Wilfy
Striker
Sweetcorn, peas, probably lettuce and other salad stuff. Will be sowing parsnips, carrots and beetroot directly into the soil.
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Guitar Man
Midfield
I would have been putting them in propergators till they broke through , so i would be alright sowing lettuce/ carrot seeds straight into the soil next week , (no cover on the raised bed )
Wilfy
Striker
I would say so, it’s only the second year of me growing mind!
DaveH
Striker
Yes, though with it still being cold then I would consider a fleece covering.
I'm hoping to get my parsnips in during the next week and I'll have fleece over them, probably do the same with potatoes. The fleece has the added benefit in that there are a couple of local cats who love the beautiful clear surface of a dug over and raked fine veg bed. It keeps them off while the seeds are breaking through, then I often go for a net.
Things like peas and sweetcorn, they say sow direct but I always start them in pots. We have a lot of slugs and snails, so a huge amount of seedlings direct in soil tends to get eaten. They are better protected from them in the greenhouse. Mice too are a problem, they love pea and sweetcorn seeds.
You mentioned a raised bed. If you want nets (or a fleece/poly tunnel) have a look at getting some MDPE water pipe. I got a big roll of it from screwfix fairly cheaply. You can use it to make tunnels, cages and covers for veg beds, with things like this:
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Some people cut and screw it to the side of the beds. I got some cheap metal stakes from B&Q and cut them in half. I poke them deep in the ground and then arc lengths of pipe over them. A net goes over the top with ease. There are a lot of expensive solutions out there, but this is quick and cheap. I'd tried making cages out of garden canes and they don't work. Just stretching a net over the ground, I found that plants grew through it quickly and got tangled up, meanwhile cats just squashed it down onto the soil and crapped on top of the net.
Because i bought a big reel of it I had enough to run the end of the garden. Last year I needed to dig a trench for a power cable, so I chucked some pipe in too. I'll get it linked up to the outdoor tap and it gives me a tap at the top of the garden next to my veg. When the hosepipe ban kicks in, the biggest ballache is carrying watering cans of water up and down. The tap is too far away that I'm not quick enough to be able to have one filling while one is pouring. So every time it is wait while two fill, carry them up the garden, pour, back, wait. This year I want one filling while one is pouring.
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Guitar Man
Midfield
Where do you buy the net ? Is it a specific type ?
DaveH
Striker
If it is just to keep birds (especially true for my strawberries) and cats off, then any garden centre, or B&Q have them for £6. That is generally quite a wide spaced net with holes about the size of a pound coin. That will do most things.
If you are growing cabbages or other brassicas, then you want to keep butterflies off as caterpillars can quickly decimate a good crop. I've not had good returns on them so don't often try but will use this sort of stuff if I am doing them:
Just search for garden butterfly netting, you generally want a fine mesh. That can also be useful for carrot root fly, which tends to fly low and burrow into your carrots. But my tip there is to companion plant with onions. The smell of the onions deters carrot flies or at least masks the smell of carrots and they work fine to plant in the space between standard spaced rows of carrots, so you get double your money on space. Garlic and leeks are also good at keeping pests away, so I usually do carrots and onions, then leeks and parsnips, garlic where I feel like.
It is worth looking at various companion planting guides online. Often small with large or root with very green is a general rule of thumb. I mentioned the other week I plant squashes in the gaps between my sweetcorn. This year I'll probably have peas with pak choi between. Beetroot, turnips, radish also have done well between rows of peas and beans. The other bonus is the more actual plans there, the less space there is for weeds, so it cam lead to less work.
While Im posting links, fleece for early frost protection and to help warm the ground, search for horticultural fleece:
I hope to get my potato bed dug over early next week (I rotate stuff around). I will cover it with fleece to help warm the ground, even if the seed potatoes are not ready to go out. Then after planting I will cover again until about 5cm of plant is pushing up the fleece.
High Entropy
Midfield
I got the onions and the shallots myself, if you look on the label they are RHS award winners, so yes, they're great.
Onion sets from the garden center up the road, slays been very good, touch wood.
I use Dutton’s and tastebuds for any seeds I use, always good quality.
I started using Biobiz light mix when potting in my tomatoes and I’ve never grown better tomatoes than this years, the soil,although expensive compared to regular compost , is top quality and they’re loving life, everything growing in the Biobiz is better for it
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It’s only £11 for 50litres in my local hydro shop which is cheaper than most other places
No it’s not to late
socrates
Striker
splitting is overwatering, blossom end rot is a disease and a contributing factor is a lack of Calcium in the feed. Irregular watering contributes.
I feed alternate weeks - Chempak Calcium fertilizer one week - Tomorite the next.
Aye as Socrates said, just do them when you’re back, should be alright.
I started some cos lettuce but it’s a mess so I’ve thrown them out dnd just gonna sow direct then and then thin them. Finnish the tubs for my potatoes tomorrow and get them sorted, weathers been ok here touch wood
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I found this in a group I’m in dnd built some, I had my potatoes in 30 litre tubs but I’m changing to these for the is year, I’ve added irrigation lines to make for easier watering, hopefully I do well again.
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DaveH
Striker
I like the look of thoseAye as Socrates said, just do them when you’re back, should be alright.
I started some cos lettuce but it’s a mess so I’ve thrown them out dnd just gonna sow direct then and then thin them. Finnish the tubs for my potatoes tomorrow and get them sorted, weathers been ok here touch wood
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I found this in a group I’m in dnd built some, I had my potatoes in 30 litre tubs but I’m changing to these for the is year, I’ve added irrigation lines to make for easier watering, hopefully I do well again.
Hansel
Striker
I've got five massive tubs that we used to keep toys and other stuff in when the kids were little. I've often thought about using them for spuds but what puts me off is that it seems to me that the price of the growing medium is probably more than the you spend on just buying the potatoes. What's the most cost effective growing medium? I do make my own compost but only get enough for my tomato plants.Aye as Socrates said, just do them when you’re back, should be alright.
I started some cos lettuce but it’s a mess so I’ve thrown them out dnd just gonna sow direct then and then thin them. Finnish the tubs for my potatoes tomorrow and get them sorted, weathers been ok here touch wood
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I found this in a group I’m in dnd built some, I had my potatoes in 30 litre tubs but I’m changing to these for the is year, I’ve added irrigation lines to make for easier watering, hopefully I do well again.
Well personally I have 3 compost bays made outa pallets so get around a tonne outa all 3 every spring. But last year we had to buy compost and got 3 bags of clover for £14 down here which wasn’t to bad tbh.
I’m not sure how much cost wise but everyone is in agreement that they seem to be a lot better than what we buy, plus we also grow heritage stuff like pink fur etc which I never see in shops so that’s nice too.
Last year we done Maris hairs, peatland del and pink fur. All lovely tbh.
Yer shame as they are very chilled places to spend a few hours, no room in your back garden for some beds? My allotment is in the back garden as fortunately I had enough room to build one, it’s not the biggest but enough for a few beds plus the greenhouse.
Nookie Bear
Striker
We will be doing that with the peas and corn , I’m in charge of the seeds and Wilfy is in charge of grafting
Guitar Man
Midfield
just priced up Mdpe pipe and it's £50 a 50m roll ,i'll probably only use half of that , i was thinking of using white conduit pipe ,i can get 25mm conduit plastic 3m length for £3.19 .
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