The ups, the downs and the insides out of growing your own in 2026!

EssexHebridean

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81994336#Comment_81994336

We had exactly this conversation last year didn't we. My tomatoes seem to mostly be OK this time, but my peppers and chillies have either keeled over or are simply doing nothing, it's very annoying.

Good tip on the all purpose liquid feed - might have to acquire some and see if it helps.

kiss_me_now9

Afternoon all!

Since posting in the 2024 (!) thread, things have changed a lot. We’ve moved closer to family and had to ‘give up’ our beautiful, long garden which housed a cherry and apple tree, a nice big greenhouse and several veg beds as well as plenty of space for a patio furniture set and lots of lawn for our toddler to play on. I’m also 7.5 months pregnant with baby 2. The new house has so many benefits; its on a lovely little cul de sac with really friendly neighbours so I no longer feel awkward about being out in the garden (our old neighbours were known for shouting at us over the fence… my new neighbours occasionally give us produce off their allotment!) and we are so close to family now and enjoying a different lifestyle being able to see grandparents/parents/siblings a lot more but the garden is a good 5th of the size of our last one. Although I miss the size of our old garden everything else is 500% better so it’s a small price to pay.

As a result, this year I’ve done a lot of container growing! I went a bit mad and somehow ended up with 15 dahlias… I’ve got 8 tomatoes in, 3 types of courgette, beans, sunflowers, lettuce, cucumbers (gherkins, will be kept in the little plastic greenhouse we have), strawberries, blueberries, a raspberry cane (inherited from the previous owner), a blackberry bush, carrots and radishes in. My aim is to have a good supply of ‘basic’ veg we use often that can just be watered and picked when it’s ready rather than anything too taxing that needs a lot of attention. Trouble is I now have containers EVERYWHERE and poor toddler has very little room to play on the patio! OH is clearing the beds slowly (they were hugely overgrown and are mainly bushes with lots of poisonous looking berries on that I don’t really want in the garden, the house was privately rented before we bought it so I guess the majority of bushes are there for cover and low maintenance) and I think I’ll put the sunflowers and courgettes in the ground but leave the rest in the pots.

Silvertabby

Spent most of the day giving the borders their spring tidy. Good job done, but it's so COLD ! Going in now for a hot drink and a good soak in a hot bath - if this weather continues, can't see me being able to plant out my tender summer bedding at the end of May - more like mid June!

Farway

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81994603#Comment_81994603

Yes. to qualify answer, it will not be bad as in a plant killer

Give it a very good shake, sniff it, strong is OK, smells foul, rotten eggs, makes you heave, bin it.

Has it turned to sludge or mouldy? Bin it

If seems normal, use it, try first at a lower strength, on something not too precious just in case

Suffolk_lass

Thank you @Farway, that RHS clip was good! I think this is the first year I have used compost straight from the bag and of course! Doh! My husband is monopolising the greenhouse currently (extracting honey, because it is warm in there!). I have plenty of liquid feeds, or could go the Monty method (sieved garden compost and horticultural grit) but before I started plugging rabbit scrapes and burrows in my garden with the pot contents, all our spent tomato compost went on the compost heaps (I stopped when the penny dropped and we had blight in the potatoes one year).

Makingabobor2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81994697#Comment_81994697

Thanks for the tips

kiss_me_now9

Does anyone know of anything I can add to my blueberry pots to make the soil more acidic?

We don't have a water butt so I've been relying on the rain fall and sparingly topping them up when they're very dry from the tap but I whacked them in normal compost when I probably should've ericacecous (I consider myself a very 'basics' gardener - everything goes in the same soil, if it doesn't like it then oh well!) They're fruiting up nicely but I'd like them to last for a few years if possible.

fionaandphil

I think we used fresh pine needles and coffee grounds on the blueberries to help with acidity. I do think we've lost one of them over the winter though so maybe not!

Suffolk_lass

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81996351#Comment_81996351

Yes, or conifer cuttings (we shred them first) as a mulch

EssexHebridean

I was going to say conifer cuttings when I saw the question yesterday but then second-guessed myself and wondered if I was imagining that! Evidently not!