Calling SMB veg growers

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Cut away most of the sick looking stems a few weeks back as there were suckers ready to take over. Just removed the rest now and the plants look healthy, although a bit "thin". They're flowering, so might end up ok?
Almost all that basil is dead or at best, hasn't grown a jot since I put them in.

I do wonder if the combination of "worst soil ever" topped with a 6" mulch of unfinished compost wasn't the greatest plan ever :lol: Oh well, now that there's also 4" of woodchip on top, those beds should be great next year.

By the way, does anyone think we should merge this thread with the "Calling SMB veg growers" one? Calling SMB veg growers
Yeah should merge any veg threads.

I put a layer of cardboard on top of the soil then my unfinished compost on top of that. I planted my tomatoes through the cardboard (outside) and they have green tomatoes on now.
 


Spread the compost out a bit to leave 4" free in the beds, and filled them with woodchip this afternoon. Hopefully the birds won't bother with it now - it was like a crime scene every day man :lol:

Still only 4 out of 12 pea seeds germinated, I think they're shit. But I'll get them shifted tomorrow and stick a fresh batch on and more lettuce too as I've still only got 3 very weak looking plants from the last batch.
Not sure if my potting soil is any good - 50% coco coir, 25% perlite, and no more than 25% compost. Maybe I need to pot stuff on into 50% compost once they large enough to move?


By the way, does anyone think we should merge this thread with the "What are you growing?" one? What are you growing?

:lol: a knaa!
Always plant toms in a John Innes mix. Cut the bottom off large plastic pots and dig a hole in the raised bed for the pot. Fill with compost and chicken manure. Plant young toms in that. Just water into the pot around the roots, and it keeps the moisture there, concentrating it . Roots eventually grow out the bottom so it doesn't get pot bound. Seems to Work
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Any idea why my lettuce leaves are turning white.
Grown from seed, potted up about 3 weeks ago.

I might have over watered them and they were also on a west facing window, so would have got fairly hot at times.
 
Any idea why my lettuce leaves are turning white.
Grown from seed, potted up about 3 weeks ago.

I might have over watered them and they were also on a west facing window, so would have got fairly hot at times.
Give them a general purpose feed mate. Water them at the base with it. Need some goodness marra. Should be ok.

Where are they now?
 
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Give them a general purpose feed mate. Water them at the base with it. Need some goodness marra. Should be ok.

Where are they now?
Repotted them with a mix with more compost in, and turned it in a bit more than before.
Moved them to front porch which is largely north facing.
 
No, indoors. I've had them out a little in the good weather, but that's after the problem started.
Grew from seed. Potted up at about 2".
Barely grew since, and now the lower leaves are turning white and dying.
Just my opinion marra, but I would have them permanently out doors now. Grow mixed leaves and sew them straight into the beds. Picking them now. Yours may just be too warm mate.
 
Just my opinion marra, but I would have them permanently out doors now. Grow mixed leaves and sew them straight into the beds. Picking them now. Yours may just be too warm mate.
I don't seem to be having much joy in getting things to grow direct in my beds. Maybe if it was nice topsoil with some compost mixed in it would be difference. I've gone down the "back to eden" method too far to go back now.

But yeah, I think they might have been too hot too - that's why I've gone to the porch which doesn't get too hot.
 
I don't seem to be having much joy in getting things to grow direct in my beds. Maybe if it was nice topsoil with some compost mixed in it would be difference. I've gone down the "back to eden" method too far to go back now.

But yeah, I think they might have been too hot too - that's why I've gone to the porch which doesn't get too hot.
What growing medium is in your beds now?

You can often pick up dumpy bags of spent mushroom compost cheap if you look around. Great for topping up your beds, particularly with a bit blood, fish and bone mixed in.

End of the day your beds need nutrients to grow anything.
 
I don't seem to be having much joy in getting things to grow direct in my beds. Maybe if it was nice topsoil with some compost mixed in it would be difference. I've gone down the "back to eden" method too far to go back now.

But yeah, I think they might have been too hot too - that's why I've gone to the porch which doesn't get too hot.
The back to Eden thing is ok if you have rich soil to begin with.
Plants need lots of nutrients especially when young.
Got to put some back in, to get anything out marra.
 
The back to Eden thing is ok if you have rich soil to begin with.
Plants need lots of nutrients especially when young.
Got to put some back in, to get anything out marra.
It was clay soil, so won't be terrible in terms of being bereft of any nutrients.
Then 4" of compost
And now 4" of woodchip.

So it'll be coming to life over the next year or so.

Either way, you can't really plant direct when the soil is 4-6" underneath the mulch. I don't think much will germinate and do well if I sow it in woodchip.
 
Couple of years of frustration, for long term gain marra. I get that.
Just a bit too impatient myself.
Don't use pesticides, or anything not organic, but like to see a result for my work.
Stick with it mate👍👍👍
 
It was clay soil, so won't be terrible in terms of being bereft of any nutrients.
Then 4" of compost
And now 4" of woodchip.

So it'll be coming to life over the next year or so.

Either way, you can't really plant direct when the soil is 4-6" underneath the mulch. I don't think much will germinate and do well if I sow it in woodchip.
What I often do to stop the raised beds getting too full, is dig a few wheel barrows of stuff out every few years and use it in my borders. I’ve got heavy clay soil and some bits of the garden get waterlogged in winter. Raising the borders with compost and soil mixes keeps the roots above the water table and makes summer weeding a lot easier.

I then top my beds up with a mixture of manure, top soil and home produced compost. You need some soil/clay content for good water retention. I also rotate my planting. I have knocked up a quick diagram that I print out each year, write up my planting plan and then file away at the end of the year. It means I can look back and try to leave a few years between putting crops in the same place.
 
End of every season I put cow shit about 6 invhes deep on top. Cover with my compost and plastic sheet to help it rot down.
Just put my compost on the other bed, so its not too rich for onions and leeks etc. Rotate every year. Job seems to be a good un as they say.👍
 
Peas are coming on well here.
Second crop of radishes are on the way.
No tomatoes yet but a lot of flowers.
Ditto blackberries.
Bloody black currents on the other hand - the bush/canes whatever are pretty big but I see no evidence of fruit coming off it this year, which is disappointing.
 
Never done Black Currents. No idea marra.
Raspberries go mental, and Blackberries all around me in the hedgerows, so no need really.
Not veg I know, but anyone got pyracantha in their garden.
No evidence if flowers or berries this year. Normally goes nuts, but looking very bare this year.
Any thoughts anyone?
 
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End of every season I put cow shit about 6 invhes deep on top. Cover with my compost and plastic sheet to help it rot down.
Just put my compost on the other bed, so its not too rich for onions and leeks etc. Rotate every year. Job seems to be a good un as they say.👍
Last year I covered in shredded leaves, then put cardboard over. A lot of it was gone by the time I started this year.
Lovely crop of raspberries coming through at the mo. Bloody sick of em now though 😆
Planted 4 canes in spring, they were just coming alive.

Then I sprayed roundup over the other side of the fence where grasses and weeds were growing out of control behind the new shrubs.
Didn't think for a second about the canes on the other side of the fence :( Lost all bar one. Will let that grown, and take cuttings at a future date for next year I suppose. I'm big on that, taking cuttings. Got 25 portuese laurel plants and 8 rose cuttings planted. Fingers crossed!
 
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