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

dND

@redofromstart Builders have left but I need the roofers in now. 🤣
There is rather a lot of work to be done here both inside and out, and a very restricted budget!  My DS1 who is really not into gardening comes and gives a hand with some of the heavy work - ie he'll be helping with the catio as I can no longer manhandle things like that.  The spirit is willing but the 70-year old flesh is rather less enthusiastic. 😁 Dx

greenbee

redofromstart said:

I really like the idea of that, and own a pipe bender, red oxide paint and have some copper pipe, although probably not enough.  I used to have some cheap arches in a row over a path (woolworths!) but after ten years or so they basically disintegrated.  20 (10 x 2m) metres of copper pipe is £78 delivered from Sc4wf1x, something to think about for me at least.

dND - that looks like a project to really get involved in.  Are the builders still in the way?  

When you've done yours, can you come and make some for me?

FreeBear

redofromstart said:

I really like the idea of that, and own a pipe bender, red oxide paint and have some copper pipe, although probably not enough.  I used to have some cheap arches in a row over a path (woolworths!) but after ten years or so they basically disintegrated.  20 (10 x 2m) metres of copper pipe is £78 delivered from Sc4wf1x, something to think about for me at least.

Not sure I'd want to use copper pipe. 15mm is too small and flimsy, 22mm gets to be way too expensive.

I used 25mm NB galvanised steel pipe (used to make handrails). Soft enough to bend, and if you have access to a welder, easy to join. If no welder available, tube clamps can be used. A local steel stockholder should be able to supply the tubing at a reasonable price.

If not, galvanised steel conduit (either 20mm or 25mm) can be had from Screwfix and electrical wholesalers.

redofromstart

Lots of food for thought. As far as possible I would want to utilise materials and tools that I have, and I have very limited DIY skills, the late Mr Redo was the very skilled labour.   

I currently use two pieces of c2m square leftover steel rebar grid, which gets shifted around, and fastened into a V shape at the top with string every year.  Works well with runner beans which is what it is mostly used for but it is far from 'pretty' and I want to make the new veg plot, complete with expensive matching bought raised beds suitably ornamental as well as productive.  

Suffolk_lass

I can't agree it is too flimsy. They are still going strong after several years, and providing there is enough in the ground, they are rigid and secure. On the one occasion some cage netting got stuck and pulled a joint apart, it was simple enough to push back together. It is for garden produce, it's not like I'm building an arch for a wisteria with it.

Only three varieties of tomatoes for me this year (Sungold, Black Russian and St Pierre) the seeds are pot-sown and in the heated propagators in the greenhouse. Hopefully the onion sets can go in this week

Silvertabby

Well, that's the chillies and a few early annuals in the heated propagators.  For some reason, although my chillies always do well, I seem to struggle with tomatoes so I'll be buying young plants later on.

Gave the cat a fright - she saw me going into the attic for my propagators and thought I was getting her c.a.g.e ready for a trip to the v.e.t.s.  Took a lick-e-lick and a lot of reassurance to calm her down! 

rachmac3

It's officially March tomorrow! I'm hoping it stays warm enough and dry enough to spray paint an 8ft breeze block wall that runs the length of my garden. I want to get that done before anything edible starts growing in the garden because I am bound to get paint everywhere. 
Who's sowing/planting what this weekend? I need some inspiration.
I have sown a few old seeds just to use them up, I think a few kohl rabi and a few lettuce seeds have sprouted. I might do some microgreens on the weekend too, just to get back into the habit of eating fresh.
I want to turn and sort my two compost bins, spread anything decent on the beds, and then empty the chicken/duck run into the (hopefully almost empty) compost bins.

fionaandphil

I may get out and do some tidying up but too cold to plant anything yet, I had to defrost the car this morning. The weeds have started to grow though so fingers crossed it won't be too long

FreeBear

Started picking tomatoes a couple of weeks ago.

Cherry plum & apricot will be flowering in a week or two, so some early spring colour.

Might get the lawn mower out and whack back the weeds sometime next month (depending on weather and enthusiasm).

Suffolk_lass

I weeded the asparagus bed yesterday and dug out the (always ambitiously invasive) Autumn fruiting raspberries from there and gifted them to the community garden, as the woman who leads it had asked me if I had any. Happy to share these and it spurred me on to actually doing it. Our onion sets are in and the strawberry runners have all been removed from the holding bed where they have rooted and are ready to burst into life. The garlic (November planting) all has some little green shoots. I have quite a few tomato seeds planted in the greenhouse in propagators (two heated are sprouting - around 6 each of three varieties) while the unheated, with four modules each of six different varieties, are yet to show willing. I also have sweet peas in long root trainer modules, but they might need to come indoors to reach 20c.

Other than that, it is still too cold for much here.