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

Silvertabby

Well, that's the chillies potted on and placed on the spare bedroom window ledges, safe from feline paws.  Hardy annual seeds are romping away in the greenhouse, and all the borders are tidied, weeded, and starting to fill up with perennials.  

Just need some warmer weather now, with the right amount of rain.  

FreeBear

Picked a small handful of cherry tomatoes this afternoon. Just waiting on another bunch to ripen, and then I can consign the plants to the compost heap.

carinjo

First measure for rain gauge yesterday, was lovely to share with Dad back in South Africa. @emsi_b, the advice i got this year for brassicas: get your frame and cover ready before you plant, so will do that this year, lost almost everything too last year.
Seedlings on windowsill at home coming along slowly, this weekend, pumpkins/squashes/courgettes. Also want to direct sow some radishes and chard, fingers crossed

greenbee

While procrastinating about work I've sown red celery in modules, snapdragons and knapweed in seed trays, and scattered phacelia and poached egg plant in amongst the fruit bushes as some ground cover. 

I want to order a tipper-load of mulch, but haven't had a response to my message so assume I left the wrong number. I don't like using online forms as people always call me back when I'm in meetings. I'll just keep trying until they actually answer the phone. 

Gutter on small shed wasn't draining properly as the shed slopes in the opposite direction to the gutter, so that's currently being adjusted (it probably would have been easier just to move the waterbutt to the other end of the shed, but it would have been in the way). 

Greenhouse waterbutt isn't filling as the gutter there is also draining away from it (filling up a small water butt) which it shouldn't do as the gutter itself should be level as it is part of the greenhouse. So that needs looking into when I have more energy.

Bitterly cold outside, and at some point I need to go out and pick/cut all the rocket and empty the planter so it can be moved as there is work being done on the outside of the house. Once that's done, I can refill the outside planters and get my salad going by the kitchen. 

Suffolk_lass

It's all about weeds here this weekend, and my focus is to be bindweed and docs in one particular area to be tackled before they get any bigger. Raspberries in the wrong place? I can cope with, but I don't need the weeds making them harder to reach and less productive! I have half a bag (that's a ton bag!) of well rotted (well moderately well-rotted) manure to add. It will cleat the bag off the junction of two paths that I am currently navigating! I will resort to the old bamboo can trick if my knee (injured last year) can't cope with the kneeling. 

emsi_b

We too have spent the afternoon weeding- even the small boy pulled weeds with us! He then planted half a pack of sunflowers. We struggled digging some of the weeds out as the ground is so hard- fine weeding on the bit we dug over and planted in, but the other side is very tough going. That's got lots of fruit bushes and trees on and not a lot else at the moment. 

carinjo

Spend a couple of hours on allotment this morning, watering and tidying. 
Planted perpetual spinach and radish under fleece, also filled the spaces in flower trays with lettuce for baby leaves.
I realised that some of the seeds not germinating was from a giftbag of seeds several years ago. So need to resow things like savoy cabbage. 
My back too sore to dig, but done a small bit for the leeks next to greenhouse.
Bought some soil to fill another raised bed. Btw, w1kes is doing a sale on compost, ending Monday.
Happy growing!

greenbee

I've nearly finished fencing the veg plot which should mean I can get the beds mulched with manure/chicken poo/compost without the dog digging everything up. Asparagus crowns are due to arrive soon, so those beds need doing.

Seedlings on windowsills are getting leggy, and roots appearing out of the bottom of 9cm pots, so those need potting on this week. I'll select the best ones to go in the greenhouse, and keep a reserve of each, then offer the rest for rehoming. Given the relative temperatures of house/greenhouse, they may well need bringing in at night for a bit while they get used to the change!

Peas are growing, spinach is thinking about it, broad beans have germinated. 

Suffolk_lass

I have a lot of vegetable seed in modules and pots starting to germinate in the trays in my (new) cold frames. In previous years I have only used these for hardening off things. At what point do you transplant them? - mostly things like brassicas and chard, kale etc but also Pak choi and breakfast radishes, which are much faster growing. Not a single direct sown seed has germinated, so these are my best hope 

ladybird1106

Transplanted my beetroot seedlings into their growing space yesterday. Another 2 rows of potatoes in (7 rows so far). Quite pleased with this as OH has hurt his back and I’ve had to take over. Potatoes are usually his job as I tend not to do the heavy work. Only one more row to go🎉. Harvested loads of rhubarb, almost getting to glut status. Had 2 lots of asparagus so far, so much nicer than the shop bought stuff. We harvest it right at the end of the plot sessions, drive home quickly ( keeping to speed limits), kettle on and then lightly boil, and then enter food heaven 😋. 

Peas are poking through although germination is patchy. Summer psb, lettuce, leeks and basil are all through in the greenhouses. Tomatoes have been potted on.

Glad it’s raining today as I need a rest and chance to get housework done.
love 🐞