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

emsi_b

@droopsnoot one of my tomatoes is leggy this year too. I already have tomatoes growing on one which does strike me as a tad early... but who knows. They live on top of the dishwasher by the backdoor and occasionally get a trip outside when I remember. The tomato bearing one is bushier than than the leggy one, which has just got it's first three flowers. The normal one (acting as I'd expect) has no flowers (yet). Will need to dig the feed out of the shed, I wasn't expecting to need to yet!

droopsnoot

Farway said:

droopsnoot said:

carinjo said:

@droopsnoot when are you planning on planting out your tomatoes? I am in half a mind in leaving mine in their small pots since planting out here in hertfordshire normally in about 2weeks' time. Last year i didn't pot up and worked absolutely fine planting it below first set of leaves for extra root growth.

In the garden? Never. I just keep putting them in bigger and bigger pots, and in a while (when they get too big to move) I'll start leaving them in the greenhouse all the time. I had a couple in pots outside a few years back and they were OK, but I'd never actually plant them anywhere, not least because I can't stop the local cats using the vegetable patch as a toilet.

My main problem is that they get very tall or "leggy". I know there's a way to pinch the centre shoots out to get them to fill out a bit, but I read that the time to do that is when the first flowers start appearing, and mine are already too tall by then.

Maybe try another variety? 

A bush type would stay lower, and depending on variety could be left to get on with it

I normally grow Money Maker and Gardener's Delight, this year I've also got some Costoluto Fiorentino, from a pack of seeds that I have forgotten about buying. Once I've used all the seeds up I'll perhaps look more closely at the range of others. 

droopsnoot

emsi_b said:

@droopsnoot one of my tomatoes is leggy this year too. I already have tomatoes growing on one which does strike me as a tad early... but who knows. They live on top of the dishwasher by the backdoor and occasionally get a trip outside when I remember. The tomato bearing one is bushier than than the leggy one, which has just got it's first three flowers. The normal one (acting as I'd expect) has no flowers (yet). Will need to dig the feed out of the shed, I wasn't expecting to need to yet!

Wow, yours are very advanced compared to mine. All my GD are still in the first pots after the seed tray, the CF are about ready for larger pots and the MM are already in them. No sign of getting anywhere near producing flowers yet. The chap selling plants at the car boot sale last weekend also had much more advanced plants than I have, and seemed to have done similar to me. But I'm not exactly pro-active in terms of looking after them - I water them first thing in the morning, and that's it. 

Separately, two of my Scotch Bonnet seedlings are almost ready for potting on. I planted five seeds from a Sainsbury's chilli, and two appeared to be coming up, so I moved them into a slightly larger pot and added a few more seeds. Now I have two with the first of the proper leaves, and three more have just appeared so I'm reluctant to disturb things until those are also ready to move on. Hopefully it will be warmer by then as the window sill is full.

ladybird1106

So lettuces went in. Covered them with netting until they are established. Sowed sweetcorn 🤢 ( OH likes it), winter/spring psb and more lettuce. Really need some rain as our water barrels are almost empty. We are currently creating a couple areas that we can add more barrels ready for the winter deluge.  Rhubarb has started to bolt. I have let a couple of plants have flower spikes but removed them from the rest.Harvested cabbage and cauliflower from the plot for tea yesterday. https://nomnompaleo.com/post/1356598429/worlds-best-braised-green-cabbage. This was surprisingly delicious . Pudding was rhubarb crumble and ice cream.😋
Reused a large drainage pipe to sow spring onions in.
Almost forgot started comfrey fertiliser.  

Love 🐞

Suffolk_lass

If you let the flower stalks stay on your rhubarb, it will weaken the plant (as it puts its energy into the flowers and seeds) and some gardeners say it makes the rest of the stems around that bitter-tasting. I have always followed the RHS advice to cut them as soon as they appear, and to lift and divide that crown next winter while it is dormant. I know some people use the flowers in culinary applications - is that what you intended doing @ladybird1106?

ladybird1106

I didn’t know you could use the flower’s Suffolk_lass. Will have to check to investigate that. I don’t pull any rhubarb once they bolt as I knew it made it bitter as FIL used to work in the industry many moons ago. We have I think 14 plants so can afford to let the odd one flower. 

Love 🐞

ladybird1106

Mounded the potatoes up as the odd one had a touch of frost damage. Watered all my seedlings and the garlic. So hot yesterday we ended up in the orchard several times to cool down, used that time to pick out the bindweed and wild blackberry shoots. Hoed everywhere. Started to clear the blueberry area ( they are in big tubs with their special compost inserted into the ground) of grass and put in my reduced strawberry plants. Harvested more rhubarb and some mint for tea. Made these https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/baking-and-desserts/rhubarb-and-custard-crumble-bars/
and this https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/broad-bean-mint-feta-dip/d453ecb8-e0c4-4250-8655-32db105e1534
although I use 200g of feta, less oil and a pinch of chilli flakes. The recipe I use is out a book but this is the nearest one I could find on the internet.
love 🐞

Kantankrus_Mare

Why is this time of year always so busy?

All tomatoes except trailing ones are in their final greenhouse place. Tumblers are going to go on a three tier contraption thing thats been hanging around for a few years not doing anything. Hoping to put this between my greenhouses for a bit of  extra protection.

Potatoes coming through.

Strawberries starting to fruit. Looks like it will be a great year as lots and lots of flowers.

Raspberries that we moved have all taken so hopefully a good crop there as well.

As I share a plot with my dad.......initially he wanted gooseberries. Has he ever used any? No! The area where they were was just full of the usual bindweed so I have cleared the lot and will look out for some red currant bushes to replace them.

The asparagus is a work in progress. None of the spears grow at same speed and I think....."Oh I will just wait for a few more to come through and then pick some"  Of course it never worked like that and now they have all grown ferny so will leave now for the year.

I have a wire fence down one side of plot and my plan is to grow sweet peas all along interspersed with sunflowers which are all ready and waiting in greenhouse. I put a couple out as a trial to see if they would survive about a week ago and they seem ok so the rest can go out on Friday when I have a free afternoon.

Still lots of weeding to do......could do with ordering some more manure, a wigwam to build for french beans......the list goes on and on.............

Tabby_cat

@Kantankrus_Mare.
If you cut the asparagus as it's ready, you can store them on your kitchen counter, for a good week or so, in a jam jar with a couple of inches of water in the bottom. Change the water every other day to keep them fresh. That way you'll be able to eventually get enough to make it worthwhile cooking them.... and they carry on growing in the jar so win-win.

Silvertabby

Just snacked on the first of the strawberries (hanging basket in the greenhouse).  Not enough for a meal, just enough for a gardener's treat.  Yum!  Early taste of summer.