Calling SMB veg growers

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Butcher's Coat said:
August last year was too wet basically.:cry:
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That is similar to what I have found the last 2-3 years really. Last year it was cold and windy up until April, but was not too much of a problem as I got my seeds started in the greenhouse. Planted out in early may and it was just stupidly hot down here. Quite a lot wilted and died because the soil was too dry when transplanting. Those that survived did canny until July then it was cool and wet for most of the rest of the year.

This year, I'm keeping a diary/log and see if after a few years it is useful to look back. The main thing is to document which seed types I buy and note which do well. I have always bought suttons but some things just never work. That might not be the fault of the seeds!
 


Cowvahlo said:
Divorce mate, that's what happened! Scuppered my growing season last year and I'm still suffering now. Had a month out of the house where the leeks and onions didn't get looked after properly so went belly up. Got nothing growing at the minute apart from weeds!
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Nothing scuppers the potential of your show leeks more than coming from a broken home.
 
Butcher's Coat said:
August last year was too wet basically.:cry:

Weather's picking up nice now.
Spuds are getting chitted ready for planting - first earlies usually around St Patricks day (weather depending).
Tomato & aubergine plants doing well on the windowsill.

I'll get the soil turned over and get the parsnip seeds in later on today, also the garlic & shallots can go in this week.
Plenty to do now.
Here's hoping for a good year.
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Little late? mine has been in since the back end of October.
 
Spuds go in on St Patrick's Day as it's a bank holiday so I get a day off.

Renewing all the raised beds this year so will be well behind schedule. Also emptied the polytunnel with a view to using weed suppressing membrane on the beds to retain the water and keep weeds down.

Winter has laid waste to my strawberry beds sadly.
However rhubarb is sprouting.

Upset that my little orchard seems to have been destroyed by canker.

On the plus side I've just got new hens, rescued from a battery farm, so loads of free fertiliser !!!

consettsafc said:
Why wait months when you can just open a tin or lift a bag out of the freezer?
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Knowing exactly what you're eating. For me anyway
 
Bad_mother said:
Spuds go in on St Patrick's Day as it's a bank holiday so I get a day off.

Renewing all the raised beds this year so will be well behind schedule. Also emptied the polytunnel with a view to using weed suppressing membrane on the beds to retain the water and keep weeds down.

Winter has laid waste to my strawberry beds sadly.
However rhubarb is sprouting.

Upset that my little orchard seems to have been destroyed by canker.

On the plus side I've just got new hens, rescued from a battery farm, so loads of free fertiliser !!!



Knowing exactly what you're eating. For me anyway
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It has a picture on the tin and packet so I know I am eating peas instead of spinach, all too easy.
 
Gingga said:
Little late? mine has been in since the back end of October.
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Not really.
Depends on the variety, and of course if it is an over-wintering type.
My ones have just started to sprout up, so they will be going in the ground under a cloche until warmer frost-free weather.
 
Finally got my potatoes in today

Also planted broad beans, peas and some tomatoes.

Squeezed the seeds out of some particularly nice supermarket tomatoes that I like on to kitchen roll, will let em dry a couple of days then just plant the paper.... worked brilliantly 2 years ago
 
What is the absolute lowest maintenance thing I can grow in a couple of tubs I have in my yard? I have some thyme which just looks after itself and one sage plant which somehow managed to grow in some soil that was spilt when my greenhouse blew away.
I remember courgettes seemed to grow with no effort, similarly potatoes. Anything else, herb or veg?
I want to put in next to no effort at all.
 
After two seasons of a losing battle, I grew nothing last year so that I could fight back the dreaded bindweed that had got all over my late Dad's vegetable beds. I had a few bonfires in the beds at the beginning of the year, which really seemed to set the bindweed back. Then I did not disturb the soil at all, avoiding breaking any root systems or turning over any remaining seeds. I had a few more bonfires through the year, and attacked any bindweed that came through with my own fairly strong solution of glysophate. On areas where is seemed to come through stronger I broke up the leaves and applied glysophate solution mixed with wallpaper paste. I only got about three flowers come through and I caught them and detached them before they had a chance to drop any seed (hopefully).

Next week I will be having bonfires in each bed again to try and kill off any remaining seeds. I am crossing my fingers that I will get very little bindweed through this year and I will risk planting a few crops. I am very nervous of turning the soil at all though, in case I activate dormant seeds. I will probably do root vegetables (I am not sure if I am late for that) with leeks, maybe carrots, and possibly some interesting things. I will most likely get some decent tomato seeds for the greenhouse. I need to do a lot of repair and painting on the boxes though. I've got a shed to replace as well...

I am struggling with damaged water butts at present. I've also got to figure out how my Dad's automatic watering system works. I was planning to reroute it from the green house to the beds. There is loads of tubing around for it. I also found a small pump when I emptied the pond, so I might try and construct my own solar powered circuit that waters the garden once a day from the water butt.
 
RestlessNatives said:
What is the absolute lowest maintenance thing I can grow in a couple of tubs I have in my yard? I have some thyme which just looks after itself and one sage plant which somehow managed to grow in some soil that was spilt when my greenhouse blew away.
I remember courgettes seemed to grow with no effort, similarly potatoes. Anything else, herb or veg?
I want to put in next to no effort at all.
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Herbs: Rosemary.
Potatoes are your main no-fuss veg. Strawberry plants you can also stick in and leave.
 
janiep said:
Herbs: Rosemary.
Potatoes are your main no-fuss veg. Strawberry plants you can also stick in and leave.
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Strawberry plants go out of control so easily though. Once the birds start eating and crapping them out everywhere, you can find them popping up all over your garden. It is particularly annoying if you have weed barriers down anywhere, as strawberry planets just tend to send their roots right through them.
 
Spring is finally here and while I'm a through and through veg and fruit lady I couldn't resist planting some flower seeds in the growhouse, got back from a trip to the Motherland to find the cornflowers, calendula, hollyhocks, lupins and malope (dinnar what they are like) have all sprouted.
 
I'm doing sweet peas, cosmos, sunflowers from seed and lupins from seedlings this year...

Got aquilegia and sea holly still in the ground

Oh and self seeded marigolds all ower the shop

Gotta keep the bees happy

Veg-wise the broad beans and peas are up.... Everything else is slow
 
janiep said:
Spring is finally here and while I'm a through and through veg and fruit lady I couldn't resist planting some flower seeds in the growhouse, got back from a trip to the Motherland to find the cornflowers, calendula, hollyhocks, lupins and malope (dinnar what they are like) have all sprouted.
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I am going to be struggling to get anything in. I have a couple of hours tomorrow morning to try and get something in to seed trays but it is not looking good for this year's harvest. I won't have any chance to do anything else for a few weeks, and I think I would have missed the boat by then.
 
JumpingAnaconda said:
I am going to be struggling to get anything in. I have a couple of hours tomorrow morning to try and get something in to seed trays but it is not looking good for this year's harvest. I won't have any chance to do anything else for a few weeks, and I think I would have missed the boat by then.
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Not a bit, it's been too cold and wet to plant much....
Trees are only coming into bud now so plenty of time.... Maybe plant seeds on a window sill indoors, plant seed potatoes nice and deep...
And it's never cheating to buy seedlings from garden centres (didn't plant my chillis early enough)
 

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