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

FreeBear

Had stacked root balls from a clump of bamboo I attacked back in 2023 (https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6441703/getting-rid-of-bamboo/) in the hope that the stuff would dry out. Well, it kinda did thanks to the tarp over the top... If anyone does the same, stack the root balls on a pallet rather than in contact with the ground.

Some of the stuff was throwing up fresh shoots, so not completely dead. Spent the afternoon knocking off loose/dry soil ready for some heat treatment (a.k.a. bonfire). Now have a pile of ash to dig in and a patch of soil free from weeds.

Kantankrus_Mare

Picked our first asparagus yesterday...............its been a long wait!. Had five spears between me and OH with some poached eggs. Husband wasnt overly impressed but I liked it. Now to see how much more will come up. Noticed a new batch of spears popping up yesterday.

Got two lots of potatoes in. Sold almost all of my strawberry plants which goes a long way to covering compost and seed costs. Had a few time wasters as well but I guess that goes with the territory of selling on line.

Butternut squash seeds have germinated as have courgettes. I tried twice last year for butternut squash with no success so not sure what Ive done different this year.

Tomato and cucumber plants getting bigger and the age old question.....when is it safe to move to greenhouse. You would think after almost twenty years of having an allotment I would know but its always tempting to get them out of the house too early and then disaster happens. LOL.

carinjo

Congrats @Kantankrus_Mare! I've only had 1 come up so far. Not sure if the other ones survived a year of neglect. But picked some rhubarb yesterday, 4 beautiful, pink stems.

Potatoes in this morning, 2 tubs in front of greenhouse and a few into the ground. 

greenbee

We've got rain forecast today and most of next week, which is very welcome BUT I still don't have my rainwater collection improvements in place. Every single one of them needs working out what new/different parts are needed to get them connected up.

On the small shed I need a leaf filter (it's under a huge conifer and the gutter is full of bits of tree), one of the gutter clips has come adrift so the gutter is sagging, and the (tiny) butt is too low for where the downpipe ends. I've put it on a crate, but it's still too low, so I need to measure it and see whether I can find a stand, and measure the pipe to see whether I can find the right connector to add to the downpipe (I have more pipe, so just need the elbow).

On the greenhouse, the diameter of the pipe that comes from the greenhouse is wider than the hole in the waterbutt (designed for a diverter with flexipipe), so I either need to find a connector or enlarge the hole (and also cut the pipe to size). 

On the shed, I need to get the first IBC in place and work out how many pallets I need to get the right height. Then check that the taps I've bought fit, before trying to work out what additional parts I need to a. get the water into the IBCs and b. connect the two that are going to be joined. I'm waiting for a part to come to cap a 22mm outlet that's been added at the bottom on the side of one of them - the joining and capping needs to be done before too much water goes into them otherwise it'll come straight out!

So these, along with giving the trees and hedge a good soak, are the priority for today. If I can at least get ONE water butt working it'll be a help as the existing ones (two 320l, two 100l) are currently empty. 

I also need to source a 50m hose and reel, and some attachments as my sprays etc seem to have failed and leak. 

Building raspberry frames and raised beds, and pressure washing the patio are also on my to-do list, along with sowing more seeds and potting on greenhouse veg while, like @Kantankrus_Mare reminding myself to keep it in the kitchen for a few more weeks.

Outside, peas are up, spinach is starting to come up, broad beans are sulking. In the greenhouse sweetpeas are up, larkspur are doing nothing, courgettes not moving either. I need to get some more things going out there. Something to do when it's raining maybe!

greenbee

Small shed and greenhouse butts are now connected. Bits for small shed set-up ordered. I'll wait and see whether the greenhouse one works out - it may be fine. 

One of my pallets is a non-standard size, so I really need one more nice robuts Euro pallet to swap for it. I could probably get away with another layer of pallets, but I don't have them, so it's not an option at the moment. 

Grass has been cut (the bit that hadn't had a first cut, which now has - and will be cut regularly to get to it's normal height). Patio washing has commenced (pressure washer connection has been fixed too - new washers worked wonders!). 

Trees and hedges were watered. Hopefully the (very) 'light rain' that we've had this evening will help, although I'm not sure it'll have much impact on the levels in the water butts. 

