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

Suffolk_lass

We have planted out sweet peas and runner beans so far, with a pot of borlotti beans to go in today. Then I also have some Guatamalan blue (Banana) squash to plant out, but I might hold off for a week and move them to a cold frame from the surprisingly warm greenhouse, just so they get used to different temperatures first. After DH unintentionally sabotaged my cucumbers by forgetting to remove their cloches OR open the greenhouse - I have planted a few more mini (munch) cucumbers. The mini (crisp) all perished and I don't have any seed left. Ironically the marketmore and crystal lemon (the two outdoor varieties) have both survived and second leaves are visible. ANother week and I will try a second planting of courgettes and butternuts as I have very few so far. 

I can't remember when I bought it but I have a net that will go over the brassica bed. Just a few broccoletto, along with kale and chard in mine this year (three kinds of kale including one or two kalettes to try). I also have some root crops that might benefit from netting; beetroots and carrots. I'm not sure how big it is.

The breakfast radishes in seed trays definitely need to go in (to the strawberry bed) and be watered copiously - although I usually just sow seed direct, I did some and some for the first sowing and really, they should have gone in last week. The same with the pac choi and lettuce seeds. 

My asparagus bed is so slow; it is its' last year - the first crowns are maybe 12 or thirteen years old and the second lot (four years ago for succession) were all dug out by our son, and have never really recovered. So we will turn it over to something else. There is plenty of shade from a very old russet tree on which we leave the apples instead of harvesting them for us, we treat it as a pollinator for some other apple varieties and let the birds have them, just raking up the fallen partly eaten fruits every spring. The blackbirds in particular, really appreciate the sweetness in winter. Under that tree are 3 rhubarb crowns that don't really flourish the way the other one, in a sunnier spot does. I might move them. The bed has infiltrating bindweed, wood avens, doc and nettles (sighs; they never stop trying!) and there are lots of docs in the path in that area.  The path was originally pea shingle over weed suppressing membrane but it needs redoing, 12 years on. We scavenged some free paving slabs from FB marketplace and laid these a few years ago, stepping stone islands about 10-15cm apart, and while it reduced the amount of pea shingle that enters the house on our shoes, I think the next lot will be the 20mm stone. A job for next winter's list.

Lots of flower seeds have germinated now and it feels like time to direct sow some too. Sadly, the rabbits here mean we can't grow the ground cover campanulas or cosmos as chomped off stumps don't look good and there is no spread, with the campanulas just giving up. So they are always pot grown. I might direct sow in big pots that fit in the cold frames though.

Lots to do with our bees at the moment, with several colonies desiring to reproduce and building queen cells. I have two queen cells in a matchbox in my kitchen and one virgin queen emerged this morning, so I need to pop her in a queenless colony to stop the old bees there chasing the gardener and homeowner. The other cell is now in a queen cage, but she might not make it as when I opened the matchbox the first to emerge was attacking the cell (the queens can sting repeatedly until they have mated, and if well mated, their swollen abdomen means very much less so).

Right, having awoken at 05.30 I should get a wiggle on. Have a good gardening weekend all!

greenbee

I am WAY behind. Very little is planted out. 

Toms, aubergines, peppers, cucumbers, and padron peppers have potted on in the greenhouse. Spares need to find homes outside (but need to go into bigger pots while I work that out). Sweet peas still in pots but moved outside - need to think where they'll go! Courgettes now hardened off but need potting on and/or planting (I have 4 each of 4 varieties and probably don't have space for them all). 

Just sowed squash (blue banana, musquee de provence) but not expecting much as seeds are pretty ancient, dwarf french beans (purple, green, & yellow - probably far more than I can eat), runner beans (two kinds), yellow climbing french beans. 

I really need to draw a plan of the veg plot and work out where everything is going to go. I also need to brave the bank holiday traffic at some point and go out to acquire more compost. I have manure and chicken manure, but want to mix it with compost to top up the beds before planting stuff. 

