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

QueenJess

Planted out the tomatoes and cucumbers on the very hot patio this morning. I did put the tomatoes in compost bags, but on the last one I wondered if cutting a large square (as the bag tells you to) is silly because the water will evaporate so quickly. In the last one I just cut tiny amounts, only enough to plant the tomatoes in. I shall see how that works out as I'll have a direct comparison.

I have also trialled using a milk bottle with a drilled hole in the lid and the bottom cut off in the large pot with my plum tree to see if it is more water efficient by providing water straight to the roots (I buried the bottle top first so I can fill it with water). It is definitely a bit easier to water.

I've done the same with a yogurt pot and some other milk bottles, so will give those a go in some of my other pots when I get a chance.

Suffolk_lass

Planted out our beans yesterday evening. It was too hot earlier in the day. I think Mr SL watered them in but I will check before it all goes to pot today. Just the pot bound sweet peas to intersperse now.

I also cleared last year's potato bed with a missed potato producing a meal's worth of earlies! This was some dig weeding (Black grass and creeping thistles that arrived in compost I bought from a different place two years ago!) strenuous but only an hour, then I played tug with the dog and my oversized bright yellow gardening gloves. Great fun.

@QueenJess - I now have a couple or 3 old black plastic pots (really big ones) and I slash the top surface of the tomato bag across its' waist and remove about a third into one of these, then finish cutting the bag in half and smoosh the compost so the half bag fits in the pots. I roll the top of the bag so it is mostly less visible but I can move these three pots around and apart, if I need to. The tomato plants seem to like their roots going a bit deeper and the compost is spread on the flower beds the following spring. Plenty of room for bottle waterers too!

FreeBear

Trying 12l builder's buckets (£1 from B&M, B&Q, and others) for my tomatoes this year. Don't know how well the buckets will do compared to growbags.
I'll maybe pot up the rest of tomatoes later today now that the weather has improved, but got logs to chop up once my back stops hurting.

greenbee

Getting courgettes in the ground, potting up cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes is on my list today. I need to work out an outdoor location for tomatoes and cucumbers, as if this year is as hot as last, the outdoor ones may well do better than the greenhouse ones.

Suffolk_lass

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82010220#Comment_82010220

I was thinking the same thing @greenbee. Some and some tomatoes this year. I have two types of cucumber that will grow happily outside. I want less in my greenhouse this year

Makingabobor2

Have got the courgettes out and most of the tomatoes. I have potted on a cucumber, a mini one. I actually have 2, so wondering whether I should put one out, and one in the greenhouse, just to give them double chance. . Its my first time doing cues, so not really sure.

Peppers don't seem to be doing too well. They look healthy, but just not growing much. Just a few small leaves. I would have thought they should have got taller by now.

Suffolk_lass

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82010566#Comment_82010566

My chilli plants stuck until I potted them into a compost with a slow release fertiliser and started adding a little feed to their water - just starting to grow now

Makingabobor2

Will have to try that, thanks @Suffolk_lass

Talking of fertilizer, I have read about using egg shells, or Epsom salts. Anybody got any opinions on this?

Sallyp2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82011309#Comment_82011309

epsom salts are a cost effective feed. See below

Epsom salt, or magnesium sulfate, can boost plant growth, improve leaf color, and enhance flowering  when used correctly, especially in magnesium-deficient soils.

What Epsom Salt Does for Plants

Epsom salt provides magnesium and sulphur, two essential nutrients for plant health.  Magnesium is crucial for chlorophyll production, photosynthesis, and nutrient uptake, while sulfur supports  protein synthesis, enzyme activity, and overall plant growth. It can help correct magnesium deficiency, which  often shows as yellowing between leaf veins, weak stems, or stunted growth, particularly in tomatoes, peppers,  roses, and citrus trees