Calling SMB veg growers

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1more said:
Post for keen or amateur gardeners. What are you growing or looking to grow?

I'm a bit of a novice on the growing produce front. I have potted some Rocket, Chives, Tyme and Parsley. See how they take and grow.

I'm looking to get some tomato and spring onion seeds and give them a try
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I've had some good success with Birds Eye Chillies. Easy to grow and the variety I got last year were bollock busters.
 


Proper little cottage garden at the back of the guest house - South facing and sheltered. This year we're going for Blackcurrants, apples, rhubarb (just about ready first crop), Onion, Potatoes, marrow (failed last year), Chillies indoor (started too late last year, but kept them going held back and they are racing on again now) also bringing on sunflower and giant poppies from last year's seeds (not convinced the sunflower seeds are healthy). Geraniums from little cuttings I took from last years as well. Oh and catnip for the mog - so much better when dried yourself on the boiler than bought stuff.
 
I had a great idea earlier.

I've had problems in the greenhouse the last few years with mice digging for and eating seeds. A propagator lid stops them but I've used the 12 I've got and don't want to buy more because they are bulky things that fill the shed shelves for the rest of the year.

Rather than buy seed trays, I tend to buy the deeper gravel trays, so a sheet of polycarbonate on top of one of those should stop mice and once the seeds reach the lid, they will have germinated enough that the mice are not interested.

What is really annoying is that I had loads of polycarbonate panels break around the edges in the high winds and were replaced but the middles were intact and ideal to be cut down. I put them all in the bin because why would you want broken greenhouse panels? I'll have to think of another cheap source of clear plastic, unless someone else knows of a good way to keep mice off?
 
I've got no balcony/terrace space in the current flat so this year there will be no potted chilies or tomatoes.

I've got an iDoo 10 pod hydroponic system and so this year I am growing herbs either in the hydroponic system or as Kratky style in jars of water (no air pumps).

Currently got mizuna (Japanese mustard greens), dill, parsley, coriander, Italian basil, Thai basil and holy Basil on the go. Most likely just sticking to herb this yea, at home anyway.
 
Does anyone grow tomatoes?
Mine have been potted on, but they're just about big enough to go out now, but I think its too early.

Temps look about 5C every night going foward from now, so I don't think there would be any more frost. Would it do them any hard to go out this weekend? Or should I repot them again into something even bigger and keep them inside for another month?
I don't have a greenhouse, they've just been on a windowsill.
 
PTR said:
Does anyone grow tomatoes?
Mine have been potted on, but they're just about big enough to go out now, but I think its too early.

Temps look about 5C every night going foward from now, so I don't think there would be any more frost. Would it do them any hard to go out this weekend? Or should I repot them again into something even bigger and keep them inside for another month?
I don't have a greenhouse, they've just been on a windowsill.
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I've just potted mine on yesterday and put them in my unheated greenhouse. They will be coming in at night whenever there is chance of frost though.
I would put them out during the day and bring them in at night for a week or 2.
 
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PTR said:
Does anyone grow tomatoes?
Mine have been potted on, but they're just about big enough to go out now, but I think its too early.

Temps look about 5C every night going foward from now, so I don't think there would be any more frost. Would it do them any hard to go out this weekend? Or should I repot them again into something even bigger and keep them inside for another month?
I don't have a greenhouse, they've just been on a windowsill.
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Nice bump, I came in looking for this thread.

I think it is way to cold to plant them out, and we could still have another frost. If they have filled the pot with a strong network of roots, then I'd consider putting them into a bigger pot. At this stage, they should not need anything more than a 15cm/6 inch diameter pot. Wait a couple more weeks.

It has been such a cold start to the year, almost everything of mine is a month behind last year. It didn't help that I had to rebuild half my greenhouse. My tomatoes are only just starting to sprout. Peas and beans are about 5cm tall. Parsnips and potatoes went out yesterday. I've not started April seeds, like squash and similar. Though I think some of what did sprout has been eaten. I'm sure my tomatillos had sprouted and there is nowt there now. Either I imagined it or the slugs have been out in force.


I was going to ask if anyone harvests seeds for the following year? I don't usually grow tomatoes from seed, first time this year. But I was thinking that each year, I usually get a few freebie tomato plants from fruit that dropped last year and sprouted. Last year my leeks went to seed and I've got a few growing in random places. I grow a fair few squashes and we scoop the seeds out of those to throw them out. Then my seed order was about £80. I was thinking of trying to harvest a lot of seeds this year and save money next year.

Years ago, we had been eating gem squashes in South Africa and really liked them. One day Sainsburys had them in as a special. I did harvest the seeds from them and managed to grow them for about 4 or 5 years in a row, then that ended when one crop failed. I don't know if stuff can get progressively weaker or I just had a bad year.
 
DaveH said:
Nice bump, I came in looking for this thread.

I think it is way to cold to plant them out, and we could still have another frost. If they have filled the pot with a strong network of roots, then I'd consider putting them into a bigger pot. At this stage, they should not need anything more than a 15cm/6 inch diameter pot. Wait a couple more weeks.

It has been such a cold start to the year, almost everything of mine is a month behind last year. It didn't help that I had to rebuild half my greenhouse. My tomatoes are only just starting to sprout. Peas and beans are about 5cm tall. Parsnips and potatoes went out yesterday. I've not started April seeds, like squash and similar. Though I think some of what did sprout has been eaten. I'm sure my tomatillos had sprouted and there is nowt there now. Either I imagined it or the slugs have been out in force.


I was going to ask if anyone harvests seeds for the following year? I don't usually grow tomatoes from seed, first time this year. But I was thinking that each year, I usually get a few freebie tomato plants from fruit that dropped last year and sprouted. Last year my leeks went to seed and I've got a few growing in random places. I grow a fair few squashes and we scoop the seeds out of those to throw them out. Then my seed order was about £80. I was thinking of trying to harvest a lot of seeds this year and save money next year.

Years ago, we had been eating gem squashes in South Africa and really liked them. One day Sainsburys had them in as a special. I did harvest the seeds from them and managed to grow them for about 4 or 5 years in a row, then that ended when one crop failed. I don't know if stuff can get progressively weaker or I just had a bad year.
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Thanks
I'll probably repot then, as they're in 4" pots and they're already too tall for them really. I've moved them from the west-facing kitchen window to the north facing side of the porch, which is cooler - just to slow them down really.
I need to buy some compost - then I'll repot them then.

Yeah, I kept my seeds from last year - I bought organic seeds,so might as well. Got lettuce, coriander (BILLIONS) tomatoes, spring onions and sunflowers. I have some spare spring onion seeds from last year, plus seed heads in the plants now that I left over the winter. No sure if they're viable yet though, I keep meaning to post a photo and ask.
 
Staying here a bit longer than expected, so going to grow some tomato plants and a couple of cannabis plants, and helping my mate as he has a licence for 50 cannabis plants outdoors.
 

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