Suffolk_lass

I bit the bullet and turned out a number of no-show pots and then replanted a number of seeds for courgettes, butternuts and other squashes ("ornamental mixed" - whatever they are!). The dip in temperature and increase in breeze meant I curtailed my activities and then went back out while our (precooked chilli) supper was warming.

I am out at the apiary all afternoon so I think I will make room and go through the cold frame of flower seedlings, and !!!!!! out and pot on, and plant some plugs, to increase both perennial and annual flowers. We are mostly about F&V here, but having tried valiantly to eradicate ground elder (poison, burning, washing roots, digging out) and failed, I hope to out compete it by planting strong little monsters. I have various things to move to that bed too, but while many things thrive in the sunny back garden, some do not in the early morning sunshine.

KajiKita

I need to do the same for my courgette pots - I managed one out of four and I want two as I hear that one plant on its own won’t set fruit. 

KK

greenbee

I have spare courgette plants if anyone needs them... Having reviewed the plan of the veg plot, I definitely don't have room for 12 🤣 And the bed they need to go in is still half-constructed, so clearly that needs to go on today's endless list. 

KajiKita

greenbee said:

I have spare courgette plants if anyone needs them... Having reviewed the plan of the veg plot, I definitely don't have room for 12 🤣 And the bed they need to go in is still half-constructed, so clearly that needs to go on today's endless list. 

Is there a local plant fair you could donate them to? 

KK

greenbee

I'll offer them on the village gardening whatsapp group once I'm sure they are spare. Things usually go there (or can be grown on for sale at our open gardens next month). 

emsi_b

Hello! We have had a lull on the allotment whilst we wait and see what comes through. We have had moderate success, and so after the weeding today we've sown our beans in pots (never had any joy planting direct) and I've brought the peas home to pot in toilet roll tubes as they become free 😂 

We are at risk of running out of room, especially as the ground is so dry and hard we can't dig any more over! We have two areas that don't have anything in yet- one is the peas and beans area, one is... whatever we end up planting there. Possibly pak choi or lettuce type stuff, as we have the seeds and eat mountains of leafy stuff in summer.

Our brassicas are looking very sad- I've netted them now to give them a chance but they've been munched by something.  I can only see signs of birds- no caterpillars or butterflies about- but plenty of bird poo! Hoping the gooseberries survive the birds.

peewhyeff

Suffolk_lass said:

. We are mostly about F&V here, but having tried valiantly to eradicate ground elder (poison, burning, washing roots, digging out) and failed, I hope to out compete it by planting strong little monsters. 

Any suggestions as to what to plant to smother the ground elder? I too am plagued with the stuff. 

Suffolk_lass

peewhyeff said:

Suffolk_lass said:

. We are mostly about F&V here, but having tried valiantly to eradicate ground elder (poison, burning, washing roots, digging out) and failed, I hope to out compete it by planting strong little monsters. 

Any suggestions as to what to plant to smother the ground elder? I too am plagued with the stuff. 

I do have yellow yarrow (Achillea Millefolium; moonshine), euphorbia, gladioli, lupins, irises and bronze fennel, along with echinops, lemon balm, rosemary and yuccas that are managing quite well. Some of the annual poppies are growing well too as they are so transient and relatively shallow rooted.

I considered and dismissed the idea of mint, golden rod, shasta daisies, and red hot pokers as they are all too invasive.

I will be trying Ajuga for ground cover; little blue-purple flowers and bronze leaves as it is doing well in the weed and moss dominated "lawn". The main bed I have is NE facing at the front, so my marjoram (that thrives in the "lawn" at the back) is not going to like the climate being so much cooler and shady.

It is all experimentation really, but happy to share experiences if it helps anyone. Ooh, I have a rose in the infested bed at the back that is deep rooted, woody and thriving. A Floribunda Silver Wedding pink one