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The ups, the downs and the insides out of growing your own in 2026!
Comments
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@fionaandphil Have planted mine in a pot so that I can move it around the garden. Bound to find a spot where the scent will be appreciated 😋
Any language construct that forces such insanity in this case should be abandoned without regrets. –
Erik Aronesty, 2014
Treasure the moments that you have. Savour them for as long as you can for they will never come back again.4 -
Finally cleared a bed and got my spuds in. A bit late, but because of the delay, they had sprouted really strongly and the ground is lovely and warm for them now 😊
KK
As at 21.05.26:
- When bought house £315,995 mortgage debt and end date at start = October 2039 - now £215,607
- OPs to mortgage = £18,925 Estd. interest saved = £9,670 to date
c. 16 months reduction in term
Fixed rate 3.85% ends October 2030
Read 35 books of target 52 in 2026 as @ 24th May.
Produce tracker: £119 of £400 in 2026
Watch your thoughts, they become your words.
Watch your words, they become your actions.Watch your actions, they become your reality.4 -
Spuds should be fine. I didn't lift the ones I planted last year and they are coming up strong at the moment.
Planted up six pots of manpukuji carrots and started prepping an 80l dustbin to grow them on. Just waiting for lil Sis to take me compost shopping at the weekend.
Also started off some melon seeds - A bit late, but this variety claims to be fast growing and early maturing. Cucamelons have been a dead loss (a couple of seeds germinated then died), so fingers crossed, the melons will make up for it.
Any language construct that forces such insanity in this case should be abandoned without regrets. –
Erik Aronesty, 2014
Treasure the moments that you have. Savour them for as long as you can for they will never come back again.2 -
I like the idea of planting out used herb pots @rtandon27 . I've successfully propagated basil this year. Was thinking yesterday what can go into the same bucket as the cucumbers, will put some herbs in!
Everyone was talking about the weather on allotment yesterday. Very glad i started late on everything.
The greenhouse cleared and ready for the tomatoes, aubergine and chillies. Also got a few trays ready for flowersowing.
Neighbour Dave rescued the leaning shed yesterday., now just need to nail down some loose boards. Also an opportunity to add a gutter to one side for rain catchment.
The seating area coming along, cabbages in the ground and started picking more radishes.
It's good for the soul to walk with your soles on the soil.3 -
I've re-potted all my tomatoes and chillies / peppers into larger pots, and moved them from the windowsill to the greenhouses to see if they go better. Of course, the temperature has suddenly dropped, so I am hoping they'll be OK.
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Got my tomato plants potted up and have containers prepped to plant them out. But -1°C forecast for tonight, so will wait for a few more days.
Picked up some 12l buckets at £1 each. After drilling a few holes in the bottom and filling with compost, they should make for ideal containers for the tomatoes.
Any language construct that forces such insanity in this case should be abandoned without regrets. –
Erik Aronesty, 2014
Treasure the moments that you have. Savour them for as long as you can for they will never come back again.2 -
We had frost again last night - crazy still getting frost in mid May as far south as we are! Most stuff survived our week away OK - we did lose a handful of seedlings but that was pretty much expected, and two troughs of strawberries were looking rather wilted - but have perked up now they have been well watered so fingers crossed they'll survive OK.
Had a full on sowing session on Saturday - two types of bush beans, another set of peas (the birds are treating the original ones as a free buffet - so we're starting seedlings off which can then be transplanted once they are a decent size), dwarf borlotti beans, another set of cucumbers, salad, herbs and another sprinkling of mixed flower seeds in a trough which was doing OK but the seedlings didn't survive the week of neglect!
The rhubarb is now ridiculous - we gave some to next door at the weekend (they gave us some more sunflower seedlings in return so we'll need to work out where those can go) and MrEH took some more round to Mum yesterday while I was out. I'll get some more picked and cooked at the weekend, with luck there might be room in the freezer for it by that stage.
Might ask Mum if she wants a couple of my spare tomato plants - they're looking lovely and sturdy and it seems a shame for them to go to waste. I've got masses of plants though and definitely won't have space for the spares!
🎉 MORTGAGE FREE (First time!) 30/09/2016 🎉 And now we go again…New mortgage taken 01/09/23 🏡
Balance as at 01/09/23 = £115,000.00 Balance as at 31/12/23 = £112,000.00
Balance as at 31/08/24 = £105,400.00 Balance as at 31/12/24 = £102,500.00
£100k barrier broken 1/4/25
Balance as at 31/08/25 = £ 95,450.00. Balance as at 31/12/25 = £ 91,100.00
SOA CALCULATOR (for DFW newbies): SOA Calculatorshe/her3 -
My tomatoes have completely stalled. They are rather small too. I keep looking under them to see if the roots are coming out of the bottom of the pots yet. I think it's all the peat-free compost
Save £12k in 2026 #2 I have banked £9004.48 so far, against a £10k target The 2026 Save £12k in 2026 thread is here
OS Grocery Challenge in 2026 I am sticking with a £3000 annual budget for 2026 - currently £1111.79 and most of my May purchasing made
I also Reverse Meal Plan on that thread and grow much of our own premium price fruit and veg, joining in on the grow your own in 2026 discussion thread
My keep within our budget diary is here2 -
It is, have a look art this short vid from RHS. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hN-E570Dxw&t=9s
Best solution is water with a very weak liquid all purpose liquid fertiliser, like Miracle Gro or similar, 6 - 7mL into a two gallon watering can and use it at every watering
Making a stronger solution will not make them bigger, they are not like Labradors 😁
When an eel bites your bum, that's a Moray2 -
Found an old bottle of tomato feed when we sorted out DH's shed yesterday, must be at least 2 or 3 years old. Will it still be ok?
Making the debt go down and savings go up
LBM 2015 - debt £57K / Now £26,544....its going down
Mortgage Free December 9th 2024! 18mths ahead of schedule.Challenges
EF £750/3000
.
Studies/surveys May...£226.33
Decluttering items 1400/2025. 306/2026
Books read 23 in 2025. 2026- 13 (target is 52)
Jigsaws done 20 in 2025. 3 this year.
My debt free diary...https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6396218/we-will-get-this-debt-d£own-the-savings-up1
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