Soil samples have been collected from different parts of the garden and I'm working my way through soil tests. So far it suggests that most areas are deficient in most nutrients, so mulching is clearly going to be very important. As is finding something to make nettle tea in...  

ladybird1106

Only had enough energy to go up and water today , hopefully tomorrow I’ll have more as I’ve got potatoes to plant.
love 🐞

CraftySquirrel

Working_Mum said:

Oh CraftySquirrel you have my sympathies! I moved into a house almost 5 years ago and removed plastic grass and tonnes of gravel by hand to be able to get some life into my garden. It was such hard work but has been totally worth it! 

Blank Canvass Garden - Design Inspiration Needed — MoneySavingExpert Forum

I have found Freecyc1e is a great source of either letting go of my unwanted garden things but also for acquiring new stuff too! I don't do FaceB00k.

I wish you luck with your gardening endeavours  - your little mini dax sounds adorable!

((WM))

Ah thank you WM! I've been a bit absent on here, but I have started Getting Stuff Done! 

So far, I've pressure washed the patio, and bought new cushions for the seats (£60 off Etsy - what a bargain!!!), an outdoor rug, and some scatter cushions. I've also "invested" in some new plastic pots in a bigger size to replace some of the broken terracotta. I know plastic is bad, but they will 100% last longer than the cheap terracotta that is breaking all over the place from being frozen. 

This weekend, I'm hoping the frost will finally have passed so I am going to take the plunge and plant out my dahlias. I've bought three this year, including the rhubarb and custard one - excited for that one. I've followed some instructions from instagram stories and had the tubers in their packaging sprouting away in the mini greenhouse, and they are really coming on. I also ignored my own advice on potatoes haha. I've let two of the bags from last year carry on with the ones that were in there, so I will add more soil this weekend, and some fertiliser. Also got some new salad potatoes (Charlotte I think) chitting in the kitchen so I'll get those planted out too.

Finally I need a bigger pot as I bought myself an obelisk off eBay for my sweetpeas, and the bloomin obelisk is slightly too wide for the pots I've already got. B&M I reckon for that pot.

I've so far got quite a few seeds going:

• chillies - 3 hungarian hot wax and 3 cayenne
• sweet peas - three pots going of Anne Greg, Summer Sizzler, and a third I can't recall.
• 2 cherry tomato seedlings
• 3 marigold seedlings
• 3 lupin seedlings (they remind me of my maternal grandad - his faves!)
• 9 out of 12 geranium seeds germinated (some hot pink, some bright orange)
• couple of cosmos seedlings

I think that's it... not sure. Will check later. Some of those need potting on.

I was tempted to go and plant some more this month, but as I don't have any broders or space I am limited on space. I've got a few other flower plants growing too, including two peonies, a jasmine (which is looking a bit ropey), and I bought a tray of trailing lobelia in Tesco the other day, because my seedlings look pathetic! 

Suffolk_lass

Planted all my squashes in individual pots, in a gravel tray, with a cover, in the greenhouse! Beans later if that fits with various appointments. DH planted the potatoes. We don't eat many (especially at the moment). His fat free diet has him 20lbs lighter since the hospital episode, last week of February. My 8WLBS diet has me 5lb after a week. I am fatter than him, relatively. 

Lots of rain this morning - much needed. My seeds under "glass" (well perspex or polycarbonate) cold frames are starting to show. All sorts of new things for me. Kalettes, winter spinach, lots of flower seeds, beets, brassicas, kale and chard. My sweet peas need to go in and my sweet corn seed might be duff.

@Kantankrus_Mare lots of people had zero germination with squashes of all sorts last year (me included)

CraftySquirrel

@emsi_b congrats on the allotment! We've joined the waiting list for one here, thanks to the same issue as you! Lil dog is a digger and loves to munch pretty much anything.

Look forward to following your allotment journey.

emsi_b

Hello! Very pleased we also had rain today- I watered the seeds yesterday having watched grey clouds roll past and do nothing all day. One sort of marigold sprouted (no idea which ones as darling hubs didn't label them), and the red Brussels and romanesco seedlings I slipped and purchased from the garden centre are looking very happy though. At what point do people tend to net them? We left it far too late last year and are brassicas were completely covered in caterpillars.

Allotment is looking good- it wasn't too badly overgrown, just sad looking. The shed we inherited has been fixed up, swept out and organised, and the compost bins are all uncovered and emptied of some delightful compost, really good stuff!