slightly more than 400g but we’ll go with that. 
love 🐞

KajiKita

Good morning @ladybird1106, I had no idea you were wrangling THREE allotments! That does seem a lot … Good luck 😊

Tell me more about roasting the rhubarb … I have never done that … 🤔

I always use Riverford for my price check too. The herbs are worth tracking as they add up really quickly.

KK 

FreeBear

KajiKita said:

Good morning @ladybird1106, I had no idea you were wrangling THREE allotments! That does seem a lot … Good luck 😊

Three allotments is a lot.. I just have the one weed patch (about 10m by 30m) with about a third taken up by sheds & wood piles. Really struggling to do anything with it apart from looking at the weeds and having a bonfire once or twice a year.

Had a quote from a local outfit to mow down the weeds and rotavate the area. But at £600, it is way more than I can pay.

ladybird1106

Roasted rhubarb. Cut up into chunks, place on baking parchment on a baking tray. Gas mark 6. 20-30 minutes (might need more or less depending on its thickness) until it’s soft and squishy. 
Love 🐞

Suffolk_lass

FreeBear said:

KajiKita said:

Good morning @ladybird1106, I had no idea you were wrangling THREE allotments! That does seem a lot … Good luck 😊

Three allotments is a lot.. I just have the one weed patch (about 10m by 30m) with about a third taken up by sheds & wood piles. Really struggling to do anything with it apart from looking at the weeds and having a bonfire once or twice a year.

Had a quote from a local outfit to mow down the weeds and rotavate the area. But at £600, it is way more than I can pay.

That quote is based on a self-perpetuating business. If you rotovate weedy ground without first clearing it of seeds and roots, it will end up worse than it started. For instance, chopping up ground elder or creeping wood-sorrel roots creates many plants in place of one or two. Better to burn off the weeds than cover the ground with cardboard or weed suppressing membrane (cardboard will suppress the growth and slowly break down - and best of all, is free!)

FreeBear

Fortunately, no ground elder or wood sorrel. Just a few deep rooted dock and a small clump of nettle.

I'll see if I can pick up some weedkiller, give the lot a spray and cover with some geotextile. Also need to find a bag or two of enthusiasm when I go shopping (seems to be in short supply at the moment).