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

rtandon27

@greenbee - personally I love a garden that is a WIP & that I can go back to in successive years to see the changes 😁 Be brave, even if you are not, pretend and no one will know the difference!

greenbee

rtandon27 said:

@greenbee - personally I love a garden that is a WIP & that I can go back to in successive years to see the changes 😁 Be brave, even if you are not, pretend and no one will know the difference!

I'm just wondering whether I'll have anything in flower and any of the empty spaces filled by then! If nothing else, hopefully I'll have some broad beans growing!

Suffolk_lass

We spent a couple of hours outside, with DH filling rabbit holes with bricks and then spend compost from last year's tomatoes. I would like to sprinkle from grass seed on a patch that used to be lawn but I want to wait a week or two to see what appears there. I was cleaning and tidying in the greenhouse and we also transferred the two Leveller (dessert gooseberry) bushes that were heeled in to a veg bed eighteen months ago and then left too long. Anyway, they are in the fruit cage with the strawberry runners now, and the tips I snipped are in the ground to see if they make any free plants. The other dessert gooseberry is dead - I retrieved the last branch with any life and have half a dozen cuttings in a pot - they are starting leaves, but I suspect that is the residual energy. I do hope they root. It was a delicious, huge, sweet berry, from a supplier whose company was sold to a property developer and is now a housing estate.

I love the idea of a plant sale of extra plants - we need to raise money towards refurbishing our village hall and this and a later produce surplus stall might be a thing for us. I will need to talk to the Community Garden Team and ask if we can stop giving everything away...

greenbee

I've been out this morning and sown two packets of sweet peas and one of larkspur in the greenhouse. And then remembered that I also have saved seeds so located those.

There's a lot of bare earth in the garden, so weeding and mulching needs to happen, as well as working out what to put in the gaps. In the veg plot I want to think about companion planting around the fruit bushes as ground cover - so things to go in with the gooseberries/blackcurrants/mulberry/thornless blackberry/fig that won't compete with them, and will hopefully be beneficial. And ideally look nice in early June  

Suffolk_lass

I've just been through my RHS Seed scheme choices so I am clear what is autumn planting and what is now. Got a few more packs from elsewhere to go...

alicef

@Suffolk_lass Plant sales can be very handy for fund raising.

 I do find growing veg. plants for our village plant sale a faff, but it does raise a LOT of money for keeping the library going.  It is an big event in the fund raising calendar, as volunteers also run a tombola; bake & sell cakes; run a 2nd hand book stand etc.  This year it's even bigger as there is to be a festival of all the community groups.

I think I got off lightly with my contribution this year.

greenbee

Peas sown, and hazel and apple twigs stuck either side for them to grow up. Spinach sown next to them. Both are going to be growing through chicken wire which is covering the bare earth to discourage the cats. But does mean I need to think carefully about what else to put in the bed. Beetroot probably isn't going to work... 

ladybird1106

More clearing of the potting shed, got rid of a lot of just in case items that haven’t been used in just in case scenarios. They’ve been in there over 7 years it’s time it went. The tip mountain is getting bigger. The garlic is through finally. Harvested the last of the parsnips. Need to get some peas as I don’t have any seeds at all this week. 

Love 🐞

ladybird1106

The potting shed is fine tidy and I can actually find things. Tomorrow I’m hoping to get my pea seeds in the ground. Gorgeous day wish I could have had more time up there. In fact my forever home would be a small house with a huge garden. Hey ho grateful for what I’ve got. Can I ask which seed company people use that offers good value of money. I used to get mine from wilkos. I’ve had some from b and m and Lidl but they don’t offer a lot of variety.
love 🐞.

dND

ladybird1106 said:

The potting shed is fine tidy and I can actually find things. Tomorrow I’m hoping to get my pea seeds in the ground. Gorgeous day wish I could have had more time up there. In fact my forever home would be a small house with a huge garden. Hey ho grateful for what I’ve got. Can I ask which seed company people use that offers good value of money. I used to get mine from wilkos. I’ve had some from b and m and Lidl but they don’t offer a lot of variety.
love 🐞.

I use Lidl for the basics - small amounts of seed so therefore fresh each year and usually on offer of 4 packets for £1.
I try all sorts of companies; T & M - for some reason I have problems with getting their seeds to grow.  I used to swear by Suttons but now they are the same company as T & M I don't tend to use them.  I tried a new company, Victoriana for some different chillies but I've not had a good result there although the squash seeds did OK.  It's probably me rather than the seeds 🤣
Best overall I would say is Chiltern Seeds.  They don't have a catalogue full of pictures, it's mainly text but you can use the website for photos.  Both their flower and vegetable catalogues keep me engrossed. 😁Dx