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

kiss_me_now9

Coffee grounds I could easily do! Will give that a try :)

carinjo

Took the pots out for hardening off, kept an eye on temperature. Next thing i know it starts hailing! Luckily the cold frame was right next to table

Overnight temperature in greenhouse was -1.6C. Day time max, 40.2C. the chillies are starting to flower on the windowsill. Not sure what to do.

Makingabobor2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81998680#Comment_81998680

Temperatures have been mad haven't they? We had the hail as well. was cold up until the last hour or so and now brilliant sunshine. Starting to warm up a bit from Saturday though and nights looking a bit warmer from then

Suffolk_lass

It's hard to decide, isn't it @carinjo . My stuff is all in the greenhouse. I do have a greenhouse heater but it's mounted on the wall in the toolshed where I have a fridge freezer that isn't guaranteed for outdoors (the walls are lined with cardboard too!

I bought more compost - Miracle Gro 50L bags 3 for £21 from BAQ 0- also a pot of their fertiser slow release granules. Today is the day to pot on my tomatoes and chillies. Hopefuly some enriched compost will spur them into life!

greenbee

@Suffolk_lass - given the complaints about commercial compost recently, one of the tips I've seen is to put a paper bag with some kitchen food waste in it into the compost for a week or so to get some active microbes going, and then compost the kitchen waste as usual. Or mix with home-made compost.

I need to source commercial compost to mix with hotbin contents for toms, peppers, and aubergines. I'll also stick some topsoil in the mix too. And some compost bin worms.

FreeBear

given the complaints about commercial compost recently

Had a bag of compost last year. Even the weeds refused to grow in it. I can only assume it contained some persistent herbicide… Hopefully, the compost purchased this year works as claimed.

Suffolk_lass

I'm adding the "gravy granules" Miracle Grow slow release fertiliser to the compost and then to the tops in a while as I keep forgetting to add liquid feed to young plants - after nearly 40 years of not adding it until they are in their final pots, it's a hard habit to break.

Sallyp2

just watching GW from last night. my allotment has loads of nettles by the rhubarb but its covered in ladybirds. Council have sent me a standards letter so ill have to trim it back but will use it to make nettle feed as demonstrated by monty

wondering if i can convince the annoying council woman that the nettles are therefore a crop … 🤣

greenbee

Tell them you're using nettles to make nettle soup :)

carinjo

@Sallyp2 , you can also say you doing no mow